Comedy Guy with Louis Zezeran
By Louis Zezeran
Twitter / Insta : @louiszezeran
Email: louis@zezeran.com
Check full episodes "Comedy Guy with Louis" on YouTube
Comedy Guy with Louis ZezeranSep 21, 2020
#123 - Ann Vaida
This week I talk to Comedy Estonia comedian Ann Vaida who will be doing her first solo show in December. We chat about creativity in her day job, how she writes Stand Up and her feeling as she approaches her first Stand Up hour.
Follow Ann: https://www.instagram.com/annvaida
Episode video: https://youtu.be/4TSmA7YIiD0
You might like some of the other things I do too
Comedy Guy Podcast: https://anchor.fm/comedyguy
Zez Retro Podcast: https://anchor.fm/zezretro
Twitter: https://twitter.com/louiszezeran
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/louiszezeran
Zez Retro on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/ZezRetro
Retro Shmups on Twitch: https://www.twitch.tv/louiszezeran
#122 - The Tim & Louis Show - Monday Night (vax) Fever
This week Tim and I make it into the studio after Tim's very rough week after getting a second dose.
Tim's vax induced delirium
Louis' Estonian lessons
Why are there so many Australia entertainers in Estonia?
Hipster Japanese brothels
Video: https://youtu.be/IkaU6LIbncM
Follow Tim: https://www.instagram.com/sexyhunk1988/
You might like some of the other things I do too
Comedy Guy Podcast: https://anchor.fm/comedyguy
Zez Retro Podcast: https://anchor.fm/zezretro
Twitter: https://twitter.com/louiszezeran
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/louiszezeran
Zez Retro on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/ZezRetro
Retro Shmups on Twitch: https://www.twitch.tv/louiszezeran
#121 - Martin & Louis talk about dealing with people not liking your show
Martin and I are back and discussing what it is like when someone doesn't like your show. If it's a normal public show, if someone doesn't like it then mostly they are reasonable and accept its not for them and they just don't come back. However sometimes people REALLY don't like the show and demand their ticket money back. What do you do?
Then we have the case when we are hired for a private party and the customer is not happy with the performance. We have a long list of questions we ask about the event to ensure we can do it correctly. However even with a good checklist, often we turn up on the day and something is wrong or off which we did not anticipate. Sometimes we can make adjustments in the moment but sometimes we just need to power through. If the customer isn't satisfied we need to take a detached view and stoically ask ourselves could we have asked more questions and done more prep or do we feel the customer had an incorrect expectation (which still makes it our fault for not setting the expectation correctly).
Follow Ruutu10: https://www.instagram.com/ruutu10eesti/
You might like some of the other things I do too
Comedy Guy Podcast: https://anchor.fm/comedyguy
Zez Retro Podcast: https://anchor.fm/zezretro
Twitter: https://twitter.com/louiszezeran
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/louiszezeran
Zez Retro on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/ZezRetro
Retro Shmups on Twitch: https://www.twitch.tv/louiszezeran
#120 - Roger Andrew & Tambet Sild - Estonian Comedy in the UK - Part 2
In part 2 we hear from Tambet and Roger's side of our recent trip to the UK. What were their war stories about hitting the mics in London? How was that Glasgow crowd after all? What's up with Tambet's Scottish accent?
Follow
Roger: https://www.instagram.com/rogerandre_
Tambet: https://www.instagram.com/tambetsild
You might like some of the other things I do too
Comedy Guy Podcast: https://anchor.fm/comedyguy
Zez Retro Podcast: https://anchor.fm/zezretro
Twitter: https://twitter.com/louiszezeran
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/louiszezeran
Zez Retro on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/ZezRetro
Retro Shmups on Twitch: https://www.twitch.tv/louiszezeran
#119 - The Tim & Louis Show - Estonian Comedy in the UK - Part 1
Tim and I are back from the UK and we tell stories of the times we had. Roger, Tambet, Ari and Oleg were all there, hutling for spots and prepping for Ari's Estonian show on the Saturday. After this Tim took Tambet and Oleg up to Scotland where they did gigs in Glasgow and tasted the fish and chips from the highlands.
Follow Tim: https://www.instagram.com/sexyhunk1988
You might like some of the other things I do too
Comedy Guy Podcast: https://anchor.fm/comedyguy
Zez Retro Podcast: https://anchor.fm/zezretro
Twitter: https://twitter.com/louiszezeran
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/louiszezeran
Zez Retro on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/ZezRetro
Retro Shmups on Twitch: https://www.twitch.tv/louiszezeran
#118 - Dominykas Klajumas
I was back in Vilnius last week and I caught up with my friend Dominykas Klajumas. Dom is a podcaster, content creator, radio host and Stand Up comedian with "Humoro Klubas" which is roughly like the Comedy Estonia of the south.
After years as a well known comedian and radio host, Dom moved into podcasting and online content creation at the start of the pandemic and things have gone very well for him, with episodes now regularly getting hundreds of thousands of views. Wow that's a lot, I sometimes forget that Lithuania is three times the size of Estonia.
We had a really fun talk about his career, developing a Stand Up scene and why Comedy Estonia definitly should not worry about the latest Tõnis Niinemets tour.
