The Daily Grill

Succotash Epi11: We've Hit Our Tweens!

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

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

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

Here's what's up in Epi11:

•Affirmation Nation

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

• Superego

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

• Delicious Mediocrity

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

• FATinee Podcast

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

— Marc Hershon

 

Succotash Epi10: Dana & Scott Carvey @ Studio P!

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

Dana and Scott Carvey sharing memories at Studio P

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

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

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

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

— 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

Succotash Epi8: What Duvet Said What?

Episode 8 is up (in record time - just was laying it down at Studio P last night - way to go, engineer/producer Joe Paulino!) and not only do we have a whole new passle o' podcasts but this epi features special guest co-host Rob Celli. He's one half (combined with LA-based partner Jason Duplissea) of popular podcast What Duvet Said. (WDS isn't a comedy podcast, per se, but the hosts have a sly sense of humor that touches everything that they talk about during the course of their weekly hour.)

We kick things off with a quick trip through the Tweet Sack (the Succotash version of a mailbag feature), and unveil the new Succotash Hotline number: 1 (818) 921-7212. Then Rob and I launch into a slew of podcast clips, most of them chosen by Rob. (The first pair of segments are features from What Duvet Said — hear Rob and Jason's podcast at www.WhatDuvetSaid.com or grab it from iTunes.) The rest of podcasts, in order of appearance…

• Good Clean Fun
Rob cites this show as one of the inspirations for he and Jason to take their personal conversations online for the world to hear. The hosts of Good Clean Fun, Jasper and Mike, live halfway across the country from each other but that doesn't keep them from convening weekly.
www.rockandrollgeek.com and iTunes

• Gee & Jay Radio Show
The #1 podcast in Belfast? It is to hear these two mates talk about it. It might take a little while to get the hang of listening to their thick Irish brogues (at least to an unpracticed Yank's ear!) Plus it's a kick to hear that Google Plus is getting a workout overseas at the same time as in the States.
www.GeeAndJayShow.com and iTunes

• S & M Rants Podcast
From the website: "“The S&M Rants Podcast is a weekly podcast where Shane Birley and Monica Hamburg talk about weird and amusing stuff. Want to find out more about Chewbacca sex fantasies, Japanese toilets and bad erotica? Wondering who the fucktard of the week is?” In this clip (our last 'duo hosted' show of this edition) the two kick around a news story about a dude who tried to have a prostitute arrested for not putting out to his satisfaction.

www.shanesworld.ca/podcast/the-sm-rants and iTunes
 

• The Jimmy Dore Show
A Succotash favorite, Jimmy Dore and his panel of guests (Mike McCrae, Frank Conniff, Paul Gilmartin, and Robert Yasamura) enjoy taking a comedic bite out of political and pop culture figures.
www.JimmyDoreComedy.com and iTunes

• Comedy Bang Bang
Guest co-host Rob Celli brings in a clip from another show we like hearing from! Scott Aukerman has consistently has great comedic guests and hyperweird drop-in characters. This segment features a mini-reunion of the director (David Wain) and a couple of the cast (Paul Rudd, Ken Marino) of the movie Wet Hot American Summer, released 10 years ago.

www.Earwolf.com and iTunes

• The Pod F. Tomkast
Avant garde comedian Paul F. Tompkins hosts this imaginative show, performed in front of a live audience. Definitely an experience worth catching a full download of sometime!

www.paulftompkins.com and iTunes

• Comedy Accident
I was happy to feature this clip, provided by the sketch group of the same name from Chicago. In this segment, they have a visit with sketch and improv vets Susan Messing and Greg Holliman.

www.ComedyAccident.com and iTunes

We close out Epi8 with our regular feature, Burst O' Durst, provided every edition by San Francisco premiere political comedian Will Durst. (For more Durst, visit his site at www.WillDurst.com and follow him on Twitter @WillDurst.)

So download a helping from this week's stash, tell your friends and don't forget to pass the Succotash!

— Marc Hershon

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Succotash Epi7 - Nuthin' But Podcasts!

