Harry Kipper on Tea With Tosh

As promised, "Tea With Tosh" with my guest artist/performance artist Harry Kipper.   In the years 1986/1987 I did 20 episodes of "Tea With Tosh."  Gary Calamar, Deborah Hunter and Shirley (Squid) Ouchi came up with the idea of me doing a public access show, and together, with many friends, we did the show.  I came up with the concept of a chat show that I imagined would be an afternoon program.  The inspiration for me was Dick Cavett and William F. Buckley.   At the time, both hosts always had fascinating people on their shows, and another inspitation is when I was suffering from the bad flu/cold sometime in 1985, and I watched a lot of afternoon interview programs on an old black and white TV with horrible reception.  I was too ill to get out of bed to fix the set or adjust the channel, so I just let it be.  The spirit of the show was to do everything in the present and worry about the future.  The past for me was the research of the interview subjects.  Also, I wanted to be in an official format where I can ask questions to all the people who came on the show.  I would never ask these type of questions in a private conservation - but doing it in front of the (imagined) public seemed OK.   I did receive public attention during the run of the show, but mostly through waiters, who many recognize me by watching "Tea With Tosh."  It seemed I had a huge following among people who worked as servers in restaurants!

Harry Kipper is a major favorite of mine.  I met and socialized with Harry (and his partner, Harry) at Punk venues, but I first met him through my father Wallace Berman, who later arranged for Harry to perform at the Mermaid Tavern in Topanga. Sometime in 1972?  Secretly, my father made the flyer for the show and posted it all around Topanga sometime in the very late night.  He loved The Kipper Kids.  And so do I.  Therefore love Harry Kipper.  The other "Harry" married Bette Midler, and I believe he became an economic advisor or dealing with finances/stock market.

"Tea With Tosh" with guest, Harry Kipper.  1986.  30 minutes.  If you like the show, please give it a like or a comment on the YouTube page.