Don't Get Me Started

Anthony and Will resurrect the podcast for one episode because... well, just kinda because! No guests! They each describe three minor obsessions. Oddly, their first ones are almost identical. They get into: music, liquor, video games, statistics, social media, Broadway, the pandemic, 9-11 and wondering how they will let anyone know that this episode exists! 

Thanks to Connor Ratliff for encouraging us to do this!

Final episode! After almost three years, we are ending the podcast! "Why?" you ask, you DEMAND, to know? Well, we just wanted to. We've loved it every step of the way but now we can sense it becoming more of a chore than a labor of love so we're ending it before that happens.

In this final episode, we talk about the reasons we started the podcast, the things we tried in our real lives, the nature of adult friendships, Seinfeld, Facebook algorithms, learning new music, Anthony's run of being artistic director of UCB, Will's method of remembering things from the media he absorbs and... that's it!

Thank you to everyone who has been on our show, who has listened to it, who's supported it! Seeeee yaaaaaaaaaa!

Hayes Davenport is a co-host of the very funny podcast Hollywood Handbook, as well as being a writer for many great television comedies. We don't talk to him about any of that. We get into his obsession with CITY PLANNING. Why are cities set up the way they are? What are the issues with making them better? What's going with Los Angeles? Who made NYC have all those bike lanes? We love this episode and so will you. Also, Will discusses the cat petting/hair-pulling tool The Furminator and Anthony talks about the online service BookBub.

We break our "not about what you do" rule yet AGAIN to talk to television writer/former UCB Artistic Director Neil Campbell about SKETCH COMEDY. We get nerdy early and often as we go back to Neil's days at the University of Iowa, his thoughts on the early days of the UCB sketch scene, how he adjusts strategies when writing for television and way more! No minor obsessions because why follow ANY RULES?

We talk to Jackie Johnson, comedian actor and host of the hit podcast Natch Beaut, about her jaw-droopingly long obsessing with the SIMS. You know, the virtual family game where you set up a little community and they age and do stuff? Jackie has done this for like 15 years. Holy jeebs. Also, Will talks about the sketch comedy podcast from Austin called Victrola, and Anthony talks about Croation singing sensation Jacques Houdek.

We talk to comedian Beth Appel about ODYSSEY OF THE MIND, the middle-and-high-school competition designed to encourage creative problem solving. What got Beth so obsessed? How is it not like a quiz bowl or a math team or other nerdy competitive things? What's with all the building things out of wood? We get into all that and MORE! Plus Will is into a teahouse he visited in Beijing and Anthony likes Malcolm Gladwell's podcast Revisionist History.

We talk to comedian Will McLaughlin (TBS' show "Wrecked") about the JFK ASSASSINATION. Seeing the Oliver Stone movie JFK set Will on a path of researching President Kennedy's murder to see what parts of the official story really DON'T hold up. Will has three main issues with the official story, and if you listen to the episode you will hear WHAT THOSE ARE. Also, Will (Hines) talks about the Alessi Brothers' song "Seabird" and Anthony, after trying water skiing for the first time in years, ponders about how certain learned skills remain available years after you last use them.

We talk to producer/director David Zwick about the 1924 Democratic National Convention! In what could have been a shoo-in for the Democratic party, infighting and factions led to taking almost 2 weeks to pick someone who turned out to be an incredibly weak candidate! We hear about how the party couldn't decide whether or not to condemn the KKK, and how being Catholic meant you were a political liability! Hoo boy. Plus Will discusses the idea of "competency porn" especially related to the book "The Martian" and Anthony talks about the book "Hatching Twitter" by Nick Bilton.

Comedian Dominique Johnson comes on to talk about LISTENING TO NEW MUSIC. Through Facebook, the hosts realized that Dom had an interesting set of opinions on music: he's both very opinionated but also very open. Meaning: he'll listen to new music, even music that's very outside of his tastes. Yet he doesn't blindly accept artists just because they are widely viewed as good. It turns out there's a reason Dom is so open to music. We get into his childhood, moving from town to town -- black neighborhoods to white ones, places where his friends liked nu metal to places where they liked jazz. And we play a lot of stuff Dom likes, including perhaps most surprisingly John Mayer. Will talks about the George Saunders novel Lincoln in the Bardo and Anthony updates us on his increasingly problematic dependence on the iPhone game Clash Royale.

Comedian/musician/phenomenon Jim Santangeli talks to us about The NFL Draft. "What is it?" asks Will, and Jim answers. We also get into: college football, Connecticut pride, old podcast ideas, forgotten web series and love! Hey and there's more: Will likes Twin Peaks, and Anthony is fascinated by the story of Billy Joel backup singer Mike DelGuidice.

Returning guest Jen Krueger (from the "Notebooks/Day Planners") episode talks to us about her obsession with British Panel Shows. From the perhaps most well-known "QI" to the less-well-known-but-more-fun-named "8 Out Of 10 Cats Does Countdown," she tells us why she likes these shows, which are her favorite guests, why she thinks these types of shows haven't made it in the US and about a reddit user who is a hero for uploading all these shows to YouTube. Plus Will talks about his processes for getting rid of books (unfortunately named the fascist-sounding "book purging") and Anthony raves about the new play "The Antipodes."

Comedy mastermind Ben Rodgers talks to us about audio books. Great books, great narrators, great settings for listening to them. Why are Stephen King books so great? What should a good audiobook reader's IMDB profile be like? And much more! Will talks about watching movies on planes and Anthony discusses the website "Burbankia."

We break our rule (talking to people not about what they do) to talk to UCB co-founder MATT WALSH about IMPROV. We also get into sketch, and live comedy, and old school UCB shows like Robot TV and Killgore, and his time at the Annoyance Theater and improvOlympic, and Will implies that Matt has never done a Harold, which is unfair and untrue. No minor obsessions this week. ALL IMPROV. If you like this, make sure to check out Matt's podcast "UCB Sports and Leisure" which features lotsa UCB stars, including WILL HINES.

Comedian/musician Ariana Lenarsky talks to us about TAROT. Cards, the image, the history, tips of doing a reading, how she got into it, history of the classic cards that you are thinking of, and MORE! Plus Anthony is into the XM radio app and their station "70s on 7." And Will is really into hotels.

We talk to comedian Dru Johnston about EVOLUTION. How did he get interested in it? How much of it is getting mad at creationists? Why DO people get passionate about creationism? What happened to the neanderthals? What books are good to read about this stuff? AND MORE! Plus Anthony talks about the Fijian dish Kokoda, and Will abhors the process of condemning tropes in TV/movies just because they have a cool label.

John Purcell talks about the rock group U2. Why does he love them? Why was he ashamed of that at first? What are some deeper cuts people don't appreciate? Why did he see 4 shows in one week one year when their set list doesn't really change that much? Plus Will talks about both the audio book "The Kid Stays in the Picture" and podcast playing speeds; while Anthony discusses flower gardening. NOT VEGETABLE GARDENING.

Film and television creator Sarah-Violet Bliss talks about sociopaths! What makes one a sociopath, how should you deal with them and what's the difference between them and narcissists? Plus Will discusses the tropes of business self-help books and Anthony talks about a great video for the song "Wyclef Jean" by Young Thug.

Comedian Joel Spence is a multi-talented, well-educated man who knows about a lot of things. Despite that, he choose to talk to us about the band Frankie Goes to Hollywood. "Why?" we thought. "Aren't they just a one-hit wonder band from the 80s?" Turns out that they are a several hit wonder band, as well as a group of truly talented musicians and also the creators of a fascinating and ambitious double album "Welcome to the Pleasuredome." We go through it. Plus Will discusses conversation starters he uses and Anthony goes over a twitter account that makes fun of this very podcast, @Parody_DGMS.

Comedy writer Nate Dern discusses author George Saunders! Absurdist! Heartbreaking! Sci-fi-ish? And more! Plus Anthony talks about the strange public domain movies in the Prelinger Archives and Will reminisces about NYC columnist Jimmy Breslin.

Comedy writer Dylan Snowden tells about his time working for FEMA and the world of responding to disasters! Plus Will talks about the song "Magic" by B.O.B. and Anthony discusses an innovate production from the theatre group Teatro Republica.

Comedian/writer/editor Sasha Feiler talks to us about DOG SPORTS. We get into how great her dog Spoon is at dog sports. We talk about "nose work." We talk about "dog agility." We talk about training. We talk about how dog owners in the world of dog sports can be, ironically, catty. We also touch very briefly on how Russia views WWII, as seen from Sasha's childhood in Siberia. But it's mostly dog sports. This is one of our favorite segments ever. Also Anthony discusses Planet Earth II and Will discusses Letters to Cleo's new song.