Fun fact: In Lithuania, they are not allowed to show alcohol logos on camera at all. Even for podcasts. This is why Dom always drinks from a cup. When he told me about this my first reaction was "fuk da Lithuanian police" and I definiantly said we don't follow such backward rules in Estonia and I'll drink a beer loud and proud. The problem is now is that Dom probably can not distrubte this episode in Lithuania. Which is where most people know him :D Still, I was keeping my beer real.
Follow Dominykas
https://www.instagram.com/klajumas
https://www.facebook.com/dominykas.klajumas
You might like some of the other things I do too
Comedy Guy Podcast: https://anchor.fm/comedyguy
Zez Retro Podcast: https://anchor.fm/zezretro
Twitter: https://twitter.com/louiszezeran
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/louiszezeran
Zez Retro on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/ZezRetro
Retro Shmups on Twitch: https://www.twitch.tv/louiszezeran
#117 - Martin Rauam
I talk to Martin Rauam who is a former Estonian rally driver and now is a partner in JOLOS event and live communication agency. I know Martin from working with him on many events and I have always wanted to hear about his previous career as a rally drive back in the early 2000s which took him around Estonia and also for several seasons in the International leagues.
We have a good talk about how artists and sports people need to prepare for the transitions in their life when you need to move on. Either the "big goal" is achieved or the realities of life say "sorry you now can not do this thing you trained for and focused your whole life around".
Rally and life as a sportsman is about the first hour. Then we switch up and talk about the current state of events in Estonia. Martin's agency JOLOS mostly focused on "corporate" events where Comedy Estonia is slinging tickets to public shows. We talk about the market place and whats the mood of companies and the public right now
Learn more about JOLOS: https://jolos.eu/en
Martin is also on the board of the Estonian Marketing Association: https://turundajateliit.ee/en
You might like some of the other things I do too
Zez Retro Podcast: https://anchor.fm/zezretro
Comedy Guy Podcast: https://anchor.fm/comedyguy
Twitter: https://twitter.com/louiszezeran
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/louiszezeran
Zez Retro on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/ZezRetro
Retro Shmups on Twitch: https://www.twitch.tv/louiszezeran
#116 - Kaspar Kikerpill
This week Kaspar and I talk about comedy. The current state of Comedy Estonia, how to be a better host and what to make of all this showbiz stuff.
Follow Kasper: https://www.instagram.com/kasparkikerpill
You might like some of the other things I do too
Zez Retro Podcast: https://anchor.fm/zezretro
Comedy Guy Podcast: https://anchor.fm/comedyguy
Twitter: https://twitter.com/louiszezeran
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/louiszezeran
Zez Retro on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/ZezRetro
Retro Shmups on Twitch: https://www.twitch.tv/louiszezeran
#115 - Rainer Peterson from Puhata ja mängida
My guest this week is Rainer Peterson, one of the hosts of the Estonian video games podcast Puhata ja mängida. We talk about running the podcast over the last 10 years, finding frustration with YouTube's treatment of Estonian and stories of how video games came to Estonia in the 90's.
Follow Puhata ja mängida and Rainer
https://puhatajamängida.ee
https://www.youtube.com/user/puhatajamangida
https://www.instagram.com/puhatajamangida
https://www.instagram.com/pixelpez
You might like some of the other things I do too
Comedy Guy Podcast: https://anchor.fm/comedyguy
Zez Retro Podcast: https://anchor.fm/zezretro
Twitter: https://twitter.com/louiszezeran
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/louiszezeran
Zez Retro on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/ZezRetro
Retro Shmups on Twitch: https://www.twitch.tv/louiszezeran
#114 - Martin & Louis give an update about how Ruutu10 and Comedy Estonia are doing
It has been a few months since Martin and I got together to talk comedy. In the meantime both Comedy Estonia and Ruutu10 have been doing lots of shows as we both try and get back into a rhythm of putting on events.
* Ruutu10 "Barprov" shows
* Ari Matti's tour going to London, Brussels and Helsinki
* The difficulties in bringing an International improver to Estonia
* Martin has a shiny new webshop
Follow Ruutu10: https://www.instagram.com/ruutu10eesti
Follow Martin: https://www.instagram.com/martin.junna
You might like some of the other things I do too
Comedy Guy Podcast: https://anchor.fm/comedyguy
Twitter: https://twitter.com/louiszezeran
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/louiszezeran
Zez Retro on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/ZezRetro
Retro Shmups on Twitch: https://www.twitch.tv/louiszezeran
#113 - The Tim & Louis Show w/ Tambet Sild
The big issues of the day. Social issues. Things that matter. Opinions on important stuff.
You won't find any of that in this episode. It's me and Tim and Tambet drinking Alexander and talking absolute nonsense. We do get into my Estonian lessons (why won't Tim go???) and at one stage Tim is selling the virtues of Viru Burger so hard we make a Bolt order to test it out. Is it really better than VLND? Truly the big issues of the day.
It's the three of us having fun. Good craic as they say in Ireland.
Follow Tim: https://www.instagram.com/sexyhunk1988
Follow Tambet: https://www.instagram.com/tambetsild
You might like some of the other things I do too
Comedy Guy Podcast: https://anchor.fm/comedyguy
Twitter: https://twitter.com/louiszezeran
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/louiszezeran
Zez Retro on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/ZezRetro
Retro Shmups on Twitch: https://www.twitch.tv/louiszezeran
#112 - Tiina & Riina from Naked Love
Today my guests are Riina Ries and Tiina-Mall Vannastu from "Naked Love", which is an Estonian based lifestyle brand focusing on female sexual and body positivity.
