Sunday, March 26, 2006

The Return of the Erzsi and Jonny Show!


The Erzsi and Jonny Show Returns!

Jonny Goldstein and Erzsi Pongo (yes, me), we hosted our first live, televised episode of The Erzsi and Jonny Show this week!

Our first guest, pictured here is Eric Merola of Merola Productions. You can visit his awesome web site at http://www.merolaproductions.com. Obviously Eric is an outstanding artist and we are very lucky to be joined by him in our expression of selves.

The Erzsi and Jonny Show will be broadcast every other Monday night on channel 57 at 10PM. Check it out!

Monday, March 13, 2006


Is it wrong to say, "I'm going to video blog about this!" to your arresting officer?

Jail is Fun!

Well, spring is about to spring forth, folks! Luckily I am ready. Are you? Now that the warm weather is upon us, tax season is in full bloom, and our frozen souls can finally melt, we can all heave a collective sigh of relief! What? Why?? How! I will tell you. Exercise your freedom of choice, and free will! Sounds like a simple cliché, yes? Yes. But still, we do have free will. It isn’t just a figment of our collective consciousness.

As one who was once handcuffed and arrested for putting my feet up in the subway, I speak from first-hand experience. Being set free after any spell of imprisonment is a tremendous boon. And what better way to celebrate, than to breath easy and say quietly in the back of one’s mind, “I’m not in jail anymore. I can be free. Even though the United States has about as much credibility as a teenager who beat the crap out of the squirrels in the back yard with a big stick, and then tried to feed the squirrel meat to his baby sister, and I am an American; at least I can still exercise freedom of speech and make my own little way in this world.”

What am I babbling about freedom of speech for? Well, for one thing in my devotion to freedom of speech when I was arrested, I did warn the police office that I have power too. I did say, “I am going to video blog about this.” Of course, the next event was the handcuffs being slapped on my wrists. So, why would I choose to laugh about such a thing? How dare I choose this as an illustration of hope? Why do I have so much faith in freedom of speech?

Bottom line, just like winter turns to spring: by some freak of nature, human beings often do end up laughing about some of the most challenging, difficult, and ridiculous times in our lives. Now, if that isn’t justice, I don’t know what is. It’s like finding a stupid rock, and then breaking it apart and finding a geode inside. The United States is going through a terribly trying time right now, with the war and the embarrassing things that our leaders say and do, but guess what? Our generation is the next to be in a position of power! And in as much as spring follows winter, there has to be another period of enlightenment after the dark ages. Either that, or the ports will be taken over by terrorists. Fine, fine, fine. Let’s not be overly optimistic. Let’s keep our feet on the ground and enjoy the natural progression of things. Or we can complain about it. See? Freedom.

I could choose to be depressed about being in jail last year, and I could let it get me down about the United States, and being an American. Or, I could make it one of the corner stones of my comedy routine and a definitive element of my character and my persona. Who is this Hungarian, American red head with such reckless, loud laughter and well defined biceps? Oh, it’s Erzsi Pongo. Air like, fresh air folks. I can laugh about being in jail, or I can cry. Or, I can do both, at the same time, while snorting milk and spaghetti through my nose. Attractive, I know. It’s a choice. We’ve all got ‘em. Life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness aren’t some cliché principals from a movie. It’s reality. Not bad for reality.

Thursday, March 09, 2006


Me at Bowery Poetry Club - Doing Stand Up
View Erzsi Pongo's profile on LinkedIn