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"A podcast about making things up and making things happen." L.A.-based writer-performer Dennis Hensley believes that art and creativity make the world go around and make life worth living. Each week, he interviews a different creative person each about what they do, why they do it, and how they manage the ups and downs of a creative life. Some guests are famous, some are less so...all are what Dennis describes as "beautiful strugglers." Past guests have included authors, actors, photographe ...
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You've heard the book publishing podcasts that give you tips for selling a lot of books and the ones that only interview world-famous authors. Now it's time for a book publishing show that reveals what actually goes on behind the cover. Hosted by New York Times bestselling author Anna David, Behind the Book Cover features interviews with traditionally published authors, independently published entrepreneurs who have used their books too seven figures to their bottom line to build their busin ...
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How To Survive with Danielle & Kristine

Danielle Koenig & Kristine Kimmel

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A comedy survival podcast about the disasters you fear, the chaos you don’t expect, and the daily hassles that make you wish you were dead. Hosts Danielle Koenig and Kristine Kimmel break down everything from natural disasters to unnatural medical scares to wild animals you don’t want to encounter- plus guest stories you truly won’t believe. If it can endanger your life—or simply ruin your day—they’ll tell you how to survive it, with plenty of laughs along the way. Featuring guests like Rain ...
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show series
 
In Part 1 of his annual Holiday Gift Guide, Dennis talks to creative entrepreneurs Jackie Beat and Brian Gryphon. First up, is drop dead gorgeous, larger than life, world famous drag superstar Jackie Beat who, earlier this year, happened upon an artistic side-hustle in the most unlikely of places: Grocery Outlet Bargain Market. The discount store w…
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Dennis Hensley was the very first real writer I ever knew—back when getting a book published felt like spotting a unicorn in 1990s LA. His debut novel Misadventures in the (213) came out in 1998, and I thought it was the coolest thing imaginable. Years later, we'd find ourselves sweating through Ben Allen's dance classes together, proving that crea…
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Dennis is joined via Zoom by Maria Friedman director of the Broadway musical Merrily We Roll Along as well as the new filmed version of that Tony-winning stage production (which hits theaters on December 5th). Maria talks about her long history with the Stephen Sondheim musical as both actor and director, the themes that were on her mind as she app…
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This week, Danielle and Kristine jump on Zoom to riff on the “joys” of Thanksgiving, holiday stress, family chaos, and unmet family expectations. With a little help from mental health master Brené Brown (in spirit!), they break down how to stay mindful — or at least avoid completely losing it — in the weeks ahead. 👉 Follow the show so you never mis…
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Dennis is joined via Zoom by Greg Cope White to talk about the Netflix series Boots, which is based on Greg's memoir about joining the marines as a young gay man The Pink Marine. Greg talks about the long journey of getting the show on the air, working with his mentor Norman Lear on the project, the thrill of finally having it out in the world and …
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This week, Danielle and Kristine learn how to survive a bad psychedelic trip — visions, paranoia, melting faces, and all. Then, Ilana Cohn-Sullivan joins to share her unforgettable ayahuasca experience, complete with continuous vomiting, cheetah cosplay, and the moment things tipped from “transformational” to “terrifying.” 👉 Follow the show so you …
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Dennis is joined via Zoom from Manhattan by Brian Schaefer to talk about his wonderful debut novel Town & Country. The book is about a congressional election in a small rural town called Griffin between Chip Riley, a conservative bar owner who's lived in Griffin for decades, and Paul Sands, a young ambitious liberal gay man who bought a house in Gr…
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Heather Wood Rudulph has done many things in the publishing world, including co-writing Sexy Feminism: A Girl's Guide to Love, Success and Style with Jennifer Keishin Armstrong (a title that very much captured a specific moment in feminist evolution but makes Rudulph give a tiny cringe now). We met back in the New York media heyday when things like…
