Tyrants in Therapy
Encyclopedia
The Tyrants in Therapy are an American “Punk Cabaret” band
, which was formed in Los Angeles
in 1983. Having started as a foursome, they have operated, since 1994, with only two members: songwriter
, lead singer and producer
Michael J; and songwriter and lead singer AbbeAbbe. Over the years, as they have experimented with different sounds, different line-ups and different labels, their music
has been received with a mixture of enthusiasm and indifference. From 2001 to 2008, they wrote, produced and starred in a music and comedy television program
, Meet The Tyrants in Therapy, which aired on Public-access television
cable TV networks.
s, were: Michael J (officially Michael Jaye); AbbeAbbe (Abbe Kanter); songwriter, background vocalist, drum machine
operator and art director Harol Glasscock (Carol Hannan); and songwriter, producer and keyboardist
Charlie X (Charlie Lamont).
For the first two years of their existence, the Tyrants in Therapy were financed by indulgent s, who allowed them to give full rein to their creative impulses. The result was a collection of quirky songs such as At the Cowboy Lounge, Communist Reggae, Underground Girl of the World, and In The Shadow of Hitler, which were preoccupied with subjects like gay cowboys, dancing communists and whimsical fascists.
But the world did not embrace their ironic candour, and so when the band released an EP
, 3 People Nude Below the Waist (featuring scratching
by the Knights of the Turntables), in 1984, it flopped. On a dare, the Tyrants in Therapy released a 12-inch dance single the following year, Paint it Pink (co-produced by Guy Roche
), but it too met with general indifference.
A breakthrough occurred in 1986, with Too Tuff To Cry. The 12-inch single became a hit in Los Angeles’s New Romantic
underground, selling more than 100,000 copies in Southern California
and Mexico
, and propelling the Tyrants in Therapy into the thick of the national dance music scene.
For the next few years, the Tyrants in Therapy (as a band, as individuals, and in collaboration with others) continued to release a steady stream of 12-inch singles on various independent Los Angeles labels. Meanwhile, it maintained its unpredictable schedule, playing discos one night and rock clubs the next.
More success came in 1989, with the release of Big Pink House (written with Terry Shaddick), and then in 1996, with Boy, both of which received significant airplay on American urban pop radio
.
After years of frustration, the Tyrants in Therapy formed their own label, Emotional Coathanger Records, in 2000. For a long time, they had felt that their artistic vision was being compromised, as the various labels with which they had associated had made them adopt an increasingly constrictive dance sound. Dismayed that they were being compelled to accept a format that de-emphasised lyrics
and message, the Tyrants in Therapy were delighted to finally assume full control of the content, production, packaging and promotion of their music.
That same year, they released their first full-length album
, Meet The Tyrants in Therapy, on their new label. Making use of samples and rhythms dating from the 1940s to the 1990s, blending genres such as rock, dance, punk, blues and cabaret, and addressing a dizzying array of topics such as human rights
, suicide
, lesbianism, paedophilia and cake
, the tracks marked a move away from disco and into a style they dubbed “Punk Cabaret”.
In 2001, the Tyrants in Therapy shot the first episode of their television series, Meet The Tyrants in Therapy. In total, 22 were aired.
In 2009, they released their second full-length album, High Class Trash. Once again demonstrating the flair and originality for which they are renowned, the Tyrants brought their gifts for melody and irony to a variety of subjects: love, gender, sexuality, climate change, Hollywood and cowboys. It is as unashamedly devoid of political correctness as the rest of their work.
and an old college friend of Michael J’s. Glasscock then came on the scene in 1983, after she joined the Beverly Hills advertising agency where Michael J worked.
At AbbeAbbe’s suggestion, the foursome decided to name themselves the Tyrants in Therapy, and started performing in Los Angeles rock clubs. Besides The Troubadour
, none of these clubs- Club 88, Club Lingerie, Cathay de Grande, Madame Wong’s East and West, Vertigo, The Central, the FM Station, and the Mannikin (in San Diego)- still exist.
