Succotash Epi43: Time Jumpin' With Chris Bonno

Happy holiday season to you! Hope yours is shaping up well. I normally don't plug our wares in the blog too much BUT in case you feel like passing the Succotash for the holidays, now would be a good time to hop up to our Succotashery and get friends, loved ones, or just yourself some nifty Succotash t-shirts, mugs, and other assorted stuff.

Commercial mode off.

This epi brings us a special guest, Chris Bonno, in a special two-part interview but in a single show. See, I started the interview live, face-to-face, when Chris was up in San Francisco as the feature act for Hal Sparks, who I also interviewed. (Catch THAT chat back in Epi41!) But we only got about 8 minutes in when things got busy and we never got a chance to finish. Until a few days ago, when I caught up with Chris in LA via Skype and we picked up right where we left off.

Chris is a comedian, an improvisor, a musician, an artist and a podcaster. A VIDEO podcaster, no less, and we will talk about his Electric Bonnoland show during the course of the interview. He's also a guy I've known for about a decade and a half, one of those "comic's comics" who everyone in the comedy scene in LA and Austin, where he got started, knows well but the public is still waiting for him to become an "overnight success".

CLIPS

How Did This Get Made?
A consistently awesome bad movie podcast — that is, a podcast about bad movies — HDTGM? is hosted by Paul Scheer along with Jason Mantzoukas and June Diane Raphael. They have always done feature films on the show but in their Episode 51 they tackle their first TV movie, Liz And Dick, the recent abomination starring the abomination known as Lindsay Lohan. (I give these guys the full review treatment on in This Week In Comedy Podcasts on Splitsider.com, so check that out, too!)

Inverse Delirium
This podcast hails from Baltimore (or Smalltimore, as host Geoffrey Welchman proclaims it.) Geoffrey’s put a lot of effort into his sound quality and he’s got a great pro announcery voice, which you don't find a lot of in podcasting. In this clip, Geoffrey got guest comic-impressionist Kevin Pollak to star in a sketch he wrote.
 
Larcher And Lorensen 
Chicago boys Al Larcher and Clark Lorensen host a sports-and-comedy-based podcast called, rightly enough, Larcher And Lorensen. They’re also part of a comedy troupe in Chi-town called Comedy Accident and, in the clip they sent us, they were visited by a couple of guys from the group.
 
Ragtime
This is a comedy podcast in the vein of movie reviews as well as news about films. It stars Schwood and Suds. (I know that Schwood is actually Chris Sherwood but I have no intel on the identity of Suds. Doesn’t matter…) In a clip from their epi 15 — just in time for the holidays — it’s their Gift Guide for Celebrities!
 
Oddcast Podcast 

Succotash gets a lot of love and support from Adam Barker, the brains behind the Oddcast Podcast in the UK (which is also part of Adam's Pod Gods Network.) Adam and his crew did a Very Special Christmas episode which a clip from can only partially do justice to — it’s basically their version of a Christmas Carol, where Adam is taken to visit the past, present, and future of his own podcast.

Burst O' Durst
Veering a little off of politics (although they're in here, too), our Ambassador to the Middle, Will Durst, reveals his Top 10 Comedic New Stories of 2012. Enjoy!


EXTRA TREATS

In addition to the basket o' clips we have this epi, there are a few other treats…

Friend-of-Succotash and past guest John Anealio provides us with a new holiday tune: Batman Smells (A Rebuttal) off of his new seasonal EP Seasons Geekings — and he's making the download of that 4-song EP FREE if you hop over to his website, http://JohnAnealio.com!

We've also got a holiday greeting from the Bonn And Obo (Bonnandobo) Show, a show that we have yet to play an actual clip from but we will as soon as they say they're ready.

I've been enjoying a video series on YouTube by Joe Plummer's Gotta Kid To Feed Productions, Real Actors Read Yelp Reviews. It's not a podcast but it's such a clever and funny idea I wanted to share it with you Succotashians. In installment #11, actor Darren Goldstein (Damages, Limitless) reads a 5-star Yelp review for a place called Schnitzel Queen. Click over to watch the performance, it's even tastier.

That's pretty much everything we've got in store for you in Epi43. Have a good time, don't let the holidays make you too nuts, and please remember to pass the Succotash!


— Marc Hershon

 

Succotash Epi42: Co-Hostin' With THAT Chris Gore

I'm trying desperately to get this edition of the Comedy Podcast Podcast up while it is still officially International Succotash Day. (As so declared by the inimitable Jabs of The DHead Factor podcast in Australia.) All day long our podcaster friends have been tweeting and messaging words of praise and support for the show — thanks, everybody! — and I've been enjoying seeing the number of downloads and the reviews and ratings go up!

I'm Marc, he's THAT Chris Gore…

Great fun this episode with my special guest co-host That Chris Gore onboard. Chris, the host of the PodCRASH podcast as well as regular on G4's Attack Of The Show, was in San Francisco for Stitcher's Podcast Awards. We talked about his tenure as publisher of one of my favorite magazines, FilmTHREAT, as well as his multi-pronged career doing all kinds of cool stuff in TV, the internet and film.

