WEBVTT

00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:05.219
So what does it really mean to be like a creative

00:00:05.219 --> 00:00:07.059
chameleon in the entertainment industry? You

00:00:07.059 --> 00:00:12.640
know, someone who can just seamlessly jump between

00:00:12.640 --> 00:00:16.399
stand -up comedy, acting, even pioneering stuff

00:00:16.399 --> 00:00:19.100
like podcasting, and then they throw you a curve

00:00:19.100 --> 00:00:21.519
ball and start making music in like totally different

00:00:21.519 --> 00:00:23.160
genres. Yeah, it's pretty rare to see someone

00:00:23.160 --> 00:00:25.280
nail all of those. Well, today we're doing a

00:00:25.280 --> 00:00:28.399
deep dive into someone who really embodies that

00:00:28.399 --> 00:00:31.300
multi -hyphenate spirit, often with this sort

00:00:31.300 --> 00:00:33.479
of mischievous vibe about him, you know, Howard

00:00:33.479 --> 00:00:35.960
Michael Kramer. Oh, okay, Howard Kramer. Yeah.

00:00:36.240 --> 00:00:39.159
So our mission today is really to explore this

00:00:39.159 --> 00:00:42.299
incredibly diverse journey he's been on, understand...

00:00:42.159 --> 00:00:44.399
not just what he's done, but maybe how he's managed

00:00:44.399 --> 00:00:47.899
to become such a unique, enduring presence across

00:00:47.899 --> 00:00:49.539
so many different creative fields. And I think

00:00:49.539 --> 00:00:51.079
what we'll find is that his different roles,

00:00:51.119 --> 00:00:54.439
and especially how he uses these distinct artistic

00:00:54.439 --> 00:00:57.079
personas, it's not just versatility for its own

00:00:57.079 --> 00:00:59.520
sake. It gives us a really unique way to look

00:00:59.520 --> 00:01:02.060
at creative adaptability itself. It's, like you

00:01:02.060 --> 00:01:04.599
said, not just dabbling. He seems to make a real

00:01:04.599 --> 00:01:07.700
consistent impact everywhere he lands, often

00:01:07.700 --> 00:01:10.400
by kind of inventing a whole new identity for

00:01:10.400 --> 00:01:12.670
it. That's what I find so fascinating. I mean,

00:01:12.750 --> 00:01:15.150
OK, let's start at the beginning, right? Howard

00:01:15.150 --> 00:01:19.310
Michael Kramer, born February 3rd, 1968, Matawan,

00:01:19.349 --> 00:01:22.909
New Jersey. OK, Jersey roots. Yeah. And interestingly,

00:01:23.670 --> 00:01:26.930
his family life pops up. a lot in this comedy.

00:01:27.469 --> 00:01:29.650
Stories about his twin sister, Nancy, and his

00:01:29.650 --> 00:01:32.269
older siblings. Apparently, he does a great impression

00:01:32.269 --> 00:01:34.250
of his older brother, Lee. Oh, really? Yeah,

00:01:34.250 --> 00:01:36.329
that makes sense. That early life stuff, it often

00:01:36.329 --> 00:01:39.049
provides the best material. Definitely. And you

00:01:39.049 --> 00:01:41.670
can sort of connect those dots. And his education,

00:01:41.790 --> 00:01:45.370
he went to NYU and Monmouth University. And at

00:01:45.370 --> 00:01:47.650
Monmouth, this is interesting, he hosted a radio

00:01:47.650 --> 00:01:50.230
show. Oh, wow. Didn't know that. Yeah. And looking

00:01:50.230 --> 00:01:52.129
back now, you think, OK, that wasn't just like,

00:01:52.219 --> 00:01:54.900
a student activity, it feels like a pretty early

00:01:54.900 --> 00:01:57.040
sign of where he'd end up with audio. Totally,

00:01:57.319 --> 00:01:59.200
like foreshadowing for the podcasting. Yeah,

00:01:59.500 --> 00:02:02.099
exactly. That experience, you know, connecting

00:02:02.099 --> 00:02:04.640
with people just through sound must have been

00:02:04.640 --> 00:02:07.319
really valuable training for later on. That makes

00:02:07.319 --> 00:02:11.259
a lot of sense. So from Jersey College Radio,

00:02:12.139 --> 00:02:14.939
he then makes a pretty big jump, moves to Austin,

00:02:14.939 --> 00:02:18.159
Texas, specifically to do stand up. That feels

00:02:18.159 --> 00:02:20.159
like a conscious choice. a bit of a leap. It

00:02:20.159 --> 00:02:22.300
really does. Austin, especially back then, was

00:02:22.300 --> 00:02:26.240
this kind of bubbling cauldron of creativity,

00:02:26.520 --> 00:02:29.460
you know, comedy, music. Yeah, a good scene.

