The Daily Grill

Succotash Epi23: Dana Carvey Returns...With Backup

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!

 

Dana Carvey, Tom Carvey & Frank Cronin

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's Tape Recorder

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.

 

The Gee & Jay Show

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.

 

The JV Club

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.

 

Jay V Mail

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.

 

Don't Quit Your Daycast

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.

 

I Am Idiot

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.

 

The Green Room

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.

 

The Thom & Jeff Show

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.

 

Burst O' Durst

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

Succotash Epi17: Happy 2012!

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

Succotash Epi14: A Podcast Potpourri

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.

• Pool Party Radio

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

Succotash Epi13: A Show Without Joe

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, THAT's 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

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

Succotash Epi9: A Visit With Kelly Carlin

Succotash is your Comedy Podcast Podcast and, as such, we feel it's our duty to keep stretching the definition of "comedy podcast" a bit more when we can. Succotash hit the road to interview this week's special guest, Kelly Carlin, who was kind enough to invite me into her home for a discussion about comedy, podcasts, and her late father, comedy legend George Carlin.

She's a smart, lively, funny, and fascinating personality, who hosts Waking From The American Dream, an internet radio show and podcast. Interestingly, we learn that she wasn't involved in the world of comedy very much while her dad was alive but, immediately following his passing, she found herself greeted by well-wishers of high status in the comedy community, who were anxious to make the only child of a comedy figurehead know that she was welcome to become part of this great extended family.

It's an interesting conversation, one which I've broken up over the hour-long episode and interspersed with a handful of clips from some comedy podcasts we've not featured yet:

• Affirmation Nation
As I mention in the show this week, Affirmation Nation is one of my new favorite p'casts. The installments are short and can be found daily over on Earwolf.com. Featuring Bob Ducca, there's a great lampooning of "feel good-ness" going on in each tasty bite of this offering. (Apologies to Bob, Seth Morris, and the Earwolf folks - I blew leaving the link info in the show this time! I'll mention it in Epi10. In the meantime...)
www.Earwolf.com and iTunes

• Cinematic Method
Funny concept and follow-thru for a show by a quintet of guys. They watch movie trailers and, from those alone, attempt to predict the film's ratings on the Rotten Tomatoes site. Talk about meta! In this clip, the guys examine recent release Fright Night.
www.CinematicMethod.com and iTunes

• Comedy-A-Go-Go
Friend of Succotash Dave Nelson and his p'cast are back on the show via this clip featuring a taste of his interview with actor/comedian TJ Miller. Dave's a touchstone for podcast and comedy happenings in the Midwest, and we're glad he asked if we'd revisit his program.
www.dvnelson.podvean.com and iTunes

• The Mad Ranters
An "open forum where a 'nothing is sacred' approach is taken" is how the Mad Ranters' website talks about their podcast. Angus and his crew take everything to task and leave no stone unturned along the way. We're just giving you a taste: Angus ranting solo about drivers in the middle lane.
www.TheMadRanters.com and iTunes

So we're a little short on the clip count this week to better accommodate our interview with Ms. Carlin. But you'll also catch another Burst O' Durst with regular contributor and political comedian extraordinaire Will Durst (www.WillDurst.com and @WillDurst on Twitter), plus we dip into the Tweet Sack and have another new ad from the folks at Henderson's Pants.

Lastly, we've received zero calls on the new Succotash Hotline at (818) 921-7212, which leads me to believe everyone's incredibly happy with what we're doing, nobody's listening, or you all wish that it was toll-free. Regardless, if you're listening to the show and could do us the great honor of going up to iTunes to rate it ANd review it, we'll be your bestest friend ever.

Hope you enjoy this week's serving and that you'll do your best to pass the Succotash!

— Marc Hershon

Slow Burn

The cigarette manufacturers — Phillip Morris, British American Tobacco, R.J. Reynolds, and the like — find themselves fighting against ever-toughening anti-smoking regulations around the world. Here in the U.S., they will soon require warning messages on each pack of smokes that take up 50% of the real estate and include graphics of the harmful effects smoking can cause. In Australia there's a movement to restrict packs to only appear in white or brown with no graphics that might make the coffin nails appealing to buyers.

Three of the 18 potential new warning graphics the FDA are considering

This week there is a conference in Uruguay with health officials from 178 nations who are looking to draft a global anti-smoking treaty. (Ironically, Phillip Morris is suing host county Uruguay for have anti-smoking regulations that are too excessive.)

As insidious and addicting as smoking is, one can certainly understand the fix that the smoking giants find themselves in. Smoking is on the decline around the world and it's not so much because of the success of anti-smoking messages. It's because cigarettes is the only industry on Earth that, when successful, is killing off its best customers.

Shuffling The Deck

With the midterm elections behind us, the Democraps have lost the power of the House of Representatives. The bad news is that the Republican'ts can now stalemate anything coming out of the Demo-controlled Senate. The good news is that Nancy Pelosi is no longer Shrieker of the House. The mediocre news is that our government, regardless of who is in office, remains a bloated lump of ineffectiveness that seems unable to get the country headed in the right direction.

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.

Crammed In, American-style

I had the opportunity to fly on American Airlines this week. Well...not so much an opportunity as it was the flight that had been booked for me by a well-meaning travel agent who not only didn't bother to not discover my preferences, but booked the flight too late to get me anything but dreaded MIDDLE seats. Middle seats! Does anyone like middle seats? Other than people who enjoy awkwardly invading strangers' personal space, probably not.

But middle seats wasn't the worst of the experience. And the worst of it wasn't the travel agent's fault.

People than fly with any frequency at all must realize that modern plane seats are bolted to a track on the floor. And that those seats can be moved farther apart and closer together. I have yet to experience the former and the latter keeps on happening. Which is the point of this particular micro-rant.

On American Airlines — at least the four planes I was just on — they've now moved the seats so close together than the overhead vents and reading lights no long line up properly with the seats below. So the light that should have helped me to read was blocked by my own shoulder. And I suffered a continual jet of freezing cold air in my ear. Refreshing!

And then there's the collateral damage.

With the seating so oppressively close, the guy in front of me slams into my knees when he reclines his seat. I can no longer sufficient clearance to openmy laptop on the tray table. And I can't recline MY seat properly because of the knees of the guy behind me jabbing into my back.

Adding a frosting of overall annoyance to this cake of discomfort is the fact that every flight is now stuffed to the gills. Every seat filled. With the faltering economy, the number of flights has been cut down so that choices are limited. So limited that you' invariably end up in a middle seat.

I guess the travel agent is not to blame after all.