A Firesign of the Times- Ray Lesser and Phil Proctor

Our guest for this episode is Philip Proctor. Phil regales Funny Times' Ray with stories of the inimitable Firesign Theatre, a narrow brush with death, and what it was like to have Steve Jobs as a fanboy.   You might also know Phil from the pages of the Funny Times, where he has been sharing laughs through his column Planet Proctor for many years. As you'll hear, Proctor goes on from his humble Indiana beginnings to becoming an award-winning actor and Grammy winner… but I grew up with him as the voice of Howard from the massively popular kids cartoon Rugrats, along with other Funny Times contributor and recent podcast guest Melanie Chartoff!   This episode is tied to the June 2026 print issue of the paper. In it, Dave Barry hires the services of a witch with questionable legitimacy, we bemoan our current gas prices, and share some dinosaur cartoons, while on page three, Andy Borowitz skewers the regime. We also share one of those classic Planet Proctors.   Phil and Ray talk about the role Funny Times and Firesign Theatre have played in popular culture by using the news as a way to make us laugh, as well as hold people accountable. As Phil says, there's still funny out there. They both have good reason to believe in the power of psychics and the humor of Midwesterners, and they argue the case for both. Ray also talks about the role Phil played in keeping him from getting arrested a few decades back.