Comedian/writer/Broadway actor Michael Hartney returns to the podcast to discuss the internet phenomenon called "Unfavorable Semicircle." Basically, someone (or perhaps, some program) is uploading videos of seemingly incoherent video and audio noise, which is vaguely machine like in nature. But wait, is it incoherent? Theories abound in discussion groups which are tracking these videos: is there a message buried in these vids? And what does Steamboat Willie have to do with it? Plus, Will discusses the lovely NYTimes crossword puzzle site xwordinfo.com, and Anthony discusses... well, I guess he discusses how many people have to be in a group before they answer the question "how are you" with the sound "wooo!" rather than words. Yep.

We talk to artist Liz Rodriguez about her lifelong obsession with Studio Ghibli - the Japanese animation/production house behind My Neighbor Totoro, Kiki's Delivery Service, Howl's Moving Castle and Spirited Away. Beautiful illustration! Female protagonists! A lack of formulaic storytelling! And just... it's good! Plus Will gives a poorly organized telling of the baseball mishaps of "Snodgrass' Muff and Merkel's Boner" and Anthony discusses APPLE SLICERS!

Comedian Todd Fasen talks to us about the music festival institution Coachella! Why is it good? How has it changed? What are the best ways to enjoy it? What's the deal with the camping? Plus Will discusses Vertigo comics editor Karen Berger and Anthony raves about a newfangled device he has - the Fidget Cube.

Vulture.com writer Jesse Fox talks to us about watching SNL as a sport. Good episode, bad episode, good season, bad season -- you keep watching at least partly because you want to see how the "team" does. We love this theory and talk forever about it. Also, Will talks about some computer programming thing (PHP framework called Laravel) and Anthony talks about the forgotten 1980 film "How To Beat The High Cost of Living."

Comedian Brandon Gardner talks about his interest in comedian/filmmaker Woody Allen. Heard of him? Genius comedy writer and stand-up comedian? Maker of brilliant films (both comedies, dramas and some that are in-between)? Oh yeah, and the guy who dated and then married the 19 year old daughter of his longtime girlfriend, and then later was publicly accused by his daughter of molesting her? Uh, yeah. Him. We get into it. The appeal of Allen's comedy and his movies, and the trouble of separating what you feel about someone's art versus what you feel about the artist. Also, Will discusses the Doomsday Clock and Anthony discusses the Bobby Kenny biography "The Last Campaign."

A very cool and interesting personal episode. We talk to comedian Luke Kelly-Clyne about Zoloft and how this anti-depressant ended up being the thing that helped him handle his clinical depression. We talk a lot about the stigmas of anti-depressants, and therapy and admitting that you're dealing with depression at all. We also get into some of the basics of medications. Please note that we are not doctors and thus much of what we say is almost definitely oversimplified and is not official advice, etc etc. We also talk about how Anthony has been watching season one of the TV show Newhart, and that Will wants LA residents to vote "NO" on Measure S come March.

Comedian Billy Merritt returns to discuss BIRDS. "I'm ready to talk about birds now," he emailed us, and even though we didn't know what he meant by "ready" and "now" we scheduled a podcast immediately. We get into bird watching, birding, and going birding. We get into sparrows and swallows and cardinals and titmouses and California condors. We get into how Billy is an excellent "animal spotter" and lots of other stuff! Plus Will discusses the 111-year-old Beijing man who was the father of Pinyin, or modern written Chinese. And Anthony discusses the particular flavor of guilt you feel when you can't afford something at a restaurant.

Nicole Erb (actor, comedy writer, you know the drill) talks to us about Shakespeare's "problematic plays." This includes the "problem plays" (neither comedies nor tragedies) but also any play which either drops plot threads, or makes enemies suddenly decide to get married, or has tragic scenes in the middle of otherwise happy acts, ET CETERA! Nicole likes the awkwardness they creates, but many directors try to hide them. We also get into Shakespeare in general. Spoiler: he's popular. In addition: Anthony talks about a podcast he is obsessed with called "In The Dark." Then Will discusses Betteridges' Law of Headlines, which says headlines that are questions are always answered with "no."

WE FIND OUT THAT CHARLES PRANKED US AT 19:30. Charles Rogers, co-creator of the TBS show "Search Party" and the South by Southwest winning film "Fort Tilden" comes on the podcast to discuss PRANKS. But not little pranks like you're thinking of. These pranks sometimes involve months of setup, or elaborate fictional characters, or daring phone calls, and sometimes even outright lies. Charles talks about how his approach to doing pranks has changed over the years as he learns about what makes a prank creative vs. just mean. And he declares how pranking is a form of art. Also, Charles reveals that in the days previous to recording the session, he had played a prank on Will and Anthony. Also, Will discusses the screenwriting book "Beat by Beat" and Anthony discusses the book "Everything Was Possible" which is an actor's diary of the production of "Follies" by Stephen Sondheim.

We talk to returning guest/comedian/madman Connor Ratliff about the comic strip PEANUTS. We get into how it changed over its 50 year run, how amazingly devoted creator Charles Schulz was to it, why Connor likes drawing so much, the TV specials and MORE! Plus Will talks about the book "Thinking, Fast and Slow" and Anthony talks about his new Alexa Dot from Amazon.

Comedian/writer Lauren McGuire discusses the tv show "RuPaul's Drag Race." What is so compelling about it? How is it different than other reality/competition shows? Where does the positivity come from? What is it about drag queens that are so compelling and inspiring? And what are the factors that let someone win? EDITED TO ADD: LAUREN MEANT TO SAY THAT SEASON 7 IS LACKLUSTER, NOT THE TERRIFIC SEASON 6! SHE KNOWS BETTER AND SHE IS SORRY! Also Will discusses a new podcast he's doing about The Beatles called "Screw It, We're Just Gonna Talk About the Beatles" and Anthony discusses how much he likes the new Broadway show "Natasha, Pierre and the Great Comet of 1812."

We talk to writer/director Robbie Pickering about BOXING. How did he get into it? What do you learn about yourself? Are you, the listener, intrigued by the idea of being hit in the face? Then BOXING could be for you! Also Will talks about Batman: The Animated Series (yes the 90s one) and Anthony discusses indie video game "The Swapper."

We talk to comedian / director Clay Larsen about game structure. "Game" like board games, party games, things-you-play games, and "structure" meaning the stories you get into while you play games. Like if you play Risk and start acting like a tyrant, you know? Oh, you'll see. Also, Anthony talks about the mash-ups of our friend Daniel "Chambaland" Chamberlin and Will talks about the super-exciting computer language SHRDLU!

We talk to comedian Mark David Christenson about the band Deerhoof. How does one categorize their indie but epic but funky style? How did he get into them? Why does Anthony like them right away? In addition, Will talks about the two recorded versions of Buddy Holly's "That'll Be The Day" and Anthony discusses the deliciousness of a low country boil.

We talk to comedian/musician Bridgid Ryan about her love of JAPAN. Like Anglophilia, but for Japan. Japandamania? Japandamonium? We talk the language, the culture, the media, the style and more! Plus Anthony talks about trying to stay off of his phone and Will discusses the book Dracula.

We talk to comedian Shaun Diston about PRE-HISTORY, meaning the human civilizations that existed before current recorded history. We're talking lost coastal cities, a hypothetical EARLIER Egyptian dynasty, the people who first figured out how to build pyramids, the cities beneath the ancient ruins, the ships at the bottom of the Black Sea, and more! Plus Will talks about the British tradition of observing a two-minute silence on Armistice Day, and Anthony talks about the surprising appeal of spin classes.

Writer and stand-up comedian Amy Silverberg loves wiener dogs, and she tells us all about it. What breeds? What types of coats? What are her preferred names? What is the appropriate voice to make when you are addressing a wiener dog? How about if you are making a voice on BEHALF of a wiener dog? What instagram accounts should you follow? We cover all of this and somehow much more! Also Will and Anthony review the different minor obsession theme songs that listeners have sent in!

We talk to comedian Jamie Lee about her obsession with MOVIES WHERE PEOPLE DIE. Tragedies, preferably involving a fatal disease and a group of tight-knit friends getting even tighter. We're talking "Steel Magnolias," we're talking "Boys on the Side" but we are NOT talking "Forrest Gump!" Why not? Listen to find out! Also, Anthony talks about the Garry Marshall memoir "Wake Me When It's Funny" and Will discusses the creepy/beautiful video game Limbo.

NOTE: The audio starts cutting in and out after 14 minutes. My recording error. It's ironic that a conversation about trying to communicate better is ITSELF having trouble communicating. We're leaving it up but it unfortunately skips. Our apologies. Mary Sasson returns as she, Anthony and Will do a follow-up to their Election 2016 episode, in which they all seemed pretty confident that Hillary Clinton was going to win. Titled "Oops!" this episode gets into why they had gotten so wrongly confident, the nature of arguing in this election cycle, the understandable anger and bewilderment of all of their friends and most of all a reminder that sometimes when you think you know what's going on, you don't.

We talk to comedian Devin Field about FAST-TALKING WEIRDOS IN COMEDY MOVIES. Michael Keaton is the best example, and maybe the only example? No, there are others and we talk about them! Also, Anthony talks about The Seven-Year Itch and Will discusses musician Emilyn Brodsky.

