Fun’s Jack Antonoff and “Weird Al” Yankovic talk fame and gallbladders

Podmass comments and suggestions for future coverage can be directed to [email protected].

Quotes of the week

“People say releasing an album is like giving birth, but it’s more like having a gallbladder operation.” —“Weird Al” Yankovic, Comedy Bang! Bang!

New (To Us)

The Archers Omnibus
The Archers is anything but new—it’s one of the U.K.’s longest-running radio shows, having aired continuously since 1950. It began as an educational drama for farmers; it lost that bent long ago, and has become a timely reflection of everything from current events to the minutiae and messiness of everyday relationships. The Archers airs daily on BBC4; each 15-minute episode airs twice a day, and the Omnibus, which compiles the week’s episodes, runs every Sunday. That makes it as unavoidable as the daily news for most BBC4 radio listeners, and, love it or hate it, it’s become a kind of cultural touchstone in the U.K.

Despite taking place in the fictional Ambridge in rural England, the show has managed to stay relevant—recently, the characters were watching the World Cup, and other recent quandaries have included whether one character’s farm should get organic certification. Even though it would seem that a small town in rural England has little to offer in the way of universality, over time, listeners find themselves invested in the characters: getting furious at Tom Archer for leaving Kirsty at the altar, and being devastated when Nigel Pargetter fell off the roof, to fatal consequences, last year. Just like real life, it’s all about work and love, life and death.

In this week’s episode, Roy Tucker has a fling with his boss, but wants something more; Rob Titchener and Helen Archer deal with Rob’s toxic parents; Susan Carter spreads small-town gossip. It sounds far soapier than it is—it’s more a heightened version of reality than a who’s-sleeping-with-whom Technicolor absurdity—but the families of Ambridge have been through a lot during 60-plus years of daily shows. The Archers has a lot of heart, and it’s the perfect podcast to float in and out of. [LMB]

Outlier

The H.P. Lovecraft Literary Podcast
Known to many as a nervous racist who wrote about ancient evil, H.P. Lovecraft produced a well-loved library of tentacles and madness that is sometimes accused of being repetitive. And so it stands to reason that after over 200 episodes, hosts Chris Lackey and Chad Fifer would be running out of material. Thankfully, they use their podcast not only to discuss the complete works of Lovecraft, but also of H. G. Wells and contemporary works inspired by Lovecraft’s work. Having kept their podcast afloat for over four years, Lackey and Fifer may be on the nerdy side, but they are incredibly self-aware. As writers and performers who have both worked in the entertainment industry they treat the podcast as an opportunity to lure in anyone curious about strange and unusual literature. Most episodes are hidden behind a paywall, but sample episodes are available on a regular basis, and their site provides free readings of Lovecraft’s work that are well produced and legitimately fun listens on their own. [DT]

The best

Book Fight! Summer Of Shorts #4: Edward Porter And Cargo Shorts
Barrelhouse founding editor and this week’s guest co-host Dave Housley saves this episode from devolving into silliness early on. After about 15 minutes on the nature of cargo shorts, this week’s discussion turns to Edward Porter’s “The White Guy’s Guide To Marrying A Black Woman,” which was also featured in Barrelhouse magazine’s issue 11. The three readily admit that judging purely from the title, they were hesitant to give this story a chance. There are just so many ways the conceit could go disastrously wrong. Yet, despite the gimmicky how-to title, the editors agree that the story succeeds surprisingly well; one of them even teaches it in his literature class and acknowledges its literary predecessors, Lorrie Moore’s “How To Be An Other Woman” and Junot Díaz’s “How To Date A Brown Girl (Black Girl, White Girl Or Halfie)”—pronounced “JEW-no,” not “WHO-not.” Having said that, they spend far too much time discussing Tyler Perry movies for a group of men who admit to having never seen a Tyler Perry movie. [AB]

