What I'm Listening To

Here's a little companion piece to the Summer Movies post I did an eternity ago, mostly about which podcasts I'm listening to. I'll throw in a bit on music at the end...

I'm a little surprised at how many podcasts I actually take in on a monthly basis. Most of these shows are weekly and last about an hour, and I can usually squeeze in a few during the day in between taking care of the kids and driving around doing errands. But unless I'm playing World of Warcraft, I have to give the 'cast my undivided attention; I can't concentrate on what's going on in the show and, say, read a magazine or surf the web. If I do that, I'll miss big chunks of the 'cast and find myself rewinding to hear what I missed. So I'm often dividing up each show, listening to part of it here, the rest of it there, etc..., which isn't ideal, but it doesn't take away my enjoyment, since the 'casts I listen to are almost always entertaining. These are all available on iTunes, and all are free to download.



THE B.S. REPORT It's a sports-related pod hosted by ESPN.com writer Bill Simmons. If you're not into sports, it's probably not for you. Also, if you're into sports, but not into pop culture references scattered throughout your sports, it's probably not for you.

DOUG LOVES MOVIES Comedian Doug Benson loves movies. Loves the shit out of them. His weekly show 'plops' on Fridays, and is usually recorded live in front of an audience at the UCB Theater in Los Angeles. He has guests (3 most of the time) that play the Leonard Maltin game, a kind of 'Name That Tune', but with movies. The guests range from awesome (Edgar Wright, John Lithgow, Paul F. Tompkins, Sarah Silverman, Scott Aukerman) to awful (Tig Notaro is terrible every time she's on), but Doug is almost always hilarious. My favorite show.

THE POD F. TOMPKAST One of the more...different shows here. You may remember Paul F. Tompkins from his time on MR. SHOW WITH BOB & DAVID (or not). I would never have guessed his podcast would be so damn fascinating and funny. It's a monthly show that started a little over a year ago, and it's worth downloading them all and listening to them in order because the show contains a serial called "The Great Undiscovered Project", featuring Ice-T, Andrew Lloyd Weber, Gary Marshall, John C. Reilly, The Cake Boss, and tons more...all voiced by Tompkins. That's just a small portion of the show, which also features bits from his live variety show, Paul's off-the-cuff ramblings, and a phone call to his pal, comedienne Jen Kirkman. I was shocked at how much I love this show.

WTF with MARC MARON Marc's a stand-up comic who's been doing it for about 25 years, along with a stint as the morning show host on Air America. I first saw him as the host of Short Attention Span Theater on Comedy Central back in the early 90's. He's kind of...dark. Anyway, he brings guests into his garage for interviews, usually fellow stand-ups. I was a little worried the show would get into the dreaded "what IS comedy?" territory*, but that's far from the reality of what happens. There are episodes that really surprise me, because I go in thinking "I'm really not that interested in this person", but Marc really pulls some cool stuff out of them. I'm thinking of guests like Ed Helms, Jimmy Fallon, Sandra Bernhard...nothing against any of them, but I never thought I'd enjoy spending an hour listening to them talk. My favorite's are the shows with Doug Benson, Kevin Smith, Louis C.K., Janeane Garofalo, and Demitri Martin. The Gallagher episode is a must listen.

THE SMODCAST NETWORK Kevin Smith's SMODcast shows are hit or miss for me. I love the original Smodcast, but that's because Scott Mosier may be the coolest person in the world. Kev & his wife Jen's show PLUS ONE is fun, but gets old real fast, as does TELL 'EM STEVE-DAVE. HOLLYWOOD BABYLON is a riot, featuring Kevin and L.A. radio personality Ralph Garman discussing all things entertainment in front of a live audience. I gave up on JAY & SILENT BOB GET OLD months ago, it just, well, got old.

There's a couple other shows I'll check in with occasionally, like SCRIPTNOTES, a screenwriting podcast, or the television-centric FIREBERG & ICEWALL, but those are the main podcasts I listen to.

Music wise, the only cd I've bought lately is Pickin' Up the Pieces by Fitz & the Tantrums, an awesome 60's soul-inspired disc that I can't stop listening to. And thanks to Mr. Trader, I've got a few TMBG albums to absorb as I get back into that band following their excellent show at the Pabst Theater in Milwaukee last month. Still buzzing about that show...


*"Comedy is the ability to make people laugh without making them puke." - Steve Martin