We talk to comedians and Headgum network founders Jake Hurwitz and Amir Blumenfeld about their obsession with DANCING. These guys get dressed up, hit the bar/clubs (but usually bars) and get into the music. We talk about what kind of bars they like, what kind of music, how the act of dancing fills you with joy, how they got into this and how they are honestly not being creepy but yes incidentally girls like it when you dance. Also Will talks about the Stephen King book "Misery" and Anthony raves about the new Broadway play "The Encounter."

There's not enough talk about the elections, we figured, so here's our contribution. We talk to comedians Travis Helwig and Mary Sasson about the 2016 US presidential election. More than in previous elections, we are fascinating with the race this year. How did Trump get here? What went down with Bernie vs. Hillary? Why does everyone want to think everything is rigged? Will the president and congress ever work together? How did Hillary clean Trump's clock in the debates when no one else could (our interpretation)? Also, are we in the middle of World War III?

We talk to comedian Casey Feigh about the radical idea that Facebook is good and fun. People love to criticize it, but Casey is here to defend it. We get into the main criticisms people have, and Casey has ideas of how one can get around those criticisms. We talk about getting in touch, and posting fun photos, and letting friends know how you're doing and even -- gasp -- having empathy for other people's life choices! Will talks about the first 13 seconds of the song "Dancing in the Moonlight" and Anthony talks about politico David Plouffe's prediction that Trump has very little chance of winning the election. And then we talk about politics for like 20 minutes!

Comedian / writer / director Alex Fernie returns to the podcast to discuss ROBERT KENNEDY. We get into his strengths (committment to civil rights), he weaknesses (er, being real cool with Communist witch-hunting), his impromptu speech on the night Martin Luther King Jr. died, how he might have been a more transformative figure than JFK, and how his assassination in 1968 may have changed American politics forever. Anthony talks about the two different musicals' interpretations of the jazz age poem "The Wild Party," one of which he worked on. And in case this is all too exciting, Will keeps it mundane by giving a very-quickly-researched discussion of local LA political issue Measure M (new sales tax to fund transportation upgrades).

We talk to comedian Nicole Byer, star of the MTV shows "Girl Code" and her own "Loosely Exactly Nicole" about her obsessions STEALING and FAKE HAIR. It's our first two-obsession podcast, including one that is straight-up a criminal activity. First, Nicole talks about her (past) days as a shoplifter, how she got into it, how to do it right, how she eventually stopped. Then we just downshift into fake hair: we get into extensions, weaves and wigs. Anthony and I reminisce on some of Nicole's past hair styles we've seen her with over the years. Nicole is hilarious and great and we are so excited we got her on our show. Also Anthony talks about what's going on in increasingly depopulated shopping malls, and Will discusses the book "Elf Girl," a memoir of the alt-comedy scene in the Lower East Side of NYC.

We talk to comedian Mike Carlson about comics writer Grant Morrison! He's written almost everything in the super hero world! He's into chaos magick! He's cerebral and laid-back and Scottish! We talk about what Mike likes about him so much. We get into several of his famous works, like All-Star Superman, The Invisibles, his run on Batman and X-Men, as well as some more minor but awesome things like We3. Also Anthony talks about Galco's Soda Pop Shop and Will talks about the movie "My Dinner With Andre."

To celebrate the 100th episode of their podcast, Anthony and Will interview... each other! They ask a series of "gun to your head" questions, many posed by listeners. They answer "Which branch of the UCB would you shut down?" and "Would you rather have a new album by the Beatles or Nirvana?" and, oddly, "If you had to pick one, which of Anthony's children should be given to Will?" Also, Will talks about how a brilliant music producer saved the Simon and Garfunkel song "The Sounds of Silence" and Anthony raves about the new production of "A View From The Bridge."

We talk to comedian Nate Shelkey about screenwriter William Goldman. Though he's most famous writing the book and movie "The Princess Bride," as well as the screenplay for "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid," Goldman has written many other movies you've likely seen, and also wrote a ton of novels which you likely have not read. Nate has seen and read them all and we talk about it. We also get into many of the great anecdotes Goldman has shared in his two books on screenwriting, and we predict that actor Dustin Hoffman will never be successful. Also Will talks about the Howard Jones song "No One Is To Blame" and Anthony raves about the movie "Sing Street."

We talk to a panel of passionate guests about their love for the INDIGO GIRLS. Our panel is Lennon Parham, Danielle Schneider and Deb Tarica. They are comedians and friends and attend an Indigo Girls concert together at least once a year. We talk about what is so awesome about the Indigo Girls' music, we get into each panel members top 5 songs, the way they all got into them, the emotions their songs bring out and more. For the sake of some minor bits, Will pretends he will never listen to the Indigo Girls. Also, Will corrects some incorrect info he said about the Throwing Muses song "Not Too Soon" in an earlier episode. And Anthony talks about the case of Bertha Boronda's mayhem circa 1900.

Actor, comedian, improviser Drew DiFonzo Marks talks to us about BUDDHISM. How it pulled him out of a huge depression, what of its principles spoke to him first, how he meditates, meditation retreats and the story of why he has a wagon wheel tattooed on his right forearm. We get into it! Also Will talks about giving voice commands to Siri and Anthony discusses the book The Secret Life of the American Musical. Hey, and also we ask listeners to tweet us "gun to your head" questions Anthony and Will can ask each other for episode 100, which is coming up in 3 episodes! Tweet them to Will @willhines or Anthony @theanthonyking. Thanks!!!

Comedian, actress and writer Anne Lane comes on the show to talk about her obsession with the norovirus. This is a virus that causes symptoms very similar to an intense stomach flu but is also incredibly transmissible. It both terrifies and fascinates Anne, and we felt the same way. We get into fears of vomiting, the fears of viruses in general, how far one is willing to go to be safe and clean and lots of other truly disturbing things. Check it out! Also, Will talks about the Neil Gaiman book American Gods and, in a bit of follow-up, Anthony talks about his success making the liqueur limoncello. 

We bring back television writer and UCB sketch maestro Eva Anderson to talk about her recent but potentially problematic (our words) obsession with IMMERSIVE THEATRE. This is the type of theatre where the audience is involved. Eva talks about a show she went to which tried to simulate the experience of being born for one audience member at a time, and how that led to her hiring a theater group to make a play that takes place in her actual life. We also talk about stuff like Sleep No More (the immersive theater version of Hamlet/Rebecca that runs in NYC) but yeah we talk more about how she hired a theater group to make a play in her life. Also, Will talks about an air quality app and Anthony talks about the hilarious Trump/Ryan "plays" in the twitter account of Owen Ellickson.  

We talk to actor/comedian James Mastraieni about the enticing topic of modern immortality and life extensions. Oh man, the science these days is crazy. How to stop cells from aging, replacing organs, and just lots of crazy technological stuff. We also get into whether it'd be worth living a long time, and what it could mean to the Earth if we as a species pull that off. And then also Will talks about the Throwing Muses song "Not Too Soon" and Anthony discusses the International Cryptozoological Museum of Portland, Maine.  

Actor/comedian Jamie Gaul talks to us about the gruesome but compelling topic of female serial killers! Why don't they get talked about? Why were so many nurses and caretakers? Why so many children that either were or weren't their own? We also get into the topic of serial killing in general, and how being obsessed with serial killers isn't the same as being into horror movies. Will talks about apples (yes, just apples) and Anthony discusses transcendental meditation.  

We talk to actor/comedian/improviser Johnny Meeks about THEOLOGY. Johnny's dad was a for-real theologist, and we're talking teaching, writing books, studied with Germans, preached in MLK Jr.'s church theologist.  It takes us into discussions about politics, and social media and empathy. Whoa. Also Will talks about Ira Robbins' early review of Nirvana's Nevermind and Anthony talks about a 1950s singer named Buddy Knox and his song about Big Foot.  

Improviser Brian Hines (yes, related to co-host Will) talks about the concept of "Bands That Do Their Job." Meaning bands like Journey, who consistently crank out hits and yet would make you laugh if someone named them as their favorite band. We debate who is in and who is out of this admittedly meaningless list. Also, Will talks about muckraker Ida Tarbell and Anthony gets into the movie Swiss Army Man.

Actor/comedian Marcy Jarreau joins us to discuss her obsession with The Paranormal. Poltergeists, haunted houses, ESP, psychics and lots more including cool terms you haven't heard of it.  In an inadvertent showdown of "who has the worst minor obsession" Will talks about poaching eggs and Anthony discusses the feeling you get when you using a toilet not at your home and it's about to overflow. They also talk about the web site their mutual friend Beth Newell's brilliant web site Reductress for a while. 

Actors/comedians Nina Concepcion and Beth Lepley bravely discuss their passionate history with fan fiction. Newsies, Harry Potter, Stand By Me, One Tree Hill: all these universes and more were explored, written about and dissected by members of the web site fanfiction.net. Beth discusses what types of stories she would review positively, and Nina reads some of her many many contributions. Will inspiringly discusses different formats of eBooks while Anthony plays some bluegrass versions of pop songs.