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Dennis is joined via Zoom by actor and interior designer Francisco Chacin who plays Beau Bridge's fastidious assistant Stuart on the hit CBS drama Matlock. Francisco talks about the thrill of booking the gig, getting paid to be mean to Kathy Bates, basing Stuart on certain "clipboard gays" he's observed in the real world and his dream that maybe St…
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Dennis is joined by filmmaker Yen Tan whose latest movie All That We Love starring Margaret Cho and Jessie Tyler Ferguson is opening Outfest Next this week and hitting cinemas and streaming soon after. The film is about a woman in midlife who loses her dog and how she carries on after that loss and how she manages the relationships in her life, inc…
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This week on How to Survive, Danielle and Kristine learn how to survive traveling to space — zero gravity, cosmic rays, and all! Writer/Professional Dancer Dennis Hensley joins the fun to share his hilarious story about auditioning to be a backup dancer for Madonna. 👉 Hit Follow — it helps the show and keeps you alive! 🎧 New episodes every week! 👉 …
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Jeanne Darst's story is what happens when everything goes right—and then you realize "right" is more complicated than you thought. After years of doing plays for 200 people in Vermont, she hit the publishing lottery: a bidding war sparked by a “This American Life” appearance that had publishers hunting her down by the next morning. Riverhead Books …
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For the second part of Dennis's conversation with Matching Minds With Sondheim author Barry Joseph, Dennis invites his old friend Dennis Osborne to join the Zoom. Dennis was a good friend of Stephen Sondheim's for the last 35 years of his life and spent a lot of time playing games with him. In this conversation, Dennis and Barry talk about Sondheim…
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This week, How to Survive tackles identity theft and didgeridoo drama! Comedian Murray Valeriano returns with a hilarious tale of trying to reclaim his cousin’s missing didgeridoos from a Hollywood Hills art dealer. 👉 Hit Follow — it helps the show and keeps you alive! 🎧 New episodes every week! 👉 Support us on Patreon for extended episodes + bonus…
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Dennis is joined via Zoom by Barry Joseph, author of the new book Matching Minds with Sondheim, which is all about the legendary Broadway composer and lyricist's love of puzzles and games. Barry talks about being inspired to write the book in 2022, a few months after Sondheim's passing, and how writing the book became like a puzzle for him to solve…
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This week, on How to Survive, Danielle and Kristine learn how to survive urban legends — from Cropsey to Candyman — and comedian Kevin Avery joins to share his own real-life medical scare involving a benign tumor. It’s a mix of monsters, medicine, and mayhem — only on How to Survive! 👉 Hit Follow — it helps the show and keeps you alive! 🎧 New episo…
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Hannah Sward’s publishing journey reads like a masterclass in persistence meets divine intervention. After years of writing short stories for underground literary journals, she stumbled into a free writer’s group at a library—complete with homeless people sleeping on the sidelines. That’s where she met Jill Sherry Robinson, an 80-year-old bestselli…
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Dennis is joined by his queer sketch comedy queen friend Nora Burns to talk about her new stage show Candied Camera Live!, which is based on a real public access TV show she produced and hosted back in the 1990s. Nora talks about the material on the show that would definitely get her cancelled today, using a sex club with a camera in it as a studio…
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This week on How to Survive, Danielle and Kristine tackle Burning Mouth Syndrome (yep, it’s real!) and welcome comedian Dan Cronin, who survived his own burning experience in New York City- one that nearly took out his apartment. Get more chaos and laughter on Patreon! 🎧 New episodes every week! 👉 Support us on Patreon for extended episodes + bonus…
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Dennis is joined by his friend Steven Reigns to talk about his new collection of poetry, Outliving Michael, which is about a friend of Steven's named Michael Church who died of AIDS in 2000. Steven talks about meeting Michael first as his drag persona Blanche before getting to know him out of drag and becoming close friends. Steven reads several po…
