Podcast suggestions and comments can be directed to [email protected].
QUOTES OF THE WEEK
“I tend to think that anyone from Chicago has killed at least one person.”
“At least.” —Scott Aukerman and Jim O’Heir, Comedy Bang! Bang!
“He doesn’t marry Winnie Cooper! What the fuck, yo? He was supposed to marry Winnie Cooper.” —Donald Faison on The Wonder Years’ finale, Nerdist
“Can I ask one weird—I’ll save it until the end, never mind.”
“What, ‘how are cars made?’” —David Huntsberger and Tig Notaro, Professor Blastoff
“What if doctors started becoming oncologists?”
“You mean dogs? Doctors, a lot of times, are oncologists.”
“Yes, I meant dogs. Dogters. I still got it.” —Tig Notaro and David Huntsberger, Professor Blastoff
“As a side note, I have my children’s first porn search terms. It’s like almost better than their first steps. [My son’s] first search term: ‘nudies.’” —Adam Savage, The Moth
“That guy might have issues with women.” —Jake Fogelnest on Roman Polanski, The Fogelnest Files
“Jack White is definitely my favorite Johnny Depp movie.” —Doug Benson, Doug Loves Movies
“Every scene has a closing joke and then a good couple seconds, like, ‘The audience is going to be fucking cracking up. They’re going to be rolling in the aisles.’”
“They were like, ‘Each scene’s one joke is so gut-bustingly hilarious that we’d better make each scene 10-12 minutes long.’”
“When they originally tested the movie, people were laughing so much that nobody could follow the plot. They had no idea what was going on.”
“It’s weirdly as if Robert Townsend directed it and then a down-on-his-luck Michelangelo Antonioni edited it.”
“I’m surprised none of the scenes caught the actor just wandering off camera.” —Stuart Wellington and Elliott Kalan on B*A*P*S, The Flop House
“Ticks, people loved that one.”
“That’s because they got a free T-shirt at the end if they made it all the way through.” —Chuck Bryant and Josh Clark on whether people would be excited about a termite episode, Stuff You Should Know
“When I worked at the record store back in the ’80s, a gentleman came in and said, ‘I need to get a cassette for my daughter. She wants something by Huey Newton And The Loos.’ I said ‘Nope, it’s Huey Lewis And The News, sir.’ ‘That’s not the one she wants. She wants Huey Newton And The Loos.’ ‘Sir, Huey Newton is a Black Panther. Huey Lewis is a pop star.’” —Jimmy Pardo, Never Not Funny
“It’s a little difficult to hear suggestions of how to kill myself from my children, I have to admit. It’s… it’s difficult. I don’t hate it, but it’s difficult.” —August Lindt (Andy Daly), The Andy Daly Podcast Pilot Project
“We are knee-deep in all the hype surrounding the combine.”
“For those who don’t know what that is, it is to the NFL basically what Christmas is to Jews.”
“It’s way more pervasive, and it feels like it’s coming earlier and earlier every year.” —Randy Sklar and Jason Sklar, Sklarbro Country
“How much will we look back on Gravity—say 10, 20 years from now in Oscar history—and see what that says about us if we give it Best Picture? And what will having given the award to 12 Years A Slave say about us?”—Josh Larsen, Filmspotting
“I remember Val [Kilmer] would knock on my door every now and then. And he’d be, like, ‘Is tonight the tonight? Can I watch you dress in that Santa costume?’ And I was like, ‘Not tonight, Val.’” —Michelle Monaghan on making of Kiss Kiss Bang Bang, Nerdist
“He looks like someone who’s just kidnapped Liam Neeson’s daughter again.” —John Oliver describe interim Ukrainian president Oleksandr Turchynov on The Bugle
NEW (TO US)
Get Up On This
“You’ll be an expert, three weeks before they hate it,” raps Jensen Karp in the opening song of Get Up On This, the podcast he hosts with Matt Robinson. Karp is alternately known as the rapper Hot Karl, owner of a pop art gallery, and the creative director of the JASH YouTube channel. Each week, he and Robinson (a screenwriter and film director) are joined by a guest to get listeners up to speed on things in pop culture—songs, movies, apps, etc.—before they take off. Some picks are more reliable than others: Karp’s regular hip-hop recommendations are usually spot-on, and Robinson is, as expected, quite knowledgeable about film. There are also more idiosyncratic picks, like the many instances in which Robinson excitedly talks about a new board game he’s into (he has something of a passion for them), which leads some of the best discussions. By taking a wide view, any episode can cover a lot of ground in 90 minutes: For example, a partial list of topics recently covered with Andy DeYoung and Amanda Lund, would include rap, lotions, video games, mail order beauty supplies, and Sufjan Stevens’ blog.