Comedy Bang! Bang! #299: Don’t Hack the SAC: “Weird Al” Yankovic, Claudia O’Doherty
Commutes last Monday were a little bleaker than usual for a good portion of the podcast-listening world as Comedy Bang! Bang! pushed back its release to coincide with some mystery event. But that event was the release of a new album by O.G. friend of the show “Weird Al” Yankovic, and the perfection of the episode more than makes up for the wait. It’s essentially a listening party for Mandatory Fun with snippets of songs, but the effortless rapport between Yankovic and Scott Aukerman also yields a surprisingly insightful interview too. However, it’s the debut of Australian comedian Claudia O’Doherty that truly elevates the episode. After winning an unusual trip to Universal Studios, she swings by the Comedy Bang! Bang! studio with understated hilarity, quite possibly the most charming accent ever, and the idea for an exciting new startup that supplies the show with some of its best recent riffing on record. [TK]

The Cracked Podcast #40: Your Memory Is A Filthy Liar: Jason Pargin
Jack O’Brien connects with writer Jason Pargin for a fascinating and dense one-on-one discussion on how unreliable the human memory actually is and how we trust our memory more than we should. O’Brien and Pargin dissect the inherent ridiculousness behind the myth of the “photographic memory” as well as the uselessness behind constructing mugshots based on eyewitness accounts. The highlight of the discussion comes when O’Brien and Pargin discuss shared cultural memories that are actually false, such as the common memory of seeing the first plane hit the World Trade Center despite the fact that it wasn’t actually televised. It’s an endlessly fascinating discussion that could easily have lasted twice the one hour and 22 minute running time. [MS]

Doug Loves Movies: Jillian Bell, Phil Lord, Chris Miller
Doug Benson has been hinting that this week’s Upright Citizens Brigade show would be particularly awesome, and he delivers to a packed house with The Lego Movie co-writers and directors Phil Lord and Chris Miller, as well as 22 Jump Street star Jillian Bell. To keep things positive, a quick round of Love, Like, Hate, Hate-Like is reduced to just Love, but it’s primarily a starting point to chat and riff about co-stars. Even though everyone is a first-time player, it’s a surprisingly tight episode, and Lord and Miller provide one of the most entertaining prize bag contributions to-date: children’s audience comment cards for Cloudy With A Chance Of Meatballs. It’s fun to think that somewhere in Hollywood a few years ago a handful of executives were pouring over scribbled responses to “What did you like about the movie?” like “colors” and “giant pancake,” and trying to factor in a kid’s reaction not liking “when she got fat.” No one does especially well during The Leonard Maltin Game, though some long awaiting categories finally get picked, and “Mark Wahlberg” (Daniel Van Kirk) drops by for a quick visit and some Jillian Bell flirting. [DJ]

Filmspotting #499: Snowpiercer / Top 5 Magic Realism Moments / Mood Indigo
In many ways, Adam Kempenaar and Josh Larsen’s favorite magical realism moments were attempts in and of themselves to define this week’s list theme. Unlike on the page, where every action is filtered through the author’s not-entirely-reliable voice and a trickle of blood can stream with agency across town without rupturing believability, on the screen each image carries the weight of reality. So, separating magical realism from the supernatural, fantasy, whimsy, or just plain silliness becomes a more daunting task. Does Michael Haneke’s universal remote control scene from Funny Games deserve the designation any more than Edgar Wright’s video game-inspired fight scenes from Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World? And are either better examples than the frogs that rain down upon the San Fernando Valley in Paul Thomas Anderson’s Magnolia. Moments of magical realism are themselves ephemeral, so it makes sense that attempts to pin them down would be as well. [DD]

The Flop House #156: 3 Days To Kill
Because the regular Flop House hosts’ chemistry is so perfectly constructed it’s also somewhat delicate, and as a result guest co-hosts brought onto the show can be a bit of a mixed bag, their success entirely contingent upon just how well he or she fits in with the others’ well-established personae. For better or worse (but mostly worse) Daily Show correspondent Jessica Williams dodges that bullet during their 3 Days To Kill discussion by barely talking at all, and it’s hard not to feel slightly bad for her for even showing up. Meanwhile the Original Peaches are in typical fine form—there’s no show-stopping, centerpiece, instant classic, deeply absurd tangent to speak of, but instead just steady, casual, surface-level goofy riffing that happens to be consistently hilarious. It’s not their greatest episode, but it’s a must-listen nonetheless. [CG]

Harmontown #107: Clever Girl
Titled after the same Jurassic Park line also randomly referenced during this week’s Comedy Bang! Bang!, this episode of Harmontown covers nearly as much ground as a Stan Winston brachiosaur. First, Dan Harmon shares more tips from couples therapy (this time on the anatomy of a proper apology), then the gang visit two separate corners: one last hysterical Sports Corner on the World Cup and another installment in Erin McGathy’s beloved Game Corner. This week, McGathy enlists a pair of audience members to play an impressive game of “Harmonized Impressions”—one that Jeff Davis arguably should’ve won for his uncanny foghorn impersonation. After exploring tangents on potential tattoos, homemade cereal, and DNA sequencing, Dungeon master Spencer Crittenden (clearly enjoying the effects of his new vaporizer) assures everyone of the existence of Chinese murder vans, while Harmon tries in vain to let sleeping dragons lie in a pseudo-philosophical round of D&D. [TK]

Hollywood Handbook #41: Jason Nash
Filmmaker and comedian Jason Nash has a lot of fun dishing on the cast of his new film Jason Nash Is Married (Andy Richter, voracious cokehead; Paul F. Tompkins, unrepentant pussy hound) and pitching his new bathroom mirror movie, in which he plays all the characters. But the real highlight of the episode comes earlier in Hayes Davenport and Sean Clements’ delightfully condescending and petulant response to an iTunes user’s one-star review of the show. It is possible that, as Mr. British Petroleum suggests, the hosts’ schtick might one day get old. But their boorish behavior retains its charm for now. Maybe because, even while behaving like unrelenting D-bags, Davenport and Clements always sound just on the verge of breaking character and bursting into laughter. The performer’s level of enjoyment goes a long way toward setting the tone for an audience, and these guys really seem to be relishing their assholery. [DD]

Judge John Hodgman #169: Hunter Gaveler
This week’s episode could be a Christopher Guest-style faux-documentary. Couple Claire and Brian are moving to the country. Wife Claire thinks their rural property should be a place of peace, where they can commune with nature, complete with a second garden to feed local animals. Brian isn’t a hunter, but he’s thinking about taking it up, because it seems like a nifty opportunity to “indulge the primal instinct of it all.” Claire isn’t vegan, and she enjoys eating meat, and she “can appreciate the beauty and poetry” of the interdependent relationship between man and wild beasts. Both halves of the couple are fascinated by how the decision will reflect on their personal mythology. Hunter-journalist provides expert testimony, and the conversation about whether this potential pastime is “a passion” or “bloodlust” is one of subtle hilarities. [DXF]

The Mental Illness Happy Hour #182: Pia Glenn
It’s difficult to find a more compelling conversation than Mental Illness Happy Hour episodes when Paul Gilmartin connects with one of his guests. The bonding seems to happen quickly in this conversation with writer/performer Pia Glenn, who shares Gilmartin’s troubled history with a mentally ill mother. The pair seem to connect on a deeper level than just a difficult upbringing, as they talk about their ongoing struggles with anxiety and self-worth. Glenn is a particularly adept storyteller who sounds extremely comfortable expressing the results of some deep emotional scars, including those inflicted by a mother who once had her falsely institutionalized. Gilmartin worries that he interjects too often during the discussion, but both participants sound genuinely relieved to find a kindred spirit in one another. It’s a solid installment that should be among the most absorbing listens of the week. [TC]

Nerdist #546: Alexis Ohanian
Chris Hardwick seems to really come alive when he gets to sit down with a luminary of tech, science, the Internet or anyone else who can truly be considered nerdy. Throughout this conversation, Hardwick can barely contain his excitement over the clearly budding friendship between Reddit co-founder and tech investor and all around wunderkind Alexis Ohanian. What makes this interview enjoyable is that Ohanian has a warmth and charisma that isn’t typically associated with other Internet pioneers, like, say, Mark Zuckerberg. Ohanian and Hardwick also have a great time bonding over the nonsensical point systems on both Reddit and Hardwick’s late night cable show, @midnight. [MS]

Nerdist #547: Carol Leifer
Even those unfamiliar with Carol Leifer will likely get a kick out of her charming conversation with Chris Hardwick. Leifer has plenty of stories from her long career as a stand-up, but more importantly she possesses an enjoyably brassy confidence that feels teleported in from another era—especially when she’s relaying tales of opening for The Beach Boys and Frank Sinatra. She later transitioned into a writing career on Seinfeld, and also shares stories about pitching in that intimidating environment. Leifer seems exceedingly comfortable on the podcast format and eager to learn more about Hardwick, giving the episode a nice give-and-take vibe that feels conversational but never tedious. Between the discussions of comedy, she and Hardwick also chat about their lives and careers in more philosophic ways as well. Interestingly, both draw inspiration from the easy-going confidence of Bryan Cranston. [CS]

Nerdist #548: Superego
Chris Hardwick sits down with members of the comedy podcast Superego, including Matt Gourley, Jeremy Carter, Mark McConville, and newly announced permanent member, Paul F. Tompkins. Since the podcast debuted in 2006, the group has been releasing episodes of improvised, absurdist comedy centered on psychological case studies. With five comedians (including Hardwick) recording together, this episode seems at first in danger of going off the rails. Thankfully, the group proves remarkably good at self-editing; they jump in and out of various improvised bits but never let any particular riff overstay its welcome. A thoughtful discussion of comedy gives this episode some weight and offers the comedians something to return to between bits. Throughout the hour-long episode, the guys show off their well-honed rhythms as they continually break out their best “old man” impressions. This episode is fun and funny with just enough substance to make it feel worthwhile. [CS]

Never Not Funny #1424: “Weird Al” Yankovic
“Weird Al” Yankovic’s attempt this week at complete domination of the Internet was buoyed by some visits to a few of the more popular podcasts out there, and this episode does have the whiff of media exhaustion from its guest. That’s not to say that Yankovic in any way rude or unwilling to play. He’s very game, as the comedy-music icon almost always is. He simply sounds like a guy who had an hour-long interview earlier that morning and has another one scheduled for after lunch. Jimmy Pardo and Matt Belknap try their best to make their talk less of a Q&A and more of a back-and-forth, and they succeed in large part. Among Yankovic’s best anecdotes are his truly bizarre formal request from Prince against making eye contact and Dick Clark’s brilliant advice for industry meetings that involves running away at the the first sign of the word “yes.” [DD]

99 Percent Invisible #123: Snowflake
There are a lot of kooky medical conditions out there, wrecking havoc on people’s lives and just generally going unrecognized by much of the medical community. Multiple chemical sensitivity (MCS) is one, and this week’s 99PI focuses on how a small Arizona community has adapted to meet the needs of its 40-odd hypersensitive residents. The lengths these people have to go through to live are certainly extreme—all their electronics are kept in a room that’s separate from their house, for instance, and they have to watch their TVs through thick glass windows—but 99PI does a good job at humanizing the issue, creating sympathy for the stricken rather than questioning whether or not MCS is a real condition, something that a lot of doctors disagree about. It’s a heart-wrenching look at the heinously difficult lives of some extremely troubled individuals. [ME]

Sklarbro Country #208: Spider On The Calming Shores : John Salley: James Adomian
Randy and Jason Sklar are always excited to have a professional athlete visit Sklarbro Country. However, given that John Salley is a retired NBA player, they are extra excited to share their often repeated theory of introducing a “no man” which is essentially the opposite of a yes man into the entourage of every professional basketball player. Salley is great interview but he especially shines during the Quick Hits portion of the show where he and the Sklars discuss the various ways New York and Chicago strips clubs are trying to lure NBA free agent Carmelo Anthony to sign with teams in their cities. [MS]

Sound Opinions #451: Rob Reiner & Spinal Tap
Jim DeRogatis and Greg Kot have never made bones about their adoration of “without a doubt the greatest rock ’n’ roll film ever,” This Is Spinal Tap. In anticipation of an upcoming Sound Opinions At The Movies screening of the film, Spinal Tap scholars DeRogatis and Kot meet with director Rob Reiner to pick his brain and shoot the breeze about their favorite flick. Reiner graciously accepts their heaps of praise and illuminates the process the band went through on its rise, from being a throwaway bit on a failed late ’70s sketch show turned feature flop to the worldwide phenomenon it became. The interview is an excellent gateway into the cult of Spinal Tap, and experts will enjoy the “burning questions” DeRogatis and Kot pose to the director. The feature is bookended by the expected eulogization of Tommy Ramone and a panning of Morrissey’s new record. [NJ]