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Salmonella strikes again! On this week's episode of How to Survive, returning guest Mike Henry shares his unforgettable encounter with the bacteria. 👉 Hit Follow — it helps the show and keeps you alive! 🎧 New episodes every week! 👉 Support us on Patreon for extended episodes + bonus content. 📰 Join our Substack for extra comedy bits and survival ti…
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In this special Birthday Crossover Episode of Dennis Anyone and Dennis Hensley's Happy & Gay, Dennis breaks down his five days of birthday activities, which included two films (Almost Famous & Magnolia), one museum excursion (the Queer Lens exhibit at the Getty Center), one game day at Lawless Brewery and one marvelous outdoor play; Wine in the Wil…
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This week on How to Survive, Danielle and Kristine tackle runaway grooms (and brides!) and get the inside scoop on international “I dos” with Las Tres Sisters Marta Mendez-Cross, who shares her wild wedding adventures in Costa Rica. 👉 Hit Follow — it helps the show and keeps you alive! 🎧 New episodes every week! 👉 Support us on Patreon for extended…
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Dennis is joined via Zoom by Rob Loveless, host of the A Jaded Gay podcast and one of Dennis's fellow nominees for Best LGBTQ Podcast at this Sunday's Podcast Awards. Rob talks about what inspired him to start the podcast, why he loves doing it and how he balances it with going to grad school and working full time in the corporate world. He also ta…
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This week, on How to Survive, Danielle & Kristine undress the topic of the strip search. We’re talking strip searches, survival tips, and the fine line between law enforcement and a lawsuit. Kathy Egan-Taylor of Bad Elizabeth shares her unforgettable experience with the UK Border Patrol. 👉 Hit Follow — it helps the show and keeps you alive! 🎧 New e…
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Dennis is joined via Zoom from Boston, MA by writer-director Spencer Cohen to talk about his film The Compatriots, which is about young undocumented gay man from Peru named Javi and his quest to be who he is. Spencer talks about how he based the story on his real life best friend since middle school Beto, who is a gay, Peruvian and undocumented Dre…
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if you’re a subscriber, hi! It’s been a minute. And by a minute I mean it’s been almost a year. That’s because one of the main reasons I do a podcast is so that I can educate myself and after hundreds of interviews, I felt like I’d learned everything I could about how to build authority with a book. I even used many of those interviews in the book …
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This week on How to Survive with Danielle & Kristine, we face the spotlight: performance anxiety (something many comedians struggle with) and the fascinating world of cruise ship comedy 🚢. Actor and comedian Chris Witaske (The Bear, Chicago Party Aunt) joins us to share hilarious survival stories, from performing for an audience trapped at sea to b…
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Dennis is join via Zoom from Sitges, Spain by writer Jon Kinnally to talk about his new memoir I'm Prancing as Fast as I Can, which features stories about his life, from his childhood in Syracuse, New York through his career in Hollywood as a longtime writer on Will & Grace, the original incarnation and the reboot. Jon talks about where his title c…
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This week on How to Survive with Danielle & Kristine, we dive into two wild adventures: the beautiful (but venomous) Blue Dragon sea slugs 🐉🌊 and the thrill of skydiving! Writer Nikki Nash joins us to share hilarious stories from her book Collateral Stardust and what it really takes to survive falling from the sky. 🎧 Want more laughs? Get extended …
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Dennis is joined via Zoom by author Stephanie Elizondo Griest to discuss her latest book Art Above Everything: One Woman's Global Exploration of the Joys and Torments of a Creative Life, which is so up Dennis's alley. (Actually, a listener reached out to Dennis and said, "You need to check out this book. It's what you talk about all the time.") Ste…
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This week on 'How to Survive with Danielle & Kristine,' we tackle two wild challenges: how to survive under martial law (unthinkable, but we promise to make you laugh) and what happens when you step onto the mat for Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. Comedian Cristina Fernandez joins us with laugh-out-loud stories, survival “tips,” and a few chokeholds along the…
