Thu, 10 May 2012
This is Episode 24 of Succotash, the Comedy Podcast Podcast! We’ve got clips. We’ve got the Burst O’ Durst. We’ve got an interview with actor/comedian/artist and podcaster Dean Haglund to talk about his exciting new Kickstarter project. We’ve got a funny song by comedian/songstress/chanteuse Karen Kilgariff from her album “Behind You”. A classic Henderson’s Pants commercial perhaps. And that about it.
A little bit more about Mr. Haglund. Fans of the XFiles and The Lone Gunmen know him as Langley, the gangly long-haired conspiracy wonk. He's also renowned for his improv and standup comedy chops. And Succotashians have heard Dean and his partner-in-podcasting, Phil Leirness, declared by me to be "podcast royalty" (given the tenure of their show Chillpak Hollywood Hour) when I interviewed them back in Succotash Epi4. In addition to those performance nuggets, Dean is also a talented painter and using that skill to create Shock N' Awesome, a graphic novel tracing the adventures and travails of a trio of intrepid journalists that may (or may not) bear a resemblance to three conspiracy theorists you might recognize. This is your chance to jump in and be a part of something cool. Click on the Kickstarter link over there on the right-hand side or just click here. Starting immediately, the Succotash podcasts are being re-broadcast along with a gaggle of other podcasts over Clutch & Wiggle Entertainment, the home of…Clutch & Wiggle. We delighted to be asked to be part of that crew! So now you can add that outlet as well as iTunes, Stitcher and our own homesite as a place to get the latest serving of Succotash! I've been making an effort to drop a bit more comedy-related music into the show. After listening to Karen Kilgariff sing as a guest on the recent 100th episode of the Walking The Room podcast with Greg Behrendt and Dave Anthony, I bought her album, Behind You, from BandCamp.com. And loved it! So I contacted her via Twitter and asked if we could feature her music on Succotash. This epi we start in with her song, Look At Your Phone. What podcast clips have we got on tap for you in Epi24? So glad you asked... A monthly podcast with Paul F. Tompkins as H.G. Wells, using his time travel technology to bring in deceased authors to mix it up, reveal something of themselves and reflect on our world from their unique perspective. His guests in this clip are Paul Adomian as Friedrich Nietzsche and Paul Scheer as H.P. Lovecraft. Rob and Craig (you can figure out which is Clutch and which is Wiggle) are likely the only guys doing their podcast from atop an air hockey table. These guys are true podcast enthusiasts.
Larry Miller is still recuperating from a nasty fall he took over a month ago. Our clip is show producer Jeff Fox filling the audience in on Larry's progress and health. Best wishes for a speedy recovery, Larry! Editor-in-chief at Laughspin.com, Dylan Gadino, and his co-host Mike Gogen bring the latest in comedy news and the comedy business in general (including podcasts) every week. They're just getting started and this clip is from their Epi3. Give a listen! Our friend Dave Nelson hosts this show which often brings us insightful interview with comedians who perform across the spectrum, from emcess to headliners. This clip is from a recent show featuring W. Kamau Bell, who is still touring with his Laughter Against The Machine show (co-starring Nato Green and Janine Brito. At the same time, he's hosting a new FX TV show porduced by Chris Rock. Retep and Big D bring their booming announcer pipes to the podcast world. They're got a point of view on a variety of issues including the ones in this clip that begins with a story about a woman who overdosed on coke...Coca-Cola, that is. Our first clip this show was from a monthly podcast. Jeff Schaeffer and Bobby Shortle ambitiously host a daily show. It's pretty well put together, too: Regular features, chats about sports, movies and pop culture-y things. This clip is a couple of weeks oldb, but with the success of the Avengers movie, I thought their discussion of how Iron Man might be featured in the film was apropos.
The monthly gameshow spinoff of the Storyworthy podcast, both hosted by Christine Blackburn and Hannes Finney, is a hoot and a half. A dozen contestants are given the subject for a story by spinning the show's "Wheel of Truth", and then without any prep time, have to tell their story in one minute. The winner gets a prize. You get a lot of laughs. This episode our intrepid pundit Will Durst dips his wit into the steaming pool of Republican vice-presidential considerations. Nasty business. All right. That's it. It's even better than it reads so get listening! As always, please remember to pass the Succotash! — Marc Hershon Comments[0]
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Sat, 28 April 2012
It's been roughly a year this month since I started Succotash and it's been an very interesting journey just getting to this point. Originally I foresaw us moving into a weekly model but as you can see, with us just now getting to Epi23, we didn't even get to a pair of shows a month. I've been working on streamlining the workflow, however, and hopes are that the remainder of 2012 will see more Succotash more often!