Or if you want be more direct, they sell vibrators.
As the ladies explained to me, there are still many aspects of female sexuality which are taboo or just not spoken often about, particularly in Estonia. If a woman wants to find something to help her explore her sexuality while alone, the choices are going into some weird, seedy-ass looking sex store, or buying online and facing a mountain of different options with wildly different prices.
The concept of Naked Love is to sell one product (at first), a vibrator which would be broadly appealing. It comes in nice packaging and they don't shy away from what they are selling, they present it visually and proudly.
Their webshop is also an online portal for information about sexuality and body positivity. They have involved one of Estonians most renowned educators on sexual topics, Kristina Birk-Vellemaa to write and speak about this on the website. I spoke with Kristina myself back in episode 65 of Comedy Guy
We talk about their backstory, some of the great "user feedback" they have received and also some of the struggles, particularly around setting up the business, where anything even mentioning sex is immediately lumped in the same category as porn, sexual exploitation and even guns(?).
Check out Naked Love at
https://nakedlove.ee
https://www.instagram.com/nakedlove_official
https://linktr.ee/nakedlove
You might like some of the other things I do too
Comedy Guy Podcast: https://anchor.fm/comedyguy
Twitter: https://twitter.com/louiszezeran
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/louiszezeran
Zez Retro on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/ZezRetro
Retro Shmups on Twitch: https://www.twitch.tv/louiszezeran
#111 - Dana Jurkjāne (Comedy Latvia co-founder)
I was in Riga AGAIN last week helping the team come to the final decision on who our new general manager would be. I took the time to sit down with Dana Jurkjāne, who is one of the other co-founders of Comedy Latvia with me.
We talk about the history of Comedy Latvia, how we met and how we got the ball rolling. As both Dana and I don't live in Riga, we have not done a good a job of growing the scene and the crew as much as we would like. Now finally bringing in a new senior partner is our way of pushing things forward and I'll tell you what, we owe it to our comedians in Latvia. They have some real talent and I am glad now we are at the end of the worst covid restrictions we can really do something big again.
It was a good chat with my old friend, we go over the history, the process of hiring someone and then we talk about the future of Comedy Latvia and I give my advice for how we will grow and get moving over the next 18 months
You might like some of the other things I do too
Comedy Guy Podcast: https://anchor.fm/comedyguy
Twitter: https://twitter.com/louiszezeran
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/louiszezeran
Zez Retro on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/ZezRetro
Retro Shmups on Twitch: https://www.twitch.tv/louiszezeran
#110 - On the road from Riga to Tartu
I spent 3 days in Riga last week and I decided to record an episode solo on the way back to Tartu.
I was down there to interview people for our new Comedy Latvia general manager position. I give the background on how that is going and also some life update stuff from me. I don't have a motorbike to do some cool "on the road" videos so this Volvo will have to do instead. I hope you like it, I enjoy doing these ones where I can take my time and explain whats on my mind more
The video was shot in "upright mode" cause my phone holder doesn't work sideways, check the video here, its mostly the Latvian countryside along with a triumphant return to Estonia via Valga.
Comedy Guy Podcast: https://anchor.fm/comedyguy
Twitter: https://twitter.com/louiszezeran
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/louiszezeran
Zez Retro on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/ZezRetro
Retro Shmups on Twitch: https://www.twitch.tv/louiszezeran
#109 - The Tim & Louis Show - Caught by the fuzz driving Bolt
It has been too long! This week we are in Tim's apartment catching up on the past month
* Tim didn't listen to the Istanbul episode so I answer his questions
* The Brazilian lady who got deported from Estonia for illegally working for Bolt (or Wolt, we are not sure)
* Why that might be Louis soon
* Tim's feelings about the passing of Joey Jordison from Slipknot
* Why some Irish boys are going to have to take it from Irish priests to save humanity
* Louis' reaction to the online comments about Comedy Estonia's "covid safe" shows
#108 - Paulius Ambrazevičius
This week I am in Vilnius and I caught up with my old friend and Stand Up comedian, Paulius Ambrazevičius.
Paulius runs a comedy group in Lithuania called Humoro Klubas which you can think of roughly something like Comedy Estonia. We have known each other for many years, we presented International acts together in Vilnius back in the day and done a bunch of shows together. Paulius is a top guy and a great comedian.
It has been ages since we caught up so we go over where the comedy scene is at in Lithuania and Estonia right now. We go deep into the similarities are differences between Humoro Klubas and Comedy Estonia and the overall differance between the comedy scenes in our two countries.
We talk about the back story of Humoro Klubas which is one I will never tire of hearing. Basically his group had a weekly show on TV within 3 months of doing their first gigs. They did well enough (or didnt suck that bad, depends on how you wanna look at it) to establish their names in Lithuanian pop culture and build their Stand Up and media careers from that. All credit to these guys, they did well and have forged successful careers from it, all while still keeping their burning love of Stand Up.
We recorded this episode in Piano Man bar in Vilnius with some new lapel mics which.... didn't sound as nice as we hoped.
#107 - Live from Istanbul
Its summer holiday time! Turkish Airlines have some sweet deals to Istanbul so my girlfriend and I are here for a week. After a few days here, I setup the camera and recorder on the balcony here and I tell you what I think about Istanbul and Turkish culture. The audio isn't quite studio quality but you can hear the sounds of the city around me, including the Turkish music concert which seems to play every evening from 7pm to 11pm.
Istanbul is great fun. The food, the people, the history and while its good... anything feels good after being trapped at home for 18 months. I have a few beers while fighting off the seagulls who are going for my börek.
Thanks for listening and supporting the podcast!
See me on the Istanbul balcony by watching the episode on YouTube https://youtu.be/xg76mLw6RmA
#106 - The Tim & Louis Show - Live from Viskla!
We finally did it! We finally got our act together and recorded a podcast in the Estonian countryside!
Several weeks ago we found an article which announced that Viskla had won "Village of the Year" and Tim & I knew we had to go visit.
We drove the 40 mins south to find the Viskla Külakeskus which also happens to be an amazing center of Estonian kiiking. Kiiking is a genuine Estonian sport where someone stands (or rather, gets tied onto) on this huge swing and tries to go 360 degrees over the top.
On the day we arrived they were running a kiiking course and we got to see the swinging in action. It was rad. A nice lady took the time to explain the history of kiiking to us and gave us a tour of the külakeskus.
Tim and I recorded this episode outside, on a traditional wooden swing with bench seats and a table in the middle.
We got to talking about...
- Our day looking around Kose and Viskla
- The history of kiiking as the lady explained to us
- In nearby Palvere there is a farm where some bloke collects old military trucks. Where did he get them all?
- Trying to bribe the old lady at the bus stop with vodka
- Not once did we see Tanel Kiik
- Louis' theory on why Estonian surnames are often taken from nature
- The full story about Louis being hit by a car on his bike
- "PAIDE WAY", eh eh "by the way... PAIDE WAY" geddit??
- Dear foreigners: stop blaming racism when maybe you didn't try hard enough
This episode was tremendous fun for us to record. We will be doing more of these episodes from the countryside.
The episode is best viewed on the YouTube video, except I screwed up the first 23 mins of footage. The audio is good and I spliced in some b-roll of kids kiiking instead.
https://youtu.be/RqW1Rv0SP9Y
#105 - The Tim & Louis Show - Iiri seiklus
Tim just arrived back from 2 weeks back in his sweet homeland of Ireland. This is the first time he has been home in over a year so our boy has some catching up to do. He took James and Tauri with him and they traipsed across the countryside and hiked up some big ass mountain which almost killed them. There is an easy side and a hard side and apparently the hard side is labelled the "easy" side (and vice versa) because of some dry Irish wit. We get the full report from Tim.
On the episode we talk about:
Louis is gunna steal your bike
Why didn't Tim call the helicopter to get him off that mountain?
What us an Aussie "ute" and why doesn't Louis have one with his face on the side?
Australia is back to lockdown, suck it bogans
Why exactly do the Estonian police want to talk to Tim?
Louis misses the days of "bribing vodka"
#104 - Martin & Louis talk about running a show business
This is a series of episodes recorded with Martin Junna of Improv Comedy troupe, Ruutu10 and we talk about the similarities and differences between Ruutu10 and Comedy Estonia. In each episode we are trying to pick a topic and break down how we each do it.
Martin and I take a recap of how our businesses are going post-lockdown. Warning, we geek the f*ck out in the episode on very nerdy business topics such as
- Registering for VAT. I realize this is odd advice from an Australian but I think it's a dumb scam if you think not registering for VAT will save you some money.
- Making you show budget lines up with what your accountant reports.
- Why doing Stand Up outside is harder than it seems Pubs in small cities can be awesome places to do a show but it's pretty hard to make a hip place in the countryside profitable.
- How can Ruutu10 branch out and perform in more cities than just Tallinn and Tartu.
- The different new rules for running a events in Estonia compared to Latvia.
Thank you for the support, I know these super nerdy episodes might not appeal to everyone but we have had feedback that if you are into this topic, then you will really be into this stuff.
If you want more information about Ruutu10 then sign up for their newsletter on their webpage https://www.ruutu10.ee
#103 - Pynchon Woo
Pynchon Woo is Chinese and has been living in Estonia for 6+ years and in that time he has created a YouTube channel about life here, written a book, got his Masters Degree and is now a newly minted personal trainer. We had a fun talk about our lives in Estonia as two foreigners:
- Why I hate Europark
- Pynchon speaks B1 Estonian and I do not
- Louis's tips for dealing with the Estonian Immigration department
- Why China is the "World's villain"
- 40 bucks is too much to pay for underwear
Pynchon was last on the podcast a year ago, here is the previous episode
https://louispodcast.podbean.com/e/44-foreigner-show-with-pynchon-woo/
Watch the full video of this episode on YouTube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r9-kVsWDJmA
Follow Pynchon on Instagram
#102 - The Tim & Louis Show - Kristjan Jekimov (head chef at Põhjaka restaurant)
Today's guest is Kristjan Jekimov, head chef at renowned Estonian restaurant Põhjaka. Kristjan is an old friend of Tim & I, he was an OG bar tender at Möku and used to perform Stand Up with us back in the day.
