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Beginnings


We all know the stories of how creative people get into the business of creating for a living, but how did they start using their imaginations in the first place? On the Beginnings podcast, writer and performer Andy Beckerman asks well-known and up-and-coming comedians, musicians, writers and artists about their earliest creative acts and about other formative childhood experiences.

Nov 10, 2011

Tom Scharpling is the host of the critically-acclaimed weekly-call in program The Best Show on WFMU. Grounded by Tom’s sardonic glee, the show features phone calls, comedians and a weekly call between Tom and his comedy partner Jon Wurster, where Wurster plays numerous characters, usually from the made-up town of Newbridge, NJ. Tom was also a writer and executive producer on USA’s Monk, and most recently, he has been directing a number of well-received videos for everyone from The New Pornographers to John Hodgeman. A few weeks ago, we sat down with Tom in Studio C of WFMU hours before The Best Show. On this episode: we spend ten minutes accidentally depressing Tom! Tom becomes Andy's impromptu therapist! Andy downgrades his crippling fears! We maybe learn the origins of soda! And Tom challenges us to a game of Make Me Laugh!