Episode #127 deviates from the format, as Get Up On This regularly does, for Robinson to recommend things people should stop liking—in this episode, selfish driving, Charles Bukowski, and Magic: The Gathering. Hilarious curmudgeon Noah Garfinkel steals the show in this especially animated episode, which also features Karp and Robinson at their very best. It’s a nice entry for anyone looking to try out the podcast. [DF]
DROP-IN
Savage Lovecast
As Dan Savage’s weekly sex-advice podcast closes in on its 400th episode (which should land sometime in the early summer), it remains one of the most consistently entertaining and thought-provoking talk shows out there. Seven years in, humanity’s sexual hang-ups have yet to be solved, so each new episode brings a fresh and unpredictable batch of erotic quandaries and moral conundrums, which Savage almost unfailingly manages to settle with simple wisdom, empathy, and a dose of friendly sarcasm. The show has actually improved somewhat since the institution of the “Magnum” paywall last April—$20 gets listeners 26 episodes that are twice as long as the regular free, now called “Micro,” episodes. The extra time means more calls and more expert guests. Former New York Times ethics columnist Randy Cohen lends his thoughts on whether it’s worse to infect a partner with human papillomavirus or bed bugs, and lesbian actress Lea DeLaria explains how queer women might find pleasure in watching gay male porn. In his newish semi-regular segment “What You Got”—in which the audience learns how herpes might help cure cancer and why conservative areas of the country have abnormally high divorce rates—he gives scientists and sex researchers a chance to discuss their latest findings. It’s a modest expense, but worth it for the extra content. [DD]
THE BEST
The Andy Daly Podcast Pilot Project #4: The Travel Bug With August Lindt
It’s fortunate that August Lindt, a world-traveling pretzel-salt inspector from Düsseldorf, Germany, was unable to kill himself as he’d promised on Comedy Bang! Bang! a while back. Without him, we wouldn’t have this cavalcade of questionable accents that’s the most uproarious faux pilot so far. Werner Herzog (Paul F. Tompkins, eternally laughing off-mic) reveals the racy final words of “Grizzly Man” Timothy Treadwell, his former holiness Pope Benedict XVI (Matt Besser) reveals that Catholicism doesn’t make all that much sense unless you’re high (which he usually is now), and Lindt plays a revelatory round of “Where In The World Are My Wife And Children” that more or less confirms the controversial views on “scarebags” held by surrealist H.R. Giger (Gourley). This could go down as the best in the series and among the funniest of any podcast this year. [TK]
The Bugle #261: Crimea River
The focus of this week’s Bugle is, of course, the crisis in Ukraine. While the narrative is a bit confusing (as John Oliver readily admits), the situation provides more than a few choice gimmes for Oliver and Andy Zaltzman: a chance to make fun of Russia, a chance to make fun of the European Union, and, most rewardingly, a chance to make fun of the contents of deposed dictator Viktor Yanukovych’s insanely opulent mansion. You can hear the glee in Oliver and Zaltzman’s voices as they run through the stuff found inside the former state residence; in fact, even without their commentary, the list is entertaining enough. Throw in a story about auctioning off U.K. citizenship to the highest bidder, and it’s a week’s worth of news almost tailor-made for the duo’s skewering. [ABe]
Comedy Bang! Bang! #273: Vape Cod: Jim O’Heir, Horatio Sanz
Parks And Recreation punching bag Jim O’Heir is as amiable as fans would expect in his first appearance on Comedy Bang! Bang! He’s a funny guy and game for anything, which is helpful whenever Horatio Sanz is also a guest. Sanz returns as Shelly Driftwood, whose latest business idea is a Boston-themed vaporizer store that also sells fish-flavored THC oils (though it’s not technically “legal”). It’s typically bizarre, and as usual, Sanz makes Scott Aukerman crack up on a few occasions. O’Heir recedes a bit once Sanz gets going, but he’s engaged throughout and an enjoyable presence on the show. [KR]