We talk about how Kristjan came to learn more about the chef game in some exclusive restaurants in Norway. His menu choices are influenced by some Nordic simplicity, South American flavors and his Korean upbringing. At Põhjaka they use as many fresh Estonian ingredients as possible and their reputation is definitely deserved.
In the first half of the episode we talk about Kristjan's story over the past few years and into how Põhjaka aims to do everything from farm to plate. By the second half we get into a good old discussion about food in general.
Follow Kristjan on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kristjanjekimov
#101 - The Tim & Louis Show - Paul Gunn, the first manager of Nimeta Baar
Tim and I had a great time talking to Paul Gunn, a Scotsman who done his bit to help make Tallinn a great place. Back in 1994 he arrived in Estonia on the urging of his friend and ended up staying and becoming the first manager of Nimeta Baar in Old Town.
Since then Paul has had a hand in almost every classic pub: Hell Hunt and Molly Malone's (OG Mad Murphy's) just to name a few. Paul has some fantastic stories from 1994: getting to Estonia back then, mobsters wanting their cut, breaking into the American embassy and the non stop party which was Nimeta Baar.
Thanks for Paul for coming in, he is a true character and Tim and I reveled in the stories.
#100 - Dagmar Lamp
Episode 100! Thank you for listening, I really appreciate your interest in the stuff I make. My century episode is a easy going talk with my friend Dagmar Lamp. Dagmar is an Estonian journalist, podcaster and is always good for a laugh. We start with talking about how to deal with assholes in your life and your workplace and go from there.
#99 - Martin & Louis talk about which venues to perform at
This is a new series of episodes recorded with Martin Junna of Improv Comedy troupe, Ruutu10 and we talk about the similarities and differences between Ruutu10 and Comedy Estonia. In each episode we are trying to pick a topic and break down how we each do it.
Episode 99!
Now that open mics are happening again we have a timely episode. Martin and I talk about how to choose a venue for your comedy performance. Why one cafe but not another cafe? Bars? What about theater shows?
Theater shows are the upper level (and ticket sales = income to live from) but some form of regular, low pressure event needs to happen to make it easy for people to attend. In Comedy Estonia, that's basically what our Open Mic shows do: they provide an easy way for audience to experience Stand Up with a low commitment. We also get a place to try our material so it can be polished and by the time you see that joke at a theater, it's good and solid and worth your ticket fee.
Follow Ruutu10 at www.ruutu10.ee
#98 - The Tim & Louis Show - Paul Senosi, the South African pie guy
Today Tim and I had a real nice chat with Paul Senosi, who runs the Bobotie pie store in Baltijaam.
We both think he's got the best pies in Estonia. He's also got a great story to tell about growing up in South Africa. He lived though the apartheid days and was a teacher in a "colored" neighborhood. It's given him a sort of stoically strong work ethic I've seen in a few South Africans, basically if you lived through those days, everything else doesn't seem as hard.
We talk a lot about food and what it's been like to setup the business here. Paul is a great guy and I really enjoyed hearing his stories.
Get them pies, they are the closest thing Ive had to a real Aussie meat pie in Estonia, https://www.bobotie.ee
Follow me at @louiszezeran on Twitter and Insta
Follow Tim on Insta
Watch the full episode on YouTube
#97 - Martin & Louis talk about how to choose a good venue
This is a new series of episodes recorded with Martin Junna of Improv Comedy troupe, Ruutu10 and we talk about the similarities and differences between Ruutu10 and Comedy Estonia. In each episode we are trying to pick a topic and break down how we each do it.
In this week's episode we talk about the upcoming season of comedy and we think it's going to be a fantastic time for both performers and audience when everyone is allowed out again.
We talk about what makes a good venue and in particular, where would be good for Ruutu10 to put on some shows. They have a very cool workshop space in Tondi but it's a little out of the way. So how to get more exposure by presenting regular shows in different cafes and bars:
- What makes a good bar venue?
- Should there be a ticket or instead ask for a donation at the end?
- How to break down which neighborhood it should be in?
- What sort of show should Ruutu10 present in one of these venues?
- How to preserve the value of your larger ticketed shows while still presenting free comedy like this.
Follow Ruutu10 at www.ruutu10.ee
Follow me at @louiszezeran on Twitter and Insta but not TikTok
#96 - Olga Loitsenko
This is Olga's third episode on the podcast and second done remotely from Melbourne. She moved there about 18 months ago to pursue the Estonian dream and has been getting into the local comedy scene.
Recently the Melbourne International Comedy Festival was on and Olga and two friends got together and did a 10 night run of their own show "Of Outsiders & Misfits".
Yup, comedy and pretty much everything else is alive and well in Australia and we hear what it was like to prepare and run your own show in a big festival like this.
Follow Olga at https://www.instagram.com/olgaloitsenko
Follow me at https://www.instagram.com/louiszezeran
#95 - Caleb Brunick
Caleb Brunick is American, 22, has lived in Estonia for 4 years and is a Comedy Estonia comedian. He has a story which in one way I am intimately familiar with: working on your comedy career as a foreigner in Estonia. On the other hand, he's blowing up on TikTok and I am like, wtf is TikTok anyway?
Caleb talks about making those TikTok videos and interacting in impromptu streams with Estonians on his channel. That's a very different experience in getting to know a place and a culture than what I went through. I feel like a ghost from the future coming to warn Caleb to hold back on the Suur Munamägi jokes.
