In Podmass, The A.V. Club sifts through the ever-expanding world of podcasts and recommends 10–15 of the previous week’s best episodes. Have your own favorite? Let us know in the comments or at [email protected].
Affirmation Nation
New Beginnings
It’s been two long years since Bob Ducca’s inspirational podcast aired its last bite-sized episode. Seth Morris established himself early on as Scott Aukerman’s fictitious ex-stepfather on Comedy Bang! Bang!, and he’s been a beloved part of the show ever since. The constantly defeated Ducca struck out on his own and carved out a wonderful niche by recording weekly affirmations of brief, beautiful, rambling nonsense. This week’s surprise return plays with the show’s formula. The rambling nonsense is still there (he opens the show with a ritual sacrifice), but this time it goes long form and he’s joined by a guest. June Diane Raphael pops in as Carol Carawanna, a novice astrologist who is somehow as pathetically gross as Ducca. They happily discuss Ducca’s accidental trip to Burning Man where he made a number of new friends, with respect to Natasha Folklore, Miranda Stinkwood, Rosario Dawson, and Coyote Man, among others. Carawanna does most of the heavy story lifting, especially when talking about her tumultuous two year descent, as told by the stars. Things slow down to crawl as they labor through a bit about struggling with a horoscope app, and sputter out by the end, but the depressing 45 minutes with Ducca are ultimately well spent. [Matt Kodner]
The Art Of Wrestling
Cliff Compton
Colt Cabana doesn’t like having the same guest on his podcast more than once, maybe twice if it’s a good friend. The cult wrestler wants to avoid what he lewdly refers to as redundant conversations. This week’s episode with Cliff Compton marks the first third-timer to ever grace Cabana’s studio (apartment). More so than any other Art Of Wrestling guest, Compton—known as the greaser oddball Domino during his semi-notable run in the WWE—has created an entire persona around his AOW appearances. After appearing in the “monumental” episodes 18 and 59, Compton capitalized on the occasion and became known to a certain set as Mr. 1859. Those kind of off-kilter sensibilities are rare in the world of wrestling. The two chat about the show’s early days, and eventually about how insane it is to wrestle in the Congo. The episode’s high point comes when Compton lets loose a hilariously dark story he had been saving for this very occasion. Unfortunately, the show winds down before the two even get to discuss how they ended up in a KFC commercial together. Though it may be a long way off, a fourth appearance will be a future highlight for sure. [Matt Kodner]
Doug Loves Movies
Paul F. Tompkins, Ben Acker, Ben Blacker
Since the Godzilla spoiler grace-period has finally expired, this week’s L.A. Upright Citizens Brigade panel rips into the film for how much of a summer disappointment it was, namely how deceiving those Bryan Cranston-filled trailers were. Maybe it’s because this week features two courteous first-time guests, but there’s actually quite a bit of movie chatter. Thrilling Adventure Hour’s Ben Acker and Ben Blacker join Paul F. Tompkins for an uncommonly focused and easygoing episode. After some pre-game conversation about @midnight, the dais plays an inadvertent game of Last Man Stanton when debating some of Tom Cruise’s filmography. There isn’t enough time for any full side games, but Doug Benson manages to squeeze in three satisfying Leonard Maltin Game rounds. And a side note: Guests know what they’re getting into when they appear on Getting Doug With High, right? Benson mentions this week that following Matt Walsh’s polite retraction request, there is apparently now conversation about pulling Jack Black’s episode because of how over-high he becomes following a weed hiatus. So, public service announcement for non-stoner comics: Consider a dress rehearsal joint a day before showtime. [Dan Jakes]
Hound Tall
Harems
The latest podcast from comedian Moshe Kasher, Hound Tall is a comedic take on an educational town hall, with Kasher rounding up two comedy buddies and an expert of some sort to chat for an hour or so. (As Kasher puts it, it’s “a smart person and three idiots trying to make you laugh.”) For Harems, the show’s first episode, Kasher enlists Pete Holmes and Beth Stelling to chat up Jillian Lauren, author of several books about her time as part of the Sultan Of Brunei’s harem. Lauren’s tawdry tale is the perfect place for Hound Tall to start, as both Holmes and Kasher are instantly taken with the sexy details, while Stelling is more interested in the practicalities of Lauren’s life behind closed doors. (“Did they pay your rent while you were there?”) It makes for some interesting and hilarious riffs from all three comedians, who work well together, especially during Holmes and Stelling’s rendition of Aladdin’s “Prince Ali.” Holmes especially gets in some good digs about Lauren’s time with the Sultan, including lines about both the Guts Aggro-Crag and “being Jesused.” If Kasher continues to draw quality guests and hilarious pals, Hound Tall has the potential to become one of the most uniquely interesting podcasts around. [Marah Eakin]
Improv4humans
LIVE From L.A. Podfest 2014