The Cracked Podcast #23: Dumb Movies That Will Be Studied By History
This week, Jack O’Brien is joined by Cracked writers Dan O’Brien and Jason Pargin to discuss movies that are more important and sophisticated than acknowledged. Jack O’Brien kicks off the episode by discussing the inherent racism in beloved John Hughes movies of the ’80s and makes a compelling argument that Teen Wolf presented more enlightened commentary on race and racism. Dan O’Brien then argues that the Arnold Schwarzenegger bomb Last Action Hero was an ahead-of-its-time precursor to Inception, but Pargin has the most impressive and insightful segment when he makes the case for all of the revolutionary philosophy of The Matrix. [MS]
Doug Loves Movies: Leonard Maltin, Todd Sklar, Louis Katz and Samm Levine
Because Leonard Maltin is on the panel, it makes sense that Doug Benson wastes no time getting to Maltin’s namesake game. The only stumbling blocks into launching directly into it are some fun panning of the movie The Game on behalf of Maltin and some pretty fantastic Samm Levine griping about Benson adding a fourth member to the panel. Given how aggressive a Leonard Maltin Game player Lil’ Wolverine is, it’s unlikely that an extra person hurts his chances, especially when Maltin is notoriously bad at it. In addition to the game, this episode features a fantastic uncredited cameo of Dan Van Kirk’s Mark Wahlberg. [MS]
Filmspotting #479: 2014 Oscar Picks With Kyle Buchanan / Blazing Saddles
In this week’s episode, Filmspotting turns its gaze onto Hollywood turning its gaze onto itself. While revisiting Mel Brooks’ subversive, genre-bending classic Blazing Saddles—40 years after it went a-whompin’ and a-hollerin’ through the cinematic landscape—Adam Kempenaar and Josh Larsen spend more time dissecting its self-reflective criticism of the film industry than the racial satire, for which it’s more commonly known. Later in the episode, New York Magazine’s Kyle Buchanan joins them to help predict the Academy Award winners. It hardly matters that the mystery is already solved for anyone reading this. The point is not trying to figure out who and what will win, but why they will win. And, more importantly still, what that says about the industry that glories in these annual paeans to itself. [DD]
The Flop House #146: B*A*P*S
The Flop House hosts’ predilection for recently released bad movies means they’re usually drawing from a mixed bag in terms of comedy fodder, and some types of movies make for better episodes than others. When they wade back into deep waters of older bad movies, though, the results are almost uniformly great, and their treatment of 1997 head-scratcher B*A*P*S is no exception. There are Jewish vampires, fried chicken so good it makes your eyes pop out of your head, and a prolonged riff about the Crypt Keeper—an average episode of The Flop House, in others words—and it’s all so profoundly, joyously silly that even the typically stoic Stuart Wellington bursts into contagious belly laughs at a couple points. When The Flop House is at its best, it is hard to beat, and it has seldom been better than it is right now. [CG]
The Fogelnest Files #79: MAD AS HELL: Dave Itzkoff
This week’s interview with New York Times writer Dave Itzkoff is one of the most fascinating episodes Jake Fogelnest has posted in a while. Promoting his new book, Mad As Hell: The Making Of Network And The Fateful Vision Of The Angriest Man In Movies, Itzkoff presents a concise and compelling biography of the classic 1976 film and its creator, screenwriter Paddy Chayefsky. For fans of Network, Chayefsky’s various political and emotional periods create a rich context for the saga of Howard Beale; the uninitiated will probably want to see the film as soon as possible afterward. As a bonus, Fogelnest and Itzkoff also discuss Faye Dunaway’s role within the Hollywood system at the time and the controversy surrounding the 1977 Academy Awards, when Beale’s widow, who was black, accepted his Oscar for Best Actor. [ABe]
Freakonomics: Why Are Japanese Homes Disposable?