00:02:29.719 --> 00:02:32.560
A really good scene and maybe a bit less cutthroat

00:02:32.560 --> 00:02:35.280
than jumping straight into New York or L .A.

00:02:35.319 --> 00:02:37.340
It seems like it was fertile ground for someone

00:02:37.340 --> 00:02:39.870
with his kind of observational style to. you

00:02:39.870 --> 00:02:42.370
know, find his voice. Then build something. Yeah,

00:02:42.710 --> 00:02:44.550
exactly. It wasn't the standard path, which kind

00:02:44.550 --> 00:02:46.310
of speaks to his independent streak, I think.

00:02:46.469 --> 00:02:49.449
And it seems like that move paid off like relatively

00:02:49.449 --> 00:02:51.550
quickly because he wasn't just doing stand up

00:02:51.550 --> 00:02:54.520
there. Something. much bigger happened. Right.

00:02:54.680 --> 00:02:57.060
He teamed up with his writing partner, Brad Chip

00:02:57.060 --> 00:03:00.620
Pope, and they co -created this MTV show, Austin

00:03:00.620 --> 00:03:03.680
Stories. Yes. Austin Stories, single -camera

00:03:03.680 --> 00:03:05.680
comedy. That was a really significant breakthrough.

00:03:06.080 --> 00:03:08.460
Huge, right? For MTV at the time, too. Absolutely

00:03:08.460 --> 00:03:10.780
enormous. And not just because, you know, hey,

00:03:10.840 --> 00:03:14.199
I got a show on TV. For Kramer... It was really

00:03:14.199 --> 00:03:17.139
his entry point as a creator. Ah, okay. Writer

00:03:17.139 --> 00:03:20.419
-creator. Exactly. The success of Austin's stories,

00:03:20.460 --> 00:03:22.699
it really marked this critical shift for him,

00:03:22.840 --> 00:03:24.659
showed he wasn't just a performer, but someone

00:03:24.659 --> 00:03:26.639
who could, you know, write and conceptualize

00:03:26.639 --> 00:03:29.199
comedy. And that's what led him to LA. Directly.

00:03:29.860 --> 00:03:32.439
That success prompted the move to Los Angeles.

00:03:32.740 --> 00:03:35.060
It wasn't just changing location, it was a clear

00:03:35.060 --> 00:03:37.580
step up, moving from performer to creator -writer

00:03:37.580 --> 00:03:40.840
with a, you know, a proven show. That really

00:03:40.840 --> 00:03:42.919
cemented his place in the industry, I think.

00:03:43.180 --> 00:03:46.300
That's such a key transition. Performer to, yeah,

00:03:46.560 --> 00:03:48.860
creative force. But he didn't stop performing,

00:03:49.199 --> 00:03:51.419
obviously. Not at all. I mean, beyond Austin's

00:03:51.419 --> 00:03:53.639
stories, he got his own Comedy Central Presents

00:03:53.639 --> 00:03:57.259
half -hour special, which, you know, that's a

00:03:57.259 --> 00:04:00.039
massive milestone for any stand -up. Huge. A

00:04:00.039 --> 00:04:01.979
rite of passage, almost. And then you see him

00:04:01.979 --> 00:04:04.599
pop up pretty consistently in acting roles. Yeah.

00:04:04.960 --> 00:04:06.680
Like recurring parts on Scare Tactics. Remember

00:04:06.680 --> 00:04:10.560
that show? And the IFC series Comedy Bang. Bang.

00:04:10.639 --> 00:04:12.960
He was great on that. His timing just fit perfectly

00:04:12.960 --> 00:04:15.520
there. She really shone on comedy. Bang. Bang.