Watch the full episode: https://youtu.be/ZEayO1KEQ2k
Follow Caleb
https://www.instagram.com/calebbrunick https://twitter.com/CalebBrunick
Follow me at @louiszezeran on Twitter and Insta
#94 - Martin & Louis talk about being artistic and shit
This is a new series of episodes recorded with Martin Junna of Improv Comedy troupe, Ruutu10 and we talk about the similarities and differences between Ruutu10 and Comedy Estonia. In each episode we are trying to pick a topic and break down how we each do it.
After talking about the business side for 4 episodes, we get into being an artist and how do we practice creativity. We look at how Martin and myself have balanced writing jokes and also running the operation. Pre-show stress has been a big part of my early years as a comedian and in general there is one way comedians deal with grief of any kind.... by getting on stage and talking about it. Better to get on stage with a negative emotion than feeling numb. We meander around the subject a bit as some sort of meta-reflection that being creative isn't something you can schedule into small amounts of time, its something you need to orientate your life around.
Follow Ruutu10 at www.ruutu10.ee
Follow me at @louiszezeran on Twitter and Insta
#93 - "Bang Estonia" book review w/ Tim Reidy & Sille-Kadri Simer
Welcome to Literary Guy podcast! This week Sille-Kadri Simer joins myself and Tim in the studio to discuss the 10 year anniversary of one of the finest pieces of literature written about this fine country "Bang Estonia" by Roosh V.
In this classic 2012 piece of cultural learning, this guy came to Estonia and wrote a guidebook for how to score with chicks. A decade later, we go back and discuss if his advice and insightful social observations stand the test of time:
- Is Atlantis a good place to get laid?
- Are Estonian girls getting fat?
- "Estonian girls are no longer impressed by random foreigners visiting Tallinn for the weekend"
- What did he think of Zavod & Möku?
- Would 20 year old Sille-Kadri have fallen for this?
- Isn't this just "rohkem seksikaid mehi"?
- Was this whole thing the fault of Margus Toots?
Watch the full episode on The Comedy Guy YouTube page
Follow Sille-Kadri on the Tissident podcast
Follow me at @louiszezeran on Twitter and Insta
Follow Tim around at your local Rimi
#92 -The story of McDonalds in the Soviet Union w/ Tauri Einberg
Tauri Einberg and I talk about one of the many curiosities of the final days of the USSR: In January 1990 McDonalds opened a store in Pushkin Square in Moscow, with the blessing of Mikhail Gorbachev.
In the perestroika days Gorby had basically hung a sign on the door of the USSR "Open For Business".... but it was still very much the Soviet Union. It's a great example of the insane challenges companies faced when trying to do business with a country where most people couldn't even get a fresh banana.
How will they get all the produce needed, on schedule, and then serve it up with happy smiling McDonald's service? The USSR is not renowned for any of these things. How will regular comrades even afford a burger?
Even if do all of this AND you make a profit, how will Ronald get those profits when the ruble ain't worth anything outside the USSR?
Watch the video of this episode here: https://youtu.be/V9yIxS0Rsl8
Follow Tauri on Insta: https://www.instagram.com/voneinberg/
#91 - Martin & Louis talk about being a comedy group in Estonia
This is a new series of episodes recorded with Martin Junna of Improv Comedy troupe, Ruutu10 and we talk about the similarities and differences between Ruutu10 and Comedy Estonia. In each episode we are trying to pick a topic and break down how we each do it.
In this episode we had meant to to "how to sell to private events part 2" but instead we started to talk about the Estonian entertainment industry and how our groups fit into it. TV, what sort of shows could we make? Can we even adapt what we do to TV? We try and work out what comedy would work on tv now. Also, are any of these online streaming platforms any good for selling comedy?
Follow Ruutu10 at www.ruutu10.ee
Follow me at @louiszezeran on Twitter and Insta
#90 - Martin & Louis talk about selling your comedy to private events
This is a new series of episodes recorded with Martin Junna of Improv Comedy troupe, Ruutu10 and we talk about the similarities and differences between Ruutu10 and Comedy Estonia. In each episode we are trying to pick a topic and break down how we each do it.
In this episode we discuss how we sell and perform at private events like birthdays or company parties. Doing these sort of performances is a key way for artists to earn a proper living but if you don't do the prep work, it can be a big bomb.
Follow Ruutu10 at www.ruutu10.ee
#89 - The Tim & Louis Show - Emakeelepäev
Tim is back and we banter about Emakeelepäev as we try and work out who is "Foreigner of the Year 2021".
It's an old school long ass episode where we go through such controversial topics as:
- The fall of the Irish language
- Who's paying the copyright on those old Estonian 90's songs which you later found out are covers of Western songs?
- The literary masterpiece that is "Bang Estonia" by Roosh V
- Is Tim depressed?
- What will Louis do now he's not CEO of Comedy Estonia anymore
https://twitter.com/louiszezeran https://www.instagram.com/louiszezeran
Watch the video version of this episode: https://youtu.be/r3k4LeJRppc
#88 - Louis & Martin talk about how their groups work
This is a new series of episodes recorded with Martin Junna of Improv Comedy Troupe, Ruutu10. We talk about the similarities and differences between Ruutu10 and Comedy Estonia. Somethings are close, somethings are different. Somethings are different because Stand Up is different to Improv but somethings are different just cause there is no one path when trying to make it as an artist.
