BY MICHAEL GOODPASTER
(FOUR) DOUG LOVES MOVIES
I love movies too! The more I listen the more I find that I enjoy a lot of things that Doug Benson does. This show isn’t “about comedy”. It’s funny as hell and there is a lot of comedy in it, but the show focuses on movies. Doug will have a few awesome celebrities, film, and comedian friends sit in with him. They bullshit, they play some games, and the love of movies and laughing is shared by all. I could have gone with The Pod F. Tomkast or even The Nerdist here. Both are solid in their own right. I’m an avid fan of both. I just HAD to go with Doug. He’s one of the best hosts, stoners, comedians, and cool guys out there. I’m pretty sure Doug Benson would be the best friend ever.
(THREE) YOU MADE IT WEIRD
Pete Holmes is like the human version of a smile. I didn’t know what to expect from his podcast. He gets solid guests all the time and has some really good talks. Some say he’s “borrowing” a little too much from Marc Maron, but he’s clearly his own person. Pete doesn’t shy from asking random and weird questions. It never feels like he’s trying to pry for details but rather he’s just genuinely interested. A lot of interview podcasts have an ass-load of uninterested sounding fillers like “oh yeah?”, “uh huh”, and “yeah, yeah, yeah”. Pete shares the conversation and lets us absorb the guest’s story. He’s just so bright and loud. The way he talks makes it feel like he’s taking in the world with the same enthusiastic eyes as a kid staring at a sparkler. I don’t care what kind of mood I’m in when I start listening. By the time I hear someone say, or not say, “keep it crispy” I’m in a better mood.
(TWO) SMODCAST
This was the first podcast I ever listened to. I remember back on MySpace, yes MySpace, before Zack and Miri Make a Porno came out that I was closely following Kevin Smith. He and Scott Mosier were already doing them for a while. I downloaded the mp3 and listened to these two dudes ramble back and forth. I’m already a fan of Smith’s humor and POV so it was easy to get lost in the show. I was even into the whole “Smorning” shows he had for a while when he was still gun-ho(is that the “term”?) about his podcast network. He has other podcasts as well. He has one with Jason Mewes, Hollywood Babylon, and I think he’s involved with a few others. I tried to follow it all, but once he started doing less podcast I started listening to less. Still, I gotta go with the “standard” and my first pod-love. I like Kevin Smith, but the dude is oversaturating himself to the point where it’s hard to care about what he says anymore. Even the “announcer” voice on his network uses the same diction style. I cringe every time the “announcer” dude says “let us fuck”. I can complain about the little things that irk me all day, but I’m still going to listen to the Smodcast.
(ONE) WTF
Marc Maron is the king of comedy podcasting. His two weekly shows deliver the goods more consistently than any other podcast out there. I look forward to the first chance I can get to drink a hot cup of coffee and listen to the new episodes on Mondays and Thursdays. Maron is from the “Gen X”/”Alternative Comic” scene from the 90’s. He’s got the domesticated rockstar thing and the neurotic rambler thing going for him. He lets us in. He’s got a slight layer of “shtick”, but it’s nothing too grating. I’ve grown to love all the little one-liners and typical “Maron-isms” over the time I’ve been listening. Pretty much any comedy podcast that’s interview based is copying Maron. I think everyone, including Marc, is okay with that. He’s doing well and he’s an icon of a modern medium. He can’t complain, but boy can he! I want to be Marc Maron when I grow up.
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