@Podcasts: @Midnight Guest Podcasts

[Kromm]

Club dates and comedy tours are all well and fine, but the default product pitched for virtually every @Midnight guest seem to be their podcasts.  They ALL have them.  So here's a place to talk about the Podcasts of @Midnight guests.

[BeatLA24]

The podcasts I listen to, that are represented by @Midnight panelists include:

 

1. Doug Benson - Doug Loves Movies, Doug Loves Minis, Dining with Doug and Karen: I guess this is why Doug is one of my favorite guests, because I listen to all his podcasts. I especially enjoy Doug Loves Movies because of all the games; especially the Leonard Maltin Game and Last Man Stanton.
2. Kumail Nanjiani - The Indoor Kids, The X-Files Files: Kumail does a video game podcast with his wife, Emily V. Gordon, that I get a kick out of. He also has a podcast, where he is going through the entire run of The X-Files, where each week he discusses two episodes with a guest.
3. Paul Scheer - How Did This Get Made?: A hilarious every other week podcast that he does with his wife, June Diane Raphael, and Jason Mantzoukas where they watch a bad movie, and try to disect all the craziness therein.
4. The Sklar Brothers - Sklarbro Country/County: Sue me, but I like the Sklar Brothers. Their bi-weekly podcast consists of Country, where they interview a guest that they get into more in depth with, and also discuss stories that are loosly more sports specific. I happen to like County more, where they are joined by a guest, and co-host Dan Van Kirk, who brings in three crazy stories that are riffed on, and the vibe feels more loose.
5. Scott Aukerman - Comedy Bang Bang: To me, this is the funniest podcast out there. Scott usually has a guest, and after a segment, brings in another person that is doing a character. Frequent @Midnight regular, Paul F. Thompkins has probably been on the most while hardley ever appearing as himself.
6. Chris Hardwick - The Nerdist: Then there is the host's own podcast, that he does with semi-frequent @Midnight guest, Jonah Ray, and writer, Matt Mira. Matt has been on the podcast infrequently, because of his writing commitments. Speaking of Matt Mira, I also love the podcast that he does with Matt Gourley called James Bonding, where they discuss each James Bond film. They were doing it weekly, until @Midnight started, and Mira was busy writing, while Gourley started doing those Volkswagen commercials.

[trow125]

I have to put in a plug for Judge John Hodgman. Real-life people come on the show to have John Hodgman decide their minor disputes. It's hilarious, informative and sometimes even moving. New eps every Wednesday.

[Kromm]

I'm gonna cheat a little on my own topic, because technically I don't think Gilbert Gottfried has been a "guest" on @midnight, but rather only a "special guest" who showed up for a bit (when the show went to New York).

Because I just for the first time the other day listened to his "Gilbert Gottfried's Amazing Colossal Podcast" and it is indeed amazing. He has guests on it that are different from a lot of others--some real old school people like Dick Cavett, Larry Storch, Marty Alllen, Frankie Avalon, Shecky Greene, the children of Boris Karloff and Bela Lugosi...

I also gotta put in for Michael Ian Black's totally hilarious "Mike & Tom Eat Snacks", co-starring his old "Ed" buddy (and current star of The Flash) Tom Cavanaugh. This podcast is one that I literally have listened to every episode of, it's so damn silly. In a nutshell Black and Cavanaugh have constructed this entire alternate universe, where they do "reviews" of snacks, and have a wholeongoing patter down pat surrounding this. It's hard to explain--you just have to start at Episode 1 and keep listening.

I've also recently heard a few episodes of a DIFFERENT podcast Michael Ian Black does with his The State/Stella co-star, Michael Showalter, called "Topics". This version of Black is totally different from the one on the Snacks podcast--on this one he plays this pseudo-intellectual douchebag who's a play on NPR hosts.

A few podcasts I listen to less for the host and more for the guests--but there's a regular circle of them I pick from--Marc Maron's WTF, Pete Holmes' You Made It Weird, The Nerdist mother broadcast itself.

I keep meaning to listen to Doug Loves Movies, but kind of got putoff a bit after watching a few of Doug Benson's VIDEO podcast, Getting Doug With High--which frankly got VERY tiresome.

Oh wait.  Paul F. Thompkins' Dead Author Podcasts are utterly amazing.  If you see someone who's a frequent guest on @midnight and you like them, chances are they've been on Dead Authors playing well... a dead author.

[Kromm]

 

 

The Sklar Brothers - Sklarbro Country/County: Sue me, but I like the Sklar Brothers. Their bi-weekly podcast consists of Country, where they interview a guest that they get into more in depth with, and also discuss stories that are loosly more sports specific. I happen to like County more, where they are joined by a guest, and co-host Dan Van Kirk, who brings in three crazy stories that are riffed on, and the vibe feels more loose.

