CANR
WORK TITLE: Our Dad Stole My Rake
WORK NOTES:
PSEUDONYM(S):
BIRTHDATE: 11/10/1968
WEBSITE: http://tompapa.com/
CITY:
STATE:
COUNTRY:
NATIONALITY: American
LAST VOLUME:
RESEARCHER NOTES:
PERSONAL
Born November 10, 1968; married.
ADDRESS
CAREER
Author and comedian. Head writer, Live from Here (radio show); former writer, A Prairie Home Companion. Appeared in online specials Tom Papa Live in New York City, Netflix, 2011; Tom Papa: Freaked Out, Amazon/Hulu, 2013; and Human Mule, Epix, 2016. Host, Come to Papa, SiriusFX/podcast; host, The Marriage Ref, NBC. Appeared on television and in movies, including The Informant, 2009; The Haunted World of El Superbeasto, 2009; Behind the Candelabra, HBO, 2013; The Knick, Cinemax, 2014; Top Five, 2014; The Jim Gaffigan Show, TV Land, 2015; Cop Show, 2015; Inside Amy Schumer, Comedy Central; The New Adventures of Old Christine, CBS; The Late Show with Stephen Colbert; Conan; Analyze That; and Comedian.
WRITINGS
Contributing writer, Bee Movie (animated film), Dreamworks, 2007.
SIDELIGHTS
“Tom Papa,” wrote Zachary Clemens in the Estes Park Trail-Gazette, “has spent over twenty years making people laugh, earning his stripes in the 1990s New York City stand-up comedy scene with the likes of close friend Jerry Seinfeld, and has years of work in television, film, radio, podcasts and live performances throughout the country.” “Personally chosen by Jerry Seinfeld, Tom hosted the NBC series, The Marriage Ref, which ran for two seasons,” explained the contributor of a biographical sketch to the author’s home page, the Tom Papa Website. “Tom had a recurring role opposite Julia Louis-Dreyfus on the CBS series The New Adventures of Old Christine, and starred in his own NBC series, Come to Papa.“
Papa joined the cast of Live from Here, the successor to the decades-old standard A Prairie Home Companion and published his first book. “Your Dad Stole My Rake and Other Family Dilemmas,” Clemens continued, “… is his comedic take on families.” “The formula is pure post-Keillor-ian Midwestern,” observed a Kirkus Reviews contributor. “It’s shtick, but within its own narrow confines, it works just fine. It’s not too challenging or too topical, and it draws people in.” “At times poignant, always tickling the funny bone,” concluded a Library Journal reviewer, “Papa’s first book will brighten the most challenging days.”
BIOCRIT
PERIODICALS
Estes Park Trail-Gazette, April 2, 2018, Zachary Clemens, author interview.
Kirkus Reviews, May 1, 2018, review of Your Dad Stole My Rake and Other Family Dilemmas.
Library Journal, March 28, 2018, review of Your Dad Stole My Rake and Other Family Dilemmas.
Reporter Herald, April 2, 2018, Zachary Clemens, author interview.
ONLINE
Tom Papa Website, http://tompapa.com (May 25, 2018), author profile.
Exclusive Interview with Tom Papa - Coming to the Stanley
Zachary Clemens
Posted: 04/02/2018 09:47:34 AM MDT
On April 21, as part of the grand opening of the Pavilion Amphitheater at the Historic Stanley Hotel in Estes Park, have a laugh during two performances by the venerable Tom Papa, a popular comedic voice who has been making jokes for over two decades.
Papa will be performing some of the comedy from his latest stand-up special “Human Mule,” but most of it will be newer stuff he has written, that hasn't been broadcast before.
“It should be hilarious, and if it's not, I haven't done my job,” Papa said.
Advertisement
Although Papa has never been to the Stanley Hotel itself, he is no stranger to Colorado or Estes Park. He came through the area about 15 years ago on his way to a week of camping in the backcountry of Rocky Mountain National Park. This trip sparked a love of National Parks that he fosters today. He has played in Colorado often, and says that audiences are always pretty great.
