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This epi is really a mixed bag. No interview this time around, but plenty o' clippage. Including two of the biggest big names in show biz, stuff from across the pond in the UK. And a song — more or less — from past guest and Friend of the Succotash Fred Stoller, all about a podcast interview gone wrong.

Are podcasts changing the way people relate with each other? The more of them I listen to, the more I believe that it may turn out to be doing so, slowly but surely. We've got a clip from one show where a host returns after a stay in a mental health facility and I talk a bit about how such a thing used to be something shameful, not to be discussed. The way the others on the show treat the situation takes a lot of the gravitas out of the proceedings. (You may heard about comedian Todd Glass and his recent visit to Marc Maron's WTF podcast, where he chose to reveal that he is not a heterosexual. Again, a fascinating (and brave) approach to breaking social convention wide open.)

As trumpeted in the headline for this epi, our booth announcer Bill Haywatt returns for a Boozin' With Bill segment. His featured drink, "Life & Death", takes so long to prepare that we end up playing a couple of clips before drinking this most recent concoction. Follow the directions and prepare the recipe at your own risk.

You can now get Succotash all over yourself by patronizing our webstore and grabbing some of our merch over at the Succotashery. If you don't want to help us to keep the show going that way, perhaps you'd consider giving our Donate button a click and shoot us some bucks. It's right on our site, on the right.

Here's a rundown of this epi's clips. Click their titles for links to their home sites or check iTunes or Stitcher Smart Radio for the episodes...

Here's The Thing
Catch a few minutes of superstar actor Alec Baldwin, slumming in podcastland and interviewing superstar executive producer Lorne Michaels. Baldwin talks about his experience of hosting Michael's baby, Saturday Night Live, and does he say the writers raped him? You'll have to listen...

Illusionoid
This show is fast becoming a favorite of mine — some shows I listen to just for the clips, favorites I catch every week — and these Toronto-based improvisors (Paul Bates, Lee Smart and Nug Nahrgang) JUST took the coveted Globehead Improv Tournament championship for 2012. In this clip, they are joined by Whose Line Is It Anyway alum Colin Machrie.

The Last Podcaster Standing
As mentioned above, this clip earmarks an interesting milestone in comedy podcasting: A near-straight forward account with a regular kind of guy revealing the depths of the difficulty of dealing with everyday life. To the point where the guy — TK1 — checked himself into a mental hospital. His sympathetic-yet-laughing confederates on the show (Grant, Jason, Joe, Tom, and Stephanie) make his re-entry as painless as four cut-ups possibly can, one imagines.

Van Full Of Candy
The guys from VFOC are trying their hands (mouths?) at livecasting (as opposed to podcasting) and I happened to be privy to their "Episode Zero" test of the system over at Blog Talk Radio. So I called in to see how it was going.

I Am Idiot
Over in London,  three blokes (Howard, Keith and Ben) are I Am Idiot.They shot this clip over to me and most of the action deals with a little mind game they like to call "Impossible Choices".

Self-Help For Stoners
Author Robert "Chazz" Chute has turn the topic (and title) of one of his books, Self-Help For Stoners, in a platform (and title) for a podcast. Here we catch a blast from his Letters section. (Wonder if he's going to turn another of his tomes into podcast fodder? It's got a great title: Death & Mind Control (For Fun And Profit).

Nick Creeps On Peeps
There's a podcast for everything, as is proven by Nick Gauss, host/stalker of NCOP. In this clip, he's joined by one of his co-hosts from the other podcast he's involved with, Divided by Zero. In each edition, Nick stakes out some person to watch in a public place, then riffs on what they're doing and what their lives must be like.

Burst O' Durst
Or, rather, BURSTS O' Durst. We've got a double header this week — one in the first half, one in the second. Politicomic Will Durst supplies us with straight unadulterated comic views of first White House resident Barack Obama's State of the Union address and then the GOP Soap Opera that IS the run-up to this year's presidential election.

In addition to the clips, we've got promos from Chillpak Hollywood Hour, the UK's Badger's Briefcase, and The Thrilling Adventure Hour (with Superego). And, of course, a word from our perennial sponsor Henderson's Pants.

That's it. Fingers tired now. Go, friends, and pass the Succotash!

— Marc Hershon

Direct download: Succo_19_2_7_10.mp3
Category:Comedy -- posted at: 6:14 AM
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It's January, which is S.F. Sketchfest time in San Francisco. Now in it's 11th year, Sketchfest has bcome a Big Deal in the national sketch scene, taking place in multiple venues across the city with over a hundred shows. And with some very big names gracing the stage — this year bigger than ever —the festival has gained massive attention. That was one great reason to have Cole Stratton as our guest, as he is the co-founder and co-organizer of the event.

If you've never had a chance to check out S.F. Sketchfest and you're within driving distance of The City By The Bay, you should definitely try to get in to see at least one of the shows (if you can still get tickets - many of the bigger name shows sell out quick!) For the full lineup, hop over to http://SFSketchFest.com

The other great reason to have Cole on is that he's also the co-founder and co-host of Pop My Culture, a very popular podcast that's about ten years younger than Sketchfest. It made a bunch of Top 10 Podcast lists last year and just fell in as one of fleet of p'casts under the Nerdist banner. Cole and his co-host, Vanessa Ragland, make for an engaging team and have had an impressive lineup of comic and celebrity guests on their show.

