An Ode to the All Stars of "Comedy Bang! Bang!"

Anytime I download my podcasts in my library, every Monday there's a new episode of "CBB". This is my favorite podcast. It wasn't my introduction to this world, but it is the one I've stuck with the longest. Other shows come and go, but "CBB" has always been there. The only Patreon I subscribe to is "CBB World". I'm a big fan.

Whenever I see that the guestlist includes Jason Mantzoukas, I get stoked. I want to listen right away. Jason Mantzoukas is hilarious. He makes me laugh during any podcast appearance, any tv appearance and any movie appearance. The guy is funny, has great comedic timing and knows how to really sell the jokes in any setting. He is a great comic foil for Scott Aukerman. They have a great rapport and it is some of the best podcasting out there. Mantzoukas co-hosts his own podcast, the dynamite "How Did This Get Made", where he is just as funny, and a little crazy. When he appears on  "CBB", he is much calmer and more there to enjoy. That is my favorite version of Jason Mantzoukas.

Then, when I see Andy Daly's name on the list, I get even more pumped to listen. Daly is one of the most underrated comedy actors out there. "Review" is one of the best, and least seen, shows I have ever watched. He is hilarious on "Eastbound and Down". He shows up for little character arcs in shows from time to time and he is the best when he does that. He also has his own little podcast empire with all the characters he has created on "CBB", and those shows are wonderful as well. I enjoy most of the characters he plays, but Dalton Wilcox has to be one of the best. I am also fond of Hot Dog. And then when you pair him and Mantzoukas together on "CBB", I know I'm going to have a good time, and I'm going to be smacking my leg cracking up. Those two, combined with Aukerman make for some of the best comedy podcast listening out there.

Then we have Paul F Tompkins. He is on "CBB" a bunch. He and Aukerman are good, long friends. They have been working together since "Mr Show". They have seen things, done things and seem to have an absolute blast whenever they get together on mic. PFT is one of those performers that I know will make me laugh and will not disappoint. He is, as much as he may not like this, a podcast pro and is amazing at what he does when he is on any podcast. So, when PFT, Andy Daly and Jason Mantzoukas are on separate from each other, it is wildly funny and successful. Put them all on with Aukerman running the show, that is comedy dynamite.

This is what we got this past Monday. All of them were there and all of them were great. Daly and PFT played an abundance of characters the whole time. They were jumping back and forth between the plethora of the people they have done on the show in the past. Mantzoukas and Aukerman were egging them on and continuously adding more and more people for them to play. And like the pros they are, Daly and PFT ran with it and made this one of the best episodes of the best podcast I have ever heard. I was cleaning my house while listening to the episode and I had to stop multiple times due to how hard I was laughing. I was literally cackling walking around the house all morning long. I didn't want the episode to end. I could have listened for hours and hours. It was a perfect episode of "CBB".

I cannot recommend it enough, especially if you are on the fence about the show. This is a perfect starting point for any new fans. These are the best of the best. It is all you could want in an improv comedy show. I have it saved to listen to again, and I cannot wait until they are all back together in the next year or so to do it all over again. This was gold. Check it out. 

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast.

Come and support Ty and the podcast on Patreon.

Follow Ty on instagram.

SeedSing is funded by a group of awesome people. Join them by donating to SeedSing.

Make Shorter Movies

I was listening to "Comedy Bang! Bang!" earlier today and Scott Aukerman brought up a pretty good point about the length of movies. He had Jake Johnson on as his main guest and they started a conversation about the most recent "Spider Verse" movie.

Aukerman mentioned how much he liked it, but that he was annoyed at the ending. I heard a lot of people make this complaint as well. I thought it was fine because it means more of these movies. I want all that I can get at this point. But that is not what I took away from all of this. While talking about the movie, Aukerman mentioned that they should just make one five hour movie. Johnson said that he didn't know how long each movie is, but that he is fine with whatever they do because he loves these movies.

But Johnson did mention that he is not a fan of super long movies. Aukerman agreed. They both said that 90 minutes is the perfect amount of time to watch a movie. Johnson said that he loves Martin Scorsese, but he hasn't seen many of his recent movies because they all approach three hours. Aukerman said he has seen "Killer of the Flower Moon", which he liked, but he also said that it felt very long. I sat back and thought about this as I listened to them gripe about it, and I have to say, I fully agree with their assessment.

Movies are very, very long now. A movie I love, "Uncut Gems", is about two and a half hours long. I have a lot of love for the movie, but there are definitely things they could have cut from the movie. The whole scene with The Weeknd felt unnecessary. The constant fights with his wife felt tacked on. I wanted more of the family stuff or the Kevin Garnett stuff. They could have cut things here and there and made that a two hour movie with ease. And I still would love it. I am a big time fan of the "John Wick" franchise, and each movie seems to get longer and longer. These movies keep me intrigued, but still, they can cut some stuff down and make these movies a hair over two hours, no problem. I enjoy watching Judd Apatow movies, but he keeps making two plus hour comedies. That is way, way too much time for a comedy. Ninety minutes should be the hard cut for a comedy. I also love sci fi, and the fact that those movies keep pushing two and a half hours is nuts. "Blade Runner" is 1 hour 57 minutes. That is kind of perfect. I'd so much rather watch "Blade Runner" than "Interstellar". A movie that clocks in at 90 minutes, or even 1 hour 45 minutes, that is the exact amount of time that I want to sit and watch a movie from start to finish. A movie that length will keep my attention, I won't squirm in my seat, and that feels like the perfect amount of time to tell a well thought out story. These "epics" almost feel like the writers and directors don't know how to finish the movie, so they just keep filming and writing more and more. It is like the movie "Babylon". They had no idea how to end that, so they kept making it and eventually had to end it. They did that with a death, the most common way to end these "epics". Movies that are shorter get you in, hold your attention for the allotted time and get you out. That's the way it should be.