In Japan, there’s a huge demand for new, avant-garde houses, and half of all houses are demolished before they hit 38 years old. (In the U.S., half of all houses are demolished by 100 years). When a house is sold in Japan, it is typically destroyed and built anew, with the owner’s preferences and idiosyncrasies put into the new design. This week, the Freakonomics team tries to get to the bottom of this rampant house turnover, suggesting Japan’s focus on new products, the still-present specter of bombings from World War II, and the country’s continually revised building codes in response to earthquakes are all partially to blame. But, as a guest points out, much of the worry about earthquakes is unfounded, and the continual destruction of houses may be hurting the Japanese economy. [NC]
Hang Up And Listen: The Steve Nash At The Finish Line Edition
With the Olympics in Sochi now over, the HUAL panel has only the judging debacle from women’s figure skating to recount, which sets up a final wrap-up that notes how the pomp of the Olympics always manages to save the Olympics after controversy. The panel also discusses Jason Collins playing his first game with the Brooklyn Nets since coming out, and talks to Steve Nash about the Grantland webseries documenting the final stage of his NBA career. But, as is often the case, the best part of the episode is Stefan Fatsis’ Afterball dedicated to making sure everyone recognizes that Bobby Knight absolutely, categorically did not throw a folding chair in that infamous incident 29 years ago. [KM]
Harmontown #92: It’s Not Personal, It’s Business
Dungeon Master Spencer Crittenden takes a week off from Harmontown, which leaves the show hurting for a closer—even with perennially fantastic guest Mitch Hurwitz returning to the panel. So Dan Harmon and Comptroller Jeff Davis come up with a solution on the fly: re-using Harmon’s Ice-T impression from earlier in the show as an impromptu “Dungeon Master” as the panel of characters helps an audience member solve a problem. Comic artist Eric Esquivel ends up as the audience participant, and Harmon has an enormous amount of fun trying to cater his impression of Ice-T—far more put together than John Mulaney’s bit on Law & Order: SVU—to the realm of role-playing games. [KM]
The Mental Illness Happy Hour #156: Sophie Bull
Paul Gilmartin performs a delicate balancing act every week on The Mental Illness Happy Hour, which could easily lapse into misery porn or exploitation of guests who have experienced intense emotional trauma. The host does an excellent job of that difficult task in this conversation with listener Sophie Bull, who talks about her auditory hallucinations, borderline personality disorder, and ongoing battle with self-harm. Bull sounds comfortable talking with Gilmartin, who manages to ask probing questions about her battles with mental illness without seeming cold or opportunistic. Even when Gilmartin asks to see a recent scar from Bull’s self-harm, it sounds like a request borne of genuine curiosity rather than a calculated move to cheaply entertain the audience. It’s a conversation that may be best suited for dedicated listeners to the program, but it’s one of the show’s best installments this year. [TC]
The Moth: Pornography, Divinity and Mercy
MythBusters’ Adam Savage gets personal discussing the newest, arguably most challenging addition to the coming-of-age parental sex talk: limitless access to hardcore pornography. His conclusion that the Internet simply hates women draws a mid-story applause break, and his even, openly unsure delivery highlights the vulnerability parents feel addressing issues that lack easy solutions. His difficulty articulating this idea to his children while reassuring them of what is and what isn’t natural also gives Savage a rare opportunity to showcase his more nuanced sense of humor. Krista Tippett’s account of her family’s influence growing up is a product of The Moth’s less interesting Why I Loved Grandpa trend, but Hector Black’s story of impossible forgiveness is stunning. [DJ]
Nerdist #484: Donald Faison
Donald Faison’s chat with Chris Hardwick and Jonah Ray hits the Nerdist sweet spot: It’s mostly a funny riff session with just enough substance to keep things grounded. The former Scrubs star seems happy to be there whether he’s sharing stories about nervously meeting George Lucas or discussing failed UPN shows (including the one he starred in, Clueless). On a more serious note, the trio also touches on Faison’s new baby and his thoughts on fatherhood. While some riff-heavy Nerdist episodes feel insular, this one really invites the listener in. Most of the conversation simply revolves around things Faison nerds out over—from The Wonder Years to sci-fi films to his best-friendship with Wayne Knight. Faison’s infectious energy makes this episode a delight to listen to, even if it lacks much depth. [CS]
Nerdist #485: Michelle Monaghan