It's always a little more fun for me to have a fellow podcaster on a Succotash 'sode (the last time was Epi8 with Rob Celli from What Duvet Said), because they're invited to chime in on the various clips that we feature. Normally we don't play as many clips when we interview a guest but, this being one of our out-of-Studio-P interviews means that the guiding hand of engineer/producer Joe Paulino wasn't there to keep me more professional. so we have ten clips, a Burst O' Durst, a classic Henderson's Pants commercial...and the episode runs 17 minutes over our usual one hour time.

We also have a Skypversation with Kelly Carlin, spoken word performer and friend-of-the-show, who is performing her show A Carlin Home Companion at S.F. Sketchfest on Friday, January 27th.

Succotash News: We have merchandise! What's a podcast, after all,without something to try to sell you? Now we have it! There's not much in the "Succotashery" so far — several styles of t-shirts, coffee mugs hats and some other stuff, all sporting the spiffy new Succotash logo. We'll bring more stuff online in the coming months but, for now, click on this link (or over on the ad on the side) and check out the swag!

Succotash Reminder: Yours truly is a contributing reviewer for This Week In Comedy Podcasting, Jesse Fox's delightful column at Splitsider.com. There's a fresh rack of the funniest and hottest comedy p'casts reviewed every week.

For a full lineup of who Cole and I talk about on this show, it's right here! (As always, just click on a show's title to be taken to their website. All the shows are available through iTunes. And some of them (including Succotash) can be found on your smartphone or tablet's Stitcher Smart Radio app.)

Pop My Culture
As is our custom whenever we have a fellow podcaster along, their show gets to ride shotgun. Cole Stratton and Vanessa Ragland's hot p'cast features guest comics, actors and celebrities chewing the fat about the latest trends, movies, music and media. The guest this clip is Jim Rash, familiar to fans of NBC TV's Community as Dean Pelton, and also co-writer of the hit movie The Descendants.

The Bugle
This fun news-based comedy show straddles the Atlantic with one host, John Oliver, based in New York and the other host, Andy Zaltzman, holding down the fort in England (where the show originates from.) Epi178 is a historic episode of sorts as it is the last one produced under the banner of the London TimesOnline. From here on out the lads are on their own (but if you already subscribe to The Bugle on iTunes, you should receive the new episodes without interruption.)

Never Not Funny
Fast n' furious Jimmy Pardo is the host of this long-running comedy podcasts - one of the firsts to get out there, actually. He's also got a pay-to-play model going for the "Pardcast", so you'll have to visit his site to get the whole magilla. You can sample every episode through a free 20 minute hunk that's up on iTunes, though.

Jordan, Jesse, Go!
Jesse Thorn
and Jordan Morris host fast-paced conversational show. Our guest, Cole Stratton, has worked with them a lot over the years and says they're as fun in person as they sound on their podcast. In this clip they're joined by "the Bitter Buddha", comedian Eddie Pepitone.

The Long Shot Podcast
Pepitone
again? Yep, only here he's on his home turf, where he is a regular along with Sean Conroy, Jamie Flam and Amber Kenny. This quartet often has a guest but, even when they done, they hold court and laugh it up about current events, disturbing dreams and pretty much anything their wide-ranging conversations turn up.

The Thrilling Adventure Hour
Our guest, Cole, has lots of good things to say about this imaginative show, which is a monthly comedy staple in Los Angeles as a live stage show. Done in the motif of an old-time scripted radio, the cast and their slate of impressive guests consistently deliver a great listen. And since it's meant to be a radio offering, it's translation from stage to podcast is dead on.

You Made It Weird
Comic Pete Holmes and his show is now part of the Nerdist network of podcastery. Patterned in the spirit of Marc Maron's WTF show, Holmes has a knack for making his guests (often fellow comedians) feel a little uncomfortable at some point in the show but seems to usually all end in laughter. Here he talks with the very funny Nick Kroll. (Side note brought up by our guest this week: Holmes is the voice of the E-Trade baby on the TV commercials!)

Pod F. Tompkast
We've featured this very creative show before and with good reason - host Paul F. Tompkins is one of the funniest, fastest and inventive comedians around. The scripted longform material performed on the Tompkast is difficult to do justice to in the time we have, so do yourself a favor and grab a full show soon.

This My Show
Podcaster Jeremy Wein is a tribute to the idea that if you want to do a podcast, just go ahead and do it. He's not a comedian himself but he's managed to crack the code to get a lot of funny people to sit still with him long enough to do a decent interview. Here's he's caught up with NBC-TV's Parks & Recreation's Aziz Ansari.
(Apologies to Jeremy - in the episode, I give out his site as ThisMyShow.com...it's actually ThisMyShow.NET)

Big Pop Fun
Another Nerdist family podcast? Yeah, I'm not sure why they're so prevalent on Succotash this episode — I swear there's no payola involved (but a fellow can dream, can't he?) — but they do have a quality lineup over there. This one is a young p'cast, hosted by veteran comedian Tom Wilson, most famous for his role as Biff (and Buford) Tannen in the Back To The Future movies. He's also a good interviewer as you can hear in his 3-part chat with comedian/writer/director Steve Oedekerk.

We close out the show with our Burst O' Durst feature, faithfully supplied to us by the politically bent comedy stylings of Will Durst.

That's it for this batch. Write me sometime at marc@SuccotashShow.com and let me know what's on your mind. You can also call into the Succotash Hotline at (818) 921-7212 and sound off about something you've heard or something you want to hear.