Almost immediately, the Tyrants in Therapy were reduced to a trio, as Charlie X, a working lounge musician, balked at playing for little or no money. In 1985, Glasscock left the band as well, in order to focus on her advertising career. Glasscock was replaced by background vocalist Maureen Mahon, but for the next few years, the position of ‘third Tyrant’ was to become something of a revolving door. Mahon departed after six months due to artistic differences, and her replacement, Anni Celsi, lasted even less time, being fired in 1986 because of her poor attitude, and because of her inability to vocally complement AbbeAbbe. Celsi was replaced by Brenda X (Brenda Lavin), but she was deemed to be temperamentally unsuited to the rock and gay clubs in which the Tyrants in Therapy gigged, and so, in 1986, was asked to leave. Artistic differences led to Stina Hokenson leaving the band in 1987, while her replacement, songwriter and co-lead vocalist Stacy Dunne, left of her own accord the following year, when she moved to Nashville. Keyboardist and songwriter Jeff Bennett (grandson of Boyd Bennett
) came on the scene in 1991, and in 1993 was joined for a few months by another keyboardist, Marcy Szrama. However, the format proved unwieldy, and Szrama was gone by year’s end. In 1994, Bennett also left, in order to pursue his musical studies. The last person to fill the position of third Tyrant was songwriter, guitarist and background vocalist Andi Ostrowe; she also lasted just a handful of gigs, before personal problems compelled her to quit in 1994. At that point, Michael J and AbbeAbbe decided to keep the Tyrants in Therapy as a duo.
and variety show
, combining humour and political satire with original Tyrants in Therapy music. From 2001 to 2008, the Tyrants in Therapy wrote, produced, co-directed, edited and starred in 22 episodes, which aired on Public-access television
cable TV networks (including AT&T
, Adelphia, Comcast
, Charter
and Time Warner
) in the greater Los Angeles area.
The Tyrants in Therapy’s first recording experience occurred in Adelphia Cable’s Van Nuys Public-access television studio, after AbbeAbbe had suggested that shooting some lip sync footage from the Meet The Tyrants in Therapy studio album might help them secure a new booking agent. The results, although very rough, were encouraging enough to convince the Tyrants in Therapy to book more studio time. This material then became the basis for the Meet The Tyrants in Therapy television program.
At first, the Tyrants in Therapy directed themselves, but for the third episode, director/choreographer Ceil Gruessing, a friend of AbbeAbbe’s from Antioch College
, was enlisted to direct. While problems were encountered with sound, lighting and framing, the Tyrants in Therapy persevered, and went on to work with several other stage directors, including Debra De Liso, Steven Memel, Betsey Cassell, Tanya Kane-Parry and Tracy Winters. And when none of them were available, the Tyrants in Therapy reclaimed sole charge of the directing.
Beginning from episode one, the veteran radio personality and DJ Pierre Gonneau, who had acted as a booking agent for the Tyrants in Therapy during their disco years, became the program’s first host. Known as ‘Lucky Pierre’, his silver hair and resonant French-accented baritone lent him a distinguished air, and allowed him to act the foil to the younger and more vibrant Tyrants in Therapy. However, due to health reasons, he was forced to retire from the program in 2005.
On De Liso’s recommendation, Gonneau was replaced by the versatile character actor Time Winters
, who premiered in the episode Sleeping Olympics. Starring as Dr Theodore von Dongle, he brings an effete brand of Anglophilia to proceedings. His wife, the aforementioned Tracy Winters, is also part of the cast. She plays the role of Louise LaFaux, an uppity and libidinous real estate agent, from whom the Tyrants in Therapy buy a $10 million mansion.
Two other cast members are Jennifer Taub and Jaxon Duff Gwillim, who are married in real life, and who portray the wedded Shelley and Sheldon Schlumpmeister, a couple of nouveaux riche loudmouths. (Gwillim also occupies the role of Timothy von Dongle, the substitute host.) Czech character actor Oto Brezina has the recurring role of Dr Cabeza, the Tyrants in Therapy’s thick but persistent Buenos Aires
-based psychiatrist. Finally, there is the versatile John Voldstad, an old friend of AbbeAbbe’s from high school, who has filled a variety of roles in Meet The Tyrants in Therapy.
Since 2006, the Tyrants in Therapy have been posting excerpts from the program (as well as songs and short films) on the video sites YouTube
, Veoh
, Metacafe
, Dailymotion
and Funny or Die
.
In 2007, Meet The Tyrants in Therapy won the West Hollywood Public-access television “Best Outside Program” award.
