Tommy Smothers (left) and his brother, Dick, during the run of their revolutionary TV show, "The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour," which aired from 1967 to 1969
In early 2001, I received an assignment from Minnesota Monthly magazine: Interview famous people and ask what they like about Minnesota. It was a fun story to work on! Here is my audio interview with Tommy Smothers and the resulting story that was printed in the May 2001 issue.
Click on the audio player below to listen to my six-minute interview with Tommy Smothers.
This illustration of Tommy Smothers and others accompanied the article
The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour, a hugely popular prime-time comedy show, made Dick and Tom household names. The Smothers Brothers performed with the Minnesota Orchestra in January.
There are two places in our 43 years of performing where we always feel welcome—the state of Minnesota and the Seattle area. Those have always been our two strongest places and Minnesota has always been number one. Over a period of years, sometimes your career ebbs and flows, but during all that time, Minnesota audiences have always been consistent and appreciative. We started working in Minneapolis back in 1962, and it was always a hot spot for us. We love the people there. We did the grandstand show at the Minnesota State Fair and we were the grand marshals for the Winter Carnival in 1964. We came from 78 degrees in L.A. to 30 below. Man, it was cold, and the wind was really blowing, too. They said, “Put some Vaseline on your face. Here’s some brandy—sip on that.” We remember driving in the parade and seeing people looking out their windows at us. I’m sure they were thinking, “Look at those fools out there!”
MY POSTS FEATURING MY MINNESOTA MONTHLY AUDIO INTERVIEWS
MY INTERVIEW WITH DOC SEVERINSEN
MY INTERVIEW WITH TOMMY SMOTHERS
MY INTERVIEW WITH PATRICK STEWART
ABOUT PHIL BOLSTA
Phil is the author of Sixty Seconds: One Moment Changes Everything, a collection of 45 inspiring, life-changing stories from prominent people he interviewed, including Joan Borysenko, Deepak Chopra, geneticist Dr. Francis Collins, acclaimed sportswriter Frank Deford, Dr. Larry Dossey, Wayne Dyer, Dan Millman, Caroline Myss, Dr. Christiane Northrup, Dr. Dean Ornish, Dr. Rachel Naomi Remen, Dr. Bernie Siegel, James Van Praagh, singer Billy Vera, Doreen Virtue, Neale Donald Walsch, and bassist Victor Wooten.
Here is a three-minute video that introduces you to Phil and his book. Click here to buy Sixty Seconds. Click here to ask Phil to add you to his e-mail list for updates on his blog and books.
Reading this book is like spending a few minutes face to face with each of the contributors and listening to their personal stories. Click here to read unsolicited testimonials from readers. Learn more by visiting the official Sixty Seconds website.
Sixty Seconds was one of three finalists in the General Interest/How-To category at the 12th annual Visionary Awards presented by COVR (Coalition of Visionary Resources) in Denver on June 27, 2009.
Tags: Smothers Brothers, Tommy Smothers
