Ep 74: The Hat Store w/ Paul F. Tompkins

The legendary Paul F Tompkins (BoJack Horseman, Mr Show) joins Mark and Ryan to talk about growing up in Philadelphia, riding trolly cars, performing stand-up when he was really bad at it, and his first job a store called “Hats in The Belfry”. In our town he creates a hat store called “You Dirty Hat” that also happens to be haunted. If you want to take part in our first ever live Town Hall - be sure to sign up for our PATREON: https://www.patreon.com/TheTownShowThe Town Show is sponsored by No Smoke Coffee - "No Smoke. No Mirrors. Just great coffee." Head to NoSmokeCoffee.com and use the promo code TOWNSHOW20 at checkout to get 20% off your order.Follow us onInstagram: @TheTownShowYouTube: @TheTownShowPodTikTok: @TheTownShow  (00:00) Introduction to Paul F. Tompkins and episode concept(01:16) Paul's childhood in Mount Airy, Philadelphia, and early open mic nights(04:28) The comedy boom of the 80s and the necessity of self-delusion(06:23) Famous comedy rooms and funky venue names like Go Bananas(08:30) Mount Airy neighborhood and trolley lines(09:34) Trolley accidents and the charm of vintage transit(13:18) Themed hotels like Madonna Inn and their unique designs(15:00) Neighborhood celebrities and local characters(17:22) Neighborhood legends: the glass-eyed husky guy(20:54) Starting in college, dropping out, and early career stories(24:54) Work history: hats shops, video stores, comic book stores(29:00) Creating haunted locations and cursed shops for the town(39:58) Innovative town features: the bag-hat and haunted business ideas(44:25) The art of pranks and pranking veterans(49:42) Ghost stories: haunted hat stores and spectral apparitions(55:00) Spectral activity and ghostly lore in the town(61:41) Meta conversation: fake ghost stories and the town’s lore(63:10) Touring plans and upcoming shows with Paul(64:29) Podcasts and projects: Neighborhood Listen and Stay F Homkins(65:33) Credits and community shout-outs Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.