Claire Hennessy presents: The Bonkers Brit

Warning: EXPLICIT! This episode’s guest, Calvin Cato, made me laugh a lot! He is not only hilarious, being an award-winning comedian, storyteller, podcaster and actor, but a really lovely person. Calvin was named Time Out New York’s Queer Comics of Color to Watch Out For and, when not in a worldwide pandemic, he hosts speed-dating events. He tells a funny story about one speed-dating event involving Long Island Iced Teas! We discuss the word Queer and why Calvin has reclaimed this word. We also chat about how he got onto a well known gameshow because of a naked party he went to at college. He has also performed at FOUR naked comedy shows, which was fascinating to me, so we delved into why he did that. When you’ve finished listening, you’ll love Calvin too.

This episode I interview my stepson, Ben (or Count Henny as he is known in the music biz!) about dating in the 2020’s. What Apps are good, how to use them, are they purely for sex! Ben lets us into a couple of secrets for speeding up the dating process and shares some of his more interesting dates, plus what happened when the reality really didn’t match up to the profile! By the end I am in awe of his stamina (and impressed with his chivalry at times), but also thanking my lucky stars that I’m happily married and not needing to date anymore!

My guest this episode is one of the nicest people you could ever hope to meet: Brandon Spars. He is not only a talented and hilarious storyteller, but he is jolly clever too! A high school and college teacher, he is the author of four books with another on the way. He is a five-time Moth StorySlam winner and two-time Moth GrandSlam winner, plus a TEDx speaker. Brandon shares a funny fact about himself that makes his dog tilt his head in confusion. He spent a few years living in Indonesia and the Marshall Islands and shares a funny story about a giant who terrorized the islands. We talk about The Moth and Brandon shares an inspiring tidbit from when he met the founder, George Dawes Green. He also talks about the moments of magic when hearing a traditional tale prompts a deep personal connection. We discuss his new book about controversial Balinese Goddess, Rangda, with beautiful illustrations by his daughter, Clara. Finally, Brandon gives a master class in how to tell a hilarious and yet moving story, highlighting deeper issues of the commonalities between panic disorders and trance, called A Method to my Madness. A dream guest.

I was thrilled to interview my great friend Julie Gunn, who manages her extremely talented partner of 27 years, Ricardo Garcia, world renowned, Award-winning Flamenco and Classical guitarist. They were staying with us and I had forgotten how much I drink when with a fellow Brit, so had a sore head a few mornings. Julie reveals how she is a “manifesting maven” or you might think it purely coincidental, that’s up to you. She talks about the surprising story of how she and Ricardo met, plus fascinating stories about their travels all over the world, from Edinburgh in Scotland, across Africa and to San Francisco. From female plumbers with hilarious names to accosting hip hop dancers on the streets, Julie has been one of my most interesting guests so far. At the end, Ricardo treats us to some beautiful guitar.

To end the decade I have uploaded the audio to my live performance from The Marsh in San Francisco: British-born author and storyteller, Claire Hennessy, reunites with her high school sweetheart, Bug, after not seeing him for over 30 years. The catch? He lives 5,000 miles away in California. After an intense, frequently hilarious long-distance relationship, they decide to meet to see if they can rekindle their adolescent chemistry. Will awkwardly erotic talks about sex, a disastrous lingerie shopping binge, crippling inhibitions and high expectations lead to fireworks? Or will her forty-something, out-of-shape, perimenopausal body douse any sparks of desire?