For the third time, Dana Carvey graces us in Studio P ("The Home of The Hit!") and he's not alone. Frank Cronin is a globetrotting Irishman, capturing his journeys on video and posting on YouTube on his Glowpunk channel.
Currently in the United States for as long as his visa holds out, he's going to travel the country with his video camera, grabbing as much Americana as his hard drive will hold. This is Frank's very first podcast appearance, which makes this a Succotash exclusive. And, in another excloo, we also have Tom Carvey, in the studio — Dana's breakdancing teenage son. (Although there's no breakdancing in the show, Frank WILL have a video up soon featuring Tom's crew doing their thing.)
Early in this show, I feature an audio clip from THIS video by Frank, called Cliff Jump. It's all about plunging off rocky ledges into the freezing cold North Atlantic on the coast of Ireland. Here's the video in its entirety...
Even with all of these guests, we got in a pile of comedy podcast clips AND our Burst O' Durst. Of course, the show also runs a full hour and a half. (Try THAT on terrestrial radio!) Here's who we have this time out: PF Wilson uses his tape recorder to capture life's little moments (TV, too) and then the clips he selects are the springboards for commentary and sketches. This particular taste deals with a not-too-bright, pooch-stealing cable guy. The show's an inventive idea. Get more nuggets from the source, at either http://pfradio.podbean.com/ or on iTunes.
I've referred to guest Frank Cronin as Succotash's Irish interpreter in the past but he earns his keep this show as we spin three clips from Belfast's The Gee & Jay Show. These lads - Gavin and James - host a rollicking time and the more listen the more you understand. For more immersion, hit http://geeandjayshow.com/ or iTunes.
 This new podcast on the Nerdist site is hosted by actress/comedian/SF Sketchfest organizer Janet Varney. More conversation than interview, Janet goes one-on-one with a female guest who, like Janet, is in the entertainment world. In this clip, her guest is comedian Natasha Leggero. You can get extra helpings of the JV Club over at http://www.nerdist.com/podcast/the-jv-club/ or on iTunes.
This podcast, hosted by Jay V and Brady, started back in 2005, making it one of the earliest podcasts around. But then it disappeared two years later, only to reappear last year. Simple premise: Jay V answers his mail. One letter, one episode. They rarely run over 10 minutes. The hot button topic this clip? Zombies. More? Go: http://www.blubrry.com/jayvmail/, iTunes or Stitcher Smart Radio.
DQYD is a new show, with about a dozen epi's now. And it's hosted by friend-of-Succotash Ed Wallick, who continues to sharpen his wit on bits of rant. Turns out that Ed doesn't like it when dismembered human feet wash up on his nearby beach. Who knew? Find Ed lurking at http://dontquityourdaycast.com/ as well as on iTunes.
Ben, Keith and Howard (they put the i's in Idiot…) are back for a second time, this time because one of the boy's has scribbled a children's book. Spoiler Alert: It sucks. And the others are only too happy to critique it. More in store at http://www.iamidiotcentral.com/ or on iTunes.
We haven't featured Sean Green's little slice of podcastland since one of our very first episodes, so it's good to be back in touch. And there's a great story by his guest Tess Barker about when her dad tried to scare her straight. Didn't work. But funny getting there. Drop into the Green Room at http://seantgreen.com/, iTunes or Stitcher.
 These former radio guys - Thom and Jeff - have found a new lease on broadcasting life by jumping into a podcast. In this clip, they're playing a little something they like to call The Fuck No Game. Get more fun features and laughs at http://thethomandjeffshow.com/ or on iTunes.
This time around, our in-house political pundit Will Durst points out how we can expect to watch Republican Presidential candidate Mitt Romney morph his performance and perspective into something that an unsuspecting moderate or liberal might fall for...if they were brain dead. Get more Durst at http://WillDurst.com or catch his tweet on Twitter @WillDurst.
Things to remember: Rate Succotash on iTunes! Your rankings and reviews help to push us out into the light where more people can see us! Also, click on the Donate button on the website to contribute to the Save Our Hard Drive Drive! Will less than a hundred bucks so far, we may never get this drive fixed and the trapped interviews off of it. so give, won't you? And buy some merch at the Succotashery! Just click the link on our blog page.
That's it. Until next time, please pass the Succotash!
— Marc Hershon Comments[2]
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Thu, 5 April 2012
I gotta tell you - trying to pull a podcast together with a fulltime job while moving and having sketchy Internet connectivity is harder than it sounds. Apologies for the gap between 'casts. And for the sound quality on this particular epi. Not only was I NOT in Studio P with ace producer/engineer Joe Paulino, but our featured interview with comedian/actor-turned-director/producer Jordan Brady turned out to be really echo-y, which I didn't discover until after we were all done. And then my audio wraparounds during the show were recorded late at night and I had to be quiet, so the whole episode sounds like it's been commentated by a golf announcer. That rundown get you in the mood to listen?
