BHA was a song cut from the Revenge episode. It’s less than a minute long, has a Laurie Anderson vibe to it and tells an inspiring true story. Click on it below:

BHA

The lyrics are:

Software engineers have a habit of naming their projects after great innovators. A couple decades ago, Mac programmers named a test version of a new application “SAGAN,” as a tip of the hat to the famous astronomer Carl Sagan. The programmers were amazed when Mr. Sagan threatened to sue. So Apple changed the name of the software to “BHA.” Not long before he died, Carl Sagan finally learned what “BHA” means. Butthead Astronomer.

Clearly a masterpiece, but ahead of its time. The singer has contributed to RISK! before. Guess who.

Mike told this story at the RISK! live show recently. Check out the podcast episode Obsessions for the whole enchilada.

This is Kevin. As you might have guessed, our process of culling stories for the podcast is kinda random. If you’ve tried before and didn’t get on, don’t fret. You may hear from us anytime! And feel free to keep pitching stories too.

Right now, we record one-on-one radio-interview style stories from folks in New York and Los Angeles.

First, look at these topics for stories below. See if you have any memorable events from your life that fit these topics:

ALTERED: Adventures Under the Influence

REVENGE: Settling Scores Big and Small or Being on the Receiving End

JEALOUSY: The Green-Eyed Monster

MY FANTASY: Some Elaborate Story You Like (or Once Liked) to Play Out in Your Head

To pitch a story to us, send a synopsis about 100 words in length—not a lot less, not a lot more! This here paragraph you got your eyeballs on is about 100 words, just to give you an idea.

Send your pitch to kevin@risk-show.com with Story Pitch: Altered or  Story Pitch: Jealousy or whatever the subject may be in the subject line. You may not hear back right away, but we’ll read every pitch for sure.

Thanks Riskies. And remember, we’ll have a real blog soon, so we can share a lot more stuff back and forth.

Kevin

1) Instrumentals, any length.

2) New, original songs or sound collages about 30-to-45 seconds long that touch on the ongoing themes of the whole series (taking risks, having the courage to be yourself, telling your truth) or on the specific themes of upcoming episodes.

3) Already produced songs or sound collages that touch on the specific themes of upcoming episodes, any length.

Please send MP3s to Kevin@risk-show.com.

This is Kevin Allison of The State here to tell you that the RISK! podcast has arrived!

RISK! is the uncensored show I host where people tell true stories they never thought they dare to share. The podcast is free, it’s here at iTunes and it’s perfect for the commute to work or down time. Episode 1 is about “Strange Sex” and features comedy legend Marc Maron, myself and five others telling hilarious and surprising true tales.

And don’t forget, if you’re in NYC, you can see the RISK! live show at the beautiful Joe’s Pub in New York on October 14th, and for the next three Wednesdays, at 7:30. Joe’s is one of the snazziest joints in town and we’re psyched to dress up a bit and let ‘er rip.

Who’s doing the Joe’s shows? Janeane Garofalo, Rachel Dratch, Andy Borowitz, Keith Powell, Starlee Kine, Christian Finnegan, Michael Showalter, Margaret Cho and Tom Shillue.  You can order tickets here.

Who’s on the podcast this fall? Michael Ian Black, Marc Maron, Andrea Rosen, Adam Wade, Joe Mande, Desiree Burch, Dave Hill, Martin Dockery, Samm Levine… and all the folks doing the Joe’s Pub shows!

RISK! the live show has been bringing the exploding storytelling scene and the alt comedy scene in NYC together. People who tell stories for RISK! dig deeper into themselves than they might at other live performances. Because the show’s very title is a dare, they go out on a limb and you never know what might happen.

That’s why our podcast feels like an R-rated The Moth meets This American Life. We know that, just like the RISK live show in NYC, the podcast will promote itself via word of mouth. This is the first project I’ve worked on since The State on MTV where I genuinely feel the content is so consistently entertaining, a great climb has begun.

So check out RISK! in both podcast and live show form. It’s True Tales, Boldly Told. And it’s always a blast.

Have a daring day!

Kevin Allison
On Twitter @RISKshow

RISK! is both a live stage show AND an audio podcast.

RISK! is where creative folk tell true stories they never thought they’d dare to share in public.

Some of the stories are about risks taken. Some feature “risky” subject matter. And some stories are told in risky ways. Like if someone who’s afraid of singing chose to sing their tale.

Our first 8 shows are at Arlene’s Grocery in August and September on Thursdays at 7:00. They will include: Janeane Garofalo, Rachel Dratch, Michael Ian Black, Michael Showalter, Keith Powell, Marc Maron, Jessi Klein, Ophira Eisenberg, Kurt Braunholer, Andrea Rosen, Adam Wade, A.D. Miles, Anthony King, Kumail Nanjiani, Desiree Burch, Dave Hill, Tom Shillue, Martin Dockery, Andy Christie, Samm Levine and many more.

And we’re just getting started!

On October 6th, we will premiere the RISK! audio podcast on iTunes. The podcast will feature dozens of great musicians, studio-recorded stories and highlights from the live stage show.

So have a look around the site, feel free to contact us about stories or support and most of all, spread the word! A spectacular show is coming to the Lower East Side this August—and to the Internet in September. Be a part of it all!