Band (music)
In music, a musical ensemble or band is a group of musicians that works together to perform music. The following articles concern types of musical bands:* All-female band* Big band* Boy band* Christian band* Church band* Concert band* Cover band...
, which was formed in Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
in 1983. Having started as a foursome, they have operated, since 1994, with only two members: songwriter
Songwriter
A songwriter is an individual who writes both the lyrics and music to a song. Someone who solely writes lyrics may be called a lyricist, and someone who only writes music may be called a composer...
, lead singer and producer
Record producer
A record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music...
Michael J; and songwriter and lead singer AbbeAbbe. Over the years, as they have experimented with different sounds, different line-ups and different labels, their music
Music
Music is an art form whose medium is sound and silence. Its common elements are pitch , rhythm , dynamics, and the sonic qualities of timbre and texture...
has been received with a mixture of enthusiasm and indifference. From 2001 to 2008, they wrote, produced and starred in a music and comedy television program
Television program
A television program , also called television show, is a segment of content which is intended to be broadcast on television. It may be a one-time production or part of a periodically recurring series...
, Meet The Tyrants in Therapy, which aired on Public-access television
Public-access television
Public-access television is a form of non-commercial mass media where ordinary people can create content television programming which is cablecast through cable TV specialty channels...
cable TV networks.
Band history
The Tyrants in Therapy formed in late 1983, as a four person band. The original members, who adopted nicknameNickname
A nickname is "a usually familiar or humorous but sometimes pointed or cruel name given to a person or place, as a supposedly appropriate replacement for or addition to the proper name.", or a name similar in origin and pronunciation from the original name....
s, were: Michael J (officially Michael Jaye); AbbeAbbe (Abbe Kanter); songwriter, background vocalist, drum machine
Drum machine
A drum machine is an electronic musical instrument designed to imitate the sound of drums or other percussion instruments. They are used in a variety of musical genres, not just purely electronic music...
operator and art director Harol Glasscock (Carol Hannan); and songwriter, producer and keyboardist
Keyboardist
A keyboardist is a musician who plays keyboard instruments. Until the early 1960s musicians who played keyboards were generally classified as either pianists or organists. Since the mid-1960s, a plethora of new musical instruments with keyboards have come into common usage, requiring a more...
Charlie X (Charlie Lamont).
For the first two years of their existence, the Tyrants in Therapy were financed by indulgent s, who allowed them to give full rein to their creative impulses. The result was a collection of quirky songs such as At the Cowboy Lounge, Communist Reggae, Underground Girl of the World, and In The Shadow of Hitler, which were preoccupied with subjects like gay cowboys, dancing communists and whimsical fascists.
But the world did not embrace their ironic candour, and so when the band released an EP
Extended play
An EP is a musical recording which contains more music than a single, but is too short to qualify as a full album or LP. The term EP originally referred only to specific types of vinyl records other than 78 rpm standard play records and LP records, but it is now applied to mid-length Compact...
, 3 People Nude Below the Waist (featuring scratching
Scratching
Scratching is a DJ or turntablist technique used to produce distinctive sounds by moving a vinyl record back and forth on a turntable while optionally manipulating the crossfader on a DJ mixer. While scratching is most commonly associated with hip hop music, since the late 1980s, it has been used...
by the Knights of the Turntables), in 1984, it flopped. On a dare, the Tyrants in Therapy released a 12-inch dance single the following year, Paint it Pink (co-produced by Guy Roche
Guy Roche
Guy Roche is a record producer and songwriter who is best known for the hit singles he has co-written/co-produced for Christina Aguilera, which include but are not limited to "What a Girl Wants", "I Turn to You", and "Come on Over Baby . He also co-wrote Brandy's Never Say Never single "Almost...
), but it too met with general indifference.
A breakthrough occurred in 1986, with Too Tuff To Cry. The 12-inch single became a hit in Los Angeles’s New Romantic
New Romantic
New Romanticism , was a pop culture movement in the United Kingdom that began around 1979 and peaked around 1981. Developing in London nightclubs such as Billy's and The Blitz and spreading to other major cities in the UK, it was based around flamboyant, eccentric fashion and new wave music...
underground, selling more than 100,000 copies in Southern California
Southern California
Southern California is a megaregion, or megapolitan area, in the southern area of the U.S. state of California. Large urban areas include Greater Los Angeles and Greater San Diego. The urban area stretches along the coast from Ventura through the Southland and Inland Empire to San Diego...
and Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
, and propelling the Tyrants in Therapy into the thick of the national dance music scene.