We need more 90-115 minute movies. That would rule. 

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast.

Come and support Ty and the podcast on Patreon.

Follow Ty on instagram.

SeedSing is funded by a group of awesome people. Join them by donating to SeedSing.

Ty Reads "Comedy Bang! Bang! The Podcast: The Book"

I just finished reading "Comedy Bang! Bang! The Podcast The Book". I have been looking forward to this book ever since Scott Aukerman started to mention it during the podcast months ago.

"CBB" is my favorite pod to listen to on a regular basis. It makes me laugh harder than any other comedy podcast out there. I've been listening to it since I first heard what a podcast was. Scott Aukerman is my personal favorite host of all time. He has surpassed Letterman for me, which I didn't think was possible. The characters and bits and all they do, it is perfection. That is what makes this book so great, it is all there. I am amazed at how they pulled this off. I didn't know what they were going to do, but they did it and it works on every level.

The book starts out with a bunch of forwards, and that gets you in the mindset of what the podcast is all about, but they put it in book form. It was a very nice touch. I was happy they went about it that way. From there on out it is a who's who of people who have appeared on the show as characters. They do have some celebrities do the forwards, but the meat of the book is the characters. We get pretty much every star character too. Dalton Wilcox does a few pages. Jeffrey Character Wheaties does a three or four page opus to his greatest creation, Jason Mantzoukas. Rudi North and Sprague The Whisperer have separate chapters. Italiano Jones is there. Memphis Kansas Breeze has a page. The Timekeeper is on this. Randy Snutz and Carissa, as well as Randy's crew pop up. Mary Holland has a page as her writing character she appears as on the show. Todd and Ho Ho the Elf pop up. PFT's characters are all over this book. Albert Roe, owner of Kissy's Grocery Store is in here. Lily Sullivan, who is so goddamn funny, has her fingerprints all over this book. Fourvel pops up intermittently and it is great. Everyone that a fan could want shows up in this book. I mean, even Will Hines gets multiple chapters, and he is one funny improvisor.

It is so great that they had the idea to do this and then someone came along and pushed them to make this book. I keep going back and reading stuff and I laugh and laugh all over again. Andy Daly has a whole thing with a multitude of people he has made up and turned it into a board game, which I will most likely play at some point. There were moments where I found myself laughing hysterically at what I was reading. There were other times where it was like a warm blanket when I would get reacquainted with a person I had forgotten about. They also dedicate multiple pages to Harris Wittles where they do "Harris' Foam Corner". That was nice and fitting. "Foam Corner" was one of my favorite things to ever appear on "CBB", and to see some of the stuff Harris Wittles was writing before he tragically passed away, that was very nice, and hilarious. I loved the lead up to "Foam Corner" as well.

This book is perfect. If you are a "CBB" fan it has everything you could want in a book about this fantastic show. I'd go as far to recommend it to fans of podcasts in general. It shows you what makes a show long lasting and great. Of course I recommend everyone read this book. It is wonderful. 

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast.

Come and support Ty and the podcast on Patreon.

Follow Ty on instagram and twitter.

SeedSing is funded by a group of awesome people. Join them by donating to SeedSing.

2022 Top Five - Podcasts

Wrapping up my best of 2022 lists I have podcasts today. As I like to say every year, it would not be fair to put the "X Millenial Man" on this list. It is the best podcast in the game with the two best hosts, and third best when Tina is on. They have the best discussions about all things pop culture and sports. RD also knows his politics. Seriously people, if you don't already listen, go download the show now. It is free everywhere. I do listen to a bunch of other podcasts though. I love comedy and sports pods. I also like some serious topic pods, but I usually pick sports or comedy to vibe out too. It is the best for running too. I am a podcast fan through and through. On to the countdown.

At number 5 I have the "Ear Hustle" episode titled "Karen". This was their season finale. I came to "Ear Hustle" prior to the pandemic. It is about life in and out of prison, mainly San Quentin. A lot of very interesting and thoughtful subjects have been broached on this pod. But this episode was heavy. It started out normal enough, with Earlonne and Nigel going to a women's prison to interview a prisoner. But when the subject of why she was in prison came up the tone totally changed. It went from mellow-ish to super heavy. Karen was talking to the hosts about how she helped a pregnant prisoner give birth. It was cool. But all the time she seemed kind of monotone and disinterested. Then the reason why she was in prison came up. She was drunk driving and had three of her kids in the car. She got into an accident and one of the kids didn't make it. Hearing her tell this story was absolutely heart wrenching. Being a father it was even tougher to listen to. I was a puddle while driving to the trail that day. It was intense. But it was also eye opening. I was taken aback at her talking about her life before and after. It was incredible. "Ear Hustle" has had many great episodes, but this may be their best to date.