Thanks for listening! (You are listening, aren't you?) Don't forget to pass the Succotash!

— Marc Hershon

Direct download: Succotash_18_012112.mp3
Category:Comedy -- posted at: 8:28 PM
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Back with producer Joe Paulino in Studio P for this New Year kickoff show! Succotash Epi 17 is stuffed full o' clips, this time a look back at some of my personal favorite p'casts. But we're only retreading a couple of cuts — I've selected a bunch of recent clips from amongst the podcasts I tend to listen to most (when I'm not scanning, scrolling and slicing up bits n' pieces of the known and unknown p'casts that have yet to grace our show...)

2011 was a banner year for Succotash, mainly because we kicked this whole mess off last April. Our first lucky break was getting a kickass theme song provided to us by our musical director Scott Carvey. And we've gotten a lot of nice ratings on iTunes (but we can always use more!), kindly comments on Twitter, got picked up by Stitcher Smart Radio, and yours truly started contributing reviews weekly to This Week In Comedy Podcasting over on Splitsider.com.

On the downside, we have yet to attract a sponsor (besides Henderson's Pants who, between you and me, doesn't pay us squat), which led to the brilliant idea of trying out being listener supported. While I'd love to be able to say this is your Succotash, not a single soul has clicked over there on the sponsor button since we put it up. Which means this is still my Succotash, damn it!

We're sure glad you're listening, of course, and we welcome your emails, tweets, and voicemails called into our Succotash hotline (1-818-921-7212). We're looking forward to an amazing 2012 — in addition to our usual lineup of funny, new, and interesting podcast clips from around the internet, we're looking into doing some live shows, hooking you up with some more amazing interviews, and just having a whole lot more fun before the Mayan prophesy takes over and kicks our butts in December...

Here's what we're serving up this episode:

Affirmation Nation
Can I play too much of Bob Ducca? I think not. To prove it, here's a rundown of everybody's favorite ex-stepdad with a list of his New Year's resolutions. Seth Morris kicked off this series over on Earwolf this year and the world's never been a brighter yet sad sackier place.

Comedy Bang Bang
Another offering from Earwolf — this time from one of its founders and operating partners, Scott Aukerman — CBB changed its handle from Comedy Death Ray Radio this past year but has retained its commitment to keep providing warped, weird and funny stuff thundering down the pipeline.

The David Feldman Radio Show
Ringmaster David Feldman is an old buddy of mine from his San Francisco standup days, but that's not why we feature him on Succotash. It's because his show is inventive, funny and often hard-hitting when it comes to taking the world's politicobankstershitheads down a peg or five.

Fitzdog Radio
There's something endearing about Greg Fitzsimmon's sincerity even when his humor gets biting. He has few qualms when it comes to exposing his own faults to his audience, a disarming quality which tends to make his guests open up (probably more than they were expecting to.) This clip is a sample of him at his soul-bearing best.

Mike And Tom Eat Snacks
I probably play clips from MATES more than is good for me, just from a calorie intake standpoint alone. But the repartee between hosts Michael Ian Black and Tom Cavanagh, based around the simple notion of picking, tasting and rating snacks, is unique in the realm of podcastery and always makes me laugh out loud even when I'm by myself, which is vaguely disturbing.

Succotash
What?! Yes, I'm narcissistic enough to think some of the shit we do on this show is hilarious. Witness one of our Boozin' With Bill segments. Or any of the Henderson's Pants commercials. Then, of course, our occasional guests can rip the place up. One of our most pointed-out pieces is from Epi3, when Dana Carvey was our in-studio guest and we got a call from Sir Paul (no last names, please...)

Superego
I only discovered Superego this year - they've been around for a few - and I'm glad I did. Rooted in improv, this four-man team is always joined by a crew of some of LA's funniest improv, sketch and standup performers. And they never fail to throw together some stunning audio comedy.

This Week With Larry Miller
I've been a fan of standup comedian Larry Miller since he first worked a week headlining at Seattle's The Comedy Underground, which I managed in the mid-80's. His podcast has already had over a million downloads and it's a delight to see this raconteur storyteller capturing the attention spans of some younger listeners who have maybe never seen him on stage.

What The Fuck
Arguably the hottest podcast on the interwebs for the past couple of years, Marc Maron and his combination of manic self-introspection and probing, insightful interview style makes for a thoroughly entertaining show. Grab you some right here.

Burst O' Durst
We round out the first show of the year with a shot from our regular contributor, raging moderate politcal wag and wit Will Durst. He started shooting his reports to us early in our inception and continues to be a terrific flagpole in our comedy podcast bigtop.

That's quite a little lineup for you - hope it keeps you sated until the next epi is served up. Next time we'll have an interview from an old comedy chum and a bunch of fresh clips from show we haven't featured before. Until then, please remember to pass the Succotash!

Direct download: Succotash_17_011012.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 8:13 AM
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Apologies in advance to anyone who believed me when, during the last edition of Succotash - that would be Epi15, that there was going to be a "regular" clip-heavy version this time. As luck, the Fates and some long-ago reserved vacation time would have it, I'm vacationing in Honolulu, Hawaii, as I both record this epi and bang out this blog entry. Since, therefore, I'm about 2400 miles from my beloved Studio P (and my equally beloved executive producer Joe Paulino and his audio magicianship), I'm opting to run an interview as the core of this edition.