For the next few years, the Tyrants in Therapy (as a band, as individuals, and in collaboration with others) continued to release a steady stream of 12-inch singles on various independent Los Angeles labels. Meanwhile, it maintained its unpredictable schedule, playing discos one night and rock clubs the next.
More success came in 1989, with the release of Big Pink House (written with Terry Shaddick), and then in 1996, with Boy, both of which received significant airplay on American urban pop radio
Radio
Radio is the transmission of signals through free space by modulation of electromagnetic waves with frequencies below those of visible light. Electromagnetic radiation travels by means of oscillating electromagnetic fields that pass through the air and the vacuum of space...
.
After years of frustration, the Tyrants in Therapy formed their own label, Emotional Coathanger Records, in 2000. For a long time, they had felt that their artistic vision was being compromised, as the various labels with which they had associated had made them adopt an increasingly constrictive dance sound. Dismayed that they were being compelled to accept a format that de-emphasised lyrics
Lyrics
Lyrics are a set of words that make up a song. The writer of lyrics is a lyricist or lyrist. The meaning of lyrics can either be explicit or implicit. Some lyrics are abstract, almost unintelligible, and, in such cases, their explication emphasizes form, articulation, meter, and symmetry of...
and message, the Tyrants in Therapy were delighted to finally assume full control of the content, production, packaging and promotion of their music.
That same year, they released their first full-length album
Album
An album is a collection of recordings, released as a single package on gramophone record, cassette, compact disc, or via digital distribution. The word derives from the Latin word for list .Vinyl LP records have two sides, each comprising one half of the album...
, Meet The Tyrants in Therapy, on their new label. Making use of samples and rhythms dating from the 1940s to the 1990s, blending genres such as rock, dance, punk, blues and cabaret, and addressing a dizzying array of topics such as human rights
Human rights
Human rights are "commonly understood as inalienable fundamental rights to which a person is inherently entitled simply because she or he is a human being." Human rights are thus conceived as universal and egalitarian . These rights may exist as natural rights or as legal rights, in both national...
, suicide
Suicide
Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Suicide is often committed out of despair or attributed to some underlying mental disorder, such as depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, alcoholism, or drug abuse...
, lesbianism, paedophilia and cake
Cake
Cake is a form of bread or bread-like food. In its modern forms, it is typically a sweet and enriched baked dessert. In its oldest forms, cakes were normally fried breads or cheesecakes, and normally had a disk shape...
, the tracks marked a move away from disco and into a style they dubbed “Punk Cabaret”.
In 2001, the Tyrants in Therapy shot the first episode of their television series, Meet The Tyrants in Therapy. In total, 22 were aired.
In 2009, they released their second full-length album, High Class Trash. Once again demonstrating the flair and originality for which they are renowned, the Tyrants brought their gifts for melody and irony to a variety of subjects: love, gender, sexuality, climate change, Hollywood and cowboys. It is as unashamedly devoid of political correctness as the rest of their work.
Personnel
Although the Tyrants in Therapy formed in 1983, the first association of the four founding members came in 1977, when Michael J and AbbeAbbe met during an improvisational acting class they were taking in Hollywood. (They started dating, before marrying the following year.) The next association occurred in 1981, when the couple began writing songs with Charlie X, who had been introduced to them by Jim Callon, the owner of JDC RecordsJDC Records
JDC Records was an important record distributor during the golden years of dance music . It was originally located in San Pedro, California and owned by Jim and Dale Callon The company name came from their initials, JDC. They distributed world-wide and carried many independent labels...
and an old college friend of Michael J’s. Glasscock then came on the scene in 1983, after she joined the Beverly Hills advertising agency where Michael J worked.
At AbbeAbbe’s suggestion, the foursome decided to name themselves the Tyrants in Therapy, and started performing in Los Angeles rock clubs. Besides The Troubadour
The Troubadour
The Troubadour is a nightclub located in West Hollywood, California, USA, at 9081 Santa Monica Boulevard just east of Doheny Drive and the border of Beverly Hills.The club was founded in 1957 by Doug Weston...
, none of these clubs- Club 88, Club Lingerie, Cathay de Grande, Madame Wong’s East and West, Vertigo, The Central, the FM Station, and the Mannikin (in San Diego)- still exist.
Almost immediately, the Tyrants in Therapy were reduced to a trio, as Charlie X, a working lounge musician, balked at playing for little or no money. In 1985, Glasscock left the band as well, in order to focus on her advertising career. Glasscock was replaced by background vocalist Maureen Mahon, but for the next few years, the position of ‘third Tyrant’ was to become something of a revolving door. Mahon departed after six months due to artistic differences, and her replacement, Anni Celsi, lasted even less time, being fired in 1986 because of her poor attitude, and because of her inability to vocally complement AbbeAbbe. Celsi was replaced by Brenda X (Brenda Lavin), but she was deemed to be temperamentally unsuited to the rock and gay clubs in which the Tyrants in Therapy gigged, and so, in 1986, was asked to leave. Artistic differences led to Stina Hokenson leaving the band in 1987, while her replacement, songwriter and co-lead vocalist Stacy Dunne, left of her own accord the following year, when she moved to Nashville. Keyboardist and songwriter Jeff Bennett (grandson of Boyd Bennett
Boyd Bennett
Boyd Bennett was an American rockabilly songwriter and singer.His two biggest hit singles, both written and performed by him, were "Seventeen" with his band, the Rockets ; and "My Boy, Flat Top" . "Seventeen" reached No. 16 in the UK Singles Chart in December 1955...
) came on the scene in 1991, and in 1993 was joined for a few months by another keyboardist, Marcy Szrama. However, the format proved unwieldy, and Szrama was gone by year’s end. In 1994, Bennett also left, in order to pursue his musical studies. The last person to fill the position of third Tyrant was songwriter, guitarist and background vocalist Andi Ostrowe; she also lasted just a handful of gigs, before personal problems compelled her to quit in 1994. At that point, Michael J and AbbeAbbe decided to keep the Tyrants in Therapy as a duo.
Discography
The Tyrants in Therapy have released two studio albums, one EP and seven singles. As well, their material has appeared on various dance compilations and bootlegs over the years.| Year | Name | Type | Label |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1984 | 3 People Nude Below the Waist | EP | JDC Records |
| 1985 | Paint It Pink | Single | JDC Records |
| 1986 | Too Tuff To Cry | Single | JDC Records |
| 1987 | Crazy Dreams | Single | JDC Records |
| 1989 | Big Pink House | Single | TSR Records TSR Records TSR Records is an independent record label based in Tarzana, California, that produced many hit songs in the 1980s, especially dance music. Founded by Tom Hayden and his wife Suzanne... |
| 1992 | Sex Bomb | Single | JDC Records |
| 1996 | Boy | Single | Sheik Records |
| 2000 | Meet The Tyrants in Therapy | Album | Emotional Coathanger Records |
| 2000 | Om Shanti Om | Single | JDC Records |
| 2009 | High Class Trash | Album | Emotional Coathanger Records |
| 2010 | Dance with The Tyrants: Classic Dance Hits Vol. 1 Dance with The Tyrants: Classic Dance Hits Vol. 1 Dance With The Tyrants: Classic Dance Hits Vol. 1 is the third album from the Tyrants in Therapy. It was released by Emotional Coathanger Records in 2010.... |
Album | Emotional Coathanger Records |
Television
Meet The Tyrants in Therapy was a half-hour comedyComedy
Comedy , as a popular meaning, is any humorous discourse or work generally intended to amuse by creating laughter, especially in television, film, and stand-up comedy. This must be carefully distinguished from its academic definition, namely the comic theatre, whose Western origins are found in...
and variety show
Variety show
A variety show, also known as variety arts or variety entertainment, is an entertainment made up of a variety of acts, especially musical performances and sketch comedy, and normally introduced by a compère or host. Other types of acts include magic, animal and circus acts, acrobatics, juggling...
, combining humour and political satire with original Tyrants in Therapy music. From 2001 to 2008, the Tyrants in Therapy wrote, produced, co-directed, edited and starred in 22 episodes, which aired on Public-access television
Public-access television
Public-access television is a form of non-commercial mass media where ordinary people can create content television programming which is cablecast through cable TV specialty channels...
cable TV networks (including AT&T
AT&T
AT&T Inc. is an American multinational telecommunications corporation headquartered in Whitacre Tower, Dallas, Texas, United States. It is the largest provider of mobile telephony and fixed telephony in the United States, and is also a provider of broadband and subscription television services...
, Adelphia, Comcast
Comcast
Comcast Corporation is the largest cable operator, home Internet service provider, and fourth largest home telephone service provider in the United States, providing cable television, broadband Internet, and telephone service to both residential and commercial customers in 39 states and the...
, Charter
Charter
A charter is the grant of authority or rights, stating that the granter formally recognizes the prerogative of the recipient to exercise the rights specified...
and Time Warner
Time Warner
Time Warner is one of the world's largest media companies, headquartered in the Time Warner Center in New York City. Formerly two separate companies, Warner Communications, Inc...
) in the greater Los Angeles area.
The Tyrants in Therapy’s first recording experience occurred in Adelphia Cable’s Van Nuys Public-access television studio, after AbbeAbbe had suggested that shooting some lip sync footage from the Meet The Tyrants in Therapy studio album might help them secure a new booking agent. The results, although very rough, were encouraging enough to convince the Tyrants in Therapy to book more studio time. This material then became the basis for the Meet The Tyrants in Therapy television program.
At first, the Tyrants in Therapy directed themselves, but for the third episode, director/choreographer Ceil Gruessing, a friend of AbbeAbbe’s from Antioch College
Antioch College
Antioch College is a private, independent liberal arts college in Yellow Springs, Ohio, United States. It was the founder and the flagship institution of the six-campus Antioch University system. Founded in 1852 by the Christian Connection, the college began operating in 1853 with politician and...
, was enlisted to direct. While problems were encountered with sound, lighting and framing, the Tyrants in Therapy persevered, and went on to work with several other stage directors, including Debra De Liso, Steven Memel, Betsey Cassell, Tanya Kane-Parry and Tracy Winters. And when none of them were available, the Tyrants in Therapy reclaimed sole charge of the directing.
Beginning from episode one, the veteran radio personality and DJ Pierre Gonneau, who had acted as a booking agent for the Tyrants in Therapy during their disco years, became the program’s first host. Known as ‘Lucky Pierre’, his silver hair and resonant French-accented baritone lent him a distinguished air, and allowed him to act the foil to the younger and more vibrant Tyrants in Therapy. However, due to health reasons, he was forced to retire from the program in 2005.
On De Liso’s recommendation, Gonneau was replaced by the versatile character actor Time Winters
Time Winters
Timothy G. "Time" Winters is an American television actor and voice actor. He also provided Boc's voice in the video game Star Wars Jedi Knight: Dark Forces II. He replaced Victor Griffiths in Amadeus on Broadway, and played King Pellinore in the national tour of Camelot with Michael York/Lou...
, who premiered in the episode Sleeping Olympics. Starring as Dr Theodore von Dongle, he brings an effete brand of Anglophilia to proceedings. His wife, the aforementioned Tracy Winters, is also part of the cast. She plays the role of Louise LaFaux, an uppity and libidinous real estate agent, from whom the Tyrants in Therapy buy a $10 million mansion.
Two other cast members are Jennifer Taub and Jaxon Duff Gwillim, who are married in real life, and who portray the wedded Shelley and Sheldon Schlumpmeister, a couple of nouveaux riche loudmouths. (Gwillim also occupies the role of Timothy von Dongle, the substitute host.) Czech character actor Oto Brezina has the recurring role of Dr Cabeza, the Tyrants in Therapy’s thick but persistent Buenos Aires
Buenos Aires
Buenos Aires is the capital and largest city of Argentina, and the second-largest metropolitan area in South America, after São Paulo. It is located on the western shore of the estuary of the Río de la Plata, on the southeastern coast of the South American continent...
-based psychiatrist. Finally, there is the versatile John Voldstad, an old friend of AbbeAbbe’s from high school, who has filled a variety of roles in Meet The Tyrants in Therapy.
Since 2006, the Tyrants in Therapy have been posting excerpts from the program (as well as songs and short films) on the video sites YouTube
YouTube
YouTube is a video-sharing website, created by three former PayPal employees in February 2005, on which users can upload, view and share videos....
, Veoh
Veoh
Veoh is an Internet television company based in San Diego, California. It allows users to find and watch major studio content, independent productions and user-generated material. The company is a subsidiary of Israeli start-up Qlipso....
