Big Pimpin

Paul F. Tompkins was outstanding in Toronto last Sunday. I wrote a review for MONDO Magazine, and that review is here. Thanks for reading if you get a chance!

Good Luck, Tig Notaro!

I hate that I'm not here right now. Half the people I love in the world are there.


I love (see how I did that?) that Paul Rust is doing this. Such a funny guy. In the above picture he is performing at the 11th annual Del Close Marathon with Neil Campbell as the Stovetop Boys, two tiny improvisors forced to perform on top of a hot stove. They did not stop hopping while performing hilarious improv for fifteen minutes. Brilliant, no?

comics with kids, podcasts!

When people who have made filthy comedic choices have children, I often wonder how much they dread some of their material rearing its ugly head as their children get older (probably because my own sense of humor is way too questionable for me to be around children--whoops). This quote from a Kansas University interview with Michael Ian Black made me smile:

"JP: What will your kids think?

MIB: I'm sure my kids will be deeply mortified by me when they get old enough to see my work. We made a Stella video where we took turns sucking Ms. Claus' dick. I'm sure that won't go over well with my children but what are you going to do? This is who I am."

I can only hope and dream that the father of my future children will have some seasonal dick-sucking videos in his past! Damn. Some of my many, many readers may have read Black's children's book Chicken Cheeks. I bought it last year and loved it, then brought it into my JK class, and they couldn't get enough of it. I read it over and over. It is a very fun way to encourage kids to have fun with language, and, not to take things too far here, but is even a great way to approach diversity in a Kindergarten classroom. Plus you get to try not to think about all MIB's filthy material as you read it to the innocent, beautiful children in front of you.

Speaking of MIB, I had to miss the Detroit show due to a very special Thanksgiving migraine+cold combination. I felt thankful that winter is coming, which means that I'll have fewer migraines. Then I remembered that winter means I stop enjoying life because it's too cold, so I guess my life is lose-lose! Just kidding, it's definitely win-win, or at least win-lose. Anyway, in an attempt to self-soothe (though it oddly didn't help my headache), I caught up with a few of my favourite podcasts. I'm not sure I've mentioned on here how much I love and adore podcasts. I subscribe to about 30 of them, mostly comedy-related (but some have to do with my many other interests, I swear), and have time to listen to apx. 3 a week, so my listened:unlistened ratio is not great, but I enjoy every minute of them. Free jokes! My favourite thing. Let's talk about a few of my favourites, shall we? I have a bunch - let's do some today, some another time.

1. Comedy Death-Ray Radio



Comedy Death-Ray (no radio) is an extremely popular weekly show at UCBLA featuring numerous excellent guest stand-ups every week, curated by very funny comedy partners (and Mr. Show alums) Scott Aukerman and B.J. Porter. A few months ago Aukerman started CDR Radio on LA's Indie 103.1, available through the old-fashioned airwaves, streaming online, and through itunes. He's a good host with a knack for knowing when to step back and let comics do their thing and when to step in and amp up/control the funny, and the guests (who have included Rob Huebel, Aziz Ansari, Andy Samberg, Zach Galifianakis, Thomas Lennon, Bob Odenkirk, Charlyne Yi, Chris Hardwick, Chelsea Peretti, Natasha Leggero, and more!) are always fantastic. This show makes me laugh every week. Must bring special attention to Matt Besser's Bjork impression from episode 15, which made me laugh like a F-ING MANIAC.

2. Never Not Funny



Very funny veteran LA comic Jimmy Pardo hosts NNF with producer Matt Belknap, also known as the creator and over-seer of A Special Thing, a very sacred place for nerds like moi. This is the only podcast I listen to that has a subscription fee, but the $20 a season is fully worth it. The show would be good with only Pardo and Belknap's banter, but the always-outstanding guests such as Maria Bamford [note - every podcast on this list could do with more ladies, but that's another topic for another time], Paul F. Tompkins, Rob Corddry, Andy Richter, Jen Kirkman, Matt Walsh and others help the show live up to its name.

