New York, January 16, 2020 - National Lampoon is taking its 50th anniversary celebration to SXSW Comedy Festival 2020! The iconic comedy brand will present “National Lampoon Radio Hour: The Live Show” on Sunday, March 15 and Monday, March 16 at Esther’s Follies in Austin, Texas in front of live audiences. The events will showcase original, twisted sketch performances by the writers and stars of the all-new “National Lampoon Radio Hour: The Podcast” including Meg Stalter (Vulture’s Up and Coming Comics in 2019; The Meg Stalter Show), Brett Davis (Andy Kaufman Comedy winner, Podcast For Laundry), Alex English (The Rundown, Night Train), Aaron Jackson (UCB, The Opposition), Rachel Pegram (The Week Of, Don’t Think Twice), Lorelei Ramirez (Comedy Central: Up Next, Pervert Everything) and Martin Urbano (Jimmy Kimmel, Comedy Central).
“The original cast of ‘National Lampoon Radio Hour’ were gifted up-and-comers who went on to become some of the most influential comedians of their generation. In that tradition, National Lampoon has assembled a brilliant group of performers and SXSW Comedy is honored to showcase this dynamic new cast,” noted Charlie Sotelo, Head of SXSW Comedy
Evan Shapiro, President of National Lampoon said “We’re proud to be celebrating our 50Th anniversary at SXSW and doing our part with Radio Hour to Keep Austin Weird.”
“National Lampoon Radio Hour: The Podcast,” the 11-episode podcast which debuted on December 19th with new episodes every Thursday on Spotify, features a collection of hilarious National Lampoon comedy sketches, characters, music and more. The original sketch comedy show was recently touted by Entertainment Weekly’s 'The Must List' as ‘the R-rated equivalent of an SNL skitwith the frenetic speed of Robot Chicken,’ and Paste Magazine said ‘It blends the surreal and the familiar much like its namesake did nearly 50 years ago.’
“National Lampoon Radio Hour” is at the heart of the renowned brand’s 50-year legacy, having introduced the world to comedic geniuses Belushi, Murray, Radner, Guest, Ramis and more. Bringing humor, satire and irreverence to this scripted refresh are today’s emerging comics whose stars are on the rise: Cole Escola, Jo Firestone, Brett Davis, Alex English, Maeve Higgins, Aaron Jackson, Rachel Pegram, Lorelei Ramirez, Meg Stalter and Martin Urbano. Guest stars appearing throughout the season include Rachel Dratch, Amy Sedaris, Chris Gethard, Julie Klausner and Jordan Klepper. In addition to the podcast, for the first-time ever each episode is available via NationalLampoon.com and the National Lampoon YouTube channel a week following Spotify’s rollout.
