There\u2019s been a lot of media chatter recently about changes in the world of talk shows, with names like Jay Leno, David Letterman and Conan O\u2019Brien at the forefront. However, the talk show buzz in Ocean Beach is more often centered around a local contender, “Matt Cook Live,” held each Sunday at Gallagher\u2019s. Hosted by comedian Matt Cook, a Boston native who relocated to San Diego in 2006, the differences between the big network programs and this homegrown model are more than budgetary \u2014 it\u2019s about attitude. You can see it on as basic a talk show staple as the hosts\u2019 desks. While the bigger-name stars sit behind imposing monolithic pieces of furniture, Cook\u2019s smaller version is irreverently draped with a variation of the California state flag with the words “Ocean Beach” added and the state bear now wearing shorts astride a surfboard. The host\u2019s desk is apt to switch locations from week to week. Featuring a mix of local community leaders, musicians and comedy skits, “Matt Cook Live” began at Gallagher\u2019s in May on a whim. “It all stems from a conversation with the show\u2019s now executive producer, Joe Clarke,” Cook said. “We wanted to come up with a fun and yet seemingly impossible thing to do this summer.” Although the program is comedy based, according to Cook, there\u2019s no shortage of potential guests outside that field right on his doorstep. “There\u2019s so much going on in Ocean Beach, from environmental concerns to civic issues, that there is plenty of subject material,” Cook said. “So far, at least, everyone we\u2019ve wanted has said yes.” While parts of the show are scripted, there is also a lot of improv involved, which excites Cook. “For a comedian, that\u2019s the best, to be able to just go with the flow of what\u2019s happening onstage. Improv is the biggest high for me.” The comedy may be closest to his heart, but Cook considers the best part of “Matt Cook Live” to be the musical guests, which to date have included topnotch artists such as reggae favorite Mike Pinto and Slightly Stoopid trumpeter C-Money. “The caliber of musicians who have been on the show has been incredible, just beyond what we could have hoped for,” he said. “It\u2019s been great to watch someone like C-Money play a tune on our stage. It\u2019s a treat for the audience, as well as me.” While best experienced live, “Matt Cook Live” is being filmed and will be released online later this year. Each episode takes about a week to prepare, though securing guests is done further in advance and pre-taped skits are scheduled as time permits. Cook feels the latter points to the show\u2019s future. “Having access to all of Gallagher\u2019s TV sets, it\u2019s only natural that we incorporate them,” Cook said. “We do skits live as part of each program, but the videos allow us to stretch out a little, change the scenery and so on. It also gives the audience something to entertain them while we\u2019re switching over equipment for a segment.” Cook hopes to expand the multimedia possibilities as soon as possible. “It would be nice to be able to shoot some of this outdoors, maybe do remotes or even in front of the venue,” Cook said. “The possibilities are endless when it comes to what we could do next, but mobility is high on the list, so we\u2019re not always tied to the stage.” Cook said he intends for “Matt Cook Live” to run indefinitely, but he\u2019s more than happy with what he and Clarke have accomplished so far. “This is more fun than I could\u2019ve imagined,” he said. “There is a lot of hard work involved, but I\u2019m working amongst friends here. I love being there every show.” Cook performs next on Sunday, July 5, at Gallagher\u2019s, 5046 Newport Ave. at 8 p.m. The show is geared for those 21 and up. For more information, visit www.gallagherspubob.com.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
There\u2019s been a lot of media chatter recently about changes in the world of talk shows, with names like Jay Leno, David Letterman and Conan O\u2019Brien at the forefront. However, the talk show buzz in Ocean Beach is more often centered around a local contender, “Matt Cook Live,” held each Sunday at Gallagher\u2019s. Hosted by […]<\/p>","protected":false},"author":726,"featured_media":280004,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"11561","_seopress_titles_title":"\u2018Matt Cook Live\u2019 show has OB talking","_seopress_titles_desc":"","_seopress_robots_index":"","jnews-multi-image_gallery":[],"jnews_single_post":[],"jnews_primary_category":[],"jnews_social_meta":[],"jnews_override_counter":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[11551,11561],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-280003","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","category-peninsula-beacon"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/280003","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/726"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=280003"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/280003\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/280004"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=280003"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=280003"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=280003"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}