, Metacafe
Metacafe
Metacafe is a web site that specializes in short-form video entertainment in the categories of movies, video games, sports, music and TV.The company is headquartered in San Francisco, California, with offices in New York, Los Angeles, London and Tel Aviv...
, Dailymotion
Dailymotion
Dailymotion is a video sharing service website, headquartered in the 18th arrondissement, Paris, France. According to Comscore, Dailymotion is the second largest video site in the world after YouTube....
and Funny or Die
Funny or Die
Funny or Die is a comedy video website founded by Will Ferrell and Adam McKay's production company, Gary Sanchez Productions with original and user-generated content. Funny or Die contains exclusive material from a number of famous contributors and also has its own Funny or Die Team, which creates...
.
In 2007, Meet The Tyrants in Therapy won the West Hollywood Public-access television “Best Outside Program” award.
| Episode | Name | Directors | Stars |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 30 vicarious minutes with the Tyrants in Therapy | Tyrants in Therapy | Tyrants in Therapy, Pierre Gonneau |
| 2 | Meet the Tyrants in Therapy | Tyrants in Therapy | Tyrants in Therapy, Pierre Gonneau |
| 3 | Kind of a Drag | Ceil Gruessing | Tyrants in Therapy, Pierre Gonneau, Richard Dunne |
| 4 | Lipshtick | Tyrants in Therapy | Tyrants in Therapy, Pierre Gonneau |
| 5 | Gimme Some Lip | Tyrants in Therapy | Tyrants in Therapy, Pierre Gonneau |
| 6 | Lip Bomb | Tyrants in Therapy | Tyrants in Therapy, Pierre Gonneau |
| 7 | Phat Lip | Tyrants in Therapy | Tyrants in Therapy, Pierre Gonneau, Richard Dunne |
| 8 | Read My Lips | Tyrants in Therapy | Tyrants in Therapy, Pierre Gonneau |
| 9 | Lip Gloss | Tyrants in Therapy | Tyrants in Therapy, Pierre Gonneau |
| 10 | Liposuction | Steven Memel, Tyrants in Therapy | Tyrants in Therapy, Pierre Gonneau Gonneau, Debra De Liso, John Voldstad |
| 11 | Airheads | Betsey Cassell, Debra De Liso, Tyrants in Therapy | Tyrants in Therapy, Pierre Gonneau, John Voldstad, Stig Eldred, Andrea Herz, Zee Lo, Craig Henry |
| 12 | Lip Clips | Tyrants in Therapy | Tyrants in Therapy, Pierre Gonneau |
| 13 | Mobile Sex Therapy | Tyrants in Therapy, Debra De Liso | Tyrants in Therapy, Debra De Liso, Pierre Gonneau |
| 14 | Buffoon Therapy | Tyrants in Therapy | Tyrants in Therapy, Pierre Gonneau, John Voldstad |
| 15 | Sleeping Olympics | Tyrants in Therapy | Tyrants in Therapy, Time Winters, Oto Brezina |
| 16 | The Tyrants of Mona Lisa Hill | Tyrants in Therapy, Tracy Winters | Tyrants in Therapy, Time Winters, Tracy Winters, Jennifer Taub, Jaxon Duff Gwillim |
| 17 | No One Dancin | Tyrants in Therapy, Tracy Winters | Tyrants in Therapy, Time Winters, Tracy Winters, Jennifer Taub, Jaxon Duff Gwillim |
| 18 | Clip Trip | Tyrants in Therapy | Tyrants in Therapy, Time Winters |
| 19 | Shrink Rap | Tyrants in Therapy, Tanya Kane-Parry, Tracy Winters | Tyrants in Therapy, Time Winters, Oto Brezina, Jennifer Taub, Jaxon Duff Gwillim |
| 20 | The Day Room Sun | Tyrants in Therapy, Tracy Winters | Tyrants in Therapy, Time Winters, Oto Brezina, Jennifer Taub, Jaxon Duff Gwillim |
| 21 | Fashion Sense | Debra De Liso, Tyrants in Therapy | Brian Dyer, Tyrants in Therapy, Time Winters, Debra De Liso |
| 22 | The Patriot Show | Debra De Liso, Tyrants in Therapy | Jaxon Duff Gwillim, Max Thayer, Peter Altschuler, Debra De Liso |