Ray Hanna • Musician, Comic, Actor
Ray Hanna
1975-1987
Guys want Space to Be Rockers
December 1983 · SF Chronicle • Bob Wieder
PEOPLE, UPON seeing someone do stand-up, tend to file that person under the one-note heading – comedian. It’s not necessarily so. In fact, most stand-up comics are also gag writers, scenarists, actors, voice talent, musicians and so on -not counting their various straight day jobs. Prime examples of this are Ray Hanna, until recently an options broker by day, and Doug Ferrari, who supplements his income with temporary jobs. They finished fifth and seventh respectively, in this year’s Comedy Competition. Partners in comedy for eight years, the two are currently a team in their new band, Guys From Space. But they aren’t so much a comedy team as a small corporation. Their “resume” is in fact a divisional-structure chart, with such “departments” as film, TV, radio, theater, concerts and records.
That is but a partial list of the things in the entertainment arts they will do for money. The things they won’t do could be listed on a ticket stub. Creatively, they may be unusual, but their scattergun assault on a performing career isn’t. Rather, they typify many local comics, who view stand-up as the route to TV, films, concert tours and other glories. The Bay Area isn’t just a hotbed of stand-up comics, but also a staging area for forays into the big bucks down south or back East or wherever.
Ray, one of S.F:’s best musical comics, agrees: “My approach to being a comic or a musician is an actor’s -acting like a comic or musician.” As are many stand-ups, they’re primarily creative freelancers, covering as many of the talent game’s bases as possible. On this basis, they also write and produce plays, do oddball video, frequent local radio, including KQAK’s Lobster Show, KYA’s Sam Van Zandt, KPEN’s Dan McKay, script sitcoms.
As of now they’re only doing one Guys From Space show for every 20 or so stand-up gigs – an irony, since they began as a group and only went into solo stand-up after three years together. Doug’s background was in local theater; Ray’s in radio announcing. They met in 1975 in San Jose at age 17 and 21, respectively. With friend Kevin Aspell they formed the High Wire Radio Choir, a repertory humor group in the Firesign Theater mold They initially did short radio theater, then 13 one-hour shows on the San Jose area’s Gill Cable’s local-access TV channel, then 13 half-hour shows on radio stations KSJO and KFAT. High Wire’s first stage gigs came in 1976 and consisted of seven-minute, mostly non-musical skits, with Ray on piano at the end. By 1979, they were opening regularly at the Mabuhay, a noted local shark tank, the animal, blue-hair crowd’” Ray recalls.
“The Chron called us a three-man tour de force, with the little man jumping out of his chair,” says Doug. “It’s a great script,” Ray adds pointedly. “We just need a backer.” In 1980, Righteous Raoul joined High Wire, which then began to evolve into a serious, but irreverent, rock group, culminating in the recent name-change to Guys From Space.
Ray began doing stand-up in 1978; Doug followed in 1979.
Success at this cut back their High Wire activity, as did MARVIN!,
a play they wrote and staged variously over six months
at the One Act, the Open Theater, the On Broadway and other houses.
Quick Takes
High Wire Radio Choir
Guys From Space
The EP
Our self-produced EP from 1978 with 4 selections, including my song "Teenage Mutant Love,", which we later featured in the one-act play MARVIN! Dr. Demento liked "Big Bellied Woman" and gave us our first nation-wide exposure on his syndicated Sunday night radio show.
BOOKINGS FOr Love & $
Even a free event has bills to pay. Comedians stepped up to perform at Benefits to help finance the annual show at the Bandshell in Golden Gate Park, where thousands gathered to watch eager young comedians say "Thank You" to the City that supported their shenanigans.
AVAILABLE for weddings, store openings and cockfights,” has been the standard line of the High Wire Radio Choir since they got together in 1975. Now the comedy trio, composed of Kevin Aspell, Doug Ferrari and Ray Hanna, is starting to make a splash in the nightclubs specializing in comedy. Sunday night they will play at the Punch Line in San Francisco and on Feh. 3 they will play Downstairs at the Boarding House, also in San Francisco. The Choir first became well known for the 13-weck half-hour comedy series that aired locally on KSJO-FM and later on KFAT-FM! They released their first record, an EP with four cuts, during the holidays. It features sevcral routines ranging from “K-Sell,“ a satire on radio sales pitches to “Teenage Mutant Love,” a take-off on Little Anthony and the Imperials.