“Colorado is a place that is really growing, and more and more people are moving in there. You [Colorado residents] had it too good; you let people know how great it is there,” Papa joked. “You need to start saying the traffic is unbearable and to stop coming there.”
Tom Papa has spent over 20 years making people laugh, earning his stripes in the 1990s New York City stand-up comedy scene with the likes of close friend Jerry Seinfeld, and has years of work in television, film, radio, podcasts and live performances throughout the country.
His new book, “Your Dad Stole My Rake and Other Family Dilemmas,” debuts in June, and is his comedic take on families. Papa said he jumped at the chance to write his first book when offered.
“You find as you go along in this career that you are a writer first and you are always doing that. When you write a joke, you are paring it down to the fewest words with the biggest impact. I've found some things, comedically, needed to breathe more and I started to write in a longer format and I loved it.” Papa said. “This is a funny book about family, and it's really more about your family than mine.”
Papa has come a long way from when he grew up in New Jersey, listening to vinyls of Steve Martin and George Carlin, reading Mad Magazine and watching “Saturday Night Live,” basically consuming any comedy he could get his hands on.
“Two things happen when growing up in New Jersey, you become a huge comedy fan, and you realize, when you are a little older, that living in New Jersey is a punchline to a lot of people,” Papa said. “Those two things were kind of a foundation for a life in comedy.”
Papa recently became the head writer on the syndicated radio show “Live From Here,” an incarnation of the legendary program “A Prairie Home Companion.” Papa started his own radio show on Sirius XM, “Come to Papa,” almost as a model of “Companion,” but with comedians.
“I had always been a really big fan of ‘Prairie Home Companion' and just loved it, so when Chris Thile, who is a musical genius [and host of ‘Live From Here'], needed help with the spoken part of the show, and I had already been doing my show for five years, it was just perfect timing,” Papa said. “‘Companion' kind of needed to be energized for a new generation and we have had great new energy and people seem to really be responding to it.”
He said that as a comedian he is constantly observing, and keeping his eyes and ears open.
“There are so many people and so many stories happening all the time, you really have to pay attention and be ready to write stuff down, and actually record it and reflect it back,” Papa said.
His shows, presented by Stanley Live and Comedy Works Entertainment, are both on April 21, one at 7 p.m. and the next at 9:30. Tickets are still available and can be purchased at StanleyLive.com.
Exclusive Interview with Tom Papa - Coming to the Stanley
Zachary Clemens
Posted: 04/02/2018 09:47:34 AM MDT
On April 21, as part of the grand opening of the Pavilion Amphitheater at the Historic Stanley Hotel in Estes Park, have a laugh during two performances by the venerable Tom Papa, a popular comedic voice who has been making jokes for over two decades.
Papa will be performing some of the comedy from his latest stand-up special “Human Mule,” but most of it will be newer stuff he has written, that hasn't been broadcast before.
“It should be hilarious, and if it's not, I haven't done my job,” Papa said.
Advertisement
Although Papa has never been to the Stanley Hotel itself, he is no stranger to Colorado or Estes Park. He came through the area about 15 years ago on his way to a week of camping in the backcountry of Rocky Mountain National Park. This trip sparked a love of National Parks that he fosters today. He has played in Colorado often, and says that audiences are always pretty great.
“Colorado is a place that is really growing, and more and more people are moving in there. You [Colorado residents] had it too good; you let people know how great it is there,” Papa joked. “You need to start saying the traffic is unbearable and to stop coming there.”
Tom Papa has spent over 20 years making people laugh, earning his stripes in the 1990s New York City stand-up comedy scene with the likes of close friend Jerry Seinfeld, and has years of work in television, film, radio, podcasts and live performances throughout the country.
His new book, “Your Dad Stole My Rake and Other Family Dilemmas,” debuts in June, and is his comedic take on families. Papa said he jumped at the chance to write his first book when offered.
“You find as you go along in this career that you are a writer first and you are always doing that. When you write a joke, you are paring it down to the fewest words with the biggest impact. I've found some things, comedically, needed to breathe more and I started to write in a longer format and I loved it.” Papa said. “This is a funny book about family, and it's really more about your family than mine.”