In our second episode we look further into how each group arranges their shows. I know how Comedy Estonia has open mics and comedy nights to help develop talent but how did Ruutu10 create a system of development for their performers?
Follow Ruutu10 at www.ruutu10.ee
Follow me at @louiszezeran on Twitter and Insta
#87 - Louis & Martin talk about the comedy business
It has been a while but the sun is out and it's time for the next season of Comedy Guy.
With this episode I am starting a new series along with Martin Junna of Impro troupe Ruutu10. I have all these topics I want to discuss about running a comedy group and how to help develop artists. In past seasons I have spoken to other people in the entertainment industry about how their art form works. With Martin and his experiences running Ruutu10, we have many similar experiences. They also have a group of comedians whom they are trying to develop artistically along with trying to make a business out of this whole thing. That's the dream: to be able to do your thing and make a living out of it as well.
Martin and I will do a series of episodes talking about developing comedy and comedians. There are a whole bunch of things which are similar between Comedy Estonia and Ruutu10 as well as things we do differently, either because Stand Up and Impro are different or just because we chose different ways. When you are trying to make a career from your art, there is no set road. No HR manager to ask how can you proceed to the next level. In these episodes we are going to talk about our experiences running these groups with hopefully entertaining stories from behind the scenes as well as good advice if you are trying to hustle as well.
In this first episode, Martin and I take some time to settle in and set the scene. Louis wants to know what Ruuto10 does and how they organize themselves.
Follow Ruutu10 at www.ruutu10.ee
#86 - The Mr T. episode ft. Külapood
Ardo Asperk and Karl-Alari Varma from the Külapood podcast join me for a very special episode.
The year was 1984, Mr T was a household name after Rocky 3. The first season of the A-Team had been on TV and he was at the height of his fame. In this year Mr T produced a self help motivation VHS for kids called "Be Somebody or Be Somebody's Fool".
Ardo, Karl and myself talk about the life and career of Mr T and we break down this amazing video scene by scene. Mr T addresses such topics as: clothing, working out, your heritage, dealing with anger, friendship, peer pressure and of course, being good to your mother. The video is an amazing time capsule of early 80's fashion and culture: the clothes, the break-dancing on the street, the rapping.
The audio of this episode is great but the best experience comes from watching the episode on YouTube. When we play clips from the video I have spliced in the actual footage from the video https://youtu.be/zVweA6q_UFw
#85 - Jesse Wojtkowiak
My guest this week is Jesse Wojtkowiak, who is current Head of Information Security for Pipedrive and also a former US Navy Aviator. Jesse spent 22 years in the service flying both fixed wing and helicopters. I saw him speak about security at a conference recently and it stood out to me because he was using the principles of leadership to create a better culture of security at Pipedrive. We have a chat about leadership in the military and how it can help you in business and in life.
Watch the full episode on YouTube https://youtu.be/lcbeWUrB89U
#84 - Olga Loitsenko
***** I really messed up the sound in this episode. We tried doing it online and I didn't know the recording had a massive feedback and it was a total shitshow. I tried to revive the audio the best I could but I understand if this too hard to listen to. I don't have another episode this week so I'll put this up anyway - Louis *****
Olga is one of our Comedy Estonia comedians who moved to Australia almost a year ago now. She had dreams of living in a social, care-free sunny environment where she can do comedy every night.
So that dream worked out well for her. We talk about life in Melbourne, doing comedy over zoom and if Coles or Woolies is best.
#83 - The Tim & Louis Show
We went and shot guns at TLK before the episode and we are fired up.
Tim's time back in Ireland, all the best places to eat in Paide (spoiler: it's still pizza kiosk), getting pulled over by the cops and the trip we have planned to Cyprus in January. It's some classic Irish "craic" (whatever that is)
Watch the episode on YouTube https://youtu.be/N7epxoptOic
#82 - Sille-Kadri Simer
#81 - Stig Rästa
It's a pleasure to have singer / songwriter Stig Rästa in the studio with me. We chat about his career, the Estonian management agency he runs and his experiences at Eurovision (along with some of mine).
Watch the episode on YouTube https://youtu.be/4bhQf9CGTUA
#80 - Elizabete Boka
Episode 80! Last week we visited Riga for the Comedy Latvia English Open Mic and I had a chance to finally record with my friend Elizabete Boka, who is a manager for young male models. She works for an agency called SAGE Management and they scout models throughout the Baltics and then send them on modelling shoots throughout the world.
Elizabete's department is young male models, namely teenagers into young adults. It's tough out there for a young guy who wants to model, you have one season, maybe two to get yourself out there otherwise you are done. What the industry wants in a young male model is kinda different to what they want in an older male model, so in this way I think this industry could be even tougher for boys because from the moment you sign up, you are on the clock.
Elizabete is an old friend of mine and I love talking to her about her work because she manages models and I manage comedians. I generally think the idea of boys being models is hilarious and interesting. There are so many things in common but so many things which are different. Male models have a few years at best, whereas comedians need to cook in the oven for years and only get better with time.
We talk about how they find models, how they prepare them and develop their careers and how they get sent around Europe and the world to do their jobs.