 

Scott Aukerman - Comedy Bang Bang: To me, this is the funniest podcast out there. Scott usually has a guest, and after a segment, brings in another person that is doing a character. Frequent @Midnight regular, Paul F. Thompkins has probably been on the most while hardley ever appearing as himself.

For me the big hesitation with the Sklar podcasts are that I am SO tired of them on @midnight.  Something about @midnight must bring out the worst in them, because I just don't think they're that funny on it.... and yet I know so many people love their podcast.  I may try it on the theory that the environment may suit them better.

 

Auckerman is one where I love his Comedy Bang Bang IFC show, but just never got around to the commitment of the podcast, because I know the history of it is huge, and it's got such an ongoing history leaping in with a new episode rather than going back to the beginning may not be ideal.  I'm so-so on him on @midnight itself. He doesn't tank, but he also doesn't seem to be on his absolute A game either.

[Monty]

Most Comedy Bang Bang podcast episodes are 100% self-contained. A few call back to previous episodes, but they establish any character quirks pretty clearly, so it's easy to follow along. The few times where the previous episode is essential listening, they'll also make that clear at the beginning. I think it's really just Time Bobby, Farts and Procreation, and Oh Golly! where things are kept in pretty strict order. If there's someone you like as a guest (may I suggest Paul F. Tompkins?) just listen to one of their episodes and see if you dig it.

[April Bloodgate]

I also gotta put in for Michael Ian Black's totally hilarious "Mike & Tom Eat Snacks", co-starring his old "Ed" buddy (and current star of The Flash) Tom Cavanaugh. This podcast is one that I literally have listened to every episode of, it's so damn silly. In a nutshell Black and Cavanaugh have constructed this entire alternate universe, where they do "reviews" of snacks, and have a wholeongoing patter down pat surrounding this. It's hard to explain--you just have to start at Episode 1 and keep listening.

 

I love this podcast! Haven't come across anyone else who listens to it until now. I'll definitely endorse this one. So many great little inside jokes once you start listening to it. This is one that I make references to in everyday life.

Edited January 8, 2015 by Denay

[Kromm]

I love this podcast! Haven't come across anyone else who listens to it until now. I'll definitely endorse this one. So many great little inside jokes once you start listening to it. This is one that I make references to in everyday life.

Yeah, I NEVER see people mention it in their roundups of Podcasts, or topics like this. But its one of the funniest things I've ever heard, and damn consistent. It DID become kind of linear--you really need to listen from Episode 1 to get the pyramid of ongoing inside jokes they build... but its totally worth doing, because the older episodes don't get dated (there's nothing topical about them--which is a GOOD thing in this case). So you don't have the problem you might get with some podcasts going back to really old episodes where they feel dated.

Very little of it turns out to be about snacks, but its a good structure for them to just rant and riff. And the surprise for most people will probably be that the non-comedian of the pair, Tom, is arguably the more outrageous one.

It's interesting to me that they even ever did this at all. Black theoretically benefits in the loose sense that any comedian these days seems to from a podcast--it keeps their name out there and an ongoing roster of fans even when they don't have a mainstream product like a TV show going. But Cavanaugh literally got nothing out of it other than a chance to hang around with a guy who clearly he became really good friends with (and continued to live in the same area as, most years--except the big gaps when one of the pair of them was working on the West Coast instead of the East).

Then there's Black's Topics podcast, with Showalter (I give a link above). He seems to have been doing this for about the past year, and its really different. The occasional NPR-listener in me really got a laugh out of some of this, but it's a bit weird taking the joke as far as this does. It's a long-form joke where Black and Showalter are pretending to be serious... in this over-serious overblown, know-it-all NPR host-like way. And then they do this... 55 more times (so far). In that sense it seems very like MATES--its taking a VERY basic joke and pushing it to a ridiculous extent to see what happens.

Edited January 8, 2015 by Kromm

[Princess Sparkle]

I keep meaning to listen to Doug Loves Movies, but kind of got putoff a bit after watching a few of Doug Benson's VIDEO podcast, Getting Doug With High--which frankly got VERY tiresome.

 

I would actually highly encourage you to give a listen to Doug Loves Movies.  To your point, Getting Doug with High is not my most favorite thing of his (that one is REALLY dependent on the guest, and after awhile, there's only so many times you can watch someone get high).

 

But with DLM, not only is Doug not nearly as high as he is on (literally) everything else, they play a lot more games on the show, and he keeps the games moving pretty quickly.  I'd start with anything that has "Mark Wahlberg" or "Werner Herzog" as guest.  Actually, if you're a PFT fan, then I'd find a "Werner Herzog" episode, since he plays Werner.  There's a Nick Offerman/Jon Hamm/Werner Herzog episode that is hysterical, but I'm not sure if it's available for download anymore.

 

Plus he gets much better guests (than his other podcasts) on DLM.  And even if someone is awful at the games, it's still pretty damn funny.  

 

You're right about the Dead Authors podcast - it's freaking hysterical.  

