Gene_Lavanchy's Blog

One of the great things about my job is the chance to interview fascinating people who've really made in impact. This morning, I had the pleasure of interviewing Tim Reid ,Venus Flytrap from WKRP, and Tom Dreesen--veteran stand-up comedian who appeared some 61 times on the Tonight Show. They're promoting their new book "Tim and Tom", which talks about their run as an inter-racial comedy team some 40 years ago. The book gives you an excellent sense of what the country was like during those volatile times--and how courageous they were in doing there stuff. The book also talks about their rise in show business while they both share some incredible Hollywood stories. Dreesan talks about the generosity of legends like Johnny Carson, Sammy Davis, Jr, and Frank Sinatra (he was Sinatra's opening act for 14 years). Reid shares stories of how WKRP came about, and how his critically acclaimed show "Franks Place" was yanked by CBS, and he learned the true story about the show demise from legendary newsman Walter Cronkite. The book will give you a taste of how a white man and black man tried to make people laugh when they talked about race, and it was dangerous at times. It's also about perseverance, friendship, and how things work in Hollywood. I can't recommend it enough, and I invite you to watch the interview with Tim and Tom here: