The Raleigh comedian is turning a career change into a whole different punch line.
While some run a marathon or buy a sports car when they hit their midlife crisis, Raleigh comedian Pete McEntegart—better known as Pete Smack—picked up a microphone. Two and a half years later, he has an hour-long comedy special to show for it.
Last Man Standing, filmed at Theatre Raleigh and released by Comedy Dynamics Sept. 22, tackles life, death, aging and the absurdities in between, now streaming on Apple TV, Amazon Prime Video and other platforms.
You took your serious shot at 53—what finally got you onstage? Technically, I did an open mic around 20 years ago in New York once. I actually tried to do one in 1997, but no one showed up, so they canceled it, leading me to “perform” for my two roommates that night in our apartment, using a ping-pong paddle as a microphone. At 53, I was looking to make one more big swing, take one more shot at something.
I was on a run on Christmas Day, 2022, and it just came to me. I’ve always been interested in stand-up, and there’s no time like the present, so why not try to approach it seriously this time and see where it goes. Within seven or eight months, I decided I wanted to figure out a way to do this as a career.
Peak “pinch-me” moment? I could search for it on Amazon, Apple TV and Spotify and see it come up with my name and my face. That has been a thrill.
Why self-produceLast Man Standinginstead of waiting for someone else to come knocking? Because no one was going to hire me or pay me to do it. It was either I did it myself or not at all. I rented a theater in Raleigh and hired someone to film it. Once it was edited, I shopped it around. Ultimately, Comedy Dynamics acquired it.
What’s behind the title? So it has two meanings. The more literal one is, I do “last man standing” running events, where they continue until there’s only one person still going, and I talked about that within my special. And then more figuratively, when I moved to the Triangle in 2018, both my parents and all three of my siblings lived here. But now my dad passed away, I guess two years ago now, and my siblings have all moved away. It’s just me and my mom in Raleigh now, so in our family I am the last man standing.
What’s so funny about life, death and getting older? It’s not so funny when I look at it written, but I definitely pull most of my stand-up from my life. I’m in my 50s. I’ve lived a lot of life, you know, parents getting older and, in my case, passing away. Comedy is wherever you find it, so there are serious topics—like after my dad passed, we were trying to change his cell phone bill, but they wanted a copy of his death certificate. My mom had me call AT&T and pretend I was my dad… that’s a weird situation.
Raleigh comedy scene—what’s it given you? A sense of community. The great thing about stand-up is that it’s just you on the stage. But the downside is that it’s just you on the stage, and it can be pretty isolating. Having other comedians around that you can share experiences with is important.
Career No. 6 sticking around? So the other five: I was an investment banker for Goldman Sachs, a sportswriter for Sports Illustrated, a comedy writer for TV/film, Co-Founder/COO of a tech startup, and the founding editor of a tech startup publication here in the Triangle (GrepBeat). So yes, comedy is going to be the one. Performing is something you can do forever, and I intend to do it forever.
Wedding bells are on the horizon for the Wolfpack. Two couples who once suited up as Mr. and Ms. Wuf mascots found their happily ever after while backing the Pack, and we checked in to see what’s in store for the lovebirds—er… wolves.
Savanna & ChandlerChase & Rachel
Former mascots Rachel Fenton and Chase Smith are set to tie the knot Dec. 5, but their Wolfpack days are far from behind them. Fenton is now in her second year as NC State’s mascot coach, with Smith still showing up at games as her No. 1 fan.
Meanwhile, Chandler Smith and Savanna Stone—who are also high school sweethearts—have put down roots in Raleigh. The pair purchased a home, and Stone is now a licensed clinical social worker. While a wedding celebration isn’t on the books yet, another big one is: Next September marks 10 years together. It turns out a mascot suit isn’t the worst place to find a plus-one—howl you need is love.
The Borrow Bar brings “access over ownership” to Raleigh
From espresso machines to outdoor projectors, The Borrow Bar allows locals to stop buying stuff they barely use—and borrow it instead… like a library, but swap books for high-end household, hosting and seasonal goods you might panic-buy before a party. Because who wants to drop hundreds on something they may need once?
Now online just in time for the holiday season, the brainchild of local entrepreneur Lisa Jeffries Nobling is built around a simple idea: Get the thing when you need it, then give it back when you don’t—without the hefty price tag or bulky bins to store it in later.