Stuff You Missed In History Class: The Doctor’s Riot Of 1788
Inspired by a recent episode of the grisly comedy/medical podcast Sawbones, hosts Tracy V. Wilson and Holly Frey decide to try a more historical perspective of cadaver study in the 18th century. Donating one’s body to science is a concept that was largely created some 200 years after the riot in 1778, riots inspired by the sacrilegious grave-robbing that was a large part of a doctor’s education. Doctors, in fact, were not the revered careers they are today, and so medical schools had to abhorrent things to cut up a body for even the most earnest experiments to improve human life. Wilson and Frey express plenty of sympathy for the shady resurrectionists, who were clearly doing the wrong thing by robbing graves. But the widespread and terrifyingly universal nature of these acts is not lost on them, and the story involves many fascinating political layers that listeners might not expect. [DT]

Welcome To Night Vale #50: Capital Campaign
Night Vale Community Radio resumes its usual broadcast. The town embarks on a community college capital campaign to fund a new science center for its students. Silvia Wickersham, an alum and recluse, makes a donation of thousands of small rabbits who wreak havoc over the college. The sheriff’s secret police attempt to confront Wickersham at her home, but find only a tree lizard in her place. The fluffy rabbits are donated to the Night Vale petting zoo, which, until then, only housed emaciated wolves. Cecil’s boyfriend and our favorite scientist, Carlos, is still missing. Cecil attempts to make reservations for new restaurant Tourniquet, which proves impossible. Dana, the station’s most successful past intern, approaches her inauguration as town mayor. Night Vale citizens are invited to shout their most outlandish beliefs during the ceremony and cannot face retribution during that day. [PM]

WTF #514: The Amazing Johnathan
Near the top of The Amazing Johnathan’s conversation with Marc Maron, Johnathan reveals that on account of his recent degenerative cardiomyopathy diagnosis he could quite literally die at any moment—“It’d be better than Gallagher walking out,” he says of the prospect of dropping dead at the WTF microphones. What follows is a conversation about comedy, drug use, and showbiz minutiae that is thoroughly entertaining, if a bit standard. It’s also completely, casually life-affirming. Johnathan clearly takes his prognosis very seriously, but that constant, nagging awareness of his own mortality neither paralyzes him with fear nor prompts him to make plans to go out in some grand fashion. Rather, he’s continuing to live his life just as he’s always lived it—save the cocaine and PCP use—by taking things one little moment by one little moment, which, as it turns out, is what life is actually about. [CG]

WTF #515: Jack Antonoff
Here were a few contenders for this review when the episode appeared to belong with the rest: “For everyone who wondered, ‘When is Marc gonna have the guitar player from fun. on the show and really delve into Steel Train’s development?’” and also “The Millennial’s Plight: Jack Antonoff struggles with fame, privilege, and Grammies.” But about halfway through, one cannot help but enjoy Antonoff’s self-awareness, poise, and all around great interview. Often featuring musicians of the rockin’ ilk, Maron drums up a friendly rapport with this prominent pop figure, if not occasionally adopting a paternal tone. Together, the two engage in a surprisingly affecting, poignant, and plain-stated discussion of grief and their experiences through the process. After a solid hour and a half of delving into drugs, panic, and success, an acoustic performance of “I Wanna Get Better” (Antonoff’s new single with solo project Bleachers) feels rich and revelatory. [JW]

You Made It Weird #216: Gentry Lee
In this week’s introduction, Pete Holmes implores fans not to pass over this episode simply because his guest’s name is not familiar to comedy fans. Unfortunately, one would have to imagine that anyone who was going to skip it likely wasn’t hearing that introduction. So, allow this review to second Holmes’ plea. This is a fantastic episode, and definitely not one to skip. Gentry Lee—a science-fiction author and aerospace engineer who oversaw the deployment of multiple rovers on Mars—is maybe the best, most jubilant advocate for scientific rationalism on the show yet. He’s the kind of guy who makes rigorous statistical analysis seems like a spiritual endeavor. To wit, in response to Holmes’s obvious dismay at how quickly he hand waves away the idea of an afterlife, he provides one of the most eloquent reason-based characterizations of the “miracle” of human life you’re likely to hear. Genuinely moving stuff. [DD]