The group is currently working with Video Concepts in Sunnyvale to incorporate video into their routines for larger clubs. They are a group worth watching,
~January 25, 1979 • Evening News
Guys from Space
Their hot enterprise right now is Guys From Space - Ray Hanna (keyboards), Doug Ferrari (vocals) and Righteous Raoul (keyboards, formerly with Rick &; Ruby), plus guitar, bass and drums. Doug calls it "a band of comedians who want to be rock-stars," but they take it quite seriously. "It's legit music," Ray insists. "There are laughs and costumes, but the sound is as genuine rock 'n' roll as the Tubes or Dr. Hook." The band is shifting from rock mimicry to original material, from humorous/novelty to offbeat-but-reputable. They've released an eight-song cassette titled "Too Much Coffee," featuring their most ambitious work, "MTV."
~December 1983 · SF Chronicle • Bob Wieder
Big Money
Large Venues
Circa early 1980s - An annual get-together of like-minded costumed party-goers, The High Wire Radio Choir worked as MCs on various stages at the venue.
Mojo Hanna Soul Review
Left-field look at Nostalgia
Ray Hanna has rounded up an equally crazed bunch of local musicians and comedy cronies to revel (or is it grovel?) in their big chill flashbacks.
January 1987 • Oakland Tribune • Larry Kelp
At the Fringe
BootLicking Snarling Weasels
A four-month project, a revue that put some talented people together for a one-month run at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in 1987. Approximately 50 performances altogether, combining stand-up, sketch comedy, improv and edgy cabaret music.
Screams of the Road Dog
Forward from Screams of the Road Dog • Ray Hanna • August 2025 ·
These are tales of a time come and gone. From 1978 to 1999, I participated in approximately 5000 performances as a stand-up comic. A few thousand of my fellow comedy foot soldiers all over the U.S., Canada and U.K. were doing the same thing. Gigs and more gigs popped up everywhere. The scene was growing up around us and, as sometimes happens, my timing was good. At its peak (about 1989), one could work 52 weeks a year and never do the same venue twice. After my first five years of this activity, it became apparent that my success would not be of the sensational overnight variety. My constant work brought steady progress and a more sophisticated working knowledge of the craft, but not the international acclaim, buzz, or stardom that all performers seek. Traveling brings time for reflection and it occurred to me that even though I hadn’t yet become a star, we comedians were a privileged, fairly exclusive fraternity, carrying on the great tradition of the troubadours, vaudevillians, cabaret performers and other itinerant show-biz gypsies who had come before. I felt grateful to travel the world in this fashion, spinning and sharing yarns, creating a legacy of friendships, all the while, sampling the local hospitality and cuisine. Since none of us knew how long any of this was going to last or where this road would lead, I was sure as Hell going to enjoy the journey. Believe me, I did.
About 1992, something in the stand-up world changed. Americans seemed less willing than they had been in the 1980’s to spend their disposable income in nightclubs. Perhaps it was just the end of another nightclub fad. An image comes to mind of a scrap heap full of karaoke machines and rusting Gilley’s-style mechanical bulls. After willingly stepping away from the stand-up life, I got back into the corporate working world (my last year of part-time touring was 1994) with a promo job at a cable TV network.
Most of the performers I encountered who later became famous would not remember me. In fact, I would have probably progressed further in show business, had I more thoroughly exploited my relationships with the many comics I worked with who went on to become household names. I am not judging those who do or have. As Robert Wuhl once said, “I’ve got friends in this town that I haven’t even used yet.” I’ve never cared about protecting privileged insider relationships with any superstars or their publicists, so you can be assured that these tales are all true. The stories need to be told. Not only can I tell these tales, I may be the only one who can.