Early on in this episode, Michelle Monaghan gets in a great zinger about Matt Mira’s ex-girlfriend (and her current trainer), and from that moment on, she seems entirely at home with her Nerdist interviewers. Which makes sense given that Chris Hardwick, Mira, and Monaghan all work out at the same gym and have a passing acquaintance with one another. Thankfully, that easy camaraderie never devolves into inside-joke territory. Instead there’s substance to this episode, including discussions of Monaghan’s home-birth, her thoughts on motherhood, and her childhood in small town Iowa. She also brings up her upcoming role as a bisexual woman in a polyamorous relationship on Ryan Murphy’s new HBO pilot Open, which sparks an interesting discussion of monogamy and sexuality (and Burning Man). While there’s not a ton of time devoted to Monaghan’s career (and just one passing reference to True Detective), this episode is a satisfying mix of casual banter and more thoughtful discussion. [CS]
Never Not Funny #1405: Andrew Daly
Andrew Daly is always a welcome presence on podcasts, even when he’s not doing one of his many characters. An NNF veteran, he sits down with Jimmy Pardo and Matt Belknap as part of a full-on podcast blitz to promote his (excellent) new Comedy Central show, Review. He doesn’t actually do all that much promotion—Pardo and Belknap even have to coach him a bit on how to promote it—and instead spends most of his time talking about the usual Pardo-friendly topics, which this week includes an extended discussion of The Monkees. Daly is of course funny, and his banter with the NNF crew flows naturally and enjoyably. Listen to this, and watch Review. [KR]
99 Percent Invisible #103: U.T.B.A.P.H
This week’s 99PI highlights the amazing Tumblr Used To Be A Pizza Hut. Run by Mike Neilson, the blog does exactly what you think: document former Pizza Hut locations that have been turned into other restaurants, law offices, police stations, and so on. (Reporter Sam Greenspan aptly likens the process to a hermit crab shedding its shell so another, smaller crab can take over its house.) While the show acknowledges the sadness of businesses closing down, Greenspan and host Roman Mars also argue that recognizing the buildings all these years later is a testament to their design. Rather than trapezoidal tombstones, think of the buildings as monuments to time, place, and pizza. [ME]
Professor Blastoff #144: Sensory Science: Corey Beilstein
Even four people simultaneously chewing directly into their microphones isn’t enough to hold this installment down. The crew is clearly refreshed and reined in after a recording break, while guest Corey Beilstein commands its respect and attention from the start. Even the historically overeager Kyle Dunnigan knows when to take a break from goofing off to let an honest question take hold. There’s something here for everyone, from sensory-science obsessives to casual Blastronauts to first-timers, in unequivocally the best Professor Blastoff outing of the year thus far. [NJ]
Radiolab: What’s Left When You’re Right?
This week’s Radiolab attempts to dive into the awkward moment of winning a fight and acknowledging the loser before you, but doesn’t quite justify its theme. The best segment starts the episode off about a British game show that replicates the prisoner’s dilemma, and the story takes an intriguing twist when one contestant uses a bizarre and brilliantly manipulative strategy. The theme starts to slip with the second segment, which unfortunately falls under Radiolab’s signature What I Learned On My Cross-Country Bike Trip-type of storytelling. The origin and meaning of left-handers are given dueling analyses by separate enthusiasts in the third segment. The theme falls apart at this point, but the story works well enough on its own that it’s not a total loss. While the stories don’t tie in together particularly well, Radiolab still manages an engrossing hour of storytelling. [MK]
Sklarbro Country #188: Once You Go Shaq: Randall Park, Chris Cox
Hollywood cinephelia runs strong through the Kim dynasty, so it’s pretty much guaranteed that Randall Park’s portrayal of North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un in Seth Rogan and Evan Goldberg’s upcoming comedy The Interview is going to be seen by the man himself. Spoofing a living homicidal autocrat worked out for Charlie Chaplin, the Sklar brothers point out, but Park confesses that he still had to ask about the safety of his first-generation Korean parents before accepting the role. This week, amongst some hilarious takes on Adam Muema’s prophetic self-Seahawks drafting and a town’s drawn out spelling bee, Park goes deep into just how erratic his journey has been going from stand-up to scripted studio gigs. [DJ]
Stuff You Should Know: Termites: They Bore But They Aren’t Boring
Although Josh Clark and Chuck Bryant like to joke at the top of scientific episodes that these are the most boring ones in their catalog, it’s all to mask their enthusiasm and confidence that they will knock it out of the park. There are more than 3,000 species of termites, and not only are most of them blind but they can’t eat their own food. They only use their wings to leave the nest and quickly find a mate, before a predator devours them both. Among those predators: humans, who eat them around the world (except the U.S.). The facts are never too much to digest, as Clark and Bryant usually stop to enjoy the larger, harder-to-understand words. But they also enjoy the creepiness of the creatures, spending plenty of time on their saliva. [DT]
Stuff You Missed In History Class: The Disappearance Of Judge Joseph Force Crater