Papa has come a long way from when he grew up in New Jersey, listening to vinyls of Steve Martin and George Carlin, reading Mad Magazine and watching “Saturday Night Live,” basically consuming any comedy he could get his hands on.
“Two things happen when growing up in New Jersey, you become a huge comedy fan, and you realize, when you are a little older, that living in New Jersey is a punchline to a lot of people,” Papa said. “Those two things were kind of a foundation for a life in comedy.”
Papa recently became the head writer on the syndicated radio show “Live From Here,” an incarnation of the legendary program “A Prairie Home Companion.” Papa started his own radio show on Sirius XM, “Come to Papa,” almost as a model of “Companion,” but with comedians.
“I had always been a really big fan of ‘Prairie Home Companion' and just loved it, so when Chris Thile, who is a musical genius [and host of ‘Live From Here'], needed help with the spoken part of the show, and I had already been doing my show for five years, it was just perfect timing,” Papa said. “‘Companion' kind of needed to be energized for a new generation and we have had great new energy and people seem to really be responding to it.”
He said that as a comedian he is constantly observing, and keeping his eyes and ears open.
“There are so many people and so many stories happening all the time, you really have to pay attention and be ready to write stuff down, and actually record it and reflect it back,” Papa said.
His shows, presented by Stanley Live and Comedy Works Entertainment, are both on April 21, one at 7 p.m. and the next at 9:30. Tickets are still available and can be purchased at StanleyLive.com.
With more than 20 years as a stand-up comedian, Tom Papa is one of the top comedic voices in the country finding success in film, TV, radio and podcasts as well as on the live stage.
Tom just signed on as Head Writer and regular performer for the legendary radio show, Live From Here. Tom is featured on the show in his own regular segment, “Out In America With Tom Papa,” heard regularly by the 2.6 million fans of the weekly radio show.
A regular on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert and Conan, Tom’s third hour-long stand-up special, Human Mule, premiered on Amazon and Hulu on March 9. Human Mule had its TV premiere on December 9, 2016 on Epix and the digital audio version was released on December 16. Tom’s first two, critically acclaimed hour-long specials were directed by Rob Zombie: Tom Papa: Freaked Out (2013) is streaming on Amazon and Hulu and is available as a download; and Tom Papa Live in New York City (2011) is streaming on Netflix and is available as a download.
Tom is host of the hit podcast and SiriusXM show, Come to Papa, a weekly, hour-long show featuring Tom exploring the funny side of life, occasionally with guests like Mel Brooks, Ray Romano, Carl Reiner and Jerry Seinfeld.
Several times a year in New York and Los Angeles, Tom hosts a live Come To Papa scripted radio play that is recorded live for the podcast and SiriusXM show. With residencies at Largo in Los Angeles and The Village Underground in NYC, Tom writes the script for each live radio show and casts top actors and comedians to play the roles or perform stand-up, all backed by a live band. Performers include Matt Damon, Sarah Silverman, Joel McHale, Bill Burr, Jim Gaffigan, John Mulaney, Kevin Nealon, Kevin Pollack and many more.
In 2015, Tom guest starred on The Jim Gaffigan Show on TV Land and on Colin Quinn’s web series, Cop Show. In 2014 he was seen alongside Clive Owen in two episodes of Steven Soderbergh’s Cinemax series, The Knick, and he was seen in Chris Rock’s film, Top Five.
In 2013, Tom was seen alongside Michael Douglas and Matt Damon in the HBO film, Behind the Candelabra, which was directed by Steven Soderbergh and won 11 Emmys. Tom was also seen in the hit Comedy Central series, Inside Amy Schumer.
Tom starred opposite Matt Damon in the Steven Soderbergh film, The Informant, and starred opposite Paul Giamatti in Rob Zombie’s animated feature, The Haunted World of El Superbeasto, as the voice of El Superbeasto. Tom has appeared in the films Analyze That, opposite Robert DeNiro, and Comedian; he had a voiceover role in the DreamWorks animated feature "Bee Movie" and also was a writer on the project.