At number 4 I have my own personal finding of the podcast "Scott Hasn't Seen". CBB World has been around for a bit now, but I did not become a member until this year. And in doing that I stumbled upon this wonderful podcast. Scott Aukerman and Sprague the Whisperer, played by Shaun Diston, watch movies that Aukerman has never seen. Sometimes they are classics like "Kramer vs Kramer" or they are Sprague's version of classics like "The Mighty Ducks". That is what I love about this pod. Sprague is roughly the same age as me and what he considers great movies are what I used to love. I also love hearing Aukerman talk about his experience watching and what he saw instead when these movies came out. I also love the guests. They let the guests pick the movie and they come on and talk about their love for the movie. It is great and it all comes to a wonderful conclusion when Aukerman tells Sprague whether he liked the movie or not. It is about as close to a rewatch podcast that I will listen to, but done by great comedic minds. I adore this show.

At number 3, speaking of Sprague, I have the rise of Shaun Diston in the podcast realm. I have always been a fan but it seems like he is finally getting his just due. I remember listening to "We Need to Stop Talking TMNT on CBB" and falling in love with Diston's comedy. The Church of Shaun Diston was the first Patreon I ever subscribed to. But now with "Scott Hasn't Seen", his many features on "CBB", whenever he goes on "Doughboys", I always get pumped to hear him go off. I also like that he is getting acting jobs. I saw him in an episode of "Curb" last season and he is a writer on the new "Twisted Metal" show. Diston has more than earned this shine and I cannot wait to see what 2023 has in store for him in the podcast world.

At number 2 I have another CBB World show, "Hey Randy". This is a pod where when I listen to it I laugh and laugh and laugh. Tim Baltz has created a classic character in Randy Snutz. Dan Lippert and Mary Sohn are simply the best playing his friends. Lily Sullivan is a dynamo as Randy Snutz's on again off again girlfriend. The show is nuts and ridiculous and wild and I cannot get enough of it. I have to stop listening sometimes on my runs because I cannot contain my laughter. My favorite part of each ep is Randy's intro. He tells the listener of a dream he had the night before and it is comedy gold. I get amped each time CBB Presents puts on a new "Hey Randy". It is one of the best.

And at number 1 I saw "CBB" live this year. "CBB" went on a month-long tour in August and the moment a St Louis date was announced I bought tickets. I have seen live podcast tapings before, but "CBB" is my favorite podcast of all time. I simply had to go see. I loved that they played a smaller venue like The Pageant also. It made it feel a bit more intimate. I felt comfortable enough to go to an indoor show too and I think it is because this show was "CBB". Boy oh boy was I glad I went. Aukerman did a great job as host, like he always does. He seemed like he was having a good time. Paul F Tompkins was amazing. I have never seen him live before and this was a big deal to me. He played a character I love too, treasure hunter Brock Lovitt. Dan Lippert was there that night and he crushed as Bill Walton. I was in tears at his performance. And Carl Tart, another actor I really enjoy, closed out the show as a singer from the band Cameo. My face hurt from smiling and laughing all night. It was an incredible way to spend 90 minutes at a concert venue. It is a show I won't soon forget.

There you have it, my top 5 podcasts/podcast moments of the year. Enjoy the holiday season everyone and stay safe out there. 

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast.

Come and support Ty and the podcast on Patreon.

Follow Ty on instagram and twitter.

SeedSing is funded by a group of awesome people. Join them by donating to SeedSing.

The "Comedy Bang! Bang!" A-Team Cannot Be Beat

I was listening to the most recent episode of "Comedy Bang! Bang!" and I came to a comedy realization. When Scott Aukerman invites Jason Mantzoukas, Andy Daly and Paul F Tompkins on the pod, it is some of the best improv comedy in the game. These four work so well off of one another. All they need is a little bit of a premise and they are off.

On the newest "CBB" it was about as simple as it gets. Mantzoukas was there as himself. He is one of the unofficial guest hosts of the show. Then Andy Daly was Byron Denninson, the royal watcher, and PFT was on as The Grizz. These are some tried and true characters. They have been on a few times, and with each appearance the story gets bigger and better. This time around Mantzoukas and Aukerman were just talking about stuff that was going on in the world and they happened to mention some people dying. This was when Daly came in as Dennison. He told them about Queen Elizabeth and Daly was as funny as ever. He is so good at this character. This is a keeper. I very much enjoy listening whenever Dennison is on. Then PFT came in as The Grizz and totally blew up all of the stuff Dennison was talking to them about. He took off the covers to Dennison's whole story. It was great. I loved every second of it. Then both of them turned into Australian versions of their characters. It was wonderful. While they were doing the Aussie version of their characters was when I realized how awesome all of this was. I was listening to four great improvisers doing their thing at the top of their games. It ruled. Mantzoukas and Aukerman took a backseat, and that was the right thing to do. PFT and Daly were riffing off of one another. One would tell a joke and the other would just go with it. They would do multiple minutes on so many different topics and it all worked. I was cracking up. The stuff with the Grizz and Dennison was great. But the stuff with the Aussie versions was even better. When Daly realized he had to change his accent, that was gold. It was so real and so funny. And PFT didn't make fun of him, he just went with it. It was incredible. At times Mantzoukas would chime in with a joke and it was excellent. Aukerman was there to keep it all moving and he is so good at this task because he is a top notch podcast host.