Tracy V. Wilson and Holly Frey take a big risk on the topic of Joseph Crater’s 84-year-old disappearance, because there are few facts to comb through, but it pays off thanks to their reverential treatment of the mysteries surround the case. Crater’s disappearance in 1930 was the biggest American news story of its decade, second only to the disappearance of the Lindbergh baby. After destroying massive amounts of documents and instructing his clerk to withdraw a large sum of money, Crater ate dinner with his mistress, then vanished. The ensuing investigations uncovered a maze of corruption and eyebrow-raising associations with showgirls. Frey and Wilson play all angles, though, and don’t let the media fanaticism of that bygone era push them to any conclusions. There is no closure to the story, but it makes a more than satisfying 30-minute listen. [DT]
WTF #474: Tom Arnold
Tom Arnold is a steamroller that Marc Maron can barely control. Most of Arnold’s early career and Roseanne stories have been told many times before—Maron barely gets a few questions in about various projects like James Cameron’s True Lies. (And it’s a shame they couldn’t talk about a deep cut like McHale’s Navy.) But what’s unique about his interview on WTF is that Arnold shares details of his harrowing childhood, from his physically abusive stepmother to sexual abuse from a serial pedophile in his Iowa hometown. He’s not bitter or broken about the way his childhood affected his life, or ashamed of his drug problems and relapse. Instead, he’s a happy-go-lucky hooligan eager to share as much of his story as possible. Arnold may not have films or a sports roundtable talk show to fall back on anymore, but he’s still got the same jovial attitude he’s always exuded on-screen. [KM]
THE REST
Book Fight! Writers Ask: Spies Like Us
This Writers Ask episode examines a recent essay that appeared in the Chronicle Of Higher Education about how the Iowa Writers’ Workshop—and the proliferation of second- (and third- and fourth-) generation Workshop MFA programs—has “flattened” contemporary literature into a homogenized assembly line. The hosts are both graduates of said Workshop, so their take is pretty predictable. [ABa]
Book Fight! AWP 2014: Reports From The Writer-Industrial Complex
This week Tom McAllister also provides two dispatches from this year’s Association Of Writers And Writing Programs’ (AWP) national conference in Seattle. But unless listeners are writers or working for lit media, they’re a little too niche in the topics to recommend wholeheartedly. [ABa]
Doug Loves Movies: Graham Elwood, Megan Neuringer, and Samm Levine
Doug Benson notes that the Burbank audience seems way more amped and enthusiastic than the typical UCB crowd. Unfortunately, that audience is then treated to a chat portion that fails to find a satisfying thread of conversation. [MS]
How Was Your Week #156: Jake Fogelnest “Karen O-scars”
Jake Fogelnest is a warm and engaging guest, but his conversation with Julie Klausner relies heavily on inside jokes and references among the two friends and can’t make up for an oddly mean-spirited monologue. [AH]
Improv4Humans #122: Ben Lee & The Seeing-Eye Lizards: Ben Lee, Sean Conroy, Eugene Cordero, Danielle Schneider
Instead of taking suggestions and telling stories, this week the scenes are built off the music of Ben Lee, who is live in the studio. Unfortunately, this doesn’t work as well as it could. Many scenes start with no clear link to the source, and Sean Conroy and Eugene Cordero are all practically MIA. [MK]
Judge John Hodgman #149: Honk If You Love Justice
Padded with tangential conversation, an open-and-shut case takes up the bulk of this short episode as Hodgman hears about Adam, who honks at bad drivers, even when he’s in the passenger’s seat. A second blink-and-you-miss-it ruling about an obsolete cell phone might have made a more substantial discussion. [DXF]
Nerdist #483: St. Vincent
This episode feels more like a conversation that Chris Hardwick has with Jonah Ray while Annie Clark occasionally joins in rather than an actual conversation with Clark. [MS]
Sound Opinions #431: Sly & The Family Stone
Sly Stone may have re-emerged to play a few shows and release a few new tracks, but his most recent tour was cancelled before it even started. Cynthia Robinson and Jerry Martini provide historical context for the band during an interview, but it’s just not the same as getting the man himself. [KM]
Stuff You Should Know: What Happened At Kent State?
This episode may be incredibly powerful to those unfamiliar with the protests, but so much time is spent joking around about violence that it may also make some listeners slightly uneasy. [DT]
Stuff You Missed In History Class: The Brotherhood Of The Sleeping Car Porters
Although this story of the 1920s labor movement is a valuable civil-rights tale, its reliance on bookkeeping facts makes it frustratingly dry. [DT]
Who Charted? #169: Jaws Is Better
Listen as Howard Kremer asks comedian Aparna Nancherla such riveting questions such as whether her parents practice medicine in a hospital or privately. [MS]
WTF #473: Jon Ronson
Non-fiction author Jon Ronson hits on some really interesting ideas with Marc Maron, but despite the episode’s lengthiness, it still feels like the two only ever scratch the surface of them all. [CG]
You Made It Weird #196: Jennette McCurdy
Nickelodeon star Jennette McCurdy is definitely bright enough to engage in the kind of deep discussions Pete Holmes favors, but none of the topics they hit on really sticks. [ABe]