00:04:15.759 --> 00:04:18.060
And if you zoom out, his guest appearances are,

00:04:18.060 --> 00:04:22.240
like, all over the map. Right. Seriously. Animation,

00:04:22.519 --> 00:04:24.480
like, Adventure Time. Not Adventure Time. Sketch

00:04:24.480 --> 00:04:26.920
shows like Pretend Time, The Meltdown with Jonah

00:04:26.920 --> 00:04:29.810
and Kumail. Mm -hmm. Game shows, like at midnight,

00:04:30.050 --> 00:04:32.050
even documentaries, like the one about Bertie

00:04:32.050 --> 00:04:35.350
Stevens, enjoy it. And late night, like Jimmy

00:04:35.350 --> 00:04:38.029
Kimmel Live, it just shows this incredible range

00:04:38.029 --> 00:04:42.730
and visibility. He can slot into almost any comedic

00:04:42.730 --> 00:04:44.990
format. With adaptable. Very, he's one of those

00:04:44.990 --> 00:04:47.290
guys, you see him and you know him, even if maybe

00:04:47.290 --> 00:04:49.029
the name doesn't immediately click for everyone,

00:04:49.110 --> 00:04:54.689
he just fits. So from TV, stand up, acting, he

00:04:54.689 --> 00:04:58.810
then makes this... really interesting pivot right

00:04:58.810 --> 00:05:00.949
into what was still kind of the Wild West back

00:05:00.949 --> 00:05:03.970
then, podcasting. Yeah, a true pioneer there.

00:05:04.290 --> 00:05:05.470
Definitely. I mean, this is probably where a

00:05:05.470 --> 00:05:07.610
lot of people, myself included, really got to

00:05:07.610 --> 00:05:09.470
know his voice. He's the host of Who Chartered

00:05:09.470 --> 00:05:12.709
on Earwolf. His flagship, yeah, with Koolab Villasak

00:05:12.709 --> 00:05:15.170
originally. Right. And that's not the only one.

00:05:15.470 --> 00:05:17.490
He also does Grift Horse with Megan Coaster.

00:05:18.170 --> 00:05:20.589
So he really embraced that medium early on. He

00:05:20.589 --> 00:05:22.529
absolutely did. And I think what's key there

00:05:22.529 --> 00:05:25.829
is how early and how consistently. Podcasting

00:05:25.829 --> 00:05:28.410
wasn't just, you know, another thing to do. It

00:05:28.410 --> 00:05:30.490
felt like the perfect medium for him. Oh, so?

00:05:30.750 --> 00:05:33.089
Well, it led his conversational style, that sort

00:05:33.089 --> 00:05:36.209
of improvisational, unique humor just flourish

00:05:36.209 --> 00:05:38.790
without the constraints you get from TV networks

00:05:38.790 --> 00:05:41.189
or even structuring a standup set, you know?

00:05:41.189 --> 00:05:44.000
More freedom. Way more freedom. It became this

00:05:44.000 --> 00:05:47.660
intimate platform for his specific brand of comedy,

00:05:47.959 --> 00:05:49.660
talking directly to the audience. I mean, think

00:05:49.660 --> 00:05:52.759
about it. Early podcasting had, like, no rules.

00:05:52.800 --> 00:05:55.779
Right. Make it up as you go. Exactly. And Creamer

00:05:55.779 --> 00:05:58.019
jumped right in, made his own shows, his own

00:05:58.019 --> 00:06:00.560
format, and built this really loyal following

00:06:00.560 --> 00:06:03.639
directly. It shows, I think, a lot of foresight.

00:06:03.720 --> 00:06:05.720
He saw the potential before a lot of others did.

00:06:05.819 --> 00:06:07.819
Yeah, that's impressive, carving out that space.

00:06:07.819 --> 00:06:11.139
Yeah. But when you think, OK, comedian, podcaster,

00:06:12.300 --> 00:06:15.040
He throws another massive curveball. Yeah. Here

00:06:15.040 --> 00:06:17.879
it comes. His musical alter -eco. Yeah. Dragon

00:06:17.879 --> 00:06:22.339
Boy Swade. Chuckles. Yes. Dragon Boy Swade. Which

00:06:22.339 --> 00:06:25.660
is not comedy music, really. It's his hip -hop

00:06:25.660 --> 00:06:28.560
persona. Right. It's legit hip -hop, but with

00:06:28.560 --> 00:06:32.220
his unique spin. And he's got a whole discography

00:06:32.220 --> 00:06:35.839
end to this name. Dragon Boy Swade in 2006. Master

00:06:35.839 --> 00:06:38.240
of pheromones in 09. Mm -hmm. than the one with

00:06:38.240 --> 00:06:40.959
the unforgettable title douche minutiae in 2013.