Audio weirdness aside, this is a fun interview with Jordan, who I first met years ago during the half year he lived in San Francisco during his life as a road comic. He's gone on to direct some films, some TV and a boatload of commercials, but what put him back on the comedy radar bigtime was his release of I Am Comic, a documentary about being a comedian in and around the real world. We talk about that and a whole lot more in this chat.
Jordan is a big podcast fan and we not only talk about some of his faves but we play a few clips from them, too. Plus I've got some new finds that I'm happy to share with you in this episode. Throw in a classic Henderson's Pants spot, our Burst O' Durst with Will Durst and you've got yourself a massive helping of Succotash (the episode runs more than an hour and fifteen minutes.) Here's who we're listening to this week... From a watering hole in north Texas comes Brian, Kyle, Terrill, Mike, and Curtis — the Pub Guys. These guys have logged more than 90 episodes, all from taverns and they've definitely created their own style and format. Their listeners become contributors to the show (and sometime even co-hosts), so check 'em out on iTunes and Stitcher. They also are big supporters of podcasts, so drop by their homesite at PubGuys.com if you want some recommendations on even more ear munchies. I just discovered this quirky funfest, hosted by Travis and Brandi, and liked what I heard enough to give them a review over at This Week In Comedy Podcasting on Splitsider.com. Turns out that Travis is the son of comedian/actor Blake Clark, who drops in to bump memories with his son about raising a family when you make most of your living on the road. They're 40+ epis in, so get yourself more tiny and odd at TOCpod.com or on iTunes. Dylan Brody's Neighbor's Couch A lot of the podcasts I find on my own but we're getting more and more pings on Twitter from podcasters themselves. I'd been following the tweets of comedy writer Darren Staley (aka @Crobama) and didn't realize he was the host of this homegrown interview-based podcast. Check out his homesite for the backstory on the show's title. And to hear more, he does his show on Blog Talk Radio or you can scoop it up later at iTunes.
Guest Jordan Brady is a big fan of this fast-growing podcast on the Nerdist network and so am I. Host Pete Holmes is a comedian and the voice of the ETrade baby on TV - how's that for a pair of credits? He mostly manic in his p'cast and his guest often seem to get caught up in his energy. One guy who is too centered to be swayed is Larry Miller, who guests on this clip. Check out YMIW over at Nerdist.com or on iTunes. The most popular show in podcasting today? Quite possibly, and with good reason. Host Marc Maron knows his way around an interview and usually, if its a comedy contemporary, he can dig pretty deep (often fueled by an ancient jealously the host has for the success of others.) In this case he's got nothing but adoration for the unassuming, comically brilliant Fred Willard. There's so much more over at WTFpod.com, iTunes and you might even consider picking yourself Maron's smartphone app for even more goodies.
There was a time when we weren't actively listening to DLM, way back after Epi9 when host Doug Benson had sent me a message requesting we not play clip from it because he didn't think the humor translated well in short chunks. AFter seeing guest Jordan Brady tweet about it being one of his favorite p'casts (and my subsequent followup as to why we don't feature it on Succotash), I received another message from Benson that, in essence, gave his blessing to play a clip once in a while. So we're back! And this is a rollicking sample, feature Doug with guests Pete Holmes, Rob Huebel, Kumail Nanjiani and Matt Myra. That's everything I could cram in this time around. Hope you enjoy it - sound problems aside - and that you remember to pass the Succotash! — Marc Hershon Comments[0]
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Sun, 18 March 2012
Succotash is legal! Well, at least we've turned 21, as in episode 21. Now that our podcast is officially an adult, we intend to stay out late, stop listening to our parents, and vote for whatever candidate spends the most money on TV commercials. I'm continuing the campaign we kicked off last episode, the Save Our Hard Drive Drive. In an effort to stir more emotions about donating money to our efforts to retrieve some unproduced interviews off of my broken external hard drive, I feature a quick Skype conversation with comedian/writer/podcaster Ed Crasnick, who is the subject of one of the lost interviews.