Chris picked some nice clips for this epi, all of which I'd never covered before, and after we talked about his podcast — listeners of Succotash have heard from PodCRASH here previously — where he appears on other podcasts, then plays excerpts on his show. Which means that you've be able to hear part of this episode of Succotash on a future episode of PodCRASH. It's as about as meta an experience as you're likely to find.

Two Marcs: Maron & Hershon

Last Minute: Since I was late getting this up, I can tell you that I DID end up attending the Stitcher Awards with special guest co-host Chris and it was a grand time. I met the CEO of Stitcher, Noah Shanok, and even got a picture with the evening's host, WTF's Marc Maron. Sadly, though nominated for both Best New Show and Best Album Artwork, Chris didn't end up taking up an Itchy or whatever they call their awards.

CLIPS

PodCRASH 
A clip from PodCRASH epi55, wherein our guest co-host Chris Gore crashes Zane Lamprey Live. The main ingredient here seems to be alcohol. Cheers!

Joe Rogan Experience
Comedian and UFC commentator Joe Rogan, well-known for hosting TV's Fear Factor, hosts a daily podcast where he talks to other comics, friends and just plain interesting folks. His show is part of the Deathsquad network of podcasts.
http://DeathSquad.tv, iTunes and Stitcher

Lost Moon Radio
I met someone attached to Lost Moon Radio at the LA PodFest in October and he suggested I check it out. Now we're doing the same for you. Chris and I both loved the sound and feel of this sketch group out of Los Angeles, high prise considering this is only their third podcast.

Pointless: With Kevin Pereira
Best known as the co-host (and Chris Gore's colleague) on Attack Of The Show on G4, host Kevin Pereira has kicked off a new podcast on the Deathsquad network. In this clip he's chatting it up with successful YouTube video creator Freddie Wong.

No Pressure To Be Funny 
I'm a huge fan of dry, witty, and biting British comedy. Having cut my teeth on Monty Python way back when they first crept into the US, I'm pleased to discover No Pressure To Be Funny. Hosted by James O’Brien, created by with Nick Revell and Alistair Barrie, each episode pulls a panel together from the arts, media and politics, where they then chat about that week's news in front of a live audience. This clip features Revell with a monolog about the war in Afghanistan, in a style that smacks of Douglas Adams. Brilliant.

Throwing Shade
Chis brings in this clip from Throwing Shade, a new-to-me podcast. Hosts Erin Gibson and Bryan Safi are both prolific writers and comedians whose weekly show focuses on politics, entertainment, gay rights and women's issues. This is pretty damn funny chat.

RIFF-erendum

San Francisco-based comedians Steven Pearl and Al Clethen, a couple of buddies of mine, started up RIFF-erendum so they could converse with some of THEIR favorite comedians and musicians. In the latest episode, they chew the fat with fellow Bay Area comic Jeff Applebaum.

We close out Epi42 with the return of Will Durst and his Burst O' Durst. With the elections over, our Ambassador to the Middle sets his sights on what the lame ducks in Congress are doing…or not doing…as the year winds down.

We're hoping to grace a pre-Christmas episode with a live appearance by the aforementioned Will Durst. If you're doing some driving over this holiday season, just remember that a long car ride is an excellent place to pass the Succotash!

— Marc Hershon

Succotash Epi40: Down Underin' With Jabs

We've got a bunch of clips in Epi40, the longest episode of Succotash yet! Yes, I said "we", because I'm joined by special guest co-host Jabs (aka Jason McNamara) all the way from Canberra, Australia, through the magic of Skype. Jabs is the main man behind The DHead Factor and invited me to share the hosting duties several months ago on his show, so I figured it was high time to return the favor. Wasn't sure how it was going to come together, given the time difference, but Jabs is on holiday down under so he was kindly enough to give up part of a Monday morning at his end.

He really serves as a true co-host in this installment - I didn't really get a chance to interview him about his podcast or his life or anything. So if you're hoping to learn more about Jabs the man, please click right over to his podcast and start filling your ears. We split the job of pulling clips for this show, which allowed us to surprise each other with new discoveries. (And since we both enjoy yakking so much, the running time on this episode is over an hour and a half.)

It was great having Jabs on the show, and that's not just because he's announced that he's proclaimed December 4th to be Succotash Day! That's right - an international observance of this very podcast! We chat about it during the episode and you can be SURE I'll be talking more about it as the blessed event approaches.

T-SHIRT WINNER

In the previous episode with my interview with Andy Bumatai, I offered to give away an old t-shirt of Andy's from the Crack Up Thursdayz one nighter comedy gig in Hawaii to someone who could tell me the distance in miles between San Francisco and Honolulu. I had a number of people email in with the mileage — 2387 — and then randomly drew Esben Borsting's name from the correct entries. So I'll be sending the t-shirt his way...back to Honolulu. Thanks to everyone who entered.


