Brooks McBeth

A warning: Parts of this particular episode may be too… well… too highbrow, too donnish, too erudite… too filled with words you have look up. Nonetheless, if you are at familiar with Shakespeare – and specifically, his great character, MacBeth – you are familiar with his work. But there is another McBeth – the one that’s the subject of this podcast. And this one is much funnier. Certainly funnier than Othello – both the character AND the town in eastern Washington.

So as disappointing as it may be for some listeners, expecting to hear a discussion about theater, well, you can forget about that first MacBeth for today. Or for that matter “Tomorrow and tomorrow…” Besides, this McBeth is not nearly as much of a downer as Shakespeare’s guy.

Through the years, Almost Live saw many interns come and go. For many of them, the going was the best part. But few were nearly as impressive as Brooks McBeth. By definition, an intern is both a noun… and a verb. The noun says, “An intern is a student or trainee who works at a trade or occupation in order to gain work experience.” But as a verb, intern means “to incarcerate someone.” This seems like the best definition of Brooks McBeth’s time with Almost Live! Except that most prisoners get paid better.

Brooks hails from the city of curves, Renton. His mom, Kathy, was a school teacher. His dad, Robert McBeth, was a longtime judge. Surprisingly, Brooks was never up before his father. Except once, when Brooks arose at 5am to go fishing.

He snagged a two year degree at Green River Community College, and then immediately came to Almost Live! for another couple of years. Brooks immediately showed that he was more than the kind of intern who was sent out to get coffee and doughnuts for the prima donnas on the regular staff. He made his mark quickly as a writer and performer, receiving an Emmy nomination for one his very first efforts. (“I Love You, Man.”)

He headed off to Hollywood before the show ended its run, and has become a nationally familiar face and voice on countless TV and radio commercials – you can see him currently in commercials for Bud Light, The Learning Channel, and ‘The Office‘, to name just a handful. Brooks has been a writer on no less than six different series from ‘The Late Late Show with Craig Kilborn‘ to the legendary ‘MADtv‘.

But it’s as a standup comic that Brooks really shines. He is one of those handful of comedians that can absolutely own a stage. He doesn’t just kill. He destroys. If you ever get the chance to see him, please go. But get a babysitter for the kids. Brooks can be… well… edgy. But absolutely charming at the same time. In Pat’s opinion, he’s perhaps the most talented person that ‘Almost Live!‘ ever produced.

Yet, his time with the show was brief, so his name wouldn’t necessarily be the first one that comes to mind for fans of the show. That ain’t right. Time to change that.

Brooks still occasionally does a one-man show called, “This Ain’t Shakespeare.”

Visit now with the Bard of Renton…from his adopted home of L.A.

Brooks McBeth. He ain’t Chaucer either.