So what does it really mean to be like a creative
chameleon in the entertainment industry? You
know, someone who can just seamlessly jump between
stand -up comedy, acting, even pioneering stuff
like podcasting, and then they throw you a curve
ball and start making music in like totally different
genres. Yeah, it's pretty rare to see someone
nail all of those. Well, today we're doing a
deep dive into someone who really embodies that
multi -hyphenate spirit, often with this sort
of mischievous vibe about him, you know, Howard
Michael Kramer. Oh, okay, Howard Kramer. Yeah.
So our mission today is really to explore this
incredibly diverse journey he's been on, understand...
not just what he's done, but maybe how he's managed
to become such a unique, enduring presence across
so many different creative fields. And I think
what we'll find is that his different roles,
and especially how he uses these distinct artistic
personas, it's not just versatility for its own
sake. It gives us a really unique way to look
at creative adaptability itself. It's, like you
said, not just dabbling. He seems to make a real
consistent impact everywhere he lands, often
by kind of inventing a whole new identity for
it. That's what I find so fascinating. I mean,
OK, let's start at the beginning, right? Howard
Michael Kramer, born February 3rd, 1968, Matawan,
New Jersey. OK, Jersey roots. Yeah. And interestingly,
his family life pops up. a lot in this comedy.
Stories about his twin sister, Nancy, and his
older siblings. Apparently, he does a great impression
of his older brother, Lee. Oh, really? Yeah,
that makes sense. That early life stuff, it often
provides the best material. Definitely. And you
can sort of connect those dots. And his education,
he went to NYU and Monmouth University. And at
Monmouth, this is interesting, he hosted a radio
show. Oh, wow. Didn't know that. Yeah. And looking
back now, you think, OK, that wasn't just like,
a student activity, it feels like a pretty early
sign of where he'd end up with audio. Totally,
like foreshadowing for the podcasting. Yeah,
exactly. That experience, you know, connecting
with people just through sound must have been
really valuable training for later on. That makes
a lot of sense. So from Jersey College Radio,
he then makes a pretty big jump, moves to Austin,
Texas, specifically to do stand up. That feels
like a conscious choice. a bit of a leap. It
really does. Austin, especially back then, was
this kind of bubbling cauldron of creativity,
you know, comedy, music. Yeah, a good scene.
A really good scene and maybe a bit less cutthroat
than jumping straight into New York or L .A.
It seems like it was fertile ground for someone
with his kind of observational style to. you
know, find his voice. Then build something. Yeah,
exactly. It wasn't the standard path, which kind
of speaks to his independent streak, I think.
And it seems like that move paid off like relatively
quickly because he wasn't just doing stand up
there. Something. much bigger happened. Right.
He teamed up with his writing partner, Brad Chip
Pope, and they co -created this MTV show, Austin
Stories. Yes. Austin Stories, single -camera
comedy. That was a really significant breakthrough.
Huge, right? For MTV at the time, too. Absolutely
enormous. And not just because, you know, hey,
I got a show on TV. For Kramer... It was really
his entry point as a creator. Ah, okay. Writer
-creator. Exactly. The success of Austin's stories,
it really marked this critical shift for him,
showed he wasn't just a performer, but someone
who could, you know, write and conceptualize
comedy. And that's what led him to LA. Directly.
That success prompted the move to Los Angeles.
It wasn't just changing location, it was a clear
step up, moving from performer to creator -writer
with a, you know, a proven show. That really
cemented his place in the industry, I think.
That's such a key transition. Performer to, yeah,
creative force. But he didn't stop performing,
obviously. Not at all. I mean, beyond Austin's
stories, he got his own Comedy Central Presents
half -hour special, which, you know, that's a
massive milestone for any stand -up. Huge. A
rite of passage, almost. And then you see him
pop up pretty consistently in acting roles. Yeah.
Like recurring parts on Scare Tactics. Remember
that show? And the IFC series Comedy Bang. Bang.
He was great on that. His timing just fit perfectly
there. She really shone on comedy. Bang. Bang.
And if you zoom out, his guest appearances are,
like, all over the map. Right. Seriously. Animation,
like, Adventure Time. Not Adventure Time. Sketch
shows like Pretend Time, The Meltdown with Jonah
and Kumail. Mm -hmm. Game shows, like at midnight,
even documentaries, like the one about Bertie
Stevens, enjoy it. And late night, like Jimmy
Kimmel Live, it just shows this incredible range
and visibility. He can slot into almost any comedic
format. With adaptable. Very, he's one of those
guys, you see him and you know him, even if maybe
the name doesn't immediately click for everyone,
he just fits. So from TV, stand up, acting, he
then makes this... really interesting pivot right
into what was still kind of the Wild West back
then, podcasting. Yeah, a true pioneer there.
Definitely. I mean, this is probably where a
lot of people, myself included, really got to
know his voice. He's the host of Who Chartered
on Earwolf. His flagship, yeah, with Koolab Villasak
originally. Right. And that's not the only one.
He also does Grift Horse with Megan Coaster.
So he really embraced that medium early on. He
absolutely did. And I think what's key there
is how early and how consistently. Podcasting
wasn't just, you know, another thing to do. It
felt like the perfect medium for him. Oh, so?
Well, it led his conversational style, that sort
of improvisational, unique humor just flourish
without the constraints you get from TV networks
or even structuring a standup set, you know?