Jon Manfrellotti
It's a great interview with a longtime friend of mine, comedian/actor Jon Manfrellotti. You might recognize him from his recurring roles on TV, either as Gianni on Everybody Loves Raymond or as Manfro, the bookie from Men Of A Certain Age. I talked to Jon about his standup career as well as his acting work, then we also veer into his favorite hobby: playing guitar. There are parallels between getting into a comedy career and starting a podcast, as well as maintaining both, and we hit on that a little bit, too.

In addition to the interview, I do manage to get in five podcast clips and a Burst O' Durst, so it's like presents under the tree. I even run 15 minutes over with this episode to give you a little extra Succotash for the holidays!

Here's who's up this time around...

One of my favorite podcasts to come on the scene this year is Seth Morris' character of Bob Ducca and his short daily attempts to make life just a little bit better. Check out Bob's Christmas wish list, then go catch him over on Earwolf.com and on iTunes.

Podcasting is a great medium for audio sketches and you'll find the folks behind theWrong Foot Podcast stretching the envelope. They can be found at WrongFoot.net and on iTunes.

We've featured Derek Sheen and Douglas Gale before, but that's because they put out a nice, consistent product when it comes to interviews and commentary. With a comedy angle steeped in the Northwest, catch more at DeliciousMediocrity.com and iTunes.

Host Caleb Bacon has cranked out the episodes and features a mixed bag special of guests, ranging from strippers and porn stars to comedians, actors and sports celebrities. The clip we include here features adult film actress Randi Wright talking about her antics on TV. Get yourself a free pass at GentlemensClubPodcast.com or on iTunes.

In a previous appearance, these guys from Australia's capital were only doing a rambling commercial - here's an actual clip. I was recently interviewed by Jabs, one of the Dheads, and you can catch that show and their others at TheDheadFactor.tumblr.com and iTunes.

We finish off the show with our regular feature, the Burst O' Durst, done up by politicomic Will Durst, who spouts off on his own site at WillDurst.com and on Twitter as @WillDurst - follow him!

You can also follow us, @SuccotashShow and, if you REALLY want to help a podcast out, jump up our listing in the podcast section of iTunes and rate us and/or click that li'l ol Donate button the right hand side of the page...that one...right there. No, no...THERE. We'd really appreciate it.

My New Year's Resolution is  to deliver a full-on clip-heavy episode of Succotash first thing in 2012. Until then, however, get busy with Epi16 and please be sure to pass the Succotash.

— Marc Hershon
Direct download: Succo_16_12_23_11.mp3
Category:Comedy -- posted at: 3:00 AM
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Christmas comes early to all you loyal Succotashians: We're going to start getting our episodes out more quickly! Since April, Producer/Engineer Joe Paulino and yours truly have been averaging a new 'sode about once every two or three weeks - sometimes even longer. (Hey, we gotta work for a living, just like you!)

BUT we've hit on a new format that should allow us to crank out more Succotash more often. By featuring interviews every other episode — with comedians, podcasters, comedian/podcasters, and other folk from the business of show — it really saves us production time. (People think doing a show featuring clips from other shows is easy, but it's very labor-intensive and we don't have interns, segment producers or anyone else running around here screening podcasts.)

In between those shows, we'll still feature our usual crop o' podcasts, but this will allow us to get more shows out to the listeners a lot more frequently.

Fred Stoller & Mitchell
Our interview this episode is with comedian/actor Fred Stoller, who you may recognize from his many appearances on TV and the occasional film. In addition, he does quite a lot of voiceover work which we talk about in the course of the interview.

Check out Fred's movie Fred And Vinnie and you can also click over to Atom.com to see current webisodes of his web series The Gate Show.

We had time to feature just one podcast this episode:

Soul Joel heads up a crew on The Comedy Point that broadcasts live once a week — Tuesday nights, 5-8 PM, EST – in Philly and South Jersey on 1460 AM. The show then podcasts for the rest of the week.

Cupla
This week we also feature some music from someone other than our crack music director Scott Carvey. It's a group called Cupla out of Canada (and I just realized that it's pronounced "coop-la", and NOT "cup-lah", as I pronounced in the episode. Sorry, guys!!!) and we play their single I'm Going during a break in our interview with Fred.

Finally, we have a great entry from regular contributor and political comedy assassin Will Durst presenting his Top Ten Comedy News Stories of 2011.

That's going to do it for our epi15 this time around. I'm off on vacation through the rest of the year, so we may not have any fresh Succotash until the end of the year...we'll see if I can find enough motivation while in Hawaii to pull one together. If we don't, have a happy holiday!

(And if you're looking for that perfect gift idea, why not pass the Succotash?)

— Marc Hershon
Direct download: Succo_15_12_12_11.mp3
Category:Comedy -- posted at: 11:59 PM
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We're back. It seems I'm saying that every 'sode now for one reason or another. This time we got delayed and had some technical difficulties (which are addressed by producer/engineer Joe Paulino during the show.) Epi14 has finally dropped, as they say, and it's a doozy. So much show that we allowed it to run seven whole minutes over our usual one-hour running time!

One of the main missions of Succotash is to expose you, our Gentle Listeners, to all manner of comedy podcastery, especially some of those shows you might not have even heard about, let along listened to yet. And I can proudly say that this epi does just that. There are a couple of clips from some previously visited shows but mostly you're going to hear some new stuff that hasn't popped up on everyone's radar yet. (And if it's a show you already now then congrats - you beat us to it!)

