Bothering the Band - Ken Reid
by RYAN BUYNAK
Ken Reid is a goddamn renaissance man. He is a standup comedian based in Boston, but he also used to punk-rock out in a band called 30 Seconds Over Tokyo. Now that he is not screaming hardcore lyrics into a microphone, Ken hosts a super fun podcast called TV Guidance Counselor, in which he explores the tough television watching decisions of our past via having the guests pick a particular TV Guide (which he has collected his entire life) and then they decide what they would watch. It was so much fun to bother Kenny because we are always fans first, and this was a fun one.
What’s one special thing you could do in 30 seconds?
I can recall and sing MOST TV theme songs for shows released from 1985-1990.
Did your high school guidance counselor actually guide you?
NO, NOT AT ALL. They actually passed my name along to army recruiters as part of the “troubled” list and told me I shouldn’t bother with going to college. In that respect they guided me as a spite fuel.
Would you rather follow a magician by playing punk rock or follow a hypnotist by doing comedy?
I will say that punk rock is easier from an on stage perspective. You can literally drown out displeasure from the audience and watching music is very passive. People talking or not paying attention isn’t a personal, debilitating slight. However, having to coordinate a group of people, carry gear, do a sound check and then do it all in reverse is a major pain. The great thing about comedy is you just show up, walk on stage, do your thing and leave. Also you can slip a hypnotist a couple bucks to plant a suggestion that the audience love your stand up.
Have you been binge watching any shitty shows during the pandemic?
Shitty shows? No. I have a low tolerance for shitty. There are certainly nostalgic shows I like that still have some intrinsic value, and some shows that people write off that are actually really great and hold up well. Maybe the closest thing is Baywatch Nights season 2. Where the Baywatch spin off, in which Mitch, who apparently doesn’t sleep, has a Private Detective agency at night after he clocks off from being a lifeguard, that literally hunts Monsters Supernatural/X-Files style.
Ken Griffey Jr or Kenny G?
Can I call Ken Griffey Jr. “Kenny G Jr.”? If so, him. A fine compromise.
What do you see outside your window right now?
My side porch. It’s grey, and being barraged by rain.
Have you ever been to Tokyo?
Sadly no, but I’d like to visit. The only other country I’ve ever been to is the UK, where I lived for a while in the early ’00s. If anything the pandemic has taught me I need to be more of an international man of mystery.
If your favorite movie monster had a podcast, what would it be called and who would be the podcast co-host?
Easy, “The Monster Squad” and my co-hosts would be Andre’ Gower and Ryan Lambert.
Did you purposely try to get rid of your Boston accent?
Absolutely. The joke I make is that I wanted people to listen to me. And then I correct it by saying I wanted people to listen to me and assume I wasn’t there to collect a debt. Both are somewhat true. However I did get rid of it because it provides knowledge about you that you didn’t volunteer. Somebody can tell where you are from and where you grew up they can infer a lot about you. You lose the upper hand.
What’s the last thing you read?
Sadly, a mind scrambling spread sheet of medical claims detail for my long time day gig.