The Daily Grill

Succotash Epi40: Down Underin' With Jabs

We've got a bunch of clips in Epi40, the longest episode of Succotash yet! Yes, I said "we", because I'm joined by special guest co-host Jabs (aka Jason McNamara) all the way from Canberra, Australia, through the magic of Skype. Jabs is the main man behind The DHead Factor and invited me to share the hosting duties several months ago on his show, so I figured it was high time to return the favor. Wasn't sure how it was going to come together, given the time difference, but Jabs is on holiday down under so he was kindly enough to give up part of a Monday morning at his end.

He really serves as a true co-host in this installment - I didn't really get a chance to interview him about his podcast or his life or anything. So if you're hoping to learn more about Jabs the man, please click right over to his podcast and start filling your ears. We split the job of pulling clips for this show, which allowed us to surprise each other with new discoveries. (And since we both enjoy yakking so much, the running time on this episode is over an hour and a half.)

It was great having Jabs on the show, and that's not just because he's announced that he's proclaimed December 4th to be Succotash Day! That's right - an international observance of this very podcast! We chat about it during the episode and you can be SURE I'll be talking more about it as the blessed event approaches.

T-SHIRT WINNER

In the previous episode with my interview with Andy Bumatai, I offered to give away an old t-shirt of Andy's from the Crack Up Thursdayz one nighter comedy gig in Hawaii to someone who could tell me the distance in miles between San Francisco and Honolulu. I had a number of people email in with the mileage — 2387 — and then randomly drew Esben Borsting's name from the correct entries. So I'll be sending the t-shirt his way...back to Honolulu. Thanks to everyone who entered.

FUNCTIONAL NERDS

Maybe I don't talk about myself enough on THIS show but I can't shut up about me when I guest on Epi126 of the Functional Nerds podcast. Hosts John Anealio (who was a guest on Succotash back in Epi33) and Patrick Hester made me feel welcome and the time flew by. At least for me. Might be different for you. Click over and give a listen...

B & A

Alba Lewis and Thomas Moore of The Brit & The American podcast swept through San Francisco on a roundabout journey to Peru, stopping just long enough to tuck into a Chinese dinner and have some good conversation with yours truly. Thanks for the eats, kids, bon voyage, and I'll be putting up some or all of our chat in the near future.

THE CLIPS

Let's do this thing.

The DHead Factor
The usual haunt for our guest co-host Jabs, The DHead Factor is also occasionally co-manned by #FUJosh and others, all the way from Canberra, Australia. Random news, lively chat, and more.

Royal & Doodall
In a classic R&D clip chosen by Jabs, Royal & Doodall pull off a dramatic send-up in which they pay homage/skewer a number of their fellow podcasters. Including US. Check it.

This Week With Larry Miller
Comedian Larry Miller suffered a head injury about a year ago and his podcast over on Adam Carolla’s ACE Broadcasting System has been playing reruns ever since. Larry's been on the mend and fronts a recent repeat episode with this message to his fans…

The Christopher Titus Podcast
I've always enjoyed the rambunctious energy of comic Christopher Titus – even more so now that the sound quality of his podcast is coming together. This episode's a treat, seeing as it also features freind-of-Succotash Kelly Carlin.

Pissed Off Man
Jabs has brought along a clip from a podcast that's a favorite of both of ours - The Pissed Off Man, featuring Gavin, aka Gee from Belfast's Gee & Jay Show. Here our mate's gotten all pissy about eating our at restaurants. Not because of the food. Because of the people.

Garagecast
Is anybody as incensed about the Red Dawn remake as Jake and Bryan? I don't think so. Give a listen to the Garagecast podcast, why don't you?