I was in awe of all the things they were doing. I was sitting in my car cracking up, but also appreciating the greatness I was listening to. I was hearing some of the best people in the game do their thing. I saw that these four were on the episode and I immediately got hyped up. I knew it was going to be great. But when I listened it was even better. It exceeded my very high expectations. I appreciate when professionals all get together and perform so well. It can be magical.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast.

Come and support Ty and the podcast on Patreon.

Follow Ty on instagram and twitter.

SeedSing is funded by a group of awesome people. Join them by donating to SeedSing.  

"Comedy Bang! Bang!" is Great. "Comedy Bang! Bang!" is Greater Live.

Last night I had the pleasure of seeing a live recording of Comedy Bang! Bang!. As many of you know, I have been on the bandwagon of this podcast from the jump. It was the second pod I came to, and I have been listening ever since. I was a fan before I had kids, a fan after having kids, a fan since I have been married, basically Comedy Bang! Bang! has been in the majority of my adult life. My cousin, who is also a fan, came with me, and it was awesome. There are few shows that I want to go to now. I have seen a lot of bands I have wanted to see. I have seen a good amount of comedians I wanted to see. I have gone to poetry readings, live talks and gospel shows. I have seen a lot. So when something comes along that I haven't seen, I will go without a second thought. COVID be damned, I was going to this show. They were also pretty COVID safe in the venue as well.

Anyway, this show was amazing. There is something special about Comedy Bang! Bang!. Improv comedy is such a tough balancing act but these guys are pros. They are the absolute best at what they do. Scott Aukermann is a masterful host. The way he guides the conversation, how he goes from one guest to the next, how he rolls with all the punches, he is such a pro. I can think of no one better to host. He also happens to be very funny and very quick witted. He knows the game and he plays it so very well. He also had total control of the crowd from the jump. It was great. Second only to Aukermann is Paul F Tompkins. He doesn't host, but for all intents and purposes he may as well be the co host. He is so excellent at playing along with Aukermann. The way the two of them play off one another is magical. PFT is also very good at character work. He is so good at taking some random character and making it memorable. Last night we were treated to Brock Lovett. This character is based off of Bill Paxton's character in "Titanic". Obviously he takes a lot of liberties. He also makes it hilarious. The whole wet treasure thing is comic gold. This was also my first time seeing PFT live and he did not disappoint. Dan Lippert was next on stage and he played Bill Walton. I was pumped. Dan Lippert is newer to me, but Bill Walton is one of my favorite characters on CBB, and he was hilarious as ever. All of the weed talk, the psychedelics talk, the way he couldn't string together a proper sentence, it was all wonderful. He did some great stage work. The whole "Ring" scenario was incredible. At one point he called PFT by name and was told to run laps by Scott Aukermann. He had to do crazy stuff with his headband and the stuff in his pocket. It all worked. Carl Tart was the final guest, and being a big fan of his, seeing him live was an absolute treat. I was so pumped when he was announced. Tart is a great podcaster, a very good actor and one of the better improvisers in the game right now. He played the lead singer of the band Cameo last night and it was as funny as it got. He and Aukermann play off each other almost as well as PFT and Aukermann do. Tart kept trying to lead Aukermann into jokes, and that was awesome as well. There were so many special things about this show last night. When they all did stand up that was great. Hearing them sing a bunch of different songs done like the band Cameo was amazing. The way they tried to make each other laugh was perfect.

I am so very happy that I got to see this show last night. It was a "bucket list" thing for me and it more than lived up to the hype. I cannot recommend seeing CBB live enough if they come to your town, or even close to your town. It rules and is one of the funniest things I have ever witnessed. What a great, great night of comedy.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast.

Come and support Ty and the podcast on Patreon.

Follow Ty on instagram and twitter.

SeedSing is funded by a group of awesome people. Join them by donating to SeedSing.  

Ty Listens to Comedy Bang Bang's 10th Anniversary Podcast

The “Comedy Bang! Bang!” podcast is celebrating its 10th anniversary, and to honor this achievement, Scott Aukerman decided he was going to do a 10 hour long episode bringing back as many famous guests as possible. So far I’m about 5 and a half hours in, and it is a treat. I’ve loved every single second of this record long podcast. It’s like hearing a ten of Best Of episodes of the show. It is awesome.

The guest list, so far, has been absolutely incredible. Jon Hamm was on for a bit because he’s been on the show from the start. Jon Gabrus as Geno the Intern has made his always funny appearance. Thomas Lennon and Rob Heubel, the first guests on the first show, returned. Lennon also brought back a very old, and hilarious character. Jason Mantzoukas was the first guest of the episode, and he and Aukerman were great as usual. Andy Daly showed up during their interview and played both Dalton Wilcox and Hot Dog, two of his best characters. We’ve been visited by Entre Penure, Bone Queaf and Chief. Those three were absolutely hilarious. I think, so far, I laughed hardest when they were on. Chief, played by Carl Tart, also performed as Sugarloaf, a rapper from the 80’s who just woke up from a coma recently. It was awesome. I just heard from Chelsea Perreti and Adam Scott. When they did the famous “Farts and Procreation” episodes, I’d cry with laughter. Unfortunately Harris Wittles has since passed. But, Scott and Perreti still brought the humor. They’re so funny when they get together. Nick Kroll brought back a famous character. Thomas Middleditch played one of his absurd characters. Seth Morris came on as Bob Ducca. I could go on and on. It’s been truly amazing.

