The Next Best Thing

For nine and a half years, Jonathan Larson worked as a waiter at the Moondance Diner in New York City. His life-long dream was to be a successful musical theatre composer, and he worked tirelessly to make it happen. He won some awards, and the respect/encouragement of Stephen Sondheim, but by 1990, Larson had ZERO shows produced. At almost 30 years old, he couldn't help but feel as if perhaps it just wasn't meant to be. Before calling it quits, he decided to give it one more shot, writing a rock-opera, called RENT. On January 25th, 1996, RENT was headed to Broadway, and things were finally turning around! The night before previews began, Larson came home from rehearsal...and died.

RENT would go on to win 6 Drama Desk, 4 Tony Awards--including Best Original Score and Best Musical--and the 1996 Pulitzer Prize for Drama. It ran on Broadway for over 12 years, and grossed over $280 million. Jonathan Larson may not be here physically, but his legacy will live on forever.

Thank you, Jonathan Larson.

Mike Cannon is a New York City based comedian and a delightful human being. He's currently a regular guest on several Sirius/XM Radio shows, including The Jim Norton and Sam Roberts Show, and You Up? with Nikkie Glaser, and hosts The Irish Goodbye Podcast with fellow comedian, Mike Feeney. Jonathan sat down with Cannon in February 2020 to discuss his new comedy special, Life Begins, among other things. They discussed the hit 90's sitcom Family Matters, as well as Mike Cannon's actual family matters! Talk about a wide-ranging interview, amirite?

Catch The Next Best Thing LIVE, every Monday night at 10pm EST on Radio Free Brooklyn!

On February 28th, 2020, former Vice-President Joe Biden's Presidential campaign was on the edge of collapse. The once front-runner had failed to stand out at the debates, was struggling to raise funds, and had yet to win a single primary. It was the end of the line...until, of course, it wasn't. Within a week, thanks to a decisive win in South Carolina, and some key endorsements, the Biden campaign had a second wind! A week after that, he was the presumptive nominee.

In this episode, Jonathan responds (in real time) to the contests that changed everything, and gets real with all the voters of his generation who may not be inclined to support someone who isn't Bernie Sanders.

On January 21, 2020, the New York Times reported that a man in Washington State, said to be in his 30's, had contracted the novel coronavirus, also known as COVID-19. It was the first confirmed case in the United States. Since then, the virus has spread like wildfire, and is now a worldwide pandemic. Life in the United States has changed in ways no one thought possible, and NO WHERE more so than in New York City. Over the course of 19 days, people went from barely knowing what a "coronavirus" was, to being too scared to leave their apartments for fear of catching it.

The city that never sleeps has been brought to its knees, and in this special episode of The Next Best Thing, you hear Jonathan lay out all that's taken place, as well as his emotional responses, AS THEY HAPPENED. Part I was recorded on the night of March 9th, Part II (22:21) on the night of March 16th, and Part III (46:00) on March 23rd.

3-weeks worth of corona coverage, all from a front-row seat, inside the epicenter!

Jonathan chats with Mike Welch, former sports talk radio host and current actor/comedian, who calls in from sunny West Hollywood, California, to discuss the pain and anguish they've both known as lifelong fans of the Kansas City Chiefs, who will face the San Francisco 49ers in Super Bowl LIV. It's the Chiefs first Super Bowl appearance since 1970, long before Jon or Mike ever existed! Topics covered include:

• Controversy over team names, logos, traditions, etc.
• Where in the world is Eric Berry?
• Alex Smith's role in getting KC to a Super Bowl.
• What a win will mean for Andy Reid.
• Kareem Hunt's latest run-in with the law.
• Predictions for the BIG GAME!

Catch The Next Best Thing LIVE, every Monday night from 10-Midnight ET on Radio Free Brooklyn!