Comedian/writer Nick Mandernach returns to discuss American poet Walt Whitman! We get into how Whitman's progressiveness, his naturalistic tone, his breaking from the formality of other poets of his era, his celebration of sex and the human body, and of New York City. Was Walt Whitman the real prequel to "Broad City?" We say YES. Also, Will discusses "Woman Rebel," the graphic novel biography of Planned Parenthood founder Margaret Sanger. Anthony discusses the iPhone game Clash Royale.

Comedy writer Mark Rennie joins us to discuss the 1980s sitcom The Golden Girls. A much-loved, much-revered show gets DISCUSSED. What made it so good? What are some of the stand-out episodes? Who was that guy in the first episode that never got mentioned again? We go over all this an OTHER TOPICS LIKE THIS! Also, Will talks about the getting-sober autobiography Drinking: A Love Story by Caroline Knapp, and Anthony discusses the William Finn musical In Trousers.

Actor/writer Matt Newell talks to us about The Sandman, DC's long-running fantasy/horror-ish comic book by Neil Gaiman. We get into the amazing high quality and quantity of stories covered in its run, and the many literary figures who casually saunter through and how it changed from its beginning as a horror comic. Also, Will discusses the Museum of Jurassic Technology and Anthony raves about the Shane Black movie "Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang."  

Actor/comedian Sarah Claspell talks to us about the band Barenaked Ladies! She explains how they're funny, and great musicians, and often the creator of heartbreakers as well as bootyshakers, and that they are much more than their biggest U.S. hit "One Week," which we (thankfully, according to co-host Will) do not play! Also: Anthony discusses the Raymond Chandler novel "The Big Sleep" and Will talks about fixing his toilet.

We talk to Kevin Porter, comedian and co-host of the Gilmore Guys podcast, about his obsession with musician/rock icon/self-appointed voice of the working class Bruce Springsteen. Kevin goes for the deep cuts and we hear them. Rare live versions, mash-ups that Kevin made himself and more. We also get into what it is that make Bruce appealing. And we talk briefly to Anthony about why he doesn't really connect with the songs. Also, Will talks about how America's second president John Adams does not get enough love for refusing to ever own slaves, and Anthony talks about his adventures making the liqueur nocino. 

We talk to comedian and impressively-proficient-for-an-amateur physicist Alex Berg about the recent conformation of gravitational waves! Wait, what are they? Why is it a big deal? How nerdy did the scientists sound when they excitedly announced it? We talk about all this! Also, Will discusses common strategies for seating airline passengers and Anthony plays clips from an amazing local news radio show from the Columbia River valley.

We talk to comedian/actor/writer Mary Holland about the reality show Survivor! We talk about why it's so compelling, how it's outlasted so many other types of shows, the human drama it displays, the smart ways to play the game and the skills of host Jeff Probst. Also, Will talks about Beethoven's 3rd symphony (The "Herorica") and Anthony talks about the book The Comedians by Kliph Nesteroff. 

We talk to actor/writer/comedian Lindsay Katai about children's show creator Fred Rogers, better known as Mister Rogers, and also known (to Lindsay) as an "enlightened being." We talk about Rogers' undeniable goodness, his disarming earnestness, his moving pleas for funding from Congress, his emotionally affecting acceptance speeches, his thoughts on what was important in making a show for kids and his origins as a chubby bullied kid! Also, Anthony talks about the podcast Presidential and Will discusses the Paul Simon co-written hit song "Red Rubber Ball."

We talk to video editor Jason Greene about his obsession with Apple co-founder Steve Jobs. Jason comes armed with cool quotes, interested anecdotes, and even having several years of employment at Apple at their main campus. We talk about Steve's exile from Apple, the impact of his technology, what he learned from Pixar, from getting cancer and just what makes this dude so compelling to so many people. Also, Will talks about the Codex Seriphinianus, a beautiful and fictional almanac from 1980, which he loves even though he mispronounces its name every time he mentions it, and Anthony discusses the intense online backlash he's experience from saying that he liked the recently released (and critically panned) Batman v. Superman.

We talk to comedy writer/actor Gil Ozeri about the smartphone app SnapChat and his recent obsession with it. At the time we recorded this podcast, Gil had only known about Snapchat for 2 weeks and had already recorded 180 videos onto it. They are hilarious, lo-fi and insane. We talk to Gil about how the disposable nature of Snapchat (nothing is stored for more than 24 hours) has inspired him creatively, and about other social media platforms and why they did or did not inspire him. Also, Will discusses the graphic novel The Private Eye and Anthony discusses having steamed coconut milk in your hot tea. Yep.

The subject of this episode is the experience of losing your mom at a young age. After the success of very personal episodes like Eugene's body image one and others, we decided to tackle something personal to us: what it was like to lose your mother much younger than you had expected. In planning the episode, we'd refer to it as the "dead moms" episode and even though that title may seem cavalier, we like that it's blunt and familiar about a topic which many people have trouble discussing.  To call it an obsession seems incorrect at first until as Kate points out, you realize that you DO get obsessed with it: how to deal with the absence of a person, the sadness, the resentment, the absurdity, the sanctifying, the ebbing and flowing of grief in the years after and how rarely you get to really talk about it. Things that people said which you appreciated, and things that you didn't. We each tell the story of our mothers' illnesses and then our incomplete thoughts of how we and our families seemed to deal with it. This is difficult territory and there's lots of aspects of it that we don't fully understand, but we believe that for the many people who have to deal with losing a loved one, there's something healing about discussing it and hearing people discuss it, and so here it is. We also, making a hilariously tone deaf moment, get around to reading the names of people kind enough to leave us reviews!

We break our format for a second time to discuss improv with Paul Scheer! One of the original students and performers of the UCB Theatre, Paul gets into the nitty gritty of improv. We get very inside and very nerdy quickly, and then stay there. What drew him to it? What defined the style of his longtime improv group Respecto Montalbon, and its successors, the shows MySpace and Facebook. What's the "right" way to break rules (answer: commit to the insanity)? What kind of improv can Paul not stand? Why is the Facebook show good for winning over audiences that are new to improv? Why is the Harold good for students but maybe not good for shows?

Mike Elder, aspiring actor and creator of the delightful podcast Box Angeles, is our guest to talk about MASCOTS. The characters who represent various sports teams and the people who wear the costumes. Mike was one of the people who performed as "Goldie" the gopher mascot for the University of Minnesota, and he talks about his experiences and advice. What makes a good mascot? Why should you always keep moving? Why should the Lakers definitely get a mascot? What happens at mascot competitions? Who is the least liked college mascot among other college mascots? Also, Will discusses the word "hagiography" and Anthony reveals his secret to happiness: an Imagine/Jump mashup from a DJ named Mighty Mike.

Phil Augusta Jackson, comedy writer and actor as well as UCB improviser, talks to us about his longtime hobby/passion pursuit of recording his own albums. Starting high school when he released songs on a cassette tape, Phil describes how he continued writing and recording songs throughout his adult life, eventually moving on to using a full music studio and mixing facility. We go through his recent album Cold Poems track-by-track. We talk about his writing process, his inspirations, and his record label that he founded while at the University of Virginia. Also, Will talks about some 80s songs that sound alike (Ghostbusters and I Want A New Drug and then Sussidio and 1999), and Anthony discusses a follow-up of his battle with his avocado tree.

We talk to research scientist Matt Giorgianni (specializes in genomics, which is interesting enough that we could have just talked about that but restrained ourselves) to discuss his obsession with President William Howard Taft. After a chance viewing of a portrait of Taft in New Orleans, Matt got obsessed with him. Most people only know that Taft was "the fat president?" but there is a lot more to taft: He was a protege and later rival of Teddy Roosevelt, an incredibly popular student of law and reform and getting things donate governor-general of the Philippines on behalf of the US and then later the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, which means he's the only person to be at the had of TWO of the three branches of US government. Man look at all we're writing: this is a great episode! Also, Will talks about the close-up magic of Helder Guimaraes, and Anthony discusses some advice on rewriting from author George Saunders.

We talk to playwright Dan O'Brien about the myth(?) of the Sasquatch and the many stories and types of people who revolve around it. We get into the famous Big Foot film of the late 1960s, the many audio recordings people claim to have made, the varied explanations of why a corpse has never been found, and the mentality that goes into believing and perpetuating tales of this ape-man creature. Also, Anthony talks about the opening number of Chorus Line, and Will talks about a cymbal crash that happens one minute into the song "What A Fool Believes."

Improviser and sketch comedian Ronnie Adrian joins us to discuss Prince. We get into Purple Rain, 1999, unreleased tracks, the Revolution, the New Power Generation, Morris Day and the Time, whatever happened to Wendy and Lisa, Prince's crazy work ethic, the times he actually collaborated with people, and lots of great excerpts of great Prince tracks! ALSO Will discusses the comic All-Star Superman and how great institutions in movies/tv/comics are maybe best left to someone who grew up a fanboy. And Anthony discusses a new iPhone game co-created by former Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld of all people called Churchill's Solitaire.