Phil Hendrie Podcast
I think the best way to encapsulate our inclusion of a clip from the Phil Hendrie Podcast is to run my review of same which ran last week in This Week In Comedy Podcast over on Spiltsider.com:

Good things DO come to those who wait! Years ago, living in Northern California, my only reliable access to Phil Hendrie’s KFI radio show out of Los Angeles was the occasional CDs of the show my friend Matt would send me. And any time I was in the southland, I’d gobble up as much Hendrie as my ears would hold. Hendrie created some of the most original and hilarious programming to be found on radio. NOW he’s making hours and hours of past moments available via his daily podcast. Dr. Jim Sadler’s his guest in this epi, and he’s giving hints on how to get people to move along that are blocking your way in the fast lane on the freeway. “Get right up on their bumper and highbeam ‘em!” urges the doc. “Nobody ever gets mad. In fact, they appreciate you letting them know they’re going too slow.” And if that pokey driver ahead of you is handicapped? “Four short blasts of the horn lets them know you’re back there,” adds Sadler. No one messes with me – I was an all-star wrestler and one look of my well-muscled arm resting on the windowtells folks I mean business.” The people who call into the show are increasingly outraged the more outlanding Sadler gets and even Hendrie cautions him about going to far. Spoiler Alert: Hendrie IS Dr. Jim. And he’s even one of the outraged callers. But the other callers often don’t get the gag…and neither will you until you hear a few episodes and get hip to Hendrie.

Mental Poison
Bill and the rest of the East Coast crew of Mental Poison made it safely through Hurricane Sandy a couple of weeks ago. Now they just need to survive more fantastically lame-brained marketing ideas from Brian…

The Bugle
This clip is a slice of the well-crafted and droll wrap-up of the USA’s presidential election, seen through the British filter provided by hosts John Oliver and Andy Zaltzman. We've played a few clips from The Bugle before, and we'll continue to play samples of this great show until you finally relent and subscribe to it!

TOFOP
Thirty Odd Feet Of Podcast is a show I've not heard before, although I did catch a few minutes of co-host Wil Anderson at last month's first ever Los Angeles Podcast Festival. Highly recommended by Jabs, Wil's an Aussie stand-up who's at the top of the pile, while his partner-in-podcasting Charlie Clausen just landed a TV gig that's put their show on hiatus.

Unkempt
Does a podcaster shit in the woods? The last time we featured a clip from Unkempt, one of them had, and left it wrapped in a groddy towel. Let's see what Mike & Matt have in store this time around…

Burst O’ Durst
Our political correspondent Will Durst takes a side trip into Thanksgiving Town.

Happy Thanksgiving to our American audience - that would be Happy Thursday to the rest of you. And what an appropriate time for me to urge you to please pass the Succotash!

— Marc Hershon

Succotash Epi28: Hawaiian With David Lee

Greetings, Succotashians! I think this may be a record of time between episodes for the show. Apologies for the delay. Work, mostly, and I'm three weeks into a new diet which took some reconfiguring of my energy reserves to get the show done.

Good news is that the diet's going well - dropped about 15 pounds in 3 weeks - but now Succotash is bloated. This week's epi runs about an hour and 15 minutes. We have much clippage to share, a funny song by Britcom Isabel Fay that's burning up the internet, a classic spot from our friends at Henderson's Pants, and our Burst O' Durst with our Ambassador to The Middle WIll Durst.

The core of our show this time around is my interview with Hawaiian comedian David Lee.

I first heard about David from his father when I was vacationing on Oahu last year. His dad's a bartender at the Outrigger Canoe Club and as we got to talking, he seemed a little less than pleased that his boy was pursuing the comedy, and was doing it in Colorado Springs of all places. Being a supporter of those who have chosen the noble profession, I was determined to get David a little attention, so I tracked him down and we got this epi's interview recorded via Skype a few days ago.

 

His journey to the comedy stage is an interesting one, especially when you consider that not many stand-ups get their start as a drug dealer. David reveals that and more in our chat. 