We've got a couple of Studio P visits this show. One is with the owner of Studio P, the aforementioned Joe Paulino. He pops in so I can make him plug his new CD, a delightful relaxing musical blend entitled Inhale Slowly. If you like to take a break and ratchet the madness down a few notches once in a while, this collection of meditation-inspired tracks by Joe and collaborator Tim White will get you there. Click on the link to visit Inhale Slowly and pick up a copy. We also have another Boozin' With Bill segment.

More intense than our previous encounters, Studio P has installed a functional wet bar and Bill forces your host to imbibe his latest concoction, the "Popper Stopper". (I've popped the formula down there toward the bottom of the blog.)

Before I get to the lineup, let me remind you that you can catch my blatherings in a more focused form each week: as a contributing reviewer to This Week In Comedy Podcasts over on Splitsider.com. Jesse Fox and a handful of other opinionators each pick a comedy podcast that has caught our fancy that week and we write them up.

Finally, Succotash has gone listener-supported! (Okay, so we haven't ever had a real sponsor yet...) Look over there in the right-hand column on the blog page and you'll see the shiny new Donate button. Just click away and through the miracles of PayPal, you'll be able to toss a few digital dollars into our virtual hat if you'd like to help us defay the costs of producing this fine program. We'd be much obliged and will mention your name in an upcoming show as one of our benefactors.

Ok! Enough rambling. Here's who's up in Epi14 of Succotash, the Comedy Podcast Podcast. Just click on the show titles to visit their homesites...

Improv 4 Humans

New in the land of podcasts, Matt Besser of the UCB Theater in Los Angeles hosts this foray into bringing some core elements of longform improv comedy to the audio arena. He's joined in this clip by Chad Carter and Sean Conroy.

Skeletor's Mouthpiece

What a fun discovery! Two lads from Hertforshire, England — Scratcher and Roberts – sit 'round and snipe at issues of the day. Guest Luke McFayden in this clip, where a rebuttal letter is read in response to a notice of traffic violation received by one of the boys.

CB Radio

This is our second time around with host Cameron Buchholtz, whose interviewing skills get better and better with each podcast. Here he's got pretty much a podcast exclusive with guest comedian Brody Stevens, who pulls back the curtain on his recent Twitter-perceived breakdown.

Ham Radio

Also a second visit, this time from the Northwest's Brett Hamill in the form of a commercial for one of his show's mythological sponsors. (Hey! We have one of those, too!)

Plan X Network

Here's a new-to-Succotash podcast. Not sure who these folks are or where they're from and I take 'em to task for it a little bit following their clip. I like to be able to give podcasters their due – most of us are slogging this out without a lot of recognition – but when your p'cast's homesite doesn't have much info on you (AND you sent us the clip yourself!), there's only so much we can say.

Hosted by Parker Arizona and Jason Frisbee (great names!), PPR is one of those free-wheeling discussion-style podcasts where folks generally shoot the shit about anything and everything. In this clip, they're talking movies and get into something I can appreciate - what I call the "pussification" of classic monsters in recent films.

FUHcast

Their title stands for File Under Horrible and the hosts - Bill and Jim - toss around a number of topics that get their goats and their dander up. Even their goat's dander, occasionally. Out of Chicago, these guys channel their creativity in this clip into a sketch about Michael Jackson based recent news that surfaced regarding one of his brothers. (I don't mean to pick on these guys in particular but I hold the FUHcast up as an example of a show that could be made better simply by ramping up the audio quality - that goes for a lot of the programs out there. Nothing personal, guys - I appreciate what you're doing!)

We Hate Movies

I pretty much completely mangle my mention of the four hosts' names - Andrew Jupin, Stephen Sajdak, Erik Szyszka and Chris Cabin (well, three out of four) - so apologies, gents. I love their take in this clip about the idea for a GOOD Star Wars-based TV series: The story of Lando Calrissian in a The Wire-style telling of the Cloud City story. (I'm not a squeamish guy, language-wise, and we do carry an Explicit warning on the podcast but I don't believe these fellows could cram more gratuitous uses of the word "fuck" into this clip...)

As a kind of memorial to podcaster Adam Spiegelman's recently removed tonsils, we roll out three related offerings next...

Proudly Resents

 Adam hosts his "Cult Movie Podcast" each episode and this clip is from a recent show featuring Crystal Angel, a rare creature, indeed - she's an avowed fan of Adam Sandler's Jack And Jill movie, which has not been kindly received. Guest Judith Benezra helps to gentle roast her.

Dream Tweet

Spiegleman produces what's being billed as "The Game Show To Go", hosted by comedian Jonathan Corbett. I think this clip comes from a show that was produced in a Mini Cooper (slightly creepy) and features two contestants who are trying to guess which celebrity supplied one of a trio of tweets. The prize is five bucks. (I see a future on GSN...)

Luggage Tuesdays

This is the first time Succotash features a possible podcast. Mike Spiegleman, Adam's brother and a San Francisco-based comic, has a blog entitled Luggage Tuesdays and his sibling is urging him to turn his writings into a podcast. Here's one of the test segments so we can all get a taste of what that might be like.

Burst O' Durst

We round out Epi14 with a visit from our fave political wag Will Durst, who shines his wry light on the Herman Cain misfire. (If you're in the San Francisco Bay Area, don't miss Will's Big Fat Year End Kiss Off Comedy Show XVII -it's all over the place the last week of the year so Google it (click the title to link to the Yelp listing for the show on New Year's Eve in Alameda.)

