History Of Radio Sketch Comedy The National Lampoon Radio Hour

Back in 2016, Word Balloon welcomed the late great satirist and comedy legend Tony Hendra for a fascinating conversation that covered everything from modern political comedy to the birth of some of the most influential comedy institutions of the last fifty years.Tony joined us to promote the comedy album Are There Any Triggers Out There?, but the discussion quickly became a remarkable tour through his own comedy history. Hendra was one of the founding creative voices behind National Lampoon and The National Lampoon Radio Hour, which became the first national sketch comedy showcase for performers like Gilda Radner, Christopher Guest, John Belushi, Bill Murray, and many other future comedy giants before their rise on Saturday Night Live and beyond.Tony also co-wrote National Lampoon's Lemmings, the legendary off-Broadway stage parody of Woodstock and youth culture that became a launching pad for many of the same performers and helped define the aggressive, counterculture edge of 1970s American comedy. We also talked about Tony’s years at Cambridge Footlights, where he performed sketch comedy alongside future Monty Python members John Cleese and Graham Chapman during a revolutionary era for British comedy.And of course, fans know Tony best on screen as the hilariously exasperated Ian Faith, manager of This Is Spinal Tap, delivering some of the film’s most quotable moments while trying to hold together the world’s most disastrous rock band.It’s a funny, insightful conversation with one of comedy’s sharpest and most influential voices