Looking back
A Bubbling Brew
I look back and realize how fortunate I was to be part of the San Francisco comedy scene that grew up around me in the 70's and 80's. It was a unique meeting of many clever people and numerous opportunities to develop their cleverness, a confluence of talent and timing which will never happen again. There were places in San Francisco where you could get stage time with the freedom to fail, opportunities to re-invent yourself and make magic. There were enough paying gigs to serve as measuring sticks and partially subsidize you until you learned what you were doing. At the beginning, I got a lot of M.C. work. I introduced the dancers at Broadway strip clubs. I regularly appeared as an M.C. at our foremost punk rock nightclub, the Mabuhay Gardens, as well as other rock clubs. By doing dozens of open mikes there, I started to get paid M.C. spots at our local comedy hangouts - the Holy City Zoo, the Other Café, Cobb's, the Punchline and dozens of other short-lived venues. Comics from all over the country started gravitating to San Francisco, adding to the bubbling brew of Bay Area natives. On any given night from 1978 to 1984, the comics working out for free or next to nothing might include Dana Carvey, Paula Poundstone, Ellen DeGeneres, Kevin Pollak, Bobcat Goldthwaite, Kevin Meaney, Rob Schneider and of course, Robin Williams.
And of Course
Robin Williams
Robin haunted the clubs in San Francisco and always brought a lot of excitement, partly because he was famous and mostly because he was a fabulous performer. He'd always go at least 45 minutes and you could forget about following him. Basically, he would jump on stage and close the show, improvising extensively, and often with a very funny, gifted comic named Jeremy Kramer. If there was a piano in the house, Robin liked to improvise blues songs with audience suggestions. I accompanied him often enough to know he carried a G harmonica with him. There were dozens of other talented comics who became polished pros during this fertile period - not all of us became household names.
From Juvie to PBS
Michael Pritchard
Mike Pritchard is a larger-than-life, force of nature, who has helped countless people in San Francisco over the years, including me. I met Mike in the late 70's when he was a juvenile probation officer. He stood 6'8" and, when he started doing stand-up, he began his act by downing a pitcher of beer and belching loudly. We weren't sure if it was comedy, but he was still impressive on many levels. He had a lot of energy, a lot of characters with funny voices and always tried to inject some social messages into his shows. Until he developed some subtlety, these homilies sometimes appeared to be heavy-handed and even self-serving. No one seemed to mind because he did so much in the community. Mike could and often did pull people (like me) out of dangerous and unhealthy situations. In addition to his official functions in social work, he wouldn't hesitate to intervene if he thought that a comedian was self-destructing. He walked it like he talked it, and yet, he could laugh at his own smarmy, cheeseball tendencies. He also was a fearless improviser and just the sight of him onstage with 5'4" Jeremy Kramer was funny. Mike got a development deal with NBC that didn't do much but keep him off the other networks. Pritchard somehow overcame his development deal and later, created and hosted a show on PBS for kids called The Power Of Choice.
Phenomenal Talent
Steven Pearl
Steven Pearl is a maniac and one of the funniest people ever. He came to San Francisco from Long Island. To this day, he makes me laugh so hard that I'm in pain. Pearl is another phenomenal talent who is, inexplicably, not famous. There was a high standard of originality and creativity in the clubs. Who knows why certain people get famous? Some of our fraternity worked enough in Northern California that they eschewed the road and became local legends - "San Francisco Stars" pretty much unknown outside the region. Most of us who developed in San Francisco at this time made some money on the road and eventually re-located to other places. I've since seen dozens of names I remember from back in the day, peppering the credits of films and TV shows.
Development Deal
Rick Reynolds
Rick Reynolds came from Portland, Oregon and turned the town on its ear for a while. He had a burning intensity and a probing, fearless intelligence that led him to true greatness and some friction in the business parts of show business. He developed a brilliant one-man show that got him a development deal with NBC. He got a series that didn't stay on the air long. Beware the development deal that pays you a modest chunk upfront and then…what?
The Art of
Kissing A$$
Not everything was sweetness and light. In every successful scene, there seems to be factionalism between the clubs, bookers, agents, comics and their managers. I've always admired the guys who seemed to float happily above the madness, but sadly, I wasn't one of them. I scuffled along trying to get ahead, but I don't schmooze effectively and I don't kiss ass well either. I say this, not in any attempt to take any moral high ground or exalt my integrity. I'm just bad at it. There's nothing worse than kissing ass and not having it accomplish anything. On other occasions, I apparently kissed the wrong asses. I was kissing local ass, when I could have been kissing nationally significant asses - asses of prominence with global spheres of influence.