This is such a tremendous collection of super talented comedians and actors. I love how much they love, and appreciate all that “Comedy Bang! Bang!” has done for them and their fans. I first heard of a lot of these people because of this podcast. Jon Gabrus, Nick Kroll, Lauren Lapkus, Seth Morris and Jason Mantzoukas are just a few that I was introduced to by “CBB”.

I highly, highly recommend people check this out. This was such a great idea, and it has given me so much pleasure as a fan. I have been laughing and reminiscing since I started to listen to it on Monday. You do have to be a fan to truly appreciate all the characters, but I’d even go as far as to say that fans of comedy podcast should check this out because it’s a tour de force. I’m so happy with this, and I cannot wait to hear all the characters I will get to hear in the last 4 and a half hours.

Happy 10th anniversary “CBB”, and congrats Scott Aukerman. I really appreciate all the comedy you’ve provided for the past ten years. Here’s to many, many more. 

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. He is gearing up for the X Millennial Man 4 hour 4 year anniversary podcast. He is going to sit back with RD and do nothing but Simpsons references for four hours. Stay tuned.

Follow Ty on instagram and twitter.

SeedSing is funded by a group of awesome people. Join them by donating to SeedSing.

Cloves and Fedoras: You Should be Listening to the Podcast "High and Mighty"

Cloves and Fedoras is Seed Sings reviews for little known pieces of pop culture.  Feel free to contact us with your own submissions of undiscovered gems that must be known.

I've been on the hunt for a new podcast to listen to lately. I still have my standards like "Comedy Bang! Bang!", "How Did This Get Made", "The Bill Simmons Podcast" and "Sklarbro Country". Those are all great and I look forward to them every week, but I was in need of something new. I generally go for comedy podcasts, I do like a good NBA or something like "Serial", but comedy is where it's at for me.

Through listening and a little research, I found out that Jon Gabrus, an actor and comedian that I really enjoy, has his own podcast on the Headgum Network called "High and Mighty". For those of you not familiar with Jon Gabrus, he's appeared on "Comedy Bang! Bang!" a bunch, very recently in fact, as Geno the Intern. He is also on a lot of MTV talking heads shows like "Wild N Out" and "Guy Code". He's been on a lot of the VH1 talking head shows as well and he's had bit parts in quite a bit of movies and TV shows. In fact, he has a newer movie out on iTunes and On Demand called "4th Man Out", that I've heard some pretty good things about.

Odds are, you know who Jon Gabrus is, you just don't know it. People who listen to the specific podcasts I mentioned definitely know him and others, I'm sure you've seen him in something recently. Anyway, I really enjoy when I see that he is going to be on a new episode of "Comedy Bang! Bang!' as Geno. He's funny, crass, rude and great throughout the entirety of the episode. You can tell that even Scott Aukerman loves having him appear on the show because he is laughing throughout. So, when I found out that he had his own podcast, I was intrigued. I didn't know if it would be characters, just an interview show, if it would be improv, the possibilities were endless given his background and his group of comedian and actor friends.

After a few recent listens of "High and Mighty" that the podcast is an interview show, but it is so much more than just an interview show. Marc Maron has the market cornered on straight up one on one interviews as far as podcasting goes, and he's great at it. But, what makes Jon Gabrus' "High and Mighty" so great, at least for me is, he is a younger guy. I believe he is right around my age(33), and I can relate to the stories he and his guests, that are relatively the same age, talk about. The first episode I came across was entitled "Being Fat" with Nick Mundy and Mike Mitchell. For those of you that don't know, Jon Gabrus, Nick Mundy and Mike Mitchell are bigger guys. So am I. People who read my blogs already know that I enjoy Mike Mitchell and his work with the Birthday Boys and his podcast with Nick Wiger, "Doughboys", so the fact that he was a guest on the first episode I listened to was an added bonus. What made this episode great for me was the fact that being a bigger guy myself, so I related to almost 100 percent of what they talked about. When they talked about hitting on girls and how tough it is for chubby guys, I myself had many problems hitting on girls I liked while in high school because I was chunky. Mundy and Gabrus are both married and they both marveled at the fact that they could get such beautiful women to marry them. Me too. I don't know how I convinced my smoking hot wife to marry me, but I'm glad I did. All three of them have big bushy beards, and anyone that has read the site knows that I myself am a bearded fellow, but they all have beards for the same reason I do, laziness and a hatred for shaving. This was a perfect gateway episode for me because I related to everything and it featured two comedians that I really like. Even in the following episode, entitled "Wrasslin" with Matt McCarthy, a sport I have never watched or participated in, I was enamored by the conversation. You could really tell that these two were big time wrestling fans and that they still genuinely love pro wrestling. I liked their insight and their vast knowledge of wrestling old and new. That's the sign of a good podcast, when I don't care for the subject matter, but the conversation is so good, it pulls me in. He followed that episode up with one entitled "Badasses" with Outlook of the Poet(Ben Rodgers and Gavin Speiler). The topic was supposed to be about how they want to be badasses, which they do touch on, but you learn so much more about these three, like their early improv days, their dad issues and their love for action movies. The conversation can literally go anywhere it wants and that's awesome. The most recent episode of "High and Mighty" was about swimming with Anders Holm from "Wolkaholics", "How to Be Single", "Top Five" and many, many other things. Did they talk about all that stuff, yes, but barely. Instead, they had an in depth discussion about swimming and the commitment that it takes. I learned that Anders Holm was such a good swimmer, he got a scholarship to swim at the University of Wisconsin and that he still swims, now it's just for fun, to this day.