Comedian and improviser Amanda Sitko joins us to discuss CULTS. What's the allure of the charismatic figures who draw people in? What's with Scientologists? What's the cultiest thing you've ever done? Oh, and what'd Landmark all about? Plus: atheism, brainwashing and wondering if "Drink the kool-aid" simply refers to too horrible an event to ever really use. Also, Will discusses late-career Peanuts comic strips and Anthony discusses the temporary Billy Joel radio channel on Sirius XM (and we listen to it, they were playing "We Didn't Start the Fire," shucks).

Comedian and UCB original gangster Billy Merritt joins us to talk about this fascination with his own home state of Florida. With election gaffes and tabloid criminals, Florida is often a punch line these days, but Billy tells us stories from its history and its present. How does a community made up of just mailmen grab you? Well there's better stories than that, but that's the one that Will liked and he's writing this summary. Also, Will talks about the Scottish band Orange Juice and Anthony discusses how Golden State's basketball prowess is so strong right now that watching them makes him laugh.

PART 2 of 2! So many people have asked us to come on and talk about composer/lyricist Stephen Sondheim that we are devoting two episodes to him! And we've brought on three guests: John Flynn, John Ross Bowie and Jessica McKenna (comedians, actors and writers all) -- who, along with co-host Anthony King have an insanely deep love (and knowledge) of Sondheim's works! This is in contrast to co-host Will who knows almost nothing about Sondheim! So listen as the group educates Mr. Hines on: Follies, Assassins, Hal Prince, Sweeney Todd, and oh I don't know a million other things!

(re-published with a better sound mix) So many people have asked us to come on and talk about composer/lyricist Stephen Sondheim that we  are devoting two episodes to him! And we've brought on three guests: John Flynn, John Ross Bowie and Jessica McKenna (comedians, actors and writers all) -- who, along with co-host Anthony King have an insanely deep love (and knowledge) of Sondheim's works! This is in contrast to co-host Will who knows almost nothing about Sondheim! So listen as the group educates Mr. Hines on: Company, Follies, A Little Night Music, Into the Woods and much more!

NOTE: This podcast was originally uploaded with an audio glitch that made all the clips from "Let's Get Small" inaudible. That's now fixed. But you may have to delete and re-download this episode if you got it early (early being the first half-day it was available).  When their guest can't make it, hosts Anthony and Will make it about their own obsession with Steve Martin! Anthony's favorite movie is L.A. Story and Will is obsessed with Steve's first stand-up album Let's Get Small. So they talk about those two things for the whole time! Why did Steve's weird meta stand-up work? Why does it not hold up for everyone? What is it about LA Story that lets the sentimentality work? We talk about Bowfinger, and SNL, and his unfunny stuff, and his plays and his New Yorker writings and his banjo, and how Will stole a Steve Martin bit for his own 30th birthday party and... you know what? we just like Steve Martin a whole bunch. 

We talk to comedy genius John Gemberling (Broad City, Marry Me, and others) about his love of video games. John is particular, John is exacting, and John has opinions. He likes stories like the old LucasArts games (Monkey Island, etc), he likes insane consequences or taking a premise too far like in Grand Theft Auto, he likes committed reality like in Elite: Dangerous. WE GET INTO IT. Oh, he also wants more realistic dismemberment when people get killed in games. Will talks about sharpening knives and Anthony discusses the "rural purge" of late 60s early 70s television.

Comedian and TV writer Alison Benett ("You're The Worst" and "Betas" and others) comes on the show to talk about thrifting, meaning the art and science of finding good stuff at thrift stores. We talk about what makes something good, the hierarchy of types of thrift stores, the genre of "mean animal jewelry," and some great/weird finds in her collection.  Also, Will talks about DVDs and how nothing plays them correctly (while slyly letting everyone know how many advance screeners of movies he's getting) and Anthony discusses Skamania County Ordinance 69-01 which makes it illegal to shoot Big Foot.

Actor/comedian Jason Mantzoukas comes on our show to talk about IMPROV. Are we breaking the rules of our show not discussing a person's career? We are, and we don't care. Because we love talking about improv. We go deep. What's good about it? How do the various shows that Jason regularly plays in work? What's the best opening? How did The Sleepover (an improv show from UCB-NY in the early 2000s) work? What was Amy P. like as a teacher? ALL THIS AND MORE. We loved this talk so much we let it go way long. AN HOUR AND FORTY MINUTES, geez louise. But you improv nerds are gonna love it. Everyone else: see you next episode! Plus Will talks about the Magic Eraser and Anthony talks about seeing a punter who tried to be a hero and failed immediately.  

Tis the spirit of the season and we talk about one of our most revered Christmas traditions, watching the movie Die Hard. Why do we love this movie so much? What makes it our favorite action movie of all time? What does it get right that so many others get wrong? Is Argyle too much (no!)? How do they make every single character a a fully realized personality? And does taking off your shoes and making balls with your toes really relax you after a long plane ride? Also Will talks about the human need to generalize and label! And then Anthony talks about the Burbank running shoe store Fleet Feet! BURBANK!

We talk to comedian/writer/musical theater performer Amber Petty about her obsession with The Eurovision Song Contest. Join us as we explore this enormously popular, very specifically weird European tradition. It's the Olympics of pop songwriting, bonus points for outrageous costumes and lighting displays. Countries get really into it. Some countries go weird for it. Some deliver amazing songs! We check it out. Will talks about how all the food in China is served hot, and Anthony talks about the musical Floyd Collins, specifically the final big number. "How Glory Goes."

We talk to comedian/writer Mark Schroeder about his love of slasher films. What makes a true slasher film? Why was the late 80s the perfect time to get obsessed with them? How about the bad ones? What made Halloween so good? What will be the next great slasher film? Does the advent of smart phones ruin the genre? And more! Plus Anthony talks about the new iPad game The Room 3, and Will talks about the little triangle next to the fuel tank on your car's dashboard that tells you where your fuel tank is.

Comedian and writer Craig Rowin talks to us about his obsession with Back to the Future! Why it's so great! Why it holds up! The sequels! How the second one is better than you might remember! Not that any of this stops Will from complaining about how insane fans like Craig are, because he does! Also Anthony talks about the Penn and Teller tv show Fool Us, and Will talks about the super exciting topic of Marvin Miller, who helped unionize baseball players in the 1970s!

We talk to comedian and writer Benjamin Apple about his obsession with The Singularity, the moment at which robots/machines learn to truly think. Benjamin is on the side of the robots, in that he thinks the singularity is, relatively speaking, imminent! Will gets skeptical early! Anthony tries to keep everyone friends! We talk about the origin of the term singularity, the prevailing theories, and some traps people fall into when trying to think about it! Also, Will talks about moon-sets and Anthony gets into the piano! Like, learning to play it.

We talk to UCB founder Matt Besser about his life-long love for the Arkansas Razorbacks. We hear some tales of being stuck amongst a stand full of rival fans, of trying to root for a team in the days before the internet, as well as some thoughts of what it feels like to be an outsider, and also about how weird it is that all potential recruits are on Twitter. Plus Will talks about the four tones of the Mandarin language, and Anthony says that the Duplass brothers filmmaking team might be exactly like Tyler Perry.

Anthony and Will have their third "self-indulgent" episode where they basically interview themselves, although they brought in returning all-star guest Neil Casey. And they have gathered to discuss their mutual obsession, the 1990 They Might Be Giants album "Flood." What is the appeal of these now 25-year-old quirky jittery melodies with obtuse lyrics? How did they all come to discover this band? How did Will come to have a ring tone recorded by the band? All this and other things a lot like this revealed in this ep!

Comedian Jake Regal tells us about his obsession with Mixed Martial Arts. He has watched EVERY UFC card for the last NINE years. He knows countless stories about the athletes who have competed in MMA, the strange combination of skills it takes to dominate, and what he would do if he ran the sport. And all while being a tiny not-that-maybe-not-at-all athletic dude! Also, Will discusses Buddhism (sloppily, and wrong!) while Anthony discusses the web site scoutingny.com!

Comedian/actor Eugene Cordero, our guest from episode number 1, comes back to discuss his lifelong obsession/struggle with body/food/weight. We get personal on this one, talking about Eugene's childhood as a stocky kid, his self-consciousness over his body and then his journey as an adult to allow himself to think of himself as an athlete. Also, Will talks about his problems with iPhone earbuds and Anthony discusses his minor obsession with Judaism.  Yep, that's right.

Playwright, TV writer and UCB sketch master Eva Anderson is our guest to talk about the world of radio drama. We talk about, perhaps surprisingly, the radio dramas of the early 1980s from Canada and Great Britain, as well as older stuff. We get into how radio is so immersive, and how many great actors have done radio versions of their well-known stuff, and lots of cool stuff! Anthony King talks about how he loves listening to a certain Rachmaninoff piece when he drives around LA at night, and Will talks about a recent iPhone app called A Noble Circle.