#79 - Ardo Asperk
I sit down and catch up with my brother Ardo Asperk. Two comedians talking about comedy, you know how these episodes go. Our latest Stand Up sets, when is Ardo doing his next hour and how come Estonia is weirdly the best place in the world to be a Stand Up comedian right now?
Check out Ardo and Karl on their podcast Külapood which is closing in on 200 episodes https://kulapood.podbean.com/ I reckon Ardo is line for line the best comedy writer in Estonia. You can buy his first two specials online at our webshop https://pood.comedyestonia.com/product-category/stand-up/ardo-asperk/
I know my podcast images are dogshit so I tried to snip us out and do something different. When I was done I thought to myself "you know what would look dope? flames"
Watch the full episode https://youtu.be/ifnNNspWvrs
#78 - Sten Erik Allikas
Sten Erik Allikas is an old friend of mine who I haven't seen in years because hes been away from Estonia for the better part of 10 years off and on.
Sten is just a regular dude who I think has had a pretty amazing life and shows that if you just get out there and try stuff, you will find your path.
He grew up in Tallinn, had an interest in music and fell into working in a kitchen. He took those skills and was able to land a job in one of the best restaurants in London where he honed his skills and really learnt the food game. He then lived in a hippie commune in Spain for a while before taking off for Asia. He stayed for 5 years in Cambodia where he used that kitchen experience to turn around local establishments and was able to make a living for himself. He was also in a band and were playing 5 nights a week, all the time getting better at chefing and performing. They even ran some comedy nights at the local bar and I was giving Sten tips on how to run the evening while he was over there. I like Sten's story because it shows that you may not know what you wanna do with your life but you gotta get out there and try something. Learning practical skills like cheffing led him to find a way of supporting himself no matter where he went. An education is important and you shouldn't stop learning but there are so many more ways to do that in life than just studying at a university.
I connected with details of his story I didn't know before because I saw elements of the same thing in my life: I love my crazy comedy life now but I really could only do it because I had this training in IT and mastered a skill in that first. I didn't just jump into being a comedian and promoter, I was able to gently bring down the amount of IT work I did as we got more and more Comedy Estonia gigs.
Thanks for listening to the podcast, I am trying to settle into a weekly schedule now. I am hugely appreciatively of everyone who listens, because the point of this podcast isn't to be a huge hit, it is to get better at making podcasts. At the end of this episode we talk a bit about "deliberate practice", the idea that if you want to get better at something, you can't just do it over and over, you need to push and analyze yourself and find harder challenges each time to get better. These episodes are just that, me trying to have better conversations each time and I deeply appreciate you being along for the ride.
Watch the full episode on YouTube https://youtu.be/3CGlbCAzBmE
#77 - Sergeant Erki Ott
Erik Ott is a Comedy Estonia comedian and also an active member of the Estonian Army. We start by talking about how the Army dealt with the lockdown and talk about the troops being locked in on base and you can imagine that was a tough time. We get a lot into leadership and how the Army teaches leadership as Erki is currently studying at the military academy in Võrumaa. Leadership is probably my favourite topic (beside grilling and retro games) and go deep into the lessons Erki has learnt and then I contrast them to how I have applied them to comedy and business.
The conversation comes pretty easily and we of course get to telling stories about the first comedy shows Erki did (and the way Tim Reidy corrupted him at the strip club). Watch the full episode at https://youtu.be/rFcPSzP6jN4
#76 - Suvetuur Recap with Roger Andre
After 6 weeks off I am back with more episodes of Comedy Guy. I am trying to get into a weekly schedule of releasing each Monday but here is an episode to kick us off.
I talk with Roger about the Comedy Estonia Suvetuur. Roger is studying PR and as part of his internship he was one of the project managers of the Suvetuur. I figure the most Comedy Estonia way for us to debrief the process and lessons learnt is by talking about it on a podcast.
This year the tour was about 33 shows across the whole country. We are very appreciative for the support as all the shows we were full and the crowds were great. We get into
- The history of Suvetuur and why it's different to our other shows
- The process Roger used to arrange the shows (he wasn't doing it alone)
- How it was to lead others in the group who are more senior to him
- The craziness of being the organizer and also a performer
- What he learnt from the whole thing
Follow Roger in Insta and also listen to Päikesejänkud
https://www.instagram.com/rogerandre_/ https://paikesejankud.podbean.com/
Watch the video of the episode https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mu8UAYz7GRE
#75 - Friday Afternoon with Louis & Sille-Kadri #13 (LIVE)
Just a quick episode for a very hot Friday afternoon in the city! It's too hot to be inside and live streaming so we will have July off. Thanks for the support over the last 13 weeks. This started as a quick idea for something to do during lockdown and it's been a fun way for us to finish off the week. Go out and enjoy the sunshine and see you in August!
Marianne and Sille are doing a Tissident Live show on July 14th at Club LAEV in Tallinn:
https://www.piletilevi.ee/est/piletid/teater/komoodia/comedy-estonia-tissident-suve-live-316075/
#74 - Friday Afternoon with Louis & Sille-Kadri #12 (LIVE)
It's good to be back! We hear about what Vilnius was like as, why does milk come in bags, and Louis' renewing his visa. It was a fun short episode, it's hot people, time to be outside!