Every good recording studio has a train going by. This week’s Nighttime Benders has the train—and, for good measure, the whole of Route 66 behind it.
A month into her cross-country tour, host Julia Reed Nichols records this week’s episode from the historic El Rancho Hotel in Gallup, New Mexico. We talk about finding the best green chili in the middle of nowhere, stopping at the hot springs in Truth or Consequences (a name that sounds like a Western and promises a gunfight), and spending Halloween weekend on the road.
The main event is nationally touring comic Xander Beltran, calling in from outside Seattle. We talk about his 13 years in comedy, including his first time at the mic, what it was like to film a crowd-work special, and why audiences love watching comics improvise with strangers.
The episode is full of wanderlust: a glimpse into comedy scenes across the country, plus a reminder of why our scene in Bend is so great.
Xander plays Craft Kitchen in Bend on Saturday, Nov. 7. Find him on Instagram at @thisguyfunnyman; his two specials are on YouTube.
We’ll be back next week for a live taping at The Coyote on Nov. 10th—and it’s free to join. Please follow, rate, and review wherever you get your podcasts. The algorithm gets hungry.
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