More freedom. Way more freedom. It became this
intimate platform for his specific brand of comedy,
talking directly to the audience. I mean, think
about it. Early podcasting had, like, no rules.
Right. Make it up as you go. Exactly. And Creamer
jumped right in, made his own shows, his own
format, and built this really loyal following
directly. It shows, I think, a lot of foresight.
He saw the potential before a lot of others did.
Yeah, that's impressive, carving out that space.
Yeah. But when you think, OK, comedian, podcaster,
He throws another massive curveball. Yeah. Here
it comes. His musical alter -eco. Yeah. Dragon
Boy Swade. Chuckles. Yes. Dragon Boy Swade. Which
is not comedy music, really. It's his hip -hop
persona. Right. It's legit hip -hop, but with
his unique spin. And he's got a whole discography
end to this name. Dragon Boy Swade in 2006. Master
of pheromones in 09. Mm -hmm. than the one with
the unforgettable title douche minutiae in 2013.
Yeah, that's a title. And apparently there was
one called tears on my shaft slated for 2016,
but it's listed as TBA. So. Maybe it's still
coming. Who knows? But the whole Dragon Boy Suede
thing, it's not just him making hip hop. It feels
like this master class in creating a completely
separate brand. Yeah. I mean, that persona lets
him explore themes, lyrics, stuff that's maybe
edgier, more satirical, that might not quite
fit his, you know, Howard Kramer, the comedian
identity. Different channel for different ideas.
Exactly. It gives him total freedom in that lane,
a deliberate separation. It's almost like performance
art sometimes, maybe a commentary on hip hop.
itself. Playful, provocative, but totally distinct.
To full commitment. It really is. You don't often
see someone go that far in creating such a different
persona for a specific genre. It's not just a
side project, it's its own world. Okay, so we've
got the comedy, the podcasting, the hip -hop
alter ego. But wait, there's more. Of course
there is. Because while Drag Voice Wade is doing
the hip -hop thing, Howard Creamer under his
own name, has this other musical project. Right,
the summa albums. The summa albums, produced
with Dustin Marshall and Brett Morris. And it's
not just one or two, it's a whole series. It
really is, like clockwork every year for a while
there. Have a summa in 2012, have another summa
13, summa this summa that 14. Summatology in
15. Macula summa in 16. Plus... He did theme
songs for Who Charged It, and he was on that
Hard and Firm song Pie. The sheer volume of these
Suma albums, it suggests a real genuine passion
for that sound, doesn't it? Absolutely, and what's
fascinating is the contrast. Totally different
vibe. Completely. Dragon Boy Suede is that raw,
satirical hip hop, edgy, the Suma albums, they're
just pure, unironic, feel -good anthems about...
Well, summer. Sunshine and good times. Exactly.
And this duality, it shows this really sophisticated
way of engaging different audiences, expressing
totally different sides of themselves. He compartmentalizes
them perfectly. So one doesn't bleed into the
other. Right. Each persona gets its own space
to thrive. It really points to this deep well
of creativity, not just one focus. It's pretty
clear he's a man of many names, and not just
the musical ones. Dragon Boy Swade, yeah. But
he also uses nicknames like H. Michael Cray and
Howie Michael Motorcycle. Chuckles, yeah, those
pop up. It's like this whole personal universe
he's built with different identities for different
modes. And you know, an artist using multiple
monikers like that, it's pretty telling. It raises
questions about like creative strategy. Oh, so.
Well, it's not just about exploring different
outputs. I think it's a really deliberate choice
to keep them separate, to compartmentalize. Each
name might represent a different part of his
creative brain, letting him play different roles.
Without confusing people? Yeah, or maybe without
confusing himself. It lets him be playful here,
serious there, satirical, earnest, sometimes
all at once, but under different flags, you know?
It's like saying, okay, this is the me for this
project. That makes sense. So... Okay, we've
traced all these different paths. Stand -up in
Austin, MTV creator, TV regular, podcast pioneer,
musician with two distinct styles. What does
it all add up to? What's the big picture here?
I think ultimately what we see is Howard Kramer's
just enduring impact as this really consistent
creative force, but across so many different
areas. He's not just dipping his toes in. He's
actually made significant real contributions
in each field he's gone into. It shows incredible
adaptability, foresight, maybe just a restless
artistic spirit that keeps him pushing. Yeah,
never settling. Exactly. His career is this powerful
argument for diversifying your creative expression
in an industry that loves putting people in boxes.
He just ignores the box? Or builds new ones.
He's like a true entrepreneurial artist, constantly
innovating, constantly redefining what a multi
-hyphenate creative can actually be. And it really
makes you wonder... What is it that drives someone
like Howard Kramer to constantly reinvent himself
like this, to explore so many different ways
of expressing things? And maybe more importantly,
how does that whole multi -hyphenate approach
end up enriching the work itself? And maybe even
his own artistic satisfaction compared to just,
you know, sticking to one thing. Is it about
finding the right outlet for every single idea
or is it something deeper, like a need to explore
every single part of your own creative landscape?
That is a really interesting question to leave
you the listener with whether you know him best
from his stand -up or who charted or maybe grift
horse or if you're a fan of dragon boy suede
or the suma albums there's clearly a whole world
of howard kramer out a lot to explore definitely
so we really encourage you to dive in if you
haven't already thanks for joining us on this
deep dive into a truly versatile and just endlessly
fascinating entertainer