00:06:40.980 --> 00:06:44.000
Yeah, that's a title. And apparently there was

00:06:44.000 --> 00:06:47.459
one called tears on my shaft slated for 2016,

00:06:47.560 --> 00:06:50.209
but it's listed as TBA. So. Maybe it's still

00:06:50.209 --> 00:06:52.790
coming. Who knows? But the whole Dragon Boy Suede

00:06:52.790 --> 00:06:55.689
thing, it's not just him making hip hop. It feels

00:06:55.689 --> 00:06:58.250
like this master class in creating a completely

00:06:58.250 --> 00:07:00.949
separate brand. Yeah. I mean, that persona lets

00:07:00.949 --> 00:07:04.430
him explore themes, lyrics, stuff that's maybe

00:07:04.430 --> 00:07:06.750
edgier, more satirical, that might not quite

00:07:06.750 --> 00:07:09.689
fit his, you know, Howard Kramer, the comedian

00:07:09.689 --> 00:07:11.329
identity. Different channel for different ideas.

00:07:11.589 --> 00:07:13.829
Exactly. It gives him total freedom in that lane,

00:07:13.990 --> 00:07:16.129
a deliberate separation. It's almost like performance

00:07:16.129 --> 00:07:19.149
art sometimes, maybe a commentary on hip hop.

00:07:18.920 --> 00:07:22.680
itself. Playful, provocative, but totally distinct.

00:07:22.699 --> 00:07:25.139
To full commitment. It really is. You don't often

00:07:25.139 --> 00:07:27.639
see someone go that far in creating such a different

00:07:27.639 --> 00:07:30.800
persona for a specific genre. It's not just a

00:07:30.800 --> 00:07:34.100
side project, it's its own world. Okay, so we've

00:07:34.100 --> 00:07:37.199
got the comedy, the podcasting, the hip -hop

00:07:37.199 --> 00:07:40.759
alter ego. But wait, there's more. Of course

00:07:40.759 --> 00:07:43.259
there is. Because while Drag Voice Wade is doing

00:07:43.259 --> 00:07:45.920
the hip -hop thing, Howard Creamer under his

00:07:45.920 --> 00:07:49.139
own name, has this other musical project. Right,

00:07:49.279 --> 00:07:51.180
the summa albums. The summa albums, produced

00:07:51.180 --> 00:07:53.639
with Dustin Marshall and Brett Morris. And it's

00:07:53.639 --> 00:07:55.959
not just one or two, it's a whole series. It

00:07:55.959 --> 00:07:57.720
really is, like clockwork every year for a while

00:07:57.720 --> 00:08:00.699
there. Have a summa in 2012, have another summa

00:08:00.699 --> 00:08:03.699
13, summa this summa that 14. Summatology in

00:08:03.699 --> 00:08:07.399
15. Macula summa in 16. Plus... He did theme

00:08:07.399 --> 00:08:09.600
songs for Who Charged It, and he was on that

00:08:09.600 --> 00:08:13.100
Hard and Firm song Pie. The sheer volume of these

00:08:13.100 --> 00:08:16.600
Suma albums, it suggests a real genuine passion

00:08:16.600 --> 00:08:18.839
for that sound, doesn't it? Absolutely, and what's

00:08:18.839 --> 00:08:21.040
fascinating is the contrast. Totally different

00:08:21.040 --> 00:08:24.860
vibe. Completely. Dragon Boy Suede is that raw,

00:08:25.040 --> 00:08:29.040
satirical hip hop, edgy, the Suma albums, they're

00:08:29.040 --> 00:08:34.200
just pure, unironic, feel -good anthems about...

00:08:33.789 --> 00:08:36.250
Well, summer. Sunshine and good times. Exactly.

00:08:36.730 --> 00:08:39.610
And this duality, it shows this really sophisticated

00:08:39.610 --> 00:08:43.009
way of engaging different audiences, expressing

00:08:43.009 --> 00:08:46.210
totally different sides of themselves. He compartmentalizes

00:08:46.210 --> 00:08:48.269
them perfectly. So one doesn't bleed into the

00:08:48.269 --> 00:08:51.429
other. Right. Each persona gets its own space

00:08:51.429 --> 00:08:54.330
to thrive. It really points to this deep well

00:08:54.330 --> 00:08:57.470
of creativity, not just one focus. It's pretty

00:08:57.470 --> 00:08:59.570
clear he's a man of many names, and not just

00:08:59.570 --> 00:09:02.389
the musical ones. Dragon Boy Swade, yeah. But

00:09:02.389 --> 00:09:05.590
he also uses nicknames like H. Michael Cray and

00:09:05.590 --> 00:09:07.529
Howie Michael Motorcycle. Chuckles, yeah, those

00:09:07.529 --> 00:09:09.549
pop up. It's like this whole personal universe

00:09:09.549 --> 00:09:11.190
he's built with different identities for different

00:09:11.190 --> 00:09:13.330
modes. And you know, an artist using multiple

00:09:13.330 --> 00:09:15.610
monikers like that, it's pretty telling. It raises

00:09:15.610 --> 00:09:18.710
questions about like creative strategy. Oh, so.