Here's the picture that I promised I'd include during this podcast - it's the contents of the "Bob Ducca Resolution Ointment Application Kit" that I discovered included in a shipment I'd ordered from First Aid Global in Tarzana. Considered that image of my eyeball is from my @hershco Twitter avatar, I have to assume that Todd West, GM of the company and whose card was included in the bag, must be a Succotash passer. I love it! In addition to the bouquet of comedy podcast clips included in this 'sode, and the chat with Mr. Crasnick, I've got a couple of other little tidbits: An audio sketch by Steve Shaw from New York, a short musical ditty by writer Chet Haase and a fresh new commercial from the good folks at Henderson's Pants. Speaking of which, our announcer Bill Heywatt is observing Lent this year and has sworn off the sauce until after Easter. So in lieu of Boozin' With Bill, we have him onboard reading an original poem, Ode To A Rose. This episode is capped off, as usual, by friend-of-Succotash and top-notch political wag Will Durst in our Burst O' Durst. (Get more of him at http://WillDurst.com and watch him tweet as @WillDurst on Twitter!) Comedy podcast-wise, here's who we have in this new episode: Affirmation Nation with Bob Ducca This installment of AN is about three weeks old and was called in by Bob from the road. I'm a little concerned that there's been nothing new since then. Is Bob okay? You might check in with http://Earwolf.com or on iTunes to see if Mr. Ducca's been rescued. The edgy, funny, politically savvy David Feldman continues to create entertaining content each week for his show on Peninsula radio, which is then released as a podcast. This particular clip delves into the news of the Richard Nixon love letters to wife Pat that were recently made public, and features Frank Conniff and Rick Overton doing the voice of Nixon. Catch all the fun at http://DavidFeldmanComedy.com, iTunes or on Stitcher. After some 86 episodes, the guys behind this Seattle-based comedy p'cast are calling it quits. Well, not quits, but they ARE switching gears, changing formats and ditching the current title in favor of a new monthly show that will be performed in front of a live audience. This is part of their farewell announcement.
Providing a woman's touch to the heavily testosteroned world of comedy podcasts, comedian Aisha Tyler goes one-on-one with Jimmy Pardo. Pardo's Never Not Funny podcast set the bar for comedy podcasts when he hit the 'net in 2006 with a paid model for a show and he proved the exception to the rule that people wouldn't pay for such a thing. Check out the full conversation at http://GirlOnGuy.net, iTunes or download her smartphone app for iOS or Android. Fun title for a rollicking show from Walla, Australia. The three hosts - Matt Olsen, Sheyne Halloran, and Dana Simpson - are less than a dozen episodes into the podcasting game so far, but they're such big supporters of Succotash that we figured we'd give 'em a spin. The focus of this particular clip was so captivating that it actually inspired this week's Henderson' Pants ad. See more of them at http://podsmack.net or on iTunes. Booming out of the Baltimore area, comedian/radio personalities Rob Maher and Joe Robinson have pulled themselves from the rubble of terrestrial radio and now put this show on live, online, every Monday night at 7:30 PM EDT. It then gets the podcast treatment at http://RobAndJoeShow.com and on iTunes. TAH is one of the hottest comedy tickets for live shows in Los Angeles. It stages once a month and sells out way in advance. Presented in the fashion of an old-style radio show, it's a perfect format for modern-style podcasting. This clip features TV star Nathon Fillion (Castle, Firefly) as Cactoid Jim, King of the Martian Prairie. BTW, this 21st episode of Succotash originates from Studio P in Sausalito, California - The Home of The Hit! - and I want to thank our engineer/producer Joe Paulino for pulling it all together, as well as Scott Carvey, our Musical Director. If there's a comedy podcast out there that YOU listen to (or that you HOST), feel free to tell us all about it via marc@SuccotashShow.com, on our Succotash Hotline at (818) 921-7212. Until next time, please remember to pass the Succotash! — Marc Hershon Comments[0]
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Tue, 7 February 2012
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 Illusionoid The Last Podcaster Standing Van Full Of Candy
I Am Idiot Self-Help For Stoners Nick Creeps On Peeps
Burst O' Durst 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 Comments[0]
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Fri, 20 January 2012
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 The Bugle
Never Not Funny Jordan, Jesse, Go! The Long Shot Podcast
The Thrilling Adventure Hour You Made It Weird Pod F. Tompkast This My Show
Big Pop Fun 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 Comments[0]
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Thu, 22 December 2011
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.
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 Comments[0]
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Sun, 11 December 2011
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.
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 Comments[0]
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Tue, 29 November 2011
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...
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. 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. 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!) 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!) 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... 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. 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...)
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 Comments[0]
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Thu, 3 November 2011
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.
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: 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. 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". 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. 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! 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. 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. 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. 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 Comments[0]
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Succotash In A Nutshell
Succotash, the Comedy Podcast Podcast is a show that features other comedy podcasts and in an effort to not only expose audiences to the wide range of comedy offerings available, but also to broaden the appeal of podcasts in general. Hosted by Marc Hershon, whose background in the worlds of comedy, writing and product naming gives him the chops necessary to come off sounding like a blustering know-it-all.
The show is produced and engineered by Joe Paulino out of Sausalito's Studio P, "The Home Of The Hit."
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