Comedienne of the Week:
Sheena Metal

Interview with Craig Markley

She's a D.J on 97.1 fm,a stand-up comic and a host for not one - but two killer comedy shows in Hollywood! And when Sheena's not busy performing clubs like the Laugh Factory or on the radio, she's being roped into shocking Publicity Whore interviews by yours truly. Publicity Whore sat down to see what LA's controversial queen of controversy had to say about life, love and that damn

P.W: Word has it Sheena you have earned the nickname the "Queen of Observation." What's the story behind this?

Sheena: Well, I seem to have been born with this uncanny knack to notice oddly accurate (however irreverant) things and blurt them out on-air or on stage. When I was co-hosting the 'Nastyman show' on 97.1 FM, he began calling me that and it kind of stuck as a radio nickname. My humor has always been more observational than introspective, which is why I play a lot off the audience on stage.

P.W: Describe how 'Sheena Metal's Freakin Rock Review' got started and are you still doing it? Who are some of the bands you've worked with over the years?

Sheena: 'SMFRR' started out as a one-woman show I did in college, with 'Sheena' as one of the 20 characters I played. I'd already done a lot of guest starring on friends' cable shows as many of my different characters and decided that I wanted to do a show of my own. Sheena seemed liked the easiest character to build an entire show around. It was between her and my serial killer clown character. I guess that I made the right choice. I did the show from April 1991 until July 1998. It was loads of fun and thrust me headlong into the music biz, where I've worked with literally thousands of bands.

"Killer Klowns From Outer Space-an American Classic"
P.W: What advice can you offer to someone trying to break into the radio business? Tell us about some of your difficult experiences getting started, and what lessons people can take away from it.

Sheena: Don't expect to get a show at a big station right away. It's going to be lots of work and baby steps to get there. Find a small station somewhere (internet, cable, college, etc.) and cut your teeth on that while you put together a killer demo. Also, intern at a big station and learn how radio really works. It's an industry that's always changing and you've got to keep up on it. I'm always willing to help people who want to get jobs in radio because no one helped me and I had NO idea what I was doing. It's just my dumb Irish luck that I've made it this far.

"Where's me freakin lucky charms?'
P.W: Is LA really the entertainment capital of the world, or just hyped up bullshit?

Sheena: LA is absolutely the entertainment capital of the world. There is no other place like it. It has the most interesting energy, It almost pulses. You can feel it when you drive done Sunset Blvd., or up Melrose. LA is truly a living entity of its own, which was built up around the entertainment industry. I can't imagine living or working anywhere else.

P.W: What are your favorite comedy clubs to perform at in LA and why?

Sheena: The Laugh Factory in Hollywood. It's got a big, warm room with an awesome vibe and some great comics. Everyone there is like a tight-knit family. It's as much fun offstage as on.

P.W: Do you think it is easier or more difficult for women to break into the radio business than men? What are the advantages of being a woman?

Sheena: It's really hard for women to break into radio. It is perhaps the hardest branch of entertainment for women to break into. There are really no advantages that I can think of.

P.W: You've developed a solid resume as a writer for all sorts of publications in LA. Did you intend to become a journalist, or did that just 'sorta happen' and you ran with it?

Sheena: You know, almost everything in my career just 'sort of happened'. I never intended to be a journalist, a talk radio host or a stand-up comic. But working in this business in like Mr. Toad's Wild Ride... it whips you to and fro and you hang on for dear life and hope you don't get run over by it. I take the jobs as they come - and I'm thankful for them! Writing is a blast and I love it. I enjoyed writing for the L.A. Times the best, I think, because the piece was casual and observational.

Mr. Toad's - worth the price of an E-Ticket!
P.W: Do you think of yourself as a comedienne first, and then everything else follows? Explain how you prioritize when you have multiple pursuits going on at once?

Sheena: I think of myself as an entertainer really. I'm certainly a humorous person... but I'd be funny if I was a school lunch lady. That's more who I am, than what I do. I don't really prioritize. I love everything I do equally and I try to inject humor into all of it.

P.W: What was it really like working with Sam Phillips at 97.1 fm. We've heard she's an energetic 'spirited' one... why did the show get pulled from lineup... honestly?

Sheena: The show didn't get pulled. Sam quit and was replaced with Krystal "The Princess" Fernandez who is one of my best friends.

P.W: I read somewhere that you are "A dichotomous blend of female emotionality and male sensibility." Can you translate these big scary words for our bong tipping Publicity Whore readers at home?

Sheena: Wow. That sounds like my Oprah Winfrey Show intro... "Please welcome a dichotomous blend of female emotionality and male sensibility... Sheena Metal!" Well, I've certainly got a guy's head. I think that intellectually I'm much more male. Women tend to inject emotion into everything.... which often scares me. You never know what you're gonna get from girls. I know how to keep my girlie emotional needs out of the entertainment industry. Which is a good thing, I hope.

P.W: Eminem, love him or hate him?

Sheena: Love him. He makes me laugh.

Will the real "M & M" please stand up...
P.W: What is one book everyone should read before they die?

Sheena: Charles Dicken's "A Christmas Carol".

P.W: Where are you from originally and how did you get introduced to the entertainment business in the first place?

Sheena: I'm originally from New Haven, Connecticut. I moved to Huntington Beach when I was 13 and have lived in the San Fernando Valley since I was 23. I first got introduced to entertaining when I was five and stumbled upon my mom's box set of Gilbert & Sullivan's "H.M.S. Pinafore." One listen to that, and all dreams of becoming a doctor where lost.

P.W: And for the male readers at home, are you single? What's the deal here? do you find it difficult to date in LA being a celebrity?

Sheena: I am always in and out of being single. I'm such a workaholic that most people tire of my endless working after awhile. It seems like fun to date a celebrity - until you do it. My public life is forever seeping into my private life, and it takes a special person to handle that. I have been told that I'm great in bed - which always makes me laugh because I'm certainly not anyone's idea of a sex goddess. I guess I get an "A" for effort in that regard.

Sheena and Mike Marino

P.W: What shows do you have coming up that people should know about? Do you have radio shows people can listen to currently? Sheena: I'm at the Laugh Factory in Hollywood every Friday at midnite where I emcee and do comedy. The show is called "Sheena Metal's Midnite Madness." I also host and promote 2 music shows: "Sheena and Friends" every Thursday at the Sherman Oaks Lounge and "SONGS ROCK" at the Joint every Wednesday. I also do music shows at the Derby and the Lava Lounge.

P.W: And lastly, what do you think about those entertainment loving, freedom fighters over at Publicity Whore Magazine?

Sheena: I love those guys! As a matter of fact, I slept with the editor to get this interview. And as you can see, It was well worth it!

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