The rest

Doug Loves Movies: Ngaio Bealum, “Mark Wahlberg,” Andy Wood
Even the dais teases Doug Benson about his lagging efforts to move along this Sacramento show, which feels like a little much at 90 minutes. As a plus, though, excellent improviser “Mark Wahlberg” (Daniel Van Kirk) gets a full guest seat and not just a pop-in visit. [DJ]

Hang Up And Listen: The Ohio Player Edition
Hang Up And Listen reminds listeners what’s great about the show with a thoughtful debate about the journalistic ethics of Sports Illustrated publishing LeBron James’ first-person account of his decision to return to Cleveland. Unfortunately, there’s even more time given to forgettable chatter about a memorable World Cup. [TC]

How Was Your Week #176: Scott King “False Chunk”
A good-natured chat between Julie Klausner and comedy writer Scott King focuses mostly on King’s career trajectory and the politics of writers’ rooms (with the exception of a very funny bit about the gay generation gap). The monologue, which features a long digression on Klausner’s ice cream eating habits, is similarly entertaining but not vital. [AH]

Improv4Humans #143: Gameface: Joe Wengert, Will Hines, Neil Casey, Mitch Magee
Something isn’t quite right in this week’s dud. Scenes get stuck one after another in unfunny directions and just keep going. Maybe it’s that the guests, who are all members of the Upright Citizens Brigade sketch team Gameface, aren’t the best fit here, because their improv chops are seriously lacking. [MK]

The Moth: Marika Hughes: The Drip
Death comes reigning down figuratively and raining down literally on musician Marika Hughes when liquid from her upstairs neighbor’s decomposing corpse soaks her in the middle of the night. It’s dramatic, deeply unpleasant, and ultimately, it’s about a woman finding a nice new apartment. Nope. [DJ]

Professor Blastoff #163: Writing: Diablo Cody
Completely out of character for Professor Blastoff, much of this episode is spent sharing anecdotes that have already been recently covered on the podcast. Juno and United States Of Tara creator Diablo Cody’s stories don’t do much to validate the conversation either. [NJ]

Song Exploder #14: Open Mike Eagle – Dark Comedy Morning Show (Feat. Toy Light)
This extra-short episode explores rapper Open Mike Eagle’s creation of “Dark Comedy Morning Show” and how his relationship with the song has evolved over time. There’s a nice interplay between Eagle and his producer Walker Ashby, and the care they put into the song is obvious, but the episode never quite coheres. [AH]

Stuff You Missed In History Class: Cosmetics From Ancient Egypt To The Modern World
At several points in this Stuff You Missed In History Class episode, Tracy V. Wilson and Holly Frey deviate from their research and discuss how ancient cosmetics may have affected gender and class roles throughout history. There’s also plenty of ingredients, toxic and creepy, that make this episode interesting. Sadly the amount of time covered makes the events breeze by before anything of depth can be discussed. [DT]

Stuff You Should Know: How In Vitro Fertilization Works
As scientific episodes go, Josh Clark and Chuck Bryant seem unusually loose when discussing in vitro fertilization. And the looseness does not lend itself to a casual vibe. The issue is that the hosts want to deliver a broader topic about reproductive technology, and while they cover fascinating facets of that technology, they tend not to narrow their focus. [DT]

Stuff You Should Know: How Sushi Works
Josh Clark and Chuck Bryant use this episode of Stuff You Should Know to thoroughly express their intense love of sushi, and so from moment one they proudly declare that this episode will make listeners long for their own taste of sushi. And while their stories are well researched, they actually suffer a bit from Clark and Bryant’s relentless cravings and constant assurances that everything they’re saying is delicious. [DT]

Who Charted? #189: Wide Fondly Brush: Horatio Sanz
Horatio Sanz makes a return appearance to the show. Unfortunately, this time around is a bit of a non-starter aside from the fact that he saves a good Saturday Night Live anecdote for the end of the episode. Otherwise, the episode never quite finds its footing. [MS]