The great thing about "High and Mighty" is we always learn something new about Jon Gabrus. One thing I really like that he does on the show, he asks people to give him a 5 star review on iTunes and then to roast him in the comment section and he reads it on the next episode. So, people actually do this and he actually reads the awful things they say about him. It can vary anywhere from him being ugly and fat, to him just not being funny. But, the most common complaint is that he talks too much about himself and his "glory" days. Isn't that what podcasting is for though? People podcast just so they can hear themselves talk and so they can spread their point of view to the world via a free forum. I love that he hijacks the conversation and talks more than anyone else. It's his show and he can do whatever he wants. I know that I talk a whole hell of a lot more on "The X Milennial Man" podcast than RD does. I like to hear the sound of my own voice, just like Jon Gabrus.

I have only listened to the four most recent episodes of "High and Mighty", the podcast has a back catalog totaling 29 episodes. I will go back and listen to the older ones soon. He has had Eugene Cordero on a bunch to talk fitness and I want to hear those conversations because Cordero got in crazy shape and I'd like to know how he did that. Also, some of his early episodes are basically reviews of old action movies that he does with his friends. Those I will definitely go back and listen to. I like to hear people from my generation talk about movies like "Blood Sport" and "Predator".

I'm very happy that I have jumped aboard the "High and Mighty" bandwagon. This is a perfect podcast that appeals to the things that I like and can relate to. Keep doing what you're doing Jon Gabrus because it' awesome. I can't wait until Thursday for the new episode.

You can find "High and Mighty" right here.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the more talkative other host of the X Millennial Man podcast. He may be a bigger man, but he is half the bigger man he was two years ago. We are proud of you Ty. Show your support for him by pushing the follow button on Ty's twitter @tykulik.

The SeedSing (half) year in Pop Culture: The Top Five Podcasts of 2015

Time to remember the mic's best guests

Continuing my week long best of 2015 countdown today I'll pick my top five podcast episodes of the year. I'm a very, very big fan of podcast, mostly comedy podcast. Comedy podcasts are very well represented in this countdown, but there's one pretty serious, not very comedic episode that tops my list. I could've easily done a top 25, 50 or even 100 for this topic, so paring it down to five was tough. Here it goes.

My number five podcast episode of 2015 was the return of "Go Bayside" when they critically deconstructed the "Saved By the Bell: Hawaiian Style" movie. By they I mean the excellent and very hilarious host, April Richardson and her equally as funny best friend, Millie De Chirico. I was so pleasantly surprised and happy when my podcast app showed me that there was a new "Go Bayside". I put time away to go on a hike so I would not be bothered while I listened. April Richardson took a long time off after she finished doing all the pertinent episodes of "Saved By the Bell", but she promised to return to do this movie and the one when Kelly and Zack get married. This episode made it well worth the wait. Richardson and De Chirico come out hot from the start, just chastising the racism in this movie. It was so funny. I loved how upset they both got t the fact that there was a principal's convention in the exact same spot of Hawaii that the students were vacationing in. They couldn't fathom a world that in all of Hawaii these people picked the same spot to vacation in. I couldn't agree more with them. They constantly bad mouthed Kelly's vacation boyfriend for being a creep and this actor totally deserved it, he was terrible. My favorite thing in the whole episode was how they kept going back to the piece of paper that the hotel lease was written on that was literally, a plain sheet of paper. They kept asking why this wasn't a more important document that they would keep in a special place and I found myself asking the same questions. It's baffling. This was such a great episode of my all time favorite podcast and I can't wait until April Richardson does the wedding of Zack and Kelly on what I assume will be the final episode ever of "Go Bayside".

Number four is the episode of "Doughboys" where they talk about In and Out Burger. "Doughboys" has been my new favorite podcast and this episode takes the cake. In most episodes, there's a back and forth between Mike Mitchell and Nick Wiger and the guest just chimes in with whomever they are friends with. It's all very funny, but this episode was bizarre in the best possible way. Their guest was Armen Weitzman. Comedy fans know who Weitzman is, and how weird he can be, but he was off the handles in this particular "Doughboys". He would go back and forth between talking about the food to talking straight nonsense. While I was listening, I was enthralled at how wacky this episode was becoming. Even Mitchell and Wiger seemed to be taken aback at where all this was going. They even stopped their bickering towards each other and let Weitzman go on some long, strange rants. The best part was Weitzman explaining why his basketball podcast with Mitchell never came to fruition. This was the most bizarre thing in a completely absurd episode. I loved every second and I've listened to it multiple times just to hear the craziness. Not every episode is like this one, but I'm glad they have this, because it's one for the ages.