00:09:18.909 --> 00:09:21.230
Well, it's not just about exploring different

00:09:21.230 --> 00:09:23.149
outputs. I think it's a really deliberate choice

00:09:23.149 --> 00:09:26.389
to keep them separate, to compartmentalize. Each

00:09:26.389 --> 00:09:28.429
name might represent a different part of his

00:09:28.429 --> 00:09:30.669
creative brain, letting him play different roles.

00:09:30.750 --> 00:09:33.169
Without confusing people? Yeah, or maybe without

00:09:33.169 --> 00:09:35.830
confusing himself. It lets him be playful here,

00:09:36.110 --> 00:09:39.110
serious there, satirical, earnest, sometimes

00:09:39.110 --> 00:09:41.350
all at once, but under different flags, you know?

00:09:41.370 --> 00:09:43.830
It's like saying, okay, this is the me for this

00:09:43.830 --> 00:09:46.539
project. That makes sense. So... Okay, we've

00:09:46.539 --> 00:09:49.059
traced all these different paths. Stand -up in

00:09:49.059 --> 00:09:52.659
Austin, MTV creator, TV regular, podcast pioneer,

00:09:53.159 --> 00:09:57.080
musician with two distinct styles. What does

00:09:57.080 --> 00:09:59.080
it all add up to? What's the big picture here?

00:09:59.419 --> 00:10:03.299
I think ultimately what we see is Howard Kramer's

00:10:03.299 --> 00:10:05.639
just enduring impact as this really consistent

00:10:05.639 --> 00:10:07.340
creative force, but across so many different

00:10:07.340 --> 00:10:09.460
areas. He's not just dipping his toes in. He's

00:10:09.460 --> 00:10:12.159
actually made significant real contributions

00:10:12.159 --> 00:10:15.039
in each field he's gone into. It shows incredible

00:10:15.039 --> 00:10:18.960
adaptability, foresight, maybe just a restless

00:10:18.960 --> 00:10:21.539
artistic spirit that keeps him pushing. Yeah,

00:10:21.759 --> 00:10:25.570
never settling. Exactly. His career is this powerful

00:10:25.570 --> 00:10:29.269
argument for diversifying your creative expression

00:10:29.269 --> 00:10:32.649
in an industry that loves putting people in boxes.

00:10:32.730 --> 00:10:34.570
He just ignores the box? Or builds new ones.

00:10:34.789 --> 00:10:38.429
He's like a true entrepreneurial artist, constantly

00:10:38.429 --> 00:10:41.610
innovating, constantly redefining what a multi

00:10:41.610 --> 00:10:45.110
-hyphenate creative can actually be. And it really

00:10:45.110 --> 00:10:47.360
makes you wonder... What is it that drives someone

00:10:47.360 --> 00:10:49.679
like Howard Kramer to constantly reinvent himself

00:10:49.679 --> 00:10:52.159
like this, to explore so many different ways

00:10:52.159 --> 00:10:54.879
of expressing things? And maybe more importantly,

00:10:54.919 --> 00:10:57.559
how does that whole multi -hyphenate approach

00:10:57.559 --> 00:11:00.679
end up enriching the work itself? And maybe even

00:11:00.679 --> 00:11:03.000
his own artistic satisfaction compared to just,

00:11:03.000 --> 00:11:05.480
you know, sticking to one thing. Is it about

00:11:05.480 --> 00:11:07.899
finding the right outlet for every single idea

00:11:07.899 --> 00:11:10.340
or is it something deeper, like a need to explore

00:11:10.340 --> 00:11:12.500
every single part of your own creative landscape?

00:11:12.740 --> 00:11:14.740
That is a really interesting question to leave

00:11:14.740 --> 00:11:17.480
you the listener with whether you know him best

00:11:17.480 --> 00:11:20.779
from his stand -up or who charted or maybe grift

00:11:20.779 --> 00:11:23.340
horse or if you're a fan of dragon boy suede

00:11:23.340 --> 00:11:25.639
or the suma albums there's clearly a whole world

00:11:25.639 --> 00:11:28.080
of howard kramer out a lot to explore definitely

00:11:28.080 --> 00:11:30.039
so we really encourage you to dive in if you

00:11:30.039 --> 00:11:32.320
haven't already thanks for joining us on this

00:11:32.320 --> 00:11:35.940
deep dive into a truly versatile and just endlessly

00:11:35.940 --> 00:11:37.379
fascinating entertainer