Okay, that's it! Go pass that Succotash!

Marc Hershon

Direct download: Succo_14_11_28_11.mp3
Category:Comedy -- posted at: 10:04 AM
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It took me FOREVER to get Episode 13 of Succotash, the Comedy Podcast Podcast, dropped this time. Plenty of material - with so many comedy podcasts online, THATS never a problem. The "hitch in the giddyup" as a old friend of mine says, was that our producer Joe Paulino, was traveling out of town. He suggested we just wait until he returned but - NO - I couldn't leave well enough alone, could I?

"Just leave me all the bit and pieces," said I. "I can put it together. All I need to do is learn how to use Garage Band." Anyone who uses GB for their 'cast knows how simple it is...after you've done it a couple of times. I got it down enough to push out Epi13, but it was like a baboon giving birth to a porcupine. Wearing a blindfold. In a hailstorm.

That said, I think I've managed to cram quite a lot into this 'sode. Pile of new clips. Couple of Henderson's Pants commercials. A joke from Larry Miller. And a brief visit with Kelly Carlin to talk about her upcoming one-person show, A Carlin Home Companion, which is hitting locally near Studio P on Sunday, November 13th, at the 142 Throckmorton Theatre in downtown Mill Valley.

In addition to reminding you that Succotash is now available through your Stitcher Smart Radio app (on whatever kind of app-y device you own), I wanted to urge you to visit my scribblings as one of the contributing reviewers at Jesse Fox's This Week in Comedy Podcasts over on Splitsider.com.

I also participated in a roundtable discussions about podcasts ON a podcast (David Nelson's Comedy-A-Go-Go) which should be dropping soon. I had a great time and two of my fellow panelists are represented in this episode of Succotash when I play clips from their shows. (But you'll have to listen to find out who they are!)

Before I get to the meat, the picture I'm using here is actually of me this time, dressed in my resplendent Halloween costume which I wore at the Grin Reapers show. It was the first go at having a bunch of San Francisco comic types being onstage but reading from works of classic horror fiction.

Here's what's in store:

The Standup Chronicles

Host Adam Harris has been interviewing the comics who pass through his hometown of Peoria, Illinois, for the past three years. In this clip, he bagged a pair of my old pals - Dan Chopin and John "Dr. Gonzo" Means - and we find out that a song parody joke deconstructed on HBO's Talking Funny last season originated from Dan.

 The Anti-Semantic Show

Yeah, I had to look twice at the title of this podcast, too. (Even Google asked me if I was looking for the right thing!) The "Four assholes with microphones" (their words, no mine) are Drew, Pinder, Ryan Anti-Hero, and Prado God. (I love it when people are so ashamed of their podcast antics they can't bring themselves to use their real names.) These guys are doing their thing out of Staten island, New York, where their conversations cover a wide array of topics every episode.

 Affirmation Nation with Bob Ducca

This short, daily installment style of podcast is very appealing, although I prefer to download a week's worth at once and listen to all five in a row. Seth Morris has got a bead on his perennial sad sack character who, in this clip, shares his ever-changing "bucket list".

 The Dhead Factor

An export of Australia, the Dhead (which stands for dickhead) Factor is new to the podcast scene, with just six 'sodes under its belt. The main host is Jabs,, along with his mates Josh, Adrian, and Stu. At a half-dozen episodes, this laidback commentary-style show is still finding it's way. Fortunately, that Aussie accent is so charming it covers a multitude of sins.

 This Week with Larry Miller

To be honest, I'm not featuring a long clip of Larry's show, though I dearly love his program. Problem is that his stories are generally too long for me to feature on Succotash in their entirety. Fortunately, he recently told a old joke which I thought rated replay here. But catch Larry's whole show if you get the chance!

The Dork Forest

Comedian Jackie Kashian has found a great niche for her podcastery: Reveal the hidden dork inside pretty much everyone. Each guest she has on seems fixated on some field of esoteric interest, and can talk intelligently about it. In this clip, fellow comic Aisha Tyler unveils several pretty dorky areas of interest, including being very into the Lord of The Rings trilogy of books as well as anything Tolkien.

Big Sauce Radio Show

This podcast originates as an internet radio show out of Boston. (UnregularRadio.com, 8-10 PM) This was sent to me here at Succotash in hopes of being played. I don't mind playing some show's "sizzle reel" but I think you're better off with the "reel" stuff. Nonetheless, see what you tink of Big Sauce and crew.

Paul Goebel Show

Declared to be "TV's Biggest Fan" by TV Land back in 2000, Paul Goebel has since shortened it to King of TV. Revel in his presence. This is a very short clip he sent along - I guess kings don't have very good attention span skills.

Burst O' Durst

We've actually got a double dose of political comedian Will Durst this show. Strap in for some good old fashioned contemplation on how the world is supposed to be working when there are questionable events afoot.

That's about it. Apologies for any strange sound qualities - I swear things are going to be better, soundwise, when Episode 14 rolls in because our producer, Joe Paulino, will be back in town.

