My Pod Week: Week ending 3/30/2014

Mike Flinn (@realmikeflinn) isn’t just a podcast producer and engineer; he’s also an avid fan of the form. “My Pod Week” recaps and reviews the many varied comedy podcasts Flinn listened to or attended live tapings of during the previous week. Enjoy!

STEVE AGEE: UHHH (episode 37)
Ever got drunk and had the spins? Just imagine a 24-hour stretch of that feeling. Oh, and don’t close your eyes because that makes it worse. Comedian Steve Agee and actor Adam Goldberg talk about vertigo; the topic is serious but the mood is light. After meeting through the Vine app, they found that they both deal with mild-to-severe vertigo and anxiety. The pair break down the symptoms and effects that they deal with on a regular basis. Steve writes “death notes” to his loved ones before bed and one time Adam had to walk out of a Broadway play because of his panic but now seems to have found a few medications that provide temporary calm. It helps to talk about it, people. You can hear a little relief in between the lines. This episode spawned a child in the form of a Tumblr page that I’m now addicted to. The guys update their health status and it makes for an interesting read. Check it out: https://isopanacea.tumblr.com/

JOHN CAPARULO & JAMIE CAPARULO’S DOMESTIC DISPUTES (episode 5)

John and his wife Jamie Caparulo talk about sex on this episode. They also cover some scary drinking exploits. John tells a tale of sheer depravity from his days as a doorman at The Comedy Store, intoxicated Hollywood institution legendary for its “Legend.” If you love these behind-the-curtain stories like I do, you won’t want to miss this. John won’t name names, so as I’m listening I’m casting the scene in my head with well-known 90’s comedians on the decline. DO NOT listen while eating, but do listen. Jamie willingly reveals things from her past that most people would be uptight about. After hearing this podcast I can’t help but think that John found the perfect co-host for his life. They really do seem like a nice couple.

“I think I was kind of a compulsive liar to be honest”. – Jamie Caparulo

THE K OHLE (episode 43)

Comedian Kurt Braunohler has a multi-format podcast. Braunohler rotates his formats and so far he has The Boat Show (The Best Non-Boating Boat Show on the Internet), Get Lost! which involves abduction and release, and FactTime with co-host Matt Oberg, where they investigate improvised stories from comedians and apply faulty scientific theories.  #43 was PET-o-Philia. Kurt and Doug Benson explore the animal kingdom together, and I learned a few disturbing fun facts from this episode. One, elephants will sometimes use their trunks to caress the inside of each others’ mouths and also the genitals. I don’t know if I’m more disturbed by the fact that they don’t sanitize between caresses or that their trunk is also a nose. Two, a Colorado woman breastfed a puppy to save its life (not just for fun). Doug also shared a heartwarming story about the late canine actor Duck “Doug” Silverman from The Sarah Silverman Program.

WARNING: The following contains adult language and bone crushing violence.

THE CRABFEAST (episode 91)

Jay Larson and Ryan Sickler are hilarious storytellers that seem to be having more fun than anyone in podcasting. They are joined by comedian Murray Valeriano host of the ROAD STORIES podcast. Murray told a tale involving hot bacon grease and glass that made his kidney stone pain seem like a gentle breeze on a warm summers day. He also played football with the guys from JACKASS and got some scar tissue to remember them by. Ryan confessed to breaking a schoolkid’s hand with a textbook and Jay had a great story about an accident on a softball field that left an experienced athlete looking like a Civil War vet. At the 31:10 mark, Jay’s mother falls off a ladder and 98-year-old Auntie Rue gives some unwanted post-op care. This show is the best way to start a Toozdee morning.

DAVE HILL’s PODCASTING INCIDENT (episode 84)

A jetlagged Dave Hill reports from the Melbourne International Comedy Festival in  Melbourne, Australia. In addition to hosting this podcast he also hosts The Goddamn Dave Hill Show on WFMU. Dave is an actor, musician, and author. It’s a pleasure to hear him read from his book “Tasteful Nudes” for the first time ever on a podcast. The chapter he read was about a boat trip with nudists. He was asked to report on the trip for a radio show. Prior to the trip his imagination ran wild about the sexy nude women with free spirits. Under the harsh light of reality he found only disappointment and gray pubes. Dave’s observations about his experience are colorful and funny. “What about erections”? Dave asked. “What about them”? Said Ron the event organizer. “Are they frowned upon”? This episode was mellow and enjoyable. Take your clothes off and give it a listen.

GELMANIA (episode XXII: The Dark Land)

Brent Gelman’s new podcast GELMANIA is a unique piece of work worth checking out. You might know Gelman from Eagleheart on Adult Swim, HBO’s Funny Or Die, or his recent appearance on Comedy Central’s Kroll Show. With a digitally modified voice Gelman starts the podcast with what sounds like some free form poetry about the infinity of love. Cut to a Kaufman-style performance art rant taped in front of a live audience at THE VIRGIL (the Super Serious Show) in Los Angeles. Gelman follows that with a rap song called Pussy Boy (Pussy Mix) “..my dick ain’t noth’n but a fuck’n pussy toy if I was gentile I’d be a fuck’n pussy goy but I’m semitic that means I yell out pussy oy…” If you need a break from the comedian-interviewing-comedian format, GELMANIA resides not on the opposite end of the spectrum but in another dimension entirely.

Mike Flinn is a podcast producer/engineer based in West Hollywood, Calif., for All Things Comedy. The views expressed in My Pod Week are purely his own.

Mike Flinn

After a brief and unsuccessful attempt at a conventional education Mike Flinn started a band in his hometown of San Diego, CA. In 1998 he moved to the San Francisco Bay area and founded Back From Booze Hell zine. It was a collaborative effort dispensing equal doses of pop culture and prose, and made it's way into independent bookstores in the Bay Area, New York, and Los Angeles. Playing in bars and self publishing did not pay the bills. I held, I mean Flinn held many jobs during those years, most of them in warehouses. Like Bukowski without the talent. At some point Flinn walked off the job at Costco, breaking his mothers heart. Things get a little "hazy" around this time. He was an actor for a few years and then went back to songwriting and performing. Let's just skip ahead. When not playing with his iPhone or on a trip to Trader Joe's to pick up salads you'll find him watching live comedy in Los Angeles, recording podcasts, and writing.

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