1983 • 8th Annual San Francisco International Comedy Competition
I have one lasting memory of San Francisco comedy that is priceless and represents the best part of what we once had there. For many years, there was a comedy competition in San Francisco that took a month to complete and involved about a dozen venues in the Bay Area. One of these was the auditorium at the Marin Civic Center, designed by Frank Lloyd Wright. It’s a 2000-seat, prestige concert hall, the likes of which we comics seldom see unless we’re buying a symphony ticket. In 1983, I was one of 10 semi-finalists performing in that hall. During the competition, I always brought a football with me, and after my soundcheck, I’d throw the ball with my friend Bobby. This ritual succeeded in loosening me up physically and blowing off a lot of stress. Even though he made more money in a month as a stock options trader than all 10 performers combined would make that year, Bobby roadied for me the entire month.
L-R: Evan Davis, David Wood, Dr. Gonzo, Ray Hanna, D’Alan Moss, Will Durst, Doug Ferrari, Monty Hoffman, Leland Brown, Bobcat Goldthwaite • Photo Credit: Randy Bachman •
After the ten contestants completed their sets, the judges would tally their scores and this night, the late Jim Samuels was doing the compilation set – a set of indeterminate length that allowed the judges to do whatever they do. While Jim did his time in front of the curtain, a full five-on-five football game was going on behind the curtain. Occasionally, the ball would hit the curtain and we’d hear a small ripple from the audience. Earlier in the compilation set, Bobby and I had started flinging the ball around on this huge stage, and pretty soon everyone joined in – Bobcat Goldthwaite, Doug Ferrari (who had probably never handled a football), Will Durst in a suit, D’Alan Moss in a tuxedo. This was a sight. For just a few moments, all the competitive crap was forgotten, and it was just some guys running around being silly.
David Allen • The Boarding House
David Allen made me his house M.C., and over a two year period, I got a crash course in traditional showbiz in the time-honored, classy supper-club style. David knew a lot about comedy and had a huge heart but a slightly smaller head for business. His last 6 years or so were a constant battle to stay ahead of creditors and keep his liquor license. I remember one benefit for the Boarding House for which I gladly bought a ticket. The lineup was Steve Martin, Martin Mull, Billy Crystal, Loudon Wainwright III, Melissa Manchester, Jimmy Buffett, and at the bottom of the bill, a very young Robin Williams. They were all headliners by then, but all of them had been helped early on in their careers with prestige bookings at the Boarding House. I was one of the last comics blessed by the generosity and good counsel of David Allen. By the end of my two-year cycle at the Boarding House, my polish was starting to show and I was getting booked all over town, but David was dead. He had always been a huge man and complications from gout brought about his premature demise in 1983.
All Excerpts are from Screams of the Road Dog by Ray Hanna • Copyright 2025
That was then, This is since then…
Evening at the Improv • 1992
A COMICAL & MUSICAL JOURNEY
THROUGH SAN FRANCISCO’S GOLDEN AGE
North Beach Stories is Ray Hanna’s searing comical and musical journey through the nightlife of the West Coast. Master storyteller, musician, and shameless name-dropper, Ray Hanna has seen it all, on the streets of North Beach and beyond—He remembers, “I was so lucky to be here at a golden age and time. It was a wild, wide-open, rip-roaring kind of town. This city was luring people with ideas, a cosmopolitan place filled with performers and bon vivants from all over the world who had seen a lot. All these comics, musicians, and actors relocating here to develop and do the work, artists re-inventing ourselves in front of your eyes.”
It’s all here—all true, all first-person and verified accounts of real showbiz Babylon tales compiled over the past 50 years by musician/comedian/actor Ray Hanna.
An awe-struck seeker, a father, and a worldly-wise, but not-yet-jaded troubadour with a lifetime of experiences, Ray Hanna delivers the emotional truth.