We talk to comedian Erin McGown (the trombone playing and co-singing half of the musical comedy duo Erin and Melissa) about her lifelong love of PRANKS. What makes a good one? Why do so many involve cars? Who got her the best? Is she lying and therefore committing a great prank as we talk to her (no)? Also: Will discusses the personalized music playlists Spotify makes and Anthony discusses GOOSE SHIT.

Writer and comedian Caroline Anderson joins us to discuss her no-kidding-around deep deep love for singer-songwriter Kate Bush. It's surprisingly easy to find people, especially in the US, who know very little of this amazing musician. Our co-host Anthony King is one of these people. Caroline educates both he and Will on Kate's wide range of song styles, her astoundingly powerful arrangements and lyrics and her weird/cool style. Caroline talks about discovering Kate, the seven Kate Bush tattoos she currently has, and travelling to London alone to see Kate perform for the first time in 35 years. Also, Will discusses some hack named Mozart and Anthony talks about screenwriter William Goldman's books "Adventures in the Screen Trade" and "What Lie Did I Tell?"

In honor of episode 50 and our anniversary, the topic of this podcast is the podcast itself. Hosts Anthony and Will bring on former guest and devoted listener Jon Gabrus to discuss their favorite episodes, podcasts in general, the craziness of their friends, what other minor obsessions they might do, whether they should do a spin-off podcast, which of their previous guests' topics have become part of their lives, what they think of their crazy Billy Joel episode and other things!

Comedian Beth Appel talks about the equally fascinating and disturbing world of FACE TRANSPLANTS (capitalized for how much we are fascinated by it). We get into the most famous cases of it, the science of it, how much better it is than you think, and how strange is it and lotsa stuff.  Also Will talks about how long a window people's nostalgia is, or something like that and Anthony discusses the book The Things We Carried.

Writer/comedian Eric Scott talks to us about his lifetime obsession with trains and railroading. It goes deep and we get into it: what are the best train rides? Types of engines? How does he feel about model trains? Also Will finds out that an indie team from the early 2000s that he used to read about on message boards was a fictional team that Eric had made up. Also, Anthony talks about climate change (specifically how LA could conceivably become a tropic zone) and Will talks about Norman Borlaug (father of GMOs, which he used to fight world hunger). 

Comedian Haley Hepworth talks to us about true crime and cults! We get into the Zodiac killer, the Green River killer, the Source Family, Elizabeth Smart, Jeffrey Dahmer, as well as quick digressions into many truly disturbing real stories that have happened and obsess/ruin our minds!  Also, Will talks about the times Bob Dylan makes fun of other singers in ways that almost no one notices, and Anthony muses on the lack of people who specialize in a task -- a subject inspired by watching people on film sets whose job is just to set the focus of a camera.

Comedian Jess McKenna talks about her passion for time in high school doing "mock trial." MT FOR LIFE. We talk about how intense practice trials can be, the passion and investment of her great teachers, the drama of her junior year super team making it to the finals and winning. We talk about how some things feel like sports that are not sports, and how mock trial can weirdly hit the same part of your brain as doing improv comedy. Also, Will talks about SUPER COOL EXPERIMENTAL HTML SITE (not cool) jodi.org and Anthony discusses the cool mixes of songs available at Since 78.

Comedian Erin Whitehead comes on the show to talk about her passion for Harry Potter! We talk about the power of the books including how well it handles dark and intense emotions, how the movies fall short (and what they do well), what's so special about the characters, and Erin's explanation of why you need Slytherin at all in Hogwarts! Also, Will talks about longtime Los Angeles institution Thomas Guides maps, and Anthony talks about his recent obsession with making cocktails with gin. And then Will and Erin really get on Anthony about his pronounciation of the word "gin."

Writer, actor and hilarious all around human Dan Klein comes on the show to talk about his obsession with the Kurt Vonnegut novel The Sirens of Titan. We talk about the appeal of Vonnegut in general, and this book in particular, and the possibility that this is the first book Dan has read? Past guest Connor Ratliff shows up at one point and we invite him on and it turns out he knows a bunch about Vonnegut too. Also, Will talks about 17th century Paris opera star/fencer/heartbreaker Julie d'Aubigny, whose name he can't pronounce. Anthony is obsessed with the comic book Fun Home, inspiration for the Broadway musical.

Actor and writer Hillary Matthews talks to us about her obsession with Martha Stewart's Living magazine, and also about the world of lifestyle blogs, and how the latters often do not measure up! We get into Martha's calendar, how she is a bad ass, and what is lacking on blogs that Hillary REFUSES TO NAME. Also, Anthony and Will's minor obsessions were coincidentally both about video games! Will is playing some text-only nonsense called "The Ensign" and Anthony is playing the latest episode in the awesome series of Batman video games, "Arkham Knight."

Actor and writer Drew Spears joins us to talk about his love of Southern Gothic Fiction. What is it? What is it not? Who gets defensive about that label? Co-host Anthony King joins Drew in a brief discussion of what they think of the title "Southern" since they are in fact from the south! We read some great excerpts from Flannery O'Connor, Barry Hannah and Charlie Smith! Also Will talks about the problematic nature of comics writer Alan Moore, and Anthony discusses the joy of the audiobook version of Rob Lowe's memoir "Stories I Only Tell My Friends!"

We talk to Charlie Todd, the founder of Improv Everywhere and longtime UCB improviser, about his obsession with craft beers. We get into how Charlie discovered his love for them, how an iPhone app game-ified his obsessed and cranked it into new levels of documentating his tastes, about how many beers have silly puns on the name "hops." Also, Will talks about the international seed warehouse which is designed to protect over 400,000 varieties of seed from an apocolyptic event and Anthony discusses the frozen-in-time world of current AM radio.  

Comedian / writer / improviser Mary Sasson comes on the show to talk about her obsession with her home city of Pittsburgh. We talk about the accent, the three rivers, Andrew Carnegie, and which cities are the stars of America's mental landscape! Also Anthony talks about a book on directing by Arthur Laurents, and Will discusses former comics publisher cat yronwode.    

Writer/actor/podcaster Sean Clements comes on to tell us of his long-time love for the band The Mountain Goats! We go over their original lo-fi stuff, the later highly produced stuff, the way that the right band can teach you what you're already feeling and the nerve-wracking moment you meet your heroes. Also, Will talks about Rose Wilder Lane (the Karl Rove to Laura Ingalls Wilder's George Bush!) and Anthony wonders about the moments when you feel that you are becoming a cliche (cut to Anthony grilling a burger wearing cargo shorts and his buttoned-up shirt). 

Neil Casey joins us for his second appearance on this podcast to discuss his obsession with flying, specifically the world of general aviation (meaning unscheduled flights generally from small airports). We talk about radio protocol, the appeal of open air space, the similarity of planes and boats and just a drop of physics to boot. Also, Anthony talks about the secret behind the Magic Eraser and Will discusses the idea of the Fixed International Date Calendar.

Comedian Dan Black talks about his long time, passionate obsession with professional wrestling. We get into the Attitude Era, the Reality Era, how the fans change the sport, a number of specific wrestlers and their appeal, and how Dan sent us several videos that we should have watched as homework to more fully appreciate the sport (we didn't). Also, Will discusses the possibility of a lost Shakespeare play and Anthony discusses the movie "Toys."

Actor and adventurer Eli Newell stops by to talk about exotic travel, meaning travel to places American tourists generally don't go including: Jordan, West Africa, some crazy islands off of Central America and many others. We also get into: being chased by packs of wild dogs, being cornered by angry mobs, the proper way to bribe an usher at a baseball park and more! Anthony talks about the restaurant Tallyrand, and Will discusses the new equipment they're using to record the podcast.

Actor and writer Fran Gillespie describes the amazingly specific, comforting and relatively new world of ASMR, or Autonomous sensory meridian response, which certain types of quiet soothing sounds creating a peaceful physical reactions in the listener. We listen to many YouTube videos of people speaking in barely audible whispers while doing things like: crinkling shirts, brushing hair, typing on keyboards, turning pages of books. It is AMAZING. Also, Will discusses Albert Einstein's "miracle year" and Anthony discusses the sounding-happy-but-nope-it's-actually-sad song "Tobacco Road" by the Nashville Teens.

Eric Appel, writer/director who worked on a million cool TV shows and before that made a million cool FunnyOrDie videos, talks to us about Disney Theme Parks! We go deep, as always.  Also, Anthony King talks about his obsession with new iPhone app Periscope, which lets you live-stream yourself at any time, and Will talks about the Great Extinctions, which is times when most life on Earth ended!  

Jeff Hiller, a for-real star of stage and screen (Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson, 30 Rock, Ghost Town) talks to us about the maybe-not-totally-recognized genre of celebrity autobiography, particualry the audio book version where the author read their own. Anthony talks about the William Shatner/Ben Folds musical collaboration "Has Been" and Will discusses being off of Facebook.