Please pass the Succotash,

 

— Marc Hershon

Direct download: Succotash_13_11_03_11.mp3
Category:Comedy -- posted at: 10:37 PM
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It seems there's something new every time I turn around to do a new 'sode of Succotash. Last time it was our inclusion as part of Stitcher Smart Radio's comedy lineup. This time Jesse Fox's Splitsider.com blog This Week In Comedy Podcasts has tapped me to be one of the contributing writers (which include Bradford Evans, Eli Terry, and Joel Mandelkorn.) So look for me to talk up some of the funniest comedy p'casts we have (and will) feature right here on Succotash.

I was also just guesting on Radio Rubber Room, a radio show/podcast out of Richmond, Virginia. So thanks to hosts Derrick Vega, Dan Anderson, and Kris Manzelli to inviting to call in for a chat. (You can check that out by clicking the linked name of their show, above...)

This episode I was happy to lure our booth announcer Bill Heywatt into the studio to share one of his favorite "adult beverage" recipes in our very first Boozin' With Bill segment. I can't attest to the tastiness of anything Bill might suggest but the formula is posted here if you want to test your mettle...and your taste buds. If our listeners enjoy what Bill's mixing up, you can be sure he'll be back with more libations.

Here's a rundown of the podcasts and links that we're featuring on this episode of Succotash:

CB Radio
This straight-ahead interview show is hosted by Cameron Buchholtz, a standup comedian based in Austin, Texas. The clip we have features him chatting with Michael Ian Black, he of The State and Stella sketch troupes, as well as his being a screenwriter and director in his own right. (MIB also co-hosts one of our show's faves: Mike And Tom Eat Snacks...)

Mike And Tom Eat Snacks
Hearing Michael Ian Black on the previous p'cast gave me the itch to spinout a clip from MATES this episode. As I mention, I never miss an installment of this funny show with him and Tom Cavanagh. If you're one of their listeners who don't like to know in advance what they're snacking on, Spoiler Alert: This show we clipped was all about Dunkin' Donuts' Munchkins.

Burst O' Durst
This episode brings a double dose o' Durst your way. (Will Durst churns out his reports every week so, with our production schedule, we usually have more than we can handle. But not this week!) I actually clipped two Dursts together for the first blast - which is all about how the Republicans can't decide who to rally around. The second BOD is focused on Bank America's decision to heap a $5/month surcharge on ATM users.

Pod Awful
First time on Succotash, Pod Awful comes to us from New York City, where its billed as a "comedy talk show". Hosted by Jesse P-S (Initials? Alias? Random letters? I can't tell...), this clip also features comedian Glen Tickle. Jesse sent us this clip as being representative of his show, and it features a heart-warming story of a father using a unique test to determine if his son is gay.

Sweet Feathery Jesus
Been dancing around with the hosts of this podcast to try to get a clip lined up and now we have one! The hosts - Belasco, Booze, Dr. P and Hiccup - cover a variety of topics. They comes from a diverse set of backgrounds, which makes for some...spirited discussions.

Bob's Boneyard
At long last we also have a clip from Bob's Boneyard. The guys who run this podcast - Bob Fresh, Manny Torres, and Manny Fresh - have been promising a clip for a while but when I heard one of their shortened offerings (called Bonespurs), the argument about the difference between vampire zombies vesus zombie vampires was too good to pass up.

Hotshot Whiz Kids
Here's our second clip from a New York podcast this episode (this one from Buffalo), although hosts Mike Cline and Mark Davila call it "internet talk radio". There was something provocative to me about a conversation that starts with flu victims becoming zombies and ends up (in less than five minutes) talking about chaperoned sex with minors. That's the essence of podcasting in a nutshell...

The Todd Glass Show
It's fun when I find podcasts being done by people I've known through my long years in the comedy biz. Todd Glass is a classic standup comedian, well-respected in the industry - and it was just a couple of months ago when I sitting in the green room of the 142 Throckmorton Theatre in Mill Valley when he was discussing trying to pull his own podcast together. Well, here it is, part of the Nerdist network! Episodes run two hours and feature Todd, his crew and at least one comedian guest each show, this time with Gary Gulman on board.

In addition to our clips and our feature with Bill, this episode features two commercials from our longtime sponsor Henderson's Pants. One of the styles they're pitching, the High-Waisted Hiphuggers, got its genesis from the mind of one of our listeners, comedian Ed Wallick. Thanks, Ed!

That's about it. You can listen to us right here on the webstream, download us from iTunes (a review wouldn't hurt!) or give a listen for us on Stitcher Smart Radio! Enjoy this episode and please remember to pass the Succotash!

— Marc Hershon

Direct download: Succotash_12_10_16_11.mp3
Category:Comedy -- posted at: 8:39 PM
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Back to basics with Episode 11 of Succotash, meaning we've got a full boat of comedy podcast clips in store this time around and no special guests. Unless you count my impromptu discussion with legendary announcer Bill Heywatt. That happens. We also play our very first message that's come in on the Succotash Hotline. The only message, actually. At least so far.

The biggest news on the Succotash front is that we've just joined up with the Comedy channel on Stitcher SmartRadio! If you're not hip to Stitcher yet, it allows you to listen to your favorite shows directly from your iPhone, Android Phone, BlackBerry or Palm phones. If you don't have Stitcher yet,  you can download it for free today at Stitcher.com or from your favorite app store. (If you're already used to listening to us on our website or download us from iTunes or grabbing it from our RSS feed, all that remains the same - Stitcher is just another way to pass the Succotash!)

