Thursday, June 30, 2011

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.

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

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

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

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.

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

Wednesday, June 15, 2011

Succotash Epi5 with Guest Co-host Mark Pitta!

Although there was an episode in between this one and Epi3, featuring guest co-host Dana Carvey, I felt we couldn't have another edition of Succotash, the Comedy Podcast Podcast, without getting funny comedian, show producer and longtime friend Mark Pitta into the studio. Part of the reason is that he's a fledgling podcaster just like me and he's also damned funny. The other reason part was because Dana and I had a bit of fun at his expense during the show and it only seemed right to have him to show there were no hard feelings and so everyone would know that the hazing was just a goof.

Mea culpa accomplished.

Mark brought in several clips from podcasts he's heard and likes, so not only did we get a little insight into the man who created and runs the 6+ years-old Mark Pitta & Friends at the 142 Throckmorton Theatre in Mill Valley, California, but it's fun to see who makes a good solid laughmaker laugh...and why.

This epi also marks the debut of a Burst o' Durst — specially-tailored clips featuring the insightful witful musings of top-flight political comedian and friend-of-Succotash Will Durst. Our friend will be supplying the show with his comedic splashdowns for a long time to come.

One thing I neglected to do (it seems I'm always forgetting something) was to tag all of the clips with where to go to get some more of the same. Sorry about that, podcasters! You should know by know that most of the p'casts can be had through iTunes, but it's fun to check out the websites of these funny folks, too, in order to find out more about them, when they have live appearances scheduled, and more. Not to worry - I've included those sites in this blog piece. Just click on the show titles below to be whisked there in an instant!

Here's what's cooking on Succotash this time around...

Mark chats with comedy legend Mort Sahl.

David Mamet discovers he's a Conservative...and is rewriting accordingly.


Kevin Smith and Jason Mewes on hearing that Osama Bin Laden was killed.

Joe and guest Al Madrigal talk about dealing with an audience that more tuned into technology than the show.

Larry talks about how little he knew about sex and women.

Greg plays a game called Talk Your Way Out of It with his staff.

Scott Aukerman's guest, John Mulaney, is a writer for SNL. He talks about the Stephan character and Law & Order.

For those listeners who may be fans of our regular sponsor, Henderson's Pants, we have a new spot in this epi featuring, for the first time, the Henderson's Pants Sketch Players. And thanks to our musical director Scott Carvey for supplying some spiffy new "incidental music" which you can hear behind our chatter during this edition of Succotash. (And I promise that, next time, we're going to feature an actual song from Mr. Carvey's repertoire!) 

Joe Paulino and his Studio P ("The Home of The Hit!") deserves recognition for, once again, making the show sound so very pro and bringing it in at exactly one hour. To the second. Kudos!

We're going to start dipping into the ol' emailbag next epi, so if you've got comments or suggestions for podcasts we should give a listen to, send 'em along to marc@SuccotashShow.com. And if you're a potential sponsor looking for a smart new way to catch the attention of today's idea demographic, we'd be happy to talk to you about throwing a few nickels our way. Drop us a line and let's make something happen!

We'll probably get a "Donate" button up on the site soon, for any nice listeners who want to help us keep this train rolling. But, even if you don't spend a dime for all of our hard-spent time, please jump up to iTunes and give us a rating. Maybe even shave off a friendly comment like kindly listener Ed Wallick did (Thanks, Ed!)

That's about it. Don't forget to pass the Succotash!

Cheers,
Marc