Coming in at number three I have "The Bill Simmons Podcast" episode with Michael Rappaport. As we all know by now, Simmons was fired from ESPN, took a social media hiatus for a couple of months and finally announced he'd be returning with a podcast and a TV show soon. The podcast was first and his early episodes were with friends and former athletes. It was basically the same thing as the "B.S. Report". Then, he had Michael Rappaport on and it was magical. He talked about everything fro his love for Knicks basketball to Rocky's trainer being a ladies man. He professed his love for Knicks rookie Kristaps Porzingis, calling him the "Latvian Gangster". He also kept calling Latvia, Lativia. He added an "I" that didn't need to be there. He also pushed Simmons to say something bad about ESPN. I loved how he was all in his business trying to get Simmons to say anything about his firing and what led to it. Simmons didn't say anything on air, but I like to imagine he crushed ESPN off air. Rappaport was a great relief from all the Patriots, Red Sox and Celtics love that flooded the first month of Bill Simmons new podcast. He was lively, constantly cursing and just being himself. I loved it and I know most of his listeners did too. I can't wait for part two because there needs to be a part two.

My number two podcast episode was Comedy Bang Bang's fourth edition of "Farts and Procreation". This was bittersweet. Harris Wittels unfortunately overdosed and died the week before this episode came out. It was tragic and he has been greatly missed. He died way too young and had a horrible addiction problem. I didn't even know him and I miss him, so I can't even imagine what was going through Scott Aukerman's head when he did the intro. Well, his intro was an absolutely beautiful homage to his friend. He spoke of the good and the bad times they had and their close friendship. These two were very good friends. I'll admit, the intro brought me to tears. Then, they played their annual episode and it was as funny as one could've hoped for. Wittels, Chelsea Peretti and Adam Scott were as goofy and funny as they were on the previous three. Aukerman did his thing as the host, keeping the pace. Wittels did his classic "Harrison's Foam Corner" where he tells jokes that aren't ready for the stage yet and it was, once again, riotous. Peretti and Scott were great too. This was a great sendoff to the great career of Harris Wittels that was cut way too short. This is another episode I go back and listen to because it reminds me how truly talented Harris Wittels was. He was a great comedy writer nd he will be deeply missed.

And that brings us to my number one podcast episode of 2015, the "WTF with Marc Maron" episode where he interviewed President Barack Obama. This was a watermark moment in podcast history. I know that Obama was on other podcast, but not a comedian's podcast that thousands of hard core comedy fans listen to. This was a huge deal to me because I am an Obama supporter and I'm a Maron fan, so put those two together, I'm immediately on board. Maron did a great job with the interview, asking him all types of questions. Obama was even better, answering everything and telling more. He spoke of his father not really being around. He spoke of his love for his mom. He praised his wife. He talked about being a dad to teenage girls. He came off as a regular guy, not the President and I loved that. This was easily the best one hour of podcasting I listened to every year. And, I'm glad it was Maron that got the interview. He's gotten some big time people to be on his show, but he got the President and to people of my generation, this was great for us to hear this powerful man sound like an everyday guy. Maron and Obama did a great job with this episode. I mean, how could anything else be number one beside this episode.

So there you have my top five podcast episodes of 2015. Come back tomorrow where I wrap it up with my top five sports moments of 2015.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. Next year his top five podcasts will all be ones he is a featured guest on. Follow Ty on twitter @tykulik. 

Comedy is thriving with podcasts. Get the best with the new app Howl.

Where do I turn the dial to hear this great comedy?

As all of you know, I'm a big, big fan of podcasts. 

I listen to podcast ranging from sports to comedy. Comedic podcasts are where my bread is buttered. I love listening to funny people being funny. There's something great about podcasting that allows these comedians and comedy writers to be funny in a free flowing environment. There's no real structure. Sure, you have an intro and an outro, but what happens in the middle is the best part. You get to hear these people use improv. That's so cool, because a lot of these people are great improvisors. People like Doug Benson, Scott Aukerman, Mike Mitchell, Nick Wiger, The Sklar Brothers, Paul F Tompkins and Matt Gourley are all great comics and actors, but on podcasts, they shine. Podcasting gives them the ability to do whatever they want. No notes from network executives, or people telling them to wrap something up. They have free rein. 

Podcasts have also introduced me to very funny up and coming actors and comedians like Lauren Lapkus, Jon Gabrus, Hayes Davenport, Sean Clements and even an old timer like Brendon Walsh. Ben Schwartz is so hilarious whenever he and Scott Aukerman do their "solo bolos" on Comedy Bang! Bang!. Actor Adam Scott is very, very funny during his appearances on multiple podcasts. Nick Kroll is a comedy powerhouse, especially with his many different characters on Comedy Bang! Bang!.  How Did This Get Made introduced me to Paul Scheer, June Diane Rapheal and the extremely funny, Jason Mantzoukas. I had barely ever seen or heard from Andy Daly until he started to pop up on different podcasts and now he has one of the best shows on TV, "Review". I could go on and on and on.

