Superego
Matt Gourley, Jeremy Carter, Jeff Crocker and Mark McConville, not to mention occasional special guests, provide some of the best sketch material I’ve heard since Monty Python. Sometimes the voices alone are enough to send me into fits of hysteria, but it’s not just how they say things funny, but that they also say incredibly funny things. Each half hour is so packed with laughs that I often have to go back to hear material I had been laughing through and consequently missed. Characters such as Shunt McGuppin, a renegade GPS device, and a father worried about dreamcatchers and Predators have had me in tears, gasping for breath. Seriously, Superego is one of the funniest things I’ve ever heard, among podcasts or anything else.
Who Charted?
This program, hosted by Howard Kremer (aka Dragon Boy Suede) and chartkeeper Kulap Vilaysack, explores the pop culture lists we love, always a music and a movie chart, with one extra to delve into the guest’s credits. It’s a really clever way to do an interview, for sure. But, Kremer’s offbeat questions and Kulap’s infectious laugh are what fuel this hilarious countdown show. With equally fantastic song transitions, that have now become ringtones, Who Charted has quite possibly become my favorite podcast in the Earwolf family, which itself has become the premier network of comedy programming. After all, out of all the podcasts I listen to, Who Charted is the only one that’s nabbed guest Ken Marino.
Comedy and Everything Else
Comedian Jimmy Dore and his partner, Stefane Zamorano, chat with a special guest each week about, you guessed it, comedy…and everything else. I am one of those listeners who generally love the “everything else” part. But, I also love when Doug Benson ends up off the topic of movies, so I might be the average listener’s nightmare. I love Jimmy’s take on politics, which he also provides in his stand-up and his radio show, The Jimmy Dore Show on KPFK. Some of the best moments are found in Dore’s deconstruction of current event soundbites. Recent long shows, sometimes split into two parts, such as with guests Karen Kilgariff and Brody Stevens have been worth every second.
How did This Get Made?
Another fairly recent addition to the Earwolf network is How Did This Get Made, a celebration of the worst movies ever made, as guided by host Paul Scheer and his usual sidekicks, Jason Mantzoukas and June Diane Raphael. Along with a guest from the world of comedy, these intrepid explorers of Eccch delve into the worst of the worst. Old Dogs, Battlefield Earth, All About Steve, Mac & Me, and most recently, The Love Guru, all get the HDTGM treatment. It’s like hanging out with a bunch of funny friends and discussing bad movies. What could be better?
Judge John Hodgman
John Hodgman, aka the PC, aka the man with many areas of expertise, is the judge, and Jesse Thorn, America’s Radio Sweetheart, is the bailiff. Think: People’s Court for comedy nerds. Problems with pronunciation? Arguments about cheating at video games? Should cabs be commissioned to go through drive-thrus? The Honorable Judge John Hodgman deliberates on all of these issues and more. There is no squabble he can’t resolve, no issue he can’t adjudicate.
The Long Shot Podcast
Sean Conroy, one of the main participants in UCB’s fantastic ASSSSCAT show, brings together the First Lady of the podcast, Amber Kenny, the bitter Buddha, Eddie Pepitone, and the master of the Immaculata, Jamie Flam to ponder a weekly theme. Sometimes it works and sometimes not, but it’s nothing if not entertaining as all get out. From the “Hey Babys!” to Eddie’s girl to the quick improv about the animal bank, the Long Shot is brilliantly funny.
Pop My Culture
Cole Stratton and Vanessa Ragland host Pop My Culture, a podcast that sincerely discusses the world of pop culture in all its exploitative majesty (i.e. reality shows, Olsen Twins, Zac Efron, etc.) and is never ashamed. While Cole has a sharp wit to match his encyclopedic knowledge, Vanessa is a ball of unharnessed hilarious energy. Each episode, roughly three a month, is worthwhile, nabbing guests that other podcasts might overlook, such as Eddie Deezen, Brice Beckham and some of the cast of Freaks & Geeks. But, the all-star special episodes such as the Year in Review are even more bang for the buck (the podcast is free, folks). Be sure to stick around all the way to the end for Vanessa’s ridiculous questions involving wizards, ogres, and vengeful trolls.
The Smartest Man in the World
For those who have only experienced Greg Proops as part of Whose Line Is It Anyway?, you haven’t really experienced the best facets of this talented comedian and, dare I say it, philosopher. Proops holds court at Bar Lubitsch and other venues, talking about, well, whatever it is that he wants to talk about. Proops is a veritable reference book with a cocktail. There’s a reason the show has the title it does, because Proops just might be the smartest man in the world. He can expound on any subject, at any time, and with great eloquence and aplomb. To top it off, he’s extraordinarily funny while doing it.
Stop Podcasting Yourself
Part of Jesse Thorn’s Maximum Fun family, Stop Podcasting Yourself is the Canadian import that keeps on giving. Graham Clark and Dave Shumka divide up the show into fun and memorable segments including “Get to Know Us,” in which they catch up with their guest and with each other and “Overheards,” in which they relate the odd, quirky, and unforgettable things they’ve recently overheard, while they might occasionally do a round of drunk dials or “Don’t Get Me Started.” Though many of the Canadian guests are unknown to me, it never seems to matter. The funny in this show cannot be dampened by lack of knowledge.
The Thrilling Adventure Hour
For the last six years, Ben Acker and Ben Blacker have been producing a show inspired by 1940s radio dramas. Performed before a live audience at the Largo at the Coronet Theater in Los Angeles, this podcast provides a free “radio” experience for those who can’t get to L.A. for the in-person experience. Every week there’s a new show from one of the many shows they produce, including “Sparks Nevada, Marshal on Mars,” “Jefferson Reid, Ace American” (w/ Nathan Fillion), “Down in Moonshine Holler,” “The Adventures of Captain Laserbeam” (w/ John DiMaggio, the voice of Bender), and many more, but the best of the bunch, in my opinion, is “Beyond Belief,” the supernatural themed detective show that’s part X-Files and part The Thin Man. Paul F. Tompkins and Paget Brewster play Frank and Sadie Doyle, two lushes who somehow manage to get mixed up in Scooby-Doo type adventures. Their chemistry is palpable, even through earbuds.
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