 

As for other guests podcasts - if he's got the right guest, I'm a huge fan of WTF with Marc Maron.  I do skip the first 15-20 minutes where he's just talking though; I usually can't get into those parts.  I also really like Jen Kirkman's "I Seem Fun", April Rich's "Go Bayside" (the eps with PFT are hysterical, because of the contempt he has for Saved by the Bell), and "U Talking U2 to Me" with Scott Aukerman and Adam Scott.

Edited January 8, 2015 by Princess Sparkle

[BeatLA24]

 

But with DLM, not only is Doug not nearly as high as he is on (literally) everything else, they play a lot more games on the show, and he keeps the games moving pretty quickly.  I'd start with anything that has "Mark Wahlberg" or "Werner Herzog" as guest.  Actually, if you're a PFT fan, then I'd find a "Werner Herzog" episode, since he plays Werner.  There's a Nick Offerman/Jon Hamm/Werner Herzog episode that is hysterical, but I'm not sure if it's available for download anymore.

 

It's funny, because "Mark Wahlberg" originated on Sklarbro County as a character by Dan Van Kirk. They even upload his Wahlberg Solution's on their feed. Speaking of Doug's open door policy, what did you think of the 8 Crazy Guests of Hanukkah with all characters by Van Kirk, PFT, and James Adomian. I think Adomian's Jesse Ventura is one of my favorite impressions.

[Kromm]

I'm gonna cheat again (if you can't on a topic you created where can you?) and mention the great WITS podcast. It's host isn't someone you'll ever seen on @midnight--he's just a public broadcasting guy named John Moe--but his guest roster is filled with any comedian who tours through the Minneapolis/Saint Paul area (most of them eventually) and seems packed full of @midnight regulars as guests.  For example, just RECENTLY Maria Bamford, Jim Gaffigan, Reggie Watts, Kumail Nanjiani, Paul F. Thompkins, Jen Kirkman, Kristen Schaal, Eugene Mirman, Keegan-Michael Key, Margaret Cho... and even more people @midnighters further back.
 
It's basically one of those things where they sit them all down in a theater (rather than a comedy club) and try to highbrow it a bit.  But it works nicely.  It is, in fact, apparently done in the exact same theater (the Fitzgerald Theater) that A Prairie Home Companion is still done in on another night, and the actual WITS broadcast does have a bit of the same feel.

[Kromm]

You're right about the Dead Authors podcast - it's freaking hysterical.  

I've also decided to invest in Thrilling Adventure Hour as a result of enjoying Dead Authors so much.  I've had a bunch downloaded and just never gotten around to it.

[Monty]

Thrilling Adventure Hour is one of my favorite things! What you want to do is try out all the segments, because Sparks Nevada is different from Beyond Belief is different from Moonshine Holler and so on. Sparks Nevada is serial, so it's meant to be listened in order. But Beyond Belief, except for a few specific times, can be listened to in any order. For Beyond Belief, sttart with the episode "Wishing Hell" or "White Hunter, Drunk Heart" and see what you think.

Edited January 16, 2015 by Monty

[Kromm]

You're right about the Dead Authors podcast - it's freaking hysterical.  

The episode from 3 days ago (Hunter S. Thompson & Philip K. Dick, w. James Adomian and Matt Besser) is one of the most gut busting ones so far.  

[Kromm]

Our @midnight hero, Ron Funches, just appeared on the latest Dead Authors podcast that came out this week.

 

He's playing 60s icon Robert Beck aka Iceberg Slim (the author of the infamous 1967 book "Pimp" and the guy who basically inspired the use of the word "Ice" in every rapper name using that), and of course totally plays up that angle ridiculously.

 

Here's an Ad.

 

 

Here's a link to a stream of it:

 

http://thedeadauthorspodcast.libsyn.com/chapter-43-iceberg-slim-featuring-ron-funches

Edited March 3, 2015 by Kromm

[BeatLA24]

Now that he's the #pointsme winner, and has appeared on the show, Chris Cubas has a podcast that I have been listening to called "Canceled." He and a guest watch a show that lasted only one season, and discuss the episodes. They do two episodes per podcast, and the guest stays the same for the run of the show. So far, he has done Firefly and is in the middle of Cop Rock.

[topanga]

For me the big hesitation with the Sklar podcasts are that I am SO tired of them on @midnight.  Something about @midnight must bring out the worst in them, because I just don't think they're that funny on it.... and yet I know so many people love their podcast.  I may try it on the theory that the environment may suit them better.

I agree that they're much funnier on their podcast then on @Midnight. On their podcast, they riff on life and crazy stories, and it sounds more natural than the one liners required by @Midnight. It feels like I'm hanging out with them at a comedy club. I swear, the people at my job think I'm crazy--I listen to Sklarbro Country and County at low volumes at my desk, so they see me laughing hysterically at nothing.