FUNCTIONAL NERDS

Maybe I don't talk about myself enough on THIS show but I can't shut up about me when I guest on Epi126 of the Functional Nerds podcast. Hosts John Anealio (who was a guest on Succotash back in Epi33) and Patrick Hester made me feel welcome and the time flew by. At least for me. Might be different for you. Click over and give a listen...

B & A

Alba Lewis and Thomas Moore of The Brit & The American podcast swept through San Francisco on a roundabout journey to Peru, stopping just long enough to tuck into a Chinese dinner and have some good conversation with yours truly. Thanks for the eats, kids, bon voyage, and I'll be putting up some or all of our chat in the near future.

THE CLIPS

Let's do this thing.

The DHead Factor
The usual haunt for our guest co-host Jabs, The DHead Factor is also occasionally co-manned by #FUJosh and others, all the way from Canberra, Australia. Random news, lively chat, and more.
 
Royal & Doodall
In a classic R&D clip chosen by Jabs, Royal & Doodall pull off a dramatic send-up in which they pay homage/skewer a number of their fellow podcasters. Including US. Check it.
 
This Week With Larry Miller 

Comedian Larry Miller suffered a head injury about a year ago and his podcast over on Adam Carolla’s ACE Broadcasting System has been playing reruns ever since. Larry's been on the mend and fronts a recent repeat episode with this message to his fans…

The Christopher Titus Podcast
I've always enjoyed the rambunctious energy of comic Christopher Titus – even more so now that the sound quality of his podcast is coming together. This episode's a treat, seeing as it also features freind-of-Succotash Kelly Carlin.

Pissed Off Man
Jabs has brought along a clip from a podcast that's a favorite of both of ours - The Pissed Off Man, featuring Gavin, aka Gee from Belfast's Gee & Jay Show. Here our mate's gotten all pissy about eating our at restaurants. Not because of the food. Because of the people.
 
Garagecast
Is anybody as incensed about the Red Dawn remake as Jake and Bryan? I don't think so. Give a listen to the Garagecast podcast, why don't you?
 
Phil Hendrie Podcast 
I think the best way to encapsulate our inclusion of a clip from the Phil Hendrie Podcast is to run my review of same which ran last week in This Week In Comedy Podcast over on Spiltsider.com:

Good things DO come to those who wait! Years ago, living in Northern California, my only reliable access to Phil Hendrie’s KFI radio show out of Los Angeles was the occasional CDs of the show my friend Matt would send me. And any time I was in the southland, I’d gobble up as much Hendrie as my ears would hold. Hendrie created some of the most original and hilarious programming to be found on radio. NOW he’s making hours and hours of past moments available via his daily podcast. Dr. Jim Sadler’s his guest in this epi, and he’s giving hints on how to get people to move along that are blocking your way in the fast lane on the freeway. “Get right up on their bumper and highbeam ‘em!” urges the doc. “Nobody ever gets mad. In fact, they appreciate you letting them know they’re going too slow.” And if that pokey driver ahead of you is handicapped? “Four short blasts of the horn lets them know you’re back there,” adds Sadler. No one messes with me – I was an all-star wrestler and one look of my well-muscled arm resting on the windowtells folks I mean business.” The people who call into the show are increasingly outraged the more outlanding Sadler gets and even Hendrie cautions him about going to far. Spoiler Alert: Hendrie IS Dr. Jim. And he’s even one of the outraged callers. But the other callers often don’t get the gag…and neither will you until you hear a few episodes and get hip to Hendrie.
 
Mental Poison 
Bill and the rest of the East Coast crew of Mental Poison made it safely through Hurricane Sandy a couple of weeks ago. Now they just need to survive more fantastically lame-brained marketing ideas from Brian…
 
The Bugle
This clip is a slice of the well-crafted and droll wrap-up of the USA’s presidential election, seen through the British filter provided by hosts John Oliver and Andy Zaltzman. We've played a few clips from The Bugle before, and we'll continue to play samples of this great show until you finally relent and subscribe to it!

TOFOP
Thirty Odd Feet Of Podcast is a show I've not heard before, although I did catch a few minutes of co-host Wil Anderson at last month's first ever Los Angeles Podcast Festival. Highly recommended by Jabs, Wil's an Aussie stand-up who's at the top of the pile, while his partner-in-podcasting Charlie Clausen just landed a TV gig that's put their show on hiatus.
 
Unkempt
Does a podcaster shit in the woods? The last time we featured a clip from Unkempt, one of them had, and left it wrapped in a groddy towel. Let's see what Mike & Matt have in store this time around…
 
Burst O’ Durst 
Our political correspondent Will Durst takes a side trip into Thanksgiving Town.

Happy Thanksgiving to our American audience - that would be Happy Thursday to the rest of you. And what an appropriate time for me to urge you to please pass the Succotash!

— Marc Hershon