I wanted to give a nudge to some of the places you can get Succotash nowadays, in addition to the omnipresent iTunes. Stitcher Smart Radio is a great way to stream our show to your device, whether you're on an Android or iOS gadget. And each episode gets rebroadcast over at Clutch & Wiggle Entertainment Radio, so you can pick us up there. Then there are a couple of other apps to check out as well. I've been talking up Podbay, which taps directly into iTunes' podcast library and stream whatever you select to your iDevice. And now Apple has just launched their own podcast app, which allows you to select, stream and/or download your favorite shows. 

Enough biz. Let's get to the stuff. Here's what's what on Epi28:
 
Probably Science
Your affable podscientists Matt Kirshen, Brooks Wheelan and Andy Wood return, along with their guest Bil Dwyer of TV's Battlebot fame. Thesse guys have such a good time kicking around some every day sorts of stories that this clip doesn't even get into the meaty, sciencey part of the show. (Incidentally, I'm reviewing this particular epi of PS as part of This Week In Comedy Podcasts over on Splitsider this week!)
 
I Am Idiot
Howard, Ben and Keith continue to crankout the p’casts and give us Yanks hope that not everyone in the UK is as sophisticated and cultured as that English accent would have us believe.
 
Proudly Resents
Billing itself as “The Cult Movie Podcast”, this show tends to be pretty funny, thank to host Adam Spiegelman and his guests, who are frequently comedians. In this case, guest Bobcat Goldthwait gets together for Part 1 of a two-part interview. The clip we have features Bobcat talking about how some famous people got in (and out) of his directorial debut, the cult curio Shakes The Clown.
 
Rob & Joe Show
Rob Maher and Joe Robinson do their show live every Monday night on http://RobAndJoeShow.com. They’ve got features and guests, just like a real radio show. In the clip they've sent along, they’re talking about a potential new snack food: Dolphin!
 
Sal & Angelo Podcast
Local (to me) podcast by San Francisco comics Sal Calanni and Angelo recently featured an interview with standup Kellen Erskine. We feature a clip with Kellen relating his perspective on the topic of auditioning for TV shows like Last Comic Standing and America's Got Talent.
 
Thank You Hater by Clever Pie & Isabel Fay
People complain that the internet has become a place where people get away with posting outrageous things to others, mostly because they’re anonymous and there’s no retribution. Isabel Fay is a comedian in Britain who has decided to go after her faceless detractors in song. I wonder how many of the trolls Isabel is talking about in Thank You Hater have seen her video? 

  

Electric Bonnoland

Comedian/musician/artist Chris Bonno has done audio podcasts before but Electric Bonnoland is video and truly weird. Chris’ guest is friend-of-Succotash and TV’s Dean Haglund, from the Chillpak Hollywood Hour. We've got the meaty part of the audio on our podcast, but Electic Bonnoland has to be seen to be...seen.

  

Mimberz & The A-Hole

I don’t know a lot about Mimberz and The A-Hole, a couple of guys podcasting “proudly out of Tampa, Florida”. But they’re past 50 epis now and they’re not afraid to talk about anything. Click in for a taste of MATA…

The Rigid Fist
New to the podcast scene is The Rigid Fist, an offering from Britain hosted by Kat Soren.(CORRECTION: The show's from Australia! Sorry, Kat!) I don’t know a whole lot about it, just that it’s getting some early talk up from some of the guys that like us — Royal & Doodall, Gee & Jay — the usual suspects. It seems to be Kat by himself but I’ve gotten the one clip. According to the homesite, there’s Uncle Morty and then various random guests. Kat sent in a rather sketchy boyhood tale.

That's pretty much going to do it for your load of Succotash this time around. Don't hog the plate - when you're done, be sure to pass it around!

— Marc Hershon

Succotash Epi27: Disgustin' With Bill Haywatt

We're back in Studio P in Sausalito for Epi27, which means the show always sounds better and I certainly feel better when engineer/producer Joe Paulino is pushing the buttons and flipping the switches. PLUS it gives us the chance for another Boozin' With Bill segment, where our loyal booth announcer Bill Haywatt shares a libation with us that he picked up somewhere during his illustrious (some might say spotty) career in radio.
 