We're back. Vacation break over, me, Joe Paulino and the rest of the Succotash crew are together again and rocking Studio P in Sausalito.

Episode 7 features no guests or interviews but we DO have clips from eight comedy podcasts, two Bursts O' Durst with comedian Will Durst and Where's The Coffee?, an original tune by our musical director Scott Carvey. (Listen to this episode for information about when you can expect to hear — if our plans hold up — both Scott and his brother Dana (do the math) live in the studio in an episode in the near future!

Here's what we've got in store this time...

• Burst O' Durst (x2)
A double dose of political comedian Will Durst in this edition. Catch Will at his home site at http://WillDurst.com or on Twitter as @WillDurst. 

• The Apple Sisters
One of podcasting's fastest rising shows, Kimmy Gatewood, Rebekka Johnson and  Sarah Lowe are The Apple Sisters, bring their 1940's flare with a 21st century sensibility to the webwaves. Guest Jason Ritter joins them in this clip. Get more at http://TheAppleSister.com or on iTunes. 

• Chris Porter's General Store
Comedian Chris Porter, a finalist on Season 4 of Last Comic Standing, rants a bit about obesity and wonders why people in Texas can even be fat. Load up on him at http://pantswise.com/generalstore or on iTunes. 

• Nobody Likes Onions
So says host and comic Patrick Melton, who's joined by comedian Ryan Stout, who leads the discussion off into what a bad gig can be like...and can you recover? If you like what you hear, go get yourself a full helping at http://nobodylikesonions.com or iTunes. 

• Comedy Buffet
What I can tell you is that the Comedy Buffet guys have a couple of dudes (Jason and Jesse) from Van Full Of Candy on their show where, in this clip, they joke about oversized food and diabetes. (What I can also tell you is that I'm a big, giant goober. In the podcast, I dress the CB boys down for not ID'ing themselves. Next time I'll read the email someone sends in all the way through. Michael Powell hosts the show, joined this time around by usual suspects Matt Bernier and Don Buley.) Have yourself a good ol' time over at http://TheComedyBuffet.com or iTunes.

• Judge John Hodgman
If you don't know who John Hodgman is, you've no one to blame but yourself. He's the PC in the PC and Mac commercials. He's a correspondent on The Daily Show. And, well, he's John Hodgman! On his podcast, which is patterned much like the old People's Court on TV, he hears "legal" cases of strange and dubious merit and then rules on them. In our clip, he sounds off after hearing some letters by listeners with questions. Hear the full stories at http://maximumfun.org or iTunes. 

• Somebody And Me
A couple of guys from Chicago, Patrick O'Rourke and Rob Gregory, welcome guests Carley Moseley and Andy Kushnir from the sketch group Jeremy. In this segment, they try to get a fix on exactly what a hipster is all about. Hear more at http://somebodyandme.com or iTunes. 

• The Unoffendables
Comic Tom Rhodes is joined here by Lou Angelwolf and Dana Gibson along with guest John Fugelsang. In the clip we have, John talks about his religion-flavored upbringing and how it helpd to shape his early comedy. There's more in store at http://trr.libsyn.com or iTunes. 

• What Duvet Said 
Jason Duplissea and Rob Celli sliced out their own clip and sent it along, entitling it "The Breast of Duvet". In the segment, they examine a news story in which a women fended off police with gouts of her own breast milk. Tasty stuff. Want more? http://whatduvetsaid.blogspot.com or iTunes. (And if you want even more WDS, I'm hoping to have Rob Celli in the studio with me for Epi8 as my special guest co-host!)

As you can see, Succotash Epi7 is stuffed with delicious podcastery. In addition, our booth announcer Bill Heywatt has a bit of a meltdown in studio (we're also featuring his unique spin on the classic drink, the Snowshoe), and we have a new commercial from our favorite sponsor, Henderson's Pants.

If you'd like, follow us on twitter @SuccotashShow, Like us at our Facebook page (just search for "Succotash Show" on fb), or drop us a line at [email protected]!