Personally chosen by Jerry Seinfeld, Tom hosted the NBC series, The Marriage Ref, which ran for two seasons. Tom had a recurring role opposite Julia Louis-Dreyfus on the CBS series, The New Adventures of Old Christine, and starred in his own NBC series, Come to Papa.
As a writer, Tom’s credits include the Rob Zombie film, The Haunted World of El Superbeasto, the Jerry Seinfeld film, Bee Movie and the TV series Red Oaks, The Marriage Ref and Come To Papa.
When not touring the country, Tom lives in Los Angeles with his wife and family.
Papa, Tom: YOUR DAD STOLE MY RAKE
Kirkus Reviews. (May 1, 2018):
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2018 Kirkus Media LLC
http://www.kirkusreviews.com/
Full Text:
Papa, Tom YOUR DAD STOLE MY RAKE St. Martin's (Adult Nonfiction) $26.99 6, 5 ISBN: 978-1-250-14438-6
Family-oriented, family-directed humor from the longtime Prairie Home Companion head writer.
What's a terrible place to take your family on vacation? Why, for one, "Vladimir Putin's House of Fun." And, for another, "Walmart." Papa kids; he jokes; he japes, always within a G- (or, in daring moments, PG-) rated milieu. The formula is pure post-Keillor-ian Midwestern, Mort Sahl toned way down: Start with an observation ("men are ruthless and aggressive and powerful"), joke it away ("that's how we kept wild animals from eating the children"), and then carry it over to a secondary observation ("this is why putting this animal instinct aside and acting like a 'great guy' is a fraud") And again: "Fish are great. You always know where they are, you're never going to find a fish eating out of your garbage, and they don't jump up on the kitchen table and start licking plates." It's shtick, but within its own narrow confines, it works just fine. It's not too challenging or too topical, and it draws people in with an in-on-the-joke "oh, yeah." If you're a parent, you're already in on a big swath of Papa's humor; it makes eminent good business sense, on that front, to buy into his idea of a restaurant for kids called Plain Pasta: "Anyone with a child would be making reservations months in advance, planning their birthday parties and ordering take-out." No doubt. And no one with a child will contest the author's position that of all the categories of relatives one might have, the aunt is the coolest. In small doses the groaners are great, but in larger ones--well, it's like being around someone much older and forcing a smile to keep the peace.
If Lawrence Welk had been a comedian, this is the book he might have written--pleasing for a certain demographic.
Source Citation (MLA 8th Edition)
"Papa, Tom: YOUR DAD STOLE MY RAKE." Kirkus Reviews, 1 May 2018. General OneFile, http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/A536570953/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=ITOF&xid=115a232e. Accessed 15 May 2018.
Gale Document Number: GALE|A536570953
Papa, Tom. Your Dad Stole My Rake: And Other Family Dilemmas. St. Martin’s. Jun. 2018. 304p. ISBN 9781250144386. pap. $26.99; ebk. ISBN 9781250144393. CHILD REARING
Forget tiger mom, stand-up comedian Papa (lead writer, A Prairie Home Companion) introduces the much more palatable ice cream mom and admonishes us to call our moms before they die of martyrdom and explores why giving dad gifts is a waste (the best present is to leave him alone). Lauded by fellow comedians Jerry Seinfeld and Jim Gaffigan (Dad Is Fat), Papa will send readers into peals of laughter as he delves into why the real necessities of a “kid friendly” vacation are vending machine snacks and ice and why having sick children is like working for FEMA (it involves “mopping things up, carrying bodies, and doing laundry”). This is a quick read, with brief chapters that keep readers turning pages and perhaps reaching for a tissue to soak up tears of hilarity. Truth is oftentimes stranger than fiction, and the bizarre characters we are related to may just provide the best comic relief. VERDICT At times poignant, always tickling the funny bone, Papa’s first book will brighten the most challenging days of toddler- and teenagerhood.