Unfortunately, Bill's drink this time – Barbecue Punch – turns out to be a dreadful cautionary tale. I'm reproducing the formula here but be warned: This drink is not for the timid, smart or sane.

Hideous beverage aside, it's a fast-paced episode, with a bunch of clips, a dip into the TweetSack, our Burst O' Durst, and a brand new Henderson's Pants spot for their newest line, The Drifter Chino.

Musically, I found a fun little ditty called Incompetent's Lament by Paul & Storm, a duo that has cranked out a lot of comedy tunes, much of which is available via their website. They also have their own podcast, Paul and Storm Talk About Some Stuff for Five to Ten Minutes (On Average), so click over and give 'em a listen.

Here's what's in the lineup this time:

Comedy Bang Bang

This is the week that CBB host Scott Aukerman brings his podcast to television. (Starts Friday, June 8, on IFC.) Our cut is from a recent audio version of the show, featuring comedian guests Sara Silverman and Kyle Dunnigan, who spend some time dissecting one of Sarah’s first TV roles – playing a scientist on Star Trek Voyager.

The Gentleman’s Club

Comic Caleb Bacon runs The Gentleman’s Club: Part comedy, part sports, part strippers and strippers’ parts. In this clip, Caleb’s talking to a “Vegas insider”, Rodric Bradford, about something everyone going to Sin City is looking for – indoor skydiving.

How Was Your Week?

Julie Klausner with Eddie Pepitone 

Comedy writer/performer, podcaster, and author Julie Klausner hosts How Was Your Week, which was recently named one of the best comedy podcasts by the New York Times, Rolling Stone & GQ. In the clip we have, she gets into the touchy subject of panic attacks with the Bitter Buddha himself, Eddie Pepitone.

Too Heavy To Skydive

THTS is a big ol’ roundtable chat show with a great title. Hosts Matt, Alex, Erik, Fred, Neil, and Tim talk about news, sports, pop culture, movies, and…porn. But at least it's tasteful, sharing AND ecological porn. Check out their many segments, contributors and other stuff.

Murphy’s Law & The Mercenaries

Shane Murphy, Neil Mercener and Geoff Jewel host one of podcasting's “shootin’ the shit” show – a bunch of guys sitting around and talking about whatever’s going on. Nothing wrong with that, and it's nice to see these guys have differences of opinion about some of the subjects they talk about.

Mustache Rangers

Podcasts don't have to be long to be funny and entertaining. A number of the shows I don't pick clips from could take that lesson from The Mustache Rangers. The improvised episodes are short and clever, as performed by Corey Anderson and Aric McKeown. Local favorites of the Twin Cities, the show was named Best Podcast of 2011 by Mpls St Paul magazine. Note: They have a live version of The Mustache Rangerss coming up on June 21^st at the Twin Cities Improv Festival.

Nobody Likes Onions

Patrick Melton with Ryan Stout 

Comedian and podcast pioneer Patrick Melton has one of the longest running podcasts around. Nobody Likes Onions started back in 2005. For his seventh anniversary, he has comedian Ryan Stout in the studio where, in this clip, Patrick reveals that he used to steal vans and sell waffles out of them. Hey, me too!

Sklarbro County

As brother Randy & Jason Sklar near Episode 100 of their popular podcast Sklarbro Country, their listeners are clamoring for more than one show a week. Here's their answer: Take the "r" out of Country. Shorter, easier to produce, with more timely, time-sensitive sports stories.

We wrap up Epi27 with a Burst O’ Durst, in which our Ambassador to the Middle, political wit Will Durst talks about Mitt Romney’s lack of discernible position on…anything.

— Marc Hershon

 

Succotash Epi12: Boozin' With Bill

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 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

Foggy Morning Breakdown

I was having coffee with my wife the other morning and she looked up right when my glasses steamed up from my cup o' joe, causing her to laugh uproariously. I figured, "That's good enough for me!"