Any fan of comedy podcasts who doesn’t subscribe to Matt Besser’s Improv4humans is missing out on some of, if not the best unadulterated comedic performances available outside of major club stages. This week’s all-star filled episode, recorded in front of a live audience at the second annual L.A. Podfest, offers an excellent entry point for new listeners. Founding Upright Citizens Brigade member Ian Roberts joins Besser, Horatio Sanz and Comedy Bang! Bang! regular Lauren Lapkus to field audience and Twitter suggestions for scenes. It’s fascinating to hear the differences between sets performed in front of an audience versus those in a studio—counterintuitive as it sounds, the lack of audience feedback during studio episodes seems to allow comics to dive deeper into absurd premises into wild, often hilarious tangents. Things still get delightfully weird this week. Knock-off superheroes come to a man’s rescue, a prostitute satisfies clients with asexual fetishes (“I want you to bite down on a TV guide while doing it”), and a Brechtian theater performs corpse puppet Ibsen based on a truly messed up commercial by Tomcat. Sanz is big on blue non sequiturs, but they help keep everyone on their toes. At this point, Lapkus is basically a queen Midas of any podcast episode she touches, and listening to her regularly hold her own with veterans, it’s easy to understand why. [Dan Jakes]
Inquiring Minds
Steven Pinker – The Science Behind Writing Well
This interview with Harvard professor and pop science writer Steven Pinker is the kind of thing many listeners may want to keep handy to send to pedantic editors, petty professors, and online grammar vigilantes. The author of The Sense Of Style: The Thinking Person’s Guide To Writing In The 21st Century walks Inquiring Minds co-host Chris Mooney through a gallery of unhelpful rules of style (proscriptions against split infinitives and ending sentences with prepositions) that have either outlived their usefulness or never had much to begin with. In doing so, he gets to the heart of what grammar rules are actually good for: helping people express their thoughts simply and succinctly in the written form. It should be noted that even some of the most liberal grammarians out there may not enjoy hearing Pinker’s thoughts on the fluid nature of language, as he defends the use of online writing slang and points out that every generation of writers has lamented the damage done to the written word by its subsequent generation. Anyone who’s had the chance to hear Pinker lecture on topics ranging from curse words to abstract concepts will know how much life he can breath into seemingly small topics. [Dennis DiClaudio]
99% Invisible
The Straight Line Is A Godless Line
The title of this episode of 99% Invisible comes from eccentric Austrian artist Tausendsassa Friedensreich Regentag Dunkelbunt Hundertwasser, whose name translates to the no-less ridiculous “Multi-Talented Peace-Filled Rainy Day Dark-Colored Hundred Waters.” What Hundertwasser means in his silly declaration is that all architecture and design is being rendered artless by the tyranny of straight lines. Reporter Luisa Beck is from a town in Germany where one of Hundertwasser’s most infamous buildings lies, and she combines archival audio of Hundertwasser with a current-day visit to this Green Citadel. The Citadel itself is a ridiculously asymmetrical, bright pink building covered inside and out with elaborate mosaic tile patterns that keep it looking curvy where a normal building would offer sharp modern corners. Some of Hundertwasser’s ideas make little to no sense (he proposed his Citadel building have indoor composting toilets, something investors successfully rallied against), but he still provided practical, reusable ideas and to this day he inspires legions of free thinkers. Yet, it’s Beck’s interviews with residents of the Citadel and her nearby grandparents that give the episode a light, goofy, human touch. Though the sound of the furious voice of Hundertwasser paints quite a clear picture, images of his work can be found on 99% Invisible’s website. [Dan Telfer]
No Such Thing As A Fish
No Such Thing As Man Eating Clam
This episode of There’s No Such Thing As A Fish opens with the decadent habits of Louis XVI of France. Louis XVI employed a morning routine that serves as a perfect example of why people view royals as non-functional caricatures: with over 100 people observing his every morning, he would wash his hands in wine, be kissed by his childhood nurse, and have courtiers assemble his various undergarments. And like every bit of research the hosts bring to the episode, it spins a huge amount of comedic tangents that fly by at an alarming rate. The idea of Louis XVI’s ceremony turns quickly to the world of micro-biomes and spins back to Louis XV’s annoyance when he inherited it all, then touches it, remarkably, back into the source of the word “silhouette” in its relation to Louis XIV. This then segues into remarkable facts about paintings, but it’s truly the back half of this episode that shines. Without giving away the best parts, there are some surprisingly melodramatic warnings of Victorian-era clam non-murders to share, as well as some origins for the modern counting system that are likely to melt some listener brains. This episode represents both No Such Thing As A Fish at its best, and what makes the show the hosts works for (Q.I.) brilliantly entertaining. Perhaps if the podcast can keep up this quality, a savvy executive will notice and its parent television show can be broadcast on BBC America some day. [Dan Telfer]