We've been getting some nice kudos from a few of the podcasters out there (not to mention our fabulous listeners), so thanks! We don't think of ourselves as competition - we're really just trying to spread the word about podcasting in general and to let folks hear some samples of the programming that's available on the internet. So for those comedy podcasters that want to have us feature them on a future episode of Succotash, the Comedy Podcast Podcast, just shoot us a 3-5 minutes MP3 clip from a recent 'sode - send it along to marc@SuccotashShow.com and we'll do the rest.

Here's what's up in Epi11:

Can't seem to get enough of Bob Ducca, Seth Morris' brilliant sad sack self-help health guru! In this clip, we get a peek inside Bob's medicine cabinet. You can catch him five days a week over at Earwolf, the comedy podcast portal that has recently been dubbed THE podcast place to be over at FunnyOrDie! Bob tweets, too!

Superego

Another new favorite of mine is Superego. Fast-paced and very funny, these guys have several screws loose and a bunch of Hollywood-based guests to boot. Mostly improvised, beautifully produced, and with a shorthand language all their own, I make a comparison on the show to Superego being the 21st century's answer to the fabulous Firesign Theater. In addition to their homesite and iTunes, also catch Superego on Stitcher SmartRadio.

Hosts Derek Sheen and Douglas Gale are back for a replay on Succotash, this time with guest comedian Ahamefule J. Oulo (whose name I horribly mangle in my intro - sorry!) I have a warm spot in my heart for these guys, as they hail from the Northwest, where I did time a long, long time ago in a comedy club far, far away in Seattle. Check 'em on their homesite and iTunes.

First time in the Succotash for Joe Hammer and Dan Heinz. These guys are heavyweights (literally) in the movie biz and they split their time talking about pop culture matters, review movies AND previews (in a segment featured here called "Trailer Trash"), and they bust each other's ball occasionally, too. Get the big bucket o' popcorn for this one. Check 'em out on iTunes, Stitcher and their tweets, too.

The Moth

Sometimes it's not all about comedy. At least at The Moth. This is more like the NPR of podcasts. True spoken word performances, with subjects all over the map. Because Succotash is about comedy, we feature a story from writer Peter Hyman performed at one of The Moth's StorySLAMS. Catch their refreshing honesty at their homesite and on iTunes.

Sportsaholix

I was turned onto comedians Jon Schieszer and Erik Marino by friend-of-the-show Dave Nelson over on the Comedy-A-Go-Go podcast. While sports is not my bag, these guys are funny as they cover the wide world of them like a blanket. A funny, irreverent blanket. In the clip on the show, they're joined by national headliner Steve Byrne. Homesite and iTunes are the places to catch these boys.

Uhh Yeah Dude

"America Through The Eyes Of Two American Americans" is the tagline for this show featuring Seth Romatelli and Jonathan Larroquette. Long-running (290 epi's and counting!!!), UYD is a simple formula: Seth and Jonathan talking about pop culture and news of the day, ripped from today's headlines. In our segment, they talk about competing fat women. Find them at their homesite and at iTunes.

Burst O' Durst

Intrepid politicomic Will Durst checks in for his regular slot, this time dredging up the new-old theory of Trickle Up Economics being exhibited by our elected leadership. Make his homeside a regular stop or click on his name to get over to his tweetstream.

 To get even more of the Succotash experience, please hop over and Like us at our page on Facebook. Follow us on Twitter. Rate n' review us at iTunes. And don't forget that we're now also available for instant listening on Stitcher SmartRadio!

We'd love to hear from you to get your suggestions for comedy podcasts to feature on the show. Or maybe your comments and commentary about your favorite shows. Call into our Succotash Hotline any time, day or night - voicemail is standing by at (818) 921-7212.

That's about it for now. Thanks as always to Super Producer Joe Paulino and Musical Director Scott Carvey. Until next time, please remember to pass the Succotash!

Marc Hershon

Direct download: Succotash_11_9_24_11.mp3
Category:Comedy -- posted at: 11:25 PM
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WARNING: Episode 10 is not our typical 'sode. (Actually, I 'm not sure - in the first 10 episodes of our podcast - that we have anything that can be pointed to as "typical".) Anyway, what I mean is that this edition of Succotash, The Comedy Podcast Podcast, has no comedy podcast clips in it.

Dana and Scott Carvey sharing memories at Studio P

It does, however, offer something you're not going to find anywhere else in Podcastland: A visit with comedian Dana Carvey and his brother, Scott Carvey, who also happens to be Succotash's musical director. For the first time in podcast history, the Carvey boys sit down and talk about their love of sports, running, music, comedy...and anything else that this free-ranging discussion happens to hit upon.

I think this show represents a true "find" for the comedy aficionado, comedy nerd, Carvey fan and anyone else who enjoys a one-of-a-kind experience. (Special thanks this week to our Engineer/Producer Joe Paulino for doing a bangup job in editing this weeks offering!)

Although we don't have any podcast clips featured this show, we do have our regular feature, our Burst O' Durst with political comedian extraordinaire Will Durst. Then we'll be back to a full rack of comedy podcast clips in our next edition, Epi11, along with Durst, and commercials from our sponsor, Henderson's Pants.

In the meantime, if you have a question, comment or suggestion, please hit up our Tweet Sack via @SucctotashShow or marc@SuccotashShow.com; or you can dial into our Succotash Hotline: (800) 921-7212.

— Marc Hershon

Direct download: Succotash_10_9-11-11.mp3
Category:Comedy -- posted at: 7:14 PM
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