We recreated the moment, she took a picture, I applied my phodoodling skills to the shot and now it's on a coffee mug, t-shirt and bunch of other products at the Daily Grill Online Junk with the apropos phrase, "When you wear glasses, every morning is a foggy morning."

Get some.

Lobster Lady

Starbucks hits 40 years old this year and has decided to give their logo, "The Siren", a facelift. CEO Howard Schultz made an announcement via video about it on the Starbucks website. Basically, they've stripped the band with the company name off from around their mermaid. Unfortunately, it draws attention to the strange double tail the Bucks babe sports and it now looks more like a pair of puffy pincers.

Happy Half Hour

I understand the language barrier of disparate cultures — the difficulty in making oneself understood because of a lack of common reference points. But isn't TIME pretty much universal?! Clocks. Hands. Hours. The freakin' sun?!

Yet I eat at this Chinese ramen joint in San Francisco once in a while that has a big sign outside for their "Happy Hour Special!" A giant bowl of soup and a beer for 8 bucks. Great deal, right? Here's the weird part... "Happy Hour Special" is from 5 to 6 PM. but the restaurant doesn't open until 5:30!

I don't mind it's only a Happy Half-Hour, but why don't THEY get it?

I normally wouldn't say anything — I never do in restaurants, as I'm allergic to waiter spit — but I had to ask, "What's the deal?" Here's the language barrier part. The waiter laughs, nod, smiles...and pours me more tea.

Chicken Little's Revenge

KFC's "Double Down", the chicken sandwich with chicken as the bread around bacon and cheese, has been on the streets for better than two weeks now. Anyone try one yet? I can't bring myself to do it, but I would like to suggest they change the name from "Double Down" to the "Crash Cart", in honor of the cardiac episode epidemic that's bound to follow.

Sugar Fat Caffeine Rush

I have found my new favorite hang. The Pirate Cat Radio Cafe in San Francisco. Been doing a lot of interview — TV, print and radio — as part of the PR ramble for my I Hate People! book. This morning was the first radio show I've done that was actually in The City, and it wasn't set up by the publisher or the publicist. It was a request from an old comedy buddy, Kevin Hancock, who hosts "Pretty Good, Not Much" from 8 until noon on Thursdays on PCR. (They broadcast, unlicensed, at 87.9 FM and online, as well as podcast.)

Not knowing what to expect, I show up a few minutes early and am greeted by Monkey, the owner and creator of Pirate Cat Radio. Started it as a teenage out of his bedroom in Los Gatos. (Think Christian Slater in "Turn Up The Volume", except cool.) He's behind the counter, at the controls of the espresso machine, when he asks if he can help me. I let him know I'm there as a guest for the show and he instantly offers me the specialty of the house.

The Bacon Maple Latte.

It's as if he's reached into my mind and pulled out most of my favorite flavors. Bacon. Maple. And coffee. The bacon ain't no artificial flavor. It's "refined bacon", Monkey says. As he scoops it out of its container, I can see that his term is a euphemism for "bacon fat". Then a big ol' tablespoon of maple syrup goes into the steam cup under the spigot.

30 second later and I'm sipping espresso blended with the great tastes of bacon and maple through a veil of foamy 2% milk. Good lord. Even as my taste buds thrill, I can practically hear my arteries shrieking. Clearly, I need something to cleanse my palate before I go on the air.

Monkey has just the thing.

A vegan doughnut.

Best Sandwich Ever

NBC's Today show is running a contest to find “the best sandwich in America”, having people vote for one out of five that they featured on the show this week from different restaurants around the country. A friend of mine, Lewis Rossman, is the executive chef at Sam’s Chowder House in Half Moon Bay and created the lobster roll that’s in competition! If you get a second to click over to the Today show website, hit the Vote for America’s best sandwich! link on the upper right and click in a vote for the California Lobster Roll, he just might beat those snotty chefs from New Orleans, New York, Chicago and Philadelphia... (you can vote thru next Tuesday...)