The comedy podcast universe is ever expanding, not unlike the universe universe. We’re here to make it a bit smaller, a bit more manageable. There are a lot of great shows and each has a lot of great episodes, so we want to highlight the exceptional, the noteworthy. Each week our crack team of podcast enthusiasts and specialists and especially enthusiastic people will pick their favorites. We hope to have your ears permanently plugged with the best in aural comedy.
Crybabies - Jenny Slate, Elizabeth Hill
Elizabeth: After talking about music that makes them cry while working out with psychotherapist/spin instructor Elizabeth Hill, Susan Orlean and Sarah Thyre welcome actress, comedian, and huge crybaby Jenny Slate. Jenny hadn’t cried yet that day, but that quickly changes as they delve into the things that make her weep including a scene from The Tree of Life, the song “On the Street Where You Live†from My Fair Lady, and First Aid Kit’s “Cedar Lane.†Jenny also talks about her mom’s loom, how all her serious relationships were with people whose parents were psychotherapists, and sobbing in Asheville, North Carolina. The ladies also discuss marriage—from Jenny’s love role models, her grandparents to their own marriages, which range in length from 2 to 21 years—and how to keep it fresh (like by having sex in the bathroom of a Church’s Fried Chicken.) By the end you’ll be touched and probably wondering how many penises are on your subway car.
Don’t Ever Change - Brendon Walsh
Leigh: If you’re reading this you probably already know how many podcasts there are right now. Which is why it takes a truly unique concept for one to stand out and stay interesting. Don’t Ever Change gets it right. Each week host John Roy sits down with a comedian and finds out what they were like in high school, starting with the question “What were you doing when you were 14?†This week, Brendon Walsh is on the show to talk about growing up (and getting beat up) in Philly. Going from Catholic school to public school to getting kicked out of school, Walsh shares how figuring out pretty early on that threats of things going on his permanent record were bullshit seemed to get him into trouble growing up. While I’m probably very out of touch with what high school students are into these days, Don’t Ever Change always ends with what I think is some pretty good advice from the guest for kids in high school (make that for everyone, really). And this episode is no exception.
We Got This with Mark and Hal - Creamy or Crunchy Peanut Butter?
Marc: What do you do when you’re a regular cast member on a popular podcast that’s about to close down its phenomenal run? For Mark Gagliardi and Hal Lublin, fixtures on The Thrilling Adventure Hour (not to mention regular turns on Drunk History and Welcome to Night Vale) the answer is to gear up your own podcast. And so they have. This week marks Episode 4 of We Got This, where the two comedic actors and vocal artists match wits and absurdity to settle debates on the oddest of topics. The current edition looks at mankind’s classic struggle: Creamy or Crunchy Peanut Butter? The two gentlemen stray off topic and, when it does, their back-and-forth has a little of the feel of Mike and Tom Eat Snacks. Their interplay is pretty entertaining and, with episodes running just a tad over half an hour, if you have the bandwidth for a bit of goofiness in your podcast listening day, We Got This should fill it nicely.
[BRACKET!] - Cookies
Pablo: In honor of today’s Sweet 16 matchups, I’m writing about another sweet bracket: This week’s cookie-based episode of [BRACKET!], the podcast that ranks everything from action movie one-liners to fonts so hosts John Ryan Abbott, Cullen Jennings, Jesse Knowles, and Greg L. Mercer can debate their merits until only one is left standing. Like the real March Madness tournament, sometimes #1 seeds are taken out by clearly inferior teams, and sometimes Milano cookies are beaten in the first round which is straight up bullshit. Even if it was beaten by eventual winner chocolate chip cookies, it’s still bullshit. Along with guest Michaela Dietz, just about every type of cookie under the sun is judged, even web browser cookies, until the classic chocolate chip emerges as the victor. But I don’t know if I want to live in a world where corporate behemoth Nabisco and the all-powerful Girl Scout lobby have more influence than the good country folk at Pepperidge Farms.
Always Been Silly - Casey James Salengo
Marc: New York-based standups Brandon Scott Wolf and Anthony O’Connell have found a way to fill those off-stage hours. They’ve started the Always Been Silly podcast where they invite fellow comedians to come on the show and tell some remembered silly story from their lives. The latest installment features Casey James Salengo who story deals with how, at the age of 5 or so, he disrupted the dance recital of a girl several years his senior that he had a bit of a crush on. It seems Salengo invited himself on stage and proceeded to do his series of dance moves – which were nothing more than a collection of battle stances from Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. Someone from the local paper was in attendance and wrote an extensive story on the incident. The rest of the show takes off from there.
The Bitch Bible - Pretty Hurts
Kaitlynn: Host Jackie Schimmel is joined by the biggest “B†in her family, her cousin Joanna and their grandmother Gloria. The podcast has great intro/outro music which is short, sweet and very catchy. The term “Bitch†is a used as a term of endearment, a compliment instead of an insult. One could compare the meaning to the term Boss Ass Bitch: you are confident, in charge, and straight-up honest. The episode is the perfect length. It moves along quickly and Jackie has done her preparation. I wouldn’t hesitate to say it would be a great podcast to turn into video so us audience members can be the real judge whether Joanna really is (as she puts it) “skinny, pretty and dresses well.†You don’t have a chance to even reflect when Joanna tells the story of her first night out post-pregnancy where she drunkenly sprayed her friends with her breast milk. They seemingly fly through the whole realm of pop culture from the pros and cons of Gwyneth Paltrow, the Kardashians, Real Housewives, and playing fashion police. Grandma Gloria even utters the most straight-edged phrase that you have probably heard people mutter when describing their stance on drugs: “I’m high on life.â€
Other Podcasts We’re Listening To:
My Sexy Podcast - Drew Michael- A Man on the Pod!
We Know Nothing - Get Funnier
The Steven Brody Stevens Festival of Friendship - Burbank & Family Talk
The Bertcast - Russell Peters
Industry Standard - Norman Lear
Before You Were Funny - Sean Clements, Emily Heller, Paul Rust
The K Ohle - Get Lost with Nick Thune
Professor Blastoff - Advice with Molly Ringwald
Elizabeth Stamp is a writer living in Brooklyn, New York.
Pablo Goldstein is a writer from Los Angeles, CA.
Marc Hershon is host of Succotash, the Comedy Podcast Podcast and author of I Hate People!
Kaitlynn E-A Smith is a writer/creator and (somehow) MA fashion grad, born and living in Toronto.
Leigh Cesiro is a writer living in Brooklyn who only needs 10 minutes to solve any Law & Order: SVU episode.