Until next time, be kind, rewind and, as always, pass the Succotash!

— Marc Hershon

 

Succotash Epi6 w/Special Guest Rick Overton!

When I first started Succotash back in April, I figured it would be just little' ol' me and a pile o' podcast clips. But comedy friends keep popping up and it just seems right to make room for them on the show whenever there's a chance. Episode 6 is no exception, as standup/improvisor/actor extraordinaire Rick Overton was in town to play with Mark Pitta (guest co-host of Epi5 of Succotash) & Friends at the 142 Throckmorton Theater in Mill Valley, CA.

Not only is Rick an act bordering on legend status amongst his peers (and a goodly number of civilians as well), but he's a longtime friend of yours truly and was happy to kick back in his hotel room before the show and chat it up about his life and times behind and around the microphone stand. This will be a treat for the comedy nerds out there, as well as those who will doubtless recognize him from his many guest starring roles in film and on TV.

A second treat we have for you in this epi is an actual song, Business End, by our music director Scott Carvey. I've gotten a number of comments about Scott's excellent theme for our show — here's a chance to hear him strut his stuff without me walking all over his notes.

Then there's the Burst O' Durst, our episodic entry on politics, world affairs and humankind from noted raging moderate and comedian Will Durst!

AND we have clips, too! Comedy podcast clips from near and far, picked fresh and played for your amusement. This week Succotash samples:

• Mike And Tom Eat Snacks

Michael Ian Black and Tom Cavanagh welcome their first guest to the snack table: Late Night with David Letterman executive producer Rob Burnett.

• Radio Rubber Room

Dan Anderson, Derrick Vara, and Chris Manzelli open their live music & sketch comedy studio up to hip hop artist Black Liquid.

• The Sal & Angelo Podcast

San Francisco comedians Sal Calanni and Angelo Lorenzetti bring in guest Tony Camin, a comedian who started in San Francisco but is based now out of New York.

• Sklarbro Country

Featuring comedians Jason Sklar and Randy Sklar, their podcast is heavily sports-influenced and pretty damned funny. (And, if it wasn't for the fact they sometimes finish each other's sentences, you'd never know that they're not just brothers but identical twin brothers.)

We're a little light on clips this week, but we more than make up for it with the Rick Overton interview. But there was even more interview than we had show for - so expect to see uploaded soon a special Succotash Epi 6.5 which will be the Overton interview in its entirety!

I want to thank the Friends o' Succotash who have been tweeting us up on Twitter (we're @SuccotashShow), Liking us on Facebook, and rating us on iTunes! We've also been getting suggestions to check out more comedy podcasts we've never heard of before, so look for new blood in the coming episodes.

For now, though, kick back, download and enjoy!

Pass the Succotash,

Marc Hershon

Succotash Goes Hollywood!

Chillpak Hollywood Hour, that is. In Epi4 of Succotash, my special guests this show are Dean Haglund and Phil Leirness, hosts of the podcast which just marked its fourth year on the web. And, I should mention, a model of consistency, having gotten up every week of those 4 years.

I got a chance to catch up with D & P on the occasion of the US premiere of The Truth Is Out There, a documentary delving into conspiracy theories of every stripe. (I favorably reviewed TTIOT on Huffington Post a couple of months ago.) Shortly before the movie got underway at the Retro Dome in San Jose, California, I was able to sit down with the two — Dean serves as the host for the movie, which Phil was the moviemaker who shot, chopped and shopped the film — in their hotel room.

The interview, featured on Succotash this episode, is interspersed with half dozen podcast clips, including:

• How Did This Get Made?