The main reason I'm writing today is to tell you about the great new podcast app called Howl. Howl gives you unlimited access to every single Earwolf, Wolfpop and WTF With Marc Maron that's ever been recorded. That means every episode of Comedy Bang! Bang!, How Did This Get Made, U Talkin U2 To Me, Analyze Phish, what I'm trying to say is, you get every single episode of every single Earwolf show. On most podcast apps, you get the last six months. On Howl, you get every episode ever, and the old ones are remastered with no commercial interruption. Same thing goes for the fairly new sister network of Earwolf, Wolfpop. You get Maltin on Movies with Baron Vaughn, I Was There Too, The Canon and so on and so forth. Every episode ever and the old ones are commercial free.

That would be enough for me, but they also give you every single WTF with Marc Maron. On his free app, he only gives the last sixty episodes for free. Howl gives you every episode ever. That's right, you can go back and listen to the two part Louis CK episode, voted best podcast ever, commercial free as many times as you want. You can hear Marc Maron interview Robin Williams. You can hear him from his start, interviewing his comedy buddies all the way to his high point of interviewing President Barack Obama.

Now, this app does cost money, but it's only 5 dollars a month. That's not much at all considering what you're getting. There is also shows that are only part of the premium Howl app. New shows from the Sklar Brothers, Lauren Lapkus and Jermaine Clement just to name a few will be on the premium app soon. There's also a TON of comedy albums available. You can hear albums from comics like Jen Kirkman, Doug Benson, Jim Gaffigan, Nick Kroll, Aziz Ansari and many, many more. I know, this sounds like an add, but it's not, I really just love this app and I think comedy podcast listeners will too. This is the holy grail for comedy podcasts. All these hours upon hours of uninterrupted shows is, in a word, phenomenal. It's a nice way to give back to these people that give us all this free content. Five dollars a month is nothing, and it's totally worth it. I love the Howl app and I'm really happy to have it. This is the first movement in the future of podcasting and I couldn't be happier about having all this content. Keep up the great work people of Earwolf, Wolfpop and WTF.

You guys have a fan for life.

Ty 

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and co-host of the X Millennial Man podcast. He did not get paid by any advertisers for writing this, . Follow Ty on twitter .

Goodbye Reggie Watts, this fan of Comedy! Bang! Bang! will miss you

Last night marked the end of the Reggie Watts era on The Comedy Bang! Bang! TV show.

They gave him a pretty fitting send off. The episode opened with an aged Scott Aukerman giving an interview in the future about his old best friend Reggie Watts. Flash back to present time and the show started like it always does, with the theme song, intros and the guest coming to the couch. Judd Apatow was the guest last night, but he was only in the first five minutes of the episode. I appreciated this because this episode needed to be about Reggie and Scott's friendship and what it's like for a close friend to leave for higher profile job(Reggie Watts is the band leader for the new Late Late Show with James Corden).

Throughout the time Apatow was being interviewed, many jokes were made about how great a comedy team Scott and Reggie are and how it's great that they will always work together. During the interview though, US Army soldiers raid the stage and say they were sent to capture Reggie Watts because he's an alien and his race was coming to destroy Earth. I felt this was a good way to send him off. It wasn't sad or corny, it was a typical CBB bit. Reggie's alien race, made up of three different versions of himself, proceed on Earth, but Reggie and Scott come up with a plan to film a video saying that Earth was covered with water and this is very poisonous to their race. The video worked and the aliens retreated. Everyone was very happy and you thought that things would go on as normal.

Oh the contrary my friend. The Army was still planning on capturing Reggie and taking him away. Scott refused to let them do this, saying that they'd have to kill him if they wanted Reggie. Well, the lieutenant said okay and fired at Scott. Reggie stepped in front of the bullet and was hit in the chest and yellow goo oozed out of him. Seeing that they had taken care of Reggie, the army felt they did their job and left Scott to grieve over his friend. After the soldiers were gone, it was revealed that Reggie was okay, stating that bullets are like Viagra to his race. Seeing that his friend was alive Scott was relieved and thought the show would go on as it always had, with Reggie as his band leader.  Reggie pointed out that when the Army found out he was still alive they'd come back for him and he didn't want to put anyone in harms way. Scott asked him what he would do and Reggie said he would roam the Earth like a nomad. Scott and Reggie hug, say their good byes and Reggie walked out the stage door. Flash forward, back to old Scott Aukerman and he's doing a crossword puzzle and the clue is, someone who misses and loves his friend Scott dearly and they pan to a picture in the paper and it's an aged photo of Reggie Watts, the crossword puzzle author(a call back to a joke earlier in the episode). This was a great way to say good bye to a guy who's been with the show since its infancy. Very goofy and silly. Exactly what you'd expect from CBB. Reggie Watts wrote the theme song for the podcast, he wrote and performed most of the songs that are used for games and segments in the show and podcast. He did pretty much all the music stuff for Comedy Bang! Bang! He was an integral part. Kid Cudi will be the new band leader when the show comes back on July 9th and while I enjoy his music, he's no Reggie Watts. It will be interesting to see if Kid Cudi has the comedic chops Reggie Watts has.

You will be missed Mr Watts, but you are on to bigger and better things. And for all the alternative comedy fans out there, I'm sure he will still show up from time to time, so he's not really going away, he just got a new opportunity.

Good for him.
 

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture Editor for Seed Sing.  He thinks one day people will leave network late night shows to join Comedy Bang Bang as a better opportunity.  Give him a twitter follow @tykulik.