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This week, Dennis shares his thoughts on the finale of And Just Like That...and also sharing quotes from an interview he did with Carrie Bradshaw herself Sarah Jessica Parker for British Premier magazine in 1995. He also talks about his recent day trip to the Film Out San Diego LGBT Film Festival where he caught two very different movies; Sauna fro…
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This week, Danielle and Kristine learn how to survive bears… again… but in a whole new way. Author Emily Barth-Isler joins to share a wild bear tale of her own! 👉 Follow the show so you never miss a new comedy survival episode. 🎧 New episodes every week! 📰 Join our Substack for extra comedy bits + survival tips. 👉 Support us on Patreon for extended…
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Dennis is joined via Zoom by Bryan Cooper who is one of the producers of Cinecon 61, a Labor Day weekend film festival in Los Angeles dedicated to rarely-seen classic films and the people who love them. Bryan talks about this year's honorees who will be appearing in person: Ann-Margret, Mamie Van Doren and Juliet Mills whose award will be presented…
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This week, Danielle and Kristine learn how to survive your child’s first day of pre-school — the nerves, the tears, and sometimes the kids cry too. Then Oliver Pardo joins to share his hilarious and chaotic experiences at his very first job. 👉 Follow the show so you never miss a new comedy survival episode! 🎧 New episodes every week! 📰 Join our Sub…
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Dennis is joined via Zoom by actor Jeff Hiller to discuss his new memoir Actress of a Certain Age as well as his recent Emmy nomination for Best Supporting Actor in a Comedy for the HBO series Somebody Somewhere. Jeff talks about being completely surprised by the nomination, his plan to enjoy every moment of the Emmy experience and how happy he is …
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This week, Danielle and Kristine learn how to survive calling 9-1-1, thanks to a listener who taught us that panic and emergency calls do not mix. Then Will Becton joins to share a frightening camp incident he and his friends barely made it through. 👉 Follow the show so you never miss a new comedy survival episode! 🎧 New episodes every week! 📰 Join…
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On the eve of Xanadu's 45th Anniversary, Dennis is joined by six of his fellow Xanadu superfans--the XanaCrew--to preview the events they have organized for this coming weekend in Los Angeles. The events include a sold out screening on Saturday, August 9th featuring a Q & A with Michael Beck and multiple muses...bookended by a tribute concert on Fr…
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This week, Danielle and Kristine learn how to survive dangerously low temperatures — get those mittens on! Then Madison Shepard joins to share a hilarious but genuinely dangerous story from one of her past temp jobs. 👉 Follow the show so you never miss a new comedy survival episode! 🎧 New episodes every week! 📰 Join our Substack for extra comedy bi…
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In this episode, Dennis describes reuniting with his former cruise ship dancing colleague Monica who he hasn't seen in 35 years, sings the praises of the HBO Max movie Mountaintop, the classic rom-com Pretty Woman and DTLA's Summer Dance Nights. He also talks about the importance of friendship in his own life and shares insights from the famous Har…
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There's a new theater company that opened about a mile from Dennis's home in North Hollywood called The Wisteria Theater and it's a magical place. The show that's currently running there is Xanadu: The Musical, based on the iconic Olivia Newton-John movie musical that Dennis has been obsessed with since 1980. In this episode, Dennis welcomes the te…
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Dennis is joined via Zoom by actor-director-producer Ellen Geer who is the Producing Artistic Director of one of Dennis's favorite spots in Los Angeles, The Will Geer Theatricum Botanicum in Topange Canyon. Dennis has been going to see plays at the outdoor amphitheater since the early 90's and has seen Ellen perform in scores of shows there as well…
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This week, Danielle and Kristine learn how to survive when voyeurism crosses the line into a real disorder — we're hitting all those red flags. Then Tom Clark joins to share stories from his unforgettable summer volunteering in Juarez. 👉 Follow the show so you never miss a new comedy survival episode! 🎧 New episodes every week! 📰 Join our Substack …
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