This week, Mike is talking with Jason Garfield. Jason is a great juggler. But don’t roll your eyes at that. He does a lot of other things too! Jason is trying to get juggling into the Olympics and he talks a little about the struggles involved in that. He is also a fitness buff and he and Mike have a lot to say about that. Mostly Mike which is odd since Jason is the expert.

Jason also learned to play the piano… sort of . He has opinions about that too. We had a great time talking with Jason and we hope you enjoy it too!

More info for this episode:

Valentina Lisitsa playing Hungarian Rhapsody No. 2 (YouTube)

Valentina Lisitsa playing Moonlight Sonata 3rd Mvmt (YouTube)

Jason Garfield's 5 ring color change (YouTube)

The World Juggling Federation

Eminem - Houdini (YouTube)

Rhythmic Gymnastics - Varfolomeev's ball routine (YouTube)

Jason Garfield's Fast Food series (YouTube)

Leafside Meals

Jason Garfield's bio: Jason started juggling when he was 11 years old. He went on to win International Juggling Association championships and World Juggling Federation championships. He has performed on cruise ships, television, and across the internet. Additionally, he has produced programs for ESPN and others related to juggling and fitness. Currently he is not only a professional performer but also a fitness and health coach.

In a first for this podcast (and probably many others) our guest is a magic dragon! Of course his lovely and talented sidekick, Jade Simone, is here too! In fact, while Piff has many musical opinions, Jade is the one with the extensive musical background. This episode is kind of a free-for-all. It’s what you would expect from a dragon. Among the fray, many musical opinions are expressed. In the end, we learn that AI is coming for us all, including dragons!

Because this was recorded at Piff & Jade’s recording lair, who is hosting the show is a little uncertain at times. Luckily Jade is there to anchor the chaos. It was so much fun talking with Piff & Jade. We hope you have as much fun listening to this episode as we did recording it.

More info for this episode:

Animal Planet: The Haunted (Wikipedia link)

David Byrne (YouTube link)

Miles Davis - Kind of Blue (YouTube link)

Norah Jones (YouTube link)

Mike Jones Trio - Are You Sure You Three Guys Know What You're Doing?

Piff's first appearance on Fool Us (YouTube link)

Piff & Pop's UK Tour

Andy Paley (Wikipedia link)

Suno AI Music

Piff & Jade bio: Piff is a British magician who came to fame on Penn & Teller’s Fool Us. He moved to the US where he began performing in Las Vegas and appearing on America’s Got Talent along with his partner, Jade Simone. Jade grew up in Dallas, Texas and performed as an emcee and showgirl for several years before teaming up with Piff. You can see them nightly at the Flamingo Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas or on tour around the world.

Mike Jones bio: Born and raised in Buffalo, NY, Jones attended Berklee College of Music in Boston, and after college he remained in the city, working with such eminent local players as Herb Pomeroy and Gray Sargent. After significant East Coast performances, appearances at the Floating Jazz Festival on the S.S. Norway and the Queen Elizabeth ll, and a series of recordings that established him as a world-class pianist steeped in the pre-bop jazz tradition, Jones relocated to Las Vegas. There he caught the ear of Penn Jillette who, in 2002, brought Jones onboard for the nightly Penn and Teller show at Rio All-Suite Hotel and Casino.

For the month of September, Mike is talking to 2 of his good friends. He talks to them separately but they make up a comedy-juggling duo who have performed together for many years. Because of that, the humor gets a little… sarcastic, biting, and even sometimes harsh. With that disclaimer out of the way…

Today Mike talks with Scotty Meltzer. Scotty is the other half of the juggling-comedy duo at Comedy Industries. Scotty is incredibly smart, funny, articulate, and LOVES being the butt of the joke. That is certainly evident throughout this discussion!

Mike and Scotty discuss Scotty’s bad taste in music that originated from a childhood in musical theater and drumming. They talk about how that translates to a corporate juggling act that relies on comedy and the variety arts to hype up an otherwise mundane message.

More info from this episode:

24 TV Show (Wikipedia)

Ribbons Down My Back (YouTube)

Katie Thiroux (YouTube)

Michael Goudeau (Wikipedia)

Ethel Merman - There's No Business Like Show Business (YouTube)

Sutton Foster - Anything Goes (YouTube)

Cynthia Erivo & Herbie Hancock - Fly Me To The Moon (YouTube)

Prog Rock (Wikipedia)

From Scotty’s website bio: Scott Meltzer (known as Scotty to his friend) is head writer and a principle performer for Comedy Industries. Scott has degrees in computer science and mathematics from U. C. Berkeley where he graduated with honors. An ex-IBMer and a Watson Scholar, Scott chooses to spend his time writing comedy and juggling knives on a six-foot unicycle while escaping from more straitjackets than any other computer programmer in the world. He’s also appeared on ESPN as the expert commentator for their coverage of The World Juggling Federation competitions.

Comedy Industries

Mike Jones bio: Born and raised in Buffalo, NY, Jones attended Berklee College of Music in Boston, and after college he remained in the city, working with such eminent local players as Herb Pomeroy and Gray Sargent. After significant East Coast performances, appearances at the Floating Jazz Festival on the S.S. Norway and the Queen Elizabeth ll, and a series of recordings that established him as a world-class pianist steeped in the pre-bop jazz tradition, Jones relocated to Las Vegas. There he caught the ear of Penn Jillette who, in 2002, brought Jones onboard for the nightly Penn and Teller show at Rio All-Suite Hotel and Casino.