  Featuring guest Adam Pally

• Doug Loves Movies

  Doug Benson with guest Paul F. Tompkins

• The Adam Carolla Show

  With guest Albert Brooks

• The Titus Podcast

  Christopher Titus' Armageddon Update

• The Glory Hole

  With guest Samm Levine

• Professor Blastoff

  Tig, Kyle & David talk about the Afterlife

 

Of the clips in this episode, I was especially delighted to get to hear Albert Brooks, a comic mind that tends to stay way too far off the radar, as a guest with Adam Carolla. Maybe one has to be a comic nerd to truly appreciate that some of today's comedy podcasts — like The Adam Carolla Show, WTF with Marc Maron and Greg Fitzsimmons' FitzDog Radio — are likely the only places you're going to find lengthy, in-depth interviews with some of the best comedians of all time.

We're starting to get more clips submitted by you comedy podcasters out there but keep 'em coming! (Since you know your show better than I do, chances are that the 3-5 minute snippet you send me will be more representative of what you do that I'll be able to find...) And for you podcast listeners out there, let us know of your favorite we haven't featured yet! Send any and all emails to [email protected].

Until next, please pass the Succotash!

Cheers,

Marc Hershon

Conditional Champion

Corporate sponsor Champion announced that they were dropping Pittsburgh Steelers running back Rashard Mendenhall as an endorser for the sparkplug manufacturer. The incomplete comes on the heels of some tweets the pro baller made regarding celebrating the death of Osama Bin Laden.

A statement from Champion reads, in part: "Champion is a strong supporter of the government's efforts to fight terrorism and is very appreciative of the dedication and commitment of the U.S. Armed Forces. Earlier this week, Rashard Mendenhall, who endorses Champion products, expressed personal comments and opinions regarding Osama bin Laden and the September 11 terrorist attacks that were inconsistent with the values of the Champion brand and with which we strongly disagreed."

Champion can hire or fire whomever they want, obviously, but it's interesting that one of the stalwart Constitutional rights that keeps terrorism at bay is Freedom of Speech. Seems like Champion is more interested in not pissing off a segment of its customer base than they are in truly supporting "the government's efforts to fight terrorism."

Succotash Episode 2 Has Arrived!

That didn't take as long as I thought.

After finally posting last week's Succotash debut and getting it linked up with iTunes, I wasn't sure how long it would take to get the next episode together. Happily, through the magnificent efforts of show engineer/producer Joe Paulino, it really only took me getting the next round of comedy podcast clips together and we were ready to go.

After last week's premiere of Succotash, we got some nice mentions and with those, messages from some farflung podcasters who I hadn't heard of before. Now, there are a pile of established comedy p'casts out there and I'm anxious to showcase some of them. But these podcasters had the moxie to step up to the plate and ask if I'd consider featuring them on the show. AND two of them provided me with 3-5 minute clips of what they considered to be representative of their show. That saves me, booth engineer Kenny, and segment producer Stevie endless time so in they went to this week's show.

Without further ado, here's what is on tap in Episode 2:

 • This Week with Larry Miller

 • The David Feldman Comedy Podcast

 • The Mustache Rangers

 • FitzDog Radio

 • Read It And Weep

• Comedy A-Go-Go

 • The Jimmy Dore Show

 • Uhh Yeah Dude

 • Kevin Pollak Chat Show

You can click on any of the above show names to go directly to the websites dedicated to those shows. I'm still getting used to remembering about leaving show information, where to find the websites, etc., so I'll ask any comedy podcasters featured on Succotash to please bear with my learning curve.

If you're interested in having a particular podcast featured (yours or just one you enjoy), please contact me at [email protected]. (Better yet, if you're want to send me a chunk of the show, around 3-5 minutes long, that will help my decision-making process immensely!)

Thanks again to engineer/producer Joe Paulino and musical director Scott Carvey.

Until next time, pass the Succotash!

— Marc Hershon

LAST WORD: I was hoping to have a Special Guest with me to co-host this episode — we were all ready to go with that plan — but then we decided to streamline our workflow in assembling the show this week and it felt it would be easier to work the bugs out of the system without having to infringe on our guest's time. I don't want to over-promise, as schedules change without warning, but will nevertheless tease that we will LIKELY have an SNL graduate on-hand in Studio P (The Home of The Hit!) with our next edition.

The Truth Just Might Be In Here

Full disclosure: I'm a huge conspiracy buff.