3. Comedy and Everything Else



Despite the vagueness of the title, it is incredibly apt. This podcast, hosted by veteran stand-ups Jimmy Dore and Todd Glass as well as Stefané Zamorano, always provides some good laughs, but I value it so much because it usually makes me think as much as it makes me chortle. With or without their very funny guests (such as Paul F. Thompkins, Janeane Garofalo, Jen Kirkman, Brian Regan, Patton Oswalt, Norm McDonald, Steve Agee), the three hosts do an excellent job of getting to the nitty gritty parts of life that often don't feel funny at all - politics, family, death, religion, cruelty, children - and yes, they bring some funny to them because they are funny people with great repartee, but they also embrace the seriousness and discuss issues at great length with no self-imposed pressure to lighten things up. It's a very compelling, thought-provoking podcast, and I'm constantly blown away by how articulate and intelligent its hosts and guests are - I can safely say that after listening to the two-part episode with Janeane Garofalo, I was just a little different inside!

4. Doug Benson's I Love Movies



Despite a certain affection for pot humour/ists who celebrate being high while performing/creating/living, I'm not really a huge fan of Doug Benson's stand-up. However, I do think he's a very funny guy in other contexts, and I tend to really like anything he does where he interacts with other people - I enjoyed Super High Me, I love his live show The Benson Interruption, and I love Doug Loves Movies. (And I truly didn't mean to steal the name of this blog from him.) I like his hosting style because he is not only funny, but he's very relaxed and sets up a very relaxed atmosphere for his guests on the stage of UCBTLA, making for a show that embraces guests' tangents, rants, and riffs, bringing their own movie knowledge to the table. That being said, Benson is very good at keeping the focus on movies, and let's not forget that he knows his shit. He may be high, he may be relaxed, he may be giggly, but he knows movies. Also worth checking out for the amazing, beloved theme song by Hard N' Phirm. Guests have included David Cross, Bob Odenkirk, Chris Hardwick, Olivia Munn, Rob Huebel, Paul Scheer, Dana Gould, and Leonard Maltin Game Champion Patton Oswalt.

5. The Best Show on WFMU



Tom Scharpling hosts this weekly three-hour (they fly by, I swear) program that can be heard on New Jersey's WFMU, through online streaming, or via podcast. The show offers a bit of everything including music (the songs are removed for the podcast, unfortunately, but Scharpling knows pretty much everything there is to know about music, so it's still very satisfying for music-lovers), interviews (Ted Leo, Paul F. Tompkins and Aimee Mann are frequent guests), and comedy - planned and unplanned. The unplanned comedy emerges from Scharpling's conversations with listeners who call in to answer questions of the week or tell stories they deem interesting enough for radio. Tom Scharpling is a very respected man in the world of comedy despite not actually being a comedian - he writes for Monk, and has written for Tom Goes to the Mayor (a particular favourite of yours truly) as well as The Onion and Harp Magazine. His quick wit and gruff way (also: sexy, sexy voice) would make the show well worth listening to without any added bonuses. But - enter Jon Wurster with bonuses galore. Wurster is another hilarious non-comedian; although he has written for TGTTM and Tim and Eric Awesome Show, Great Job!, his day job is drumming for Superchunk and The Mountain Goats. Fans like me, however, love him most for his (almost) weekly call into The Best Show as either a returning character or a new addition to Scharpling and Wurster's fictional world of Newbridge, New Jersey. Since the conception of The Best Show, the duo has added to the vast Newbridge landscape (literally and figuratively) through truly genius conversations/arguments between Scharpling and the eccentric characters they've created, played by Wurster, all with extensive histories and linked mythologies. It's hard to describe. In Scharpling's own words (presumably), from his tumblr site:

"Jon Wurster, the drummer of bands including Superchunk, the Mountain Goats, and Robert Pollard’s most recent touring band, will call in as a character with a seemingly innocent request, or under the guise of an interview. The duo then performs a sort of slow-burn comedy in which Wurster begins letting out little bits of information to the host, usually horrible, until Wurster’s character drives Scharpling to the limit, and occasionally threatens his life.