“I’ve essentially been living this concept forever,” says Jeffries Nobling, who grew up watching her parents lend things to neighbors and has long done the same with friends. “But I realize not everyone has that kind of built-in network.”
While clothing and handbag rentals have long been mainstream, durable household goods are a different beast, she says. Rather than traditional tool rentals, think highly curated premium kitchen appliances, outdoor equipment and entertaining essentials that take up precious storage space—or require a big investment—from acrylic podiums to countertop pizza ovens and frozen margarita machines.
Beyond convenience, the membership-based model also aims to cut clutter and waste by letting one product circulate among members rather than collecting dust in multiple closets.
The idea has already gained traction. Recently placing among the top 16 startups statewide, Jeffries Nobling beat out hundreds of applicants in the North Carolina Small Business Center Network’s Startup Showdown, where entrepreneurs competed for up to $30K in funding.
She may not have walked away with the check—but the jump-start was real. Now, members can simply browse the online catalog, reserve for specific dates, schedule delivery and check out—then pack it back into the provided case for pickup. Neighborhood pickup options are also planned.
For Jeffries Nobling, the appeal extends beyond convenience. “Coupling that local logistical need with my research into circular economies, the concept makes sense,” she says, “not just from a lifestyle and financial perspective, but as a practical way to reduce our environmental footprint right here in Wake County.” Turns out, you can have commitment issues and still have (and do) nice things.
The highs and lows of this year’s Hopscotch Music Fest
Raleigh collectively breathed a sigh of relief when tickets to Hopscotch Music Festival finally went on sale this year. After radio silence from all the festival’s socials and website, Hopscotch announced a late return to Downtown Raleigh Sept. 10–12, in tow with its usual plethora of live music, community, club shows and more.
This year’s festival was more linear and less choose-your-own adventures compared to the fetes of years past. Moore Square didn’t have an *official* lineup, so Hopscotchers could stay in City Plaza for the headliners or hit the club shows.
The Moore Square stage was dubbed the “Moore Square Commons,” a free and family-friendly space with myriad musicians, artists, makers, food vendors and more throughout the weekend. Music that both uplifts smaller musicians and is free is great—especially in this economy—but getting rid of half of all the festival’s headlining performances in favor of it felt disappointing, especially when free music already dotted the city Wednesday through Sunday thanks to day parties.
The stage previously hosted some of Hopscotch’s most popular performances—think the likes of King Krule and Crumb—and while the bands that played deserve their flowers, discarding four headlining sets a day didn’t feel like a great solution.
That said, City Plaza had fantastic headliners—Soccer Mommy and King Princess were crowd faves, and Duckwrth’s stage presence was unmatched—but not a single one hailed from NC, much less the Triangle. A lot of them were from the likes of NYC, LA and Nashville, and as enjoyable as the performances were, Hopscotch may have lost its former luster for uplifting local musicians.
Cor de Lux at Kings
At recent Hopscotch fests, at least one hyper-local band with fewer listeners than your average headliner got to take the main stage—think Sluice, Fust and the now-defunct My Sister Maura—forcing casual festival-goers who may skip club shows to lay eyes on local talent.
Between the lack of locality and so many less headliners, much of the fest just felt rushed. And given the late announcement, that sentiment may not be far from the truth. But regardless, there is still something inherently ~Raleigh~ about dancing in City Plaza underneath the lights of the adjacent towers—and Hopscotch didn’t lose that sparkle.
Per usual, the club shows were the essence of Hopscotch—the lineup was *chefs kiss.* The best performances of the year were tucked away inside Neptunes, Kings, The Pour House, Slim’s and more—and the artists performing will likely soon outgrow small venues. If you knew where to look, soon-to-be big names in indie littered Downtown.
Case in point: There was barely room to breathe at Thomas Dollbaum’s packed-out Neptunes show (in the best way), and Jooselord’s set at The Pour House likely took the crown for the most energetic set of the fest.Post-show, the same crowd brought the energy out to the street as they spilled out of bars still buzzing about the music. Hopscotch still upheld its yearly tradition—bringing a certain sense of anticipation and excitement to Fayetteville Street that stretches deep into the night Thursday through Saturday.
Regardless of the ups and downs of this year’s fest, Hopscotch is crucial to Raleigh’s identity—and we’ll be patient as the festival gets back on its feet, as long as it returns for years to come.