Not in the sense that I believe in UFOs, hybrid alien-human star babies, FEMA death camps or many of the other theories that fuel the hearts and minds of the delightfully paranoid. I'm just a fan of the idea of conspiracies. That one can construct an intricate and detailed web of connections and associations that, with very little effort or even imagination, can explain any number of events as being the intended result of planning by some nefarious cabal of secret power mongers.

Knowing that, it's small wonder that I enjoyed watching The Truth Is Out There unfold as it does. The new documentary by Phil Leirness examines the world of conspiracy theories in a refreshing and novel way: Through the eyes of a conspiracy buff. Or, at least, alongside the eyes of one. Namely Dean Haglund, an actor and comedian probably best known from his role as Langley, a recurring role on TV's The X Files. (Appropriately, his character was one of "The Lone Gunmen," a trio of conspiracy enthusiasts that were consulted from time to time by FBI Special Agent Fox Mulder on the show. The three had such a wide following that Fox produced a short-lived spin-off series -- the pilot show of which was so eerily close to the events of 9-11, which was still 8 months away when the episode aired, that it's become a part of conspiracy folklore itself.)

During the course of the film (a long watch, by the way, with a running time of nearly two and a half hours), Leirness follows Haglund around the United States, Canada and parts of Europe as he drops into various New Age expos, UFO conventions and one-on-one interviews with proponents of assorted conspiracy-flavored viewpoints on one subject or another. One challenge of a project of this undertaking is how do you decide what to focus on? There are, after all, conspiracies around so many things -- politics, the economy, medicine, UFOs, etc. -- so how to pick where to point the camera must have been a head scratcher, right?

No such decision necessary, as it turns out. Leirness and Haglund have created a film that is like a Whitman Sampler of conspiracy theories. But rather than being a mishmash of earnestly crazy kooks, spouting outrageous claims about the groups and bogeymen in the shadows, what emerges is a thoughtful journey of Haglund interacting with people who lay out their takes in measured, reasonable tones. Never mind that one woman claims to be the hybrid product of humans and aliens. Or the strident radio announcer decrying the impending jack boots of the New World Order. Everyone is allowed to speak about their subject without interruption or objection by Haglund, who alternately nods with understanding or expresses surprise at some revelation of information.

Leirness has then assembled the material in a very cool way. It almost feels like a music score the way the narrative travels back and forth between the conspiracies and the subjects speaking about them. The documentary is broken down almost in terms of categories -- the UFO and aliens in one section, the government elements in another, medical subjects all together as well. What emerges is a picture of how the threads of these various stories begin to weave (or sometimes tangle) together.

As Haglund finds each subject and urges them to expound on their complot du jour, the UFO conspiracies begin to blend neatly into the medical conspiracies which then find connections in the government conspiracies. There's no one subject -- Haglund included -- that explains or assumes that. There's no need -- the film does that itself but never obviously -- you're left to discover that "conspiracy of conspiracies" yourself, if you can separate the forest from the trees.

There's a subplot of sorts as Haglund interacts with a motivational psychotherapist, Dr. Nicki J. Monti, attempting to delve into the truth of the Self. It seems the most circuitous route in the movie, as Haglund deflects a number of Dr. Monti's attempts at peeling back elements that Dean himself proclaims may have been getting in the way of his life and career over the years.

Back on the trail of the ever-growing host of conspiracies, the longer that each subject talks about their subject, with Haglund alternately wide-eyed or perhaps aghast at the information being revealed, the more often the conspiracies begin to teeter under their own convoluted logic. None of them actually gets to the point of falling completely to pieces. In fact, in a few cases, the information is downright compelling with few seams showing.

By the film's end you're left with the idea that the truth must, surely, be "out there" -- whether at a distance from the reality you know or just around the corner, one can't be sure -- and there is sure to be at least one or two threads viewers might be enticed to pick up and follow for themselves, if only to prove, once and for all, that truth can't possibly be stranger than fiction.

— Marc Hershon