One example is “The Gorch” (aka Ronald Gorchnick) who called in claiming to be the real-life inspiration of The Fonz, and expressed his love of chain-fighting, and began a several year trip to beat Tom up, resulting in The Gorch passing out in the WFMU studios. Another character is Philly Boy Roy, a Philadelphian with a strange voice an an unabashed hatred for Tom, as well as the state of New Jersey. Instead he loves everything Philly: hoagies, Tastycakes, and The Hooters."

Also from the tumblr site, here's a video made out of Philly Boy Roy's dream movie, ad-libbed on air with Patton Oswalt:



Nothing does Scharpling and Wurster's chemistry and originality justice besides the bits themselves, the funniest of which have been compiled into five albums, which I strongly urge you to check out. Also, there is a newer, bi-weekly podcast called Best Show Gems, featuring only highlight moments from podcasts gone by, usually under 30 minutes. Also, did you see the picture? They are adorable. Male comedy partners, why must you turn me on so? I love your bromance almost as much as I hate the word 'bromance'.

Okay, I would love to talk about some other podcasts, particularly those put together by Jesse Thorn, but Aziz Ansari is on David Letterman so I'm outtie 5000.Oh, before I go, can I just say how happy I am for Tom Lennon and Ben Garant"? Couldn't happen to funnier, nicer (based on the one time I met them and what I glean from commentary tracks) guys.

mish-mash

What possessed me to think I could/would post every day for a week, even on the subject of my beloved David Cross? I have way too little computer time to do that right now. Worst blog ever. I did have a lot in my head, though, so just try to imagine what you missed out on.

I did manage to write a review of the David Cross show for MONDO Magazine, so check it out. If you want.

Because I don't feel comfortable not attending every comedy festival in the USA/Canada, I can't help but wish I was in Solvang right now for the UCB's Ultimate Comedy Bash, featuring the original four UCB-ers in a reunion Asssscat show, among many other funny people. Other festivals I haven't attended/won't attend this month and last include the Eugene Mirman Comedy Festival (click link for video), Tig Notaro's Brightest Young Things Festival, and the Vancouver Global Comedyfest, about which comics and comedy nerds alike had a lot to say. I am, however, going to see Michael Ian Black and Michael Showalter in Detroit in a couple days. The Michaels always make me laugh, so I'm pretty excited for that.



Speaking of things that make me laugh (unlike every other post in this blog), I thought the Jim/Pam wedding episode of the Office last night was phenomenal. It was goofy, disastrous, and funny enough that I worried about waking the sleeping baby I was sitting with my guffaws, but sentimental enough to remember a time when I didn't find Jim and Pam annoying and wanted them to live happily ever after. Very satisfying. Kudos, writer Mindy Kaling and director Paul Feig. Another comedic bright spot on my television screen right now is Parks and Recreation. When it debuted last year, I told friends, family, colleagues, mentors, servers, garbage collectors that one thing the show needed was to let Aziz Ansari and Aubrey Plaza bring more funny while increasing their characters' likeability. Now, I'm not saying I'm responsible for the improvement this season, but I can't help but notice they've taken my advice. I love Aziz, who makes me laugh on TV and the internet. Also, as always, Louis CK had been fantastic in his guest role. I would wish he could stick around if it didn't mean he might not be able to focus on his upcoming FX show. Speaking of upcoming FX shows, Nick Kroll and Paul Scheer, two of the funniest people in the world, have one too. Oh, TV!

Watch this video starring Bobby Bottleservice, my favourite Nick Kroll character!

The Ed Hardy Boyz: The Case of the Missing Sick Belt Buckle from Jon Daly