Comedian Michael Hartney talks about his lifelong obsession with Superman. If you, like the hosts of this podcast, thought Superman to be a character who somehow is just not really that interesting when it comes to superhero characters, get ready to have your mind completely changed and to become a huge advocate for how cool Superman is. Also, Will discusses Los Angeles legend Griffith J. Griffith (and the no-longer-often-discussed time he tried to murder his wife) and Anthony discusses NPR Marketplace host Kai Ryssdal.

Comedian / musician Geoff Garlock talks to us about the musical genre of Extreme Metal, by which he means several different metal genres that your average Joe has maybe never heard of. Geoff's parade of insane-sounding proper nouns is something to behold. Also, Will talks about The Maltese Falcon (book) and Anthony talks about Dean Smith and the possibly lost era of Great Men.

Comedian Kevin Hines talks to us about Duck Comics --- meaning the comics and cartoons about Disney characters Donald Duck, Uncle Scrooge, Huey, Dewey, Louie, etc. And more importantly about their legendary greatest illustrator/creator: Carl Barks. Also, Will talks about a late 40s radio sensation the Lonesome Gal, and Anthony discusses the tragedy of owning a hugely tall avocado tree.

Comedy writer Tricia McAlpin talks to us about her obsession with the 2008 Anna Faris comedy "House Bunny." It's our most specific obsession yet! Also, Will Hines talks about tower defense smart phone games, and Anthony King talks about the funny/weird Randall Munroe "What If."

Brian Gallivan, improviser writer and actor, talks to us about his longtime obsession with the Billboard Charts. Starting with Casey Kasem's weekly top 40, and then through today -- learn what it's like to root for pop singles as if they were sports teams. And hear quick allusions to several humiliations of Brian's life!  Also, Will talks about the Gin Blossoms' Doug Hopkins and Anthony discusses early American serial killer H. H. Holmes' murder castle, a true thing which is gross and terrifying!

Improviser and comedy writer Danielle Schnider talks to us about megamusicals, meaning specifically the big Broadway productions of the 80s and early 90s.  Les Miz, Phantom, Miss Saigon, and MORE. Also Will discusses the world of travelling alone and Anthony discusses Christian pop star Carman and his hit The Champion.

We talk to improviser and comedy writer Tami Sagher about dogs. Not just dogs! But dogs of instagram. And not just dogs of instragram! But moving, amazing, dramatic stories as told via dogs on instagram! Check it out! Also, Will talks about how the early 20th century symphonies The Planets by Gustav Holst so obviously influenced John Williams and Anthony discusses the early 1970s Elaine May-directed movie The Heartbreak Kid.

We talk to comedian and writer Dannah Phirman about strategies and obsessions with fighting personal clutter. We get into practical solutions, the emotional implications, and Anthony King has his mind blown when he realizes that if he photographs his kids drawings he maybe doesn't have to save ALL of them. Plus Will talks about short, absurd fiction (He's reading Can't and Won't by Lydia Davis) and Anthony talks about blogger Andrew Sullivan's announcement that he is going to retire.

On this episode we talk to actor and comedian Connor Ratliff about his obsession with Elvis Costello. Elvis attracts a lot of obsessed fans, but few have the depth of knowledge that Connor has. We get into little-known anecdotes and projects from EC's past, go over some classic songs and talk about how Elvis' music affected Connor personally! Also, Will talks about the first female congresswoman Jeannette Rankin who voted against entering both WWI and WWII, and Anthony discusses games in current politics, like how Republicans are suddenly saying they are really offended by income inequality. That's crazy, right?  

Chris Kula, who has written for such cool things as @midnight, Community, MadTV and The Onion sports TV specials, talks to us about the perhaps unlikely topic of All-You-Can-Eat Buffets! But Chris proves that this is a fascinating topic as we discuss which parts of the country seem to have good buffets, the best strategy for getting the most bang for your buck and finally an in-depth discussion of getting the most out of your buffet experience from the buffet paradise: Las Vegas. Also, Will discusses Jack Kirby's Fourth World comics and Anthony discusses UNC basketball.

Director/actor Mitch Magee talks to us about the world of type design: fonts, signage, movie titles, handwritten scripts --- we go deep! Also, Anthony discusses bicycling and Will discusses the ancient cribbage-like game of Senet.

Actor/writer/stand-up Joe Wengert talks about his intense and thorough rituals of buying and listening to CDs which has resulted in among other things, his having to cart over 1300 CDs to every place that he's lived. Also, Will discusses the computer programming language Ruby, and Anthony discusses the sub-culture of people who run whale watching tours.

Actor/writer Lennon Parham of the show Playing House talks to us about her intense lifelong obsession/love for Michael Jackson. We get into favorite songs, embarassing romantic gestures, thoughts about the King of Pop's eccentricities and more!  Plus Will talks about a company's amazingly audacious sham of selling bomb detectors which obviously didn't work, and Anthony discusses his dabbling in the sub-culture of crossword puzzlers.

This episode we talk to storyteller/director/writer/actor John Flynn about Bob Fosse, the legendary dance choreographer / film director. We get into Fosse' unique dance styles, his perfectionist film work, his intense and super-obvious influence on Michael Jackson, and the Fosse's films, including an extended discussion of  All That Jazz. Plus Anthony discusses the newly-found recordings of the Confederate Army's "Rebel Yell," and Will talks about phonographs.

We talk with actor/writer Susannah Becket about crafts and furniture rehabbing -- by which we mean generally an interest in ambitious do-it-yourself home furnishings. We talk about knitting, sewing, furniture reclaiming, lamp bulding and rewriting, woodwork, antique shopping and more! Plus Will Hines discusses the evolution of the phrase "Threat or Menace?" and Anthony King discusses the life of singer Nick Drake. Things we discuss: Design Sponge Live Edge Wood Hairpin Legs Also Threat or Menace? Nick Drake  

We loved talking to Alex Berg so much about physics and cosmosology so much that we brought him back! Come with us as we discuss time travel, alternate universes, fate vs free will, string theory, the big bang and more! Some of the things we talk about: The Hidden Reality by Brian Green Truck going 50mph firing cannonball backwards at 50mph The Umwelt Griffith Observatory - All Space Considered Also Anthony King discusses the theater group Elevator Repair Service and their show Arguendo, and Will Hines discusses "Weird Al" Yankovic's polka medleys.

In this episode, co-hosts Anthony King and Will Hines are also the guests as they discuss their mutual obsession: singer-songwriter Billy Joel. We go deep -- way, way deep -- as we discuss the appeal of Billy Joel as well as reasons why he is often described as cheesy. We discuss favorite songs, and songs we don't like. Which members of his band were essential? What did producer Phil Ramone bring to the mix? What's the deal with having so many songs start with sound effects? You can hear the hosts start off as rational beings and end up as impassioned rambling fanboys as they go through every one of Billy Joel's albums as discuss what is great and what is less than great in the Piano Man's career. Also, Will Hines thought he was a big fan, and then he met Anthony King and learned what a truly obsessed fan sounds like. Enjoy!

Buckle up, folks. We dive deep early and then go even deeper on the topic of PHYSICS, TIME, MULTIVERSES, and other topics of Cosmology. Alex Berg (former UCB artistic director, Convoy) briefly describes his lifelong passion for physics and then proceeds to simply discuss physics. We start with Newton, crush through Einstein and proceed into theories of alternate dimensions, pre-Big Bang history and tesseracts. Yep. Science-phobes should fear not: there is no math in this episode. Also Anthony discusses Steve Martin's late-career shift into bluegrass, and Will discusses the real-life inspiration for Professory Moriarity. Further reading / viewing: A Brief History of Time by Stephen Hawking The End of Time by Julian Barbour From Eternity to Here by Sean Carroll Ten Dimensions Explained Live footage of volcanic eruption Minor obsessions: A review of Bright Star, the new bluegrass musical by Steve Martin and Edie Brickell Adam Worth, the real-life inspiration for Professor Moriarity

We talk with Cissy Fenwick about treehouses! What is their appeal, where are the best ones, what makes them SO COOL! Plus Will and Anthony are minorly obsessesed with baseball statistician Bill James and also Michael Keaton's comedic timing. Pete Nelson's Treehouse Point Temple of the Blue Moon Michael Garnier's Treesort Build Your Own Fantasy Treehouse And they talked about: Ice Hotel Underwater hotels Grand Canyon Phanton Ranch (Will said there were no buildings and was completely wrong) Also check out Anthony and Will's minor obsessions: Michael Keaton's comedic timing Bill James 

Comedian and actor Jon Gabrus (Guy Code, Hairjacked!) talks to us about his longtime love of rugby. We get into how he discovered it, interesting things about the sport, the many and intricate post-game drinking rituals, the types of people who are drawn to it and the contrast of thuggish and gentlemanly elements within it!  Also, Will talks about bike lanes and Anthony discusses mechaphiles (people aroused by cars and machines). Yep. The Village Lions The New Zealand All-Blacks Marist Rugby Club And these minor obsessions: Mechaphile Dude Folding bike Will used to have

D'arcy Carden, actor writer and grown woman, talks about her strong obsession with the British boy band One Direction. We get into how she went from being not even interested in watching them play to a completely obsesssed fan, about the rumors and hopes that the fans of OneD have, about Larry Shipping, about worrying and thinking about what they are thinking, and about their songs. Also, Will talks about Iceland and Anthony about composer and lyricist William Finn! Here's the songs D'Arcy gave us to prep for the episode: 1st Album  - Up All Night  1. One Thing - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y1xs_xPb46M   2nd Album - Take Me Home   2. Summer Love - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BMfI1Acmlg0   3rd Album - Midnight Memories   3. You & I - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_kqQDCxRCzM   4. Happily - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ooxpHMyyehw   5. Through the Dark - live at snl: http://vimeo.com/81334593   - album version - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hSR2bwaQQqs   4th Album - Four   6. Fireproof - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_bXTbfnWPqk   Also: Iceland Wants To Be Your Friend Falsettoland, by William Finn  

Charlie Sanders (UCB performer, writer for Key and Peele, Deadbeat) talks to us about Dungeons and Dragons, and we go deep. Which edition? What ground rules do you use for letting the dice rule the game? What's the coolest thing that ever happened to you on a campaign? Do you use voices? Learn about Charlie's love for D&D! Also, Anthony talks about the George Saunders collection Tenth of December and Will discusses the mono versions of Beatles albums. D&D Red Box Tenth of December Beatles in Mono  

Luka Jones (Best Friends Forever, Up All Night) talks about the rise of people having passionate, angry arguments in areas where they have no expertise! Why is that? We talk about it. Also, Will discusses Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintanence and Anthony discusses the strengths of a little 'ol town called Burbank.

Alex Fernie (UCB's Convoy, director of Hotwives of Orlando, Children's Hospital) talks to us about the books of Elmore Leonard. We get into how Elmore's book's grab you, how great the characters and dialogue are, the problems with the movie adapations, Elmore's famous 10 rules for writers, and other stuff! Also, Will discusses the Johnny Cash album At Folsom Prison and Anthony gets really into smart thermostats. Elmore Leonard's page on Goodreads Elmore Leonard's 10 rules for writers First lines of all Elmore Leonard books Original article that inspired Pain and Gain Johnny Cash's At Folsom Prison Nest Smart Thermostat  

Kate Spencer (VH1) tells us about her lifelong love of famed jam band Phish. We include some exceprts Phish songs in this podcast, and we need to mention two things: Phish songs are very long and deliberately have slow starts --- we tried to excerpt enough of the song to get a taste for that but ultimately an excerpt falls somewhat short of listening to an entire track. Also, we told Kate that any comments she made during the songs would not make it into the final podcast because during the live recording the tracks are quiet and we expected to replace them. BUT Kate's comments during the recording showed such enthusiasm that it seemed a more accurate descriptoin of the appeal of the band to figure a way keep them in. So you'll hear us say things like "wait! save that thought!" which turned out to be unnecessary. In addition to Phish, Anthony and Will talk a bit about their recent minor obsessions: re-discovering Kurt Vonnegut and the movie Singing In The Rain, respectively. Here's the full list of Phish songs Kate suggested we listen to in preparation for this podcast: 1. Divided Sky (my first AOL screenname is from this song!. I was at this one: Phish – The Divided Sky [Live In Brooklyn]) 2. Punch You In The Eye ( I am listening to this one now and it's so good. Phish – Punch You in the Eye) 3. Mike's Song --->I Am Hydrogen ----> Weekapaug (These are technically 3 different songs but often they all segue together and you kinda can't listen to one without the other. Like if you get a Mike's, you know Weekapaug is eventually coming and I like it best with IAH in the middle. This show has them all! Phish – Hampton/Winston-Salem '97) 4. Hood - I will cry talking about this song Phish – Harry Hood - Live LP Version - Hampton, 1998 5. The Curtain With (Phish – The Curtain With) You could also just do The Curtain, which is shorter with no jam at the end: Phish – The Curtain) This was the final song at their final show 6. I Didn't Know ( a different side of Phish!!!! Fishman plays the vaccum!  Phish – I Didn't Know) 7. YEM --- Phish – You Enjoy Myself CLASSIC PHISH 8. Wolfman's Brother - always makes me so happy when they play Wolfman's  Phish – Wolfman's Brother  9. Harpua Phish – Harpua - just such a weird, classic Phish song10. Phish – Fee --- The song that got me hooked when I was 14, from Junta!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 11. Strange Design -- I love when Page sings, and this song always makes me cry. He cried singing it at their "final show" Phish – Strange Design  

Neil Casey (writer for Kroll Show, Inside Amy Schumer, SNL) talks to us about his interest in the emergency of the surveillance state, and how it affects the government, our interactions with each other and maybe even the way you interact with yourself. Co-host Anthony King talks about the preponderence of sugar in far more foods than he suspected, and other co-host Will Hines talks about the Motown songwriting team of Holland-Dozier-Holland. Some books Neil mentions: The Circle by Dave Eggers No Place To Hide by Glenn Greenwald (breaking the Edward Snowden case) The Divide by Matt Taibii (wealth gap) Building Stories by Chris Ware Also Sugar is in everything Holland-Dozier-Holland    

Suzi Barrett (UCB's Sentimental Lady, Disney XD's Kirby Buckets) talks to us about treasure hunts, as she has designed several for adults to play. How many clues? What makes something too hard or too easy? What are some great ones she's made or encountered?  Also, Will Hines discusses trains and Anthony King discusses Laura Ingalls (the Burbank avaitrix, not the author of the Little House series). Things we talk about in this episode: Treasure hunts in general Escape the Room, NYC Amtrak Residency Program Laura Ingalls, Burbank California aviatrix

DC Pierson (author of The Boy Who Couldn't Sleep And Didn't Have To, Crap Kingdom, co-star/writer of the film Mystery Team) tells us about Kanye West. Hosts Anthony King and Will Hines don't know much, but we cover a lot of ground, from Kanye's debut The College Dropout through his latest work Yeezus. DC also tells us when Kanye's album releases tended to coincide with huge life moments, as one's favorite artists have a way of doing. Also, Will discusses the post office and Anthony speculates if we are currently in World War III! Yeah! Songs discussed in some length: We Don't Care Through the Wire Heard 'Em Say Diamonds from Sierra Leone (remix) Can't Tell Me Nothing Runaway On Sight Bound 2  

Notebooks! Day planners! Journals! Though it seems like everyone puts their planning and notes on the internet, writert Jen Krueger organizes her life with good old fashioned paper and we talk with her about what makes a notebook useful and good. Also Anthony King talks about coffee ice cubes and Will Hines rambles just a bit about Albert Brooks. Jen talked about: Baum-kuchen (good store to get Midori Traveler's Notebooks/inserts, other stationary, pens, washi tape, etc.) Bullet journal Moleskines Good subreddits: on notebooks in general and Midori in particular Kinokuniya (stationary store in Little Tokyo):  Franklin Covey stuff And Anthony talked about coffee ice cubes and Will talked about Albert Brooks stand-up albums.

Kate Dippold (comedy writer - The Heat, Parks and Rec) tells us about her lifelong obsession with scaring, being scared, haunted houses, ghost tours and more. What makes a good haunted house? What's the best and most fun way to scare your live-in boyfriend? Also Anthony King talks about the Stephen Sondheim musical Assassins and Will Hines discusses the memory technique of mind palaces. Here's links to some of the things we talked about. The Exorcist When A Stranger Calls Slender Man Great Horror Campout Haunted Plays (last year's Delusion) Big Worm's Sherwood Scare And also Assassins Mind Palaces (method of loci)  

Nicholas Mandernach of the UCB Theatre discusses the New York School of Poets, a group of poets from the 1950s who led a movement of plain-spoken, emotionally direct and often very funny poetry. Anthony discusses the Billy Joel song Leningrad and Will mentions the rejected books of the New Testament (especially the Acts of Paul and Thecla) -- two subjects of equal import. NY School of Poets (particularly Frank O'Hara, John Ashberry, James Schuyler) Billy Joel's Lenningrad The Acts of Paul and Thecla    

Our guest this episode is actor Eugene Cordero who tells about his experience with Muay Thai fighting, a martial art from Thailand. In addition, hosts Will Hines and Anthony King tell us about their minor obsessions with, respectively, comics inker Wally Wood's 22 Panels That Always Work and Dan Carlin's Hardcore History podcast about World War I. For more information on the center where Eugene currently practices muay thai fighting: http://www.muaythaischoolusa.com See the movie Ong-Bak or one of its many sequels. Also check out: Wally Wood's 22 Panels That Always Work and Dan Carlin's Hardcore History podcast on World War I (first episode)