An Ode to the Comedy Stylings of Kyle Mooney

My algorithm for my Instagram reels has been throwing a bunch of comedy stuff my way. I love it. I'm a big fan of standup. I get a bunch of standup clips now. My favorite movies are comedies. I get plenty of trailers and classic scenes now. And I love going back and watching "SNL" clips and cast members doing their own thing. One such cast member that has been showing up a bunch lately is Kyle Mooney.

I adore Kyle Mooney. I think he might be one of the most underrated and funniest cast members of all time on "SNL". He has been around longer than most of you think, and his hit rate is pretty damn high. Mooney did some of my favorite things on "SNL". He used to show up as a 90's stand up on weekend update when he was on the show and it was the funniest thing in the world to me. He was so deadpan. His jokes were awful. Even when he pandered to the crowd it was met with crickets. And that was the whole point. I loved this character so much that I would sit on my couch howling at this portrayal. My wife was not a fan, but I fully bought in from day one. He used to do digital shorts with Beck Bennett that were bizarre and hilarious. I liked these shorts as much as The Lonely Island stuff. Whenever he would show up in pretty much any sketch I was stoked and his appearance took it up a notch for me as a viewer.  When he did stuff outside of "SNL" I was almost assured to watch. The movie he made, "Brigsby Bear" is funny, sad, heartwarming and so memorable. The fact that Mooney starred and was a writer on this movie made me so happy. This was a role that let him stretch, but also do what he does best, and it is a highly underrated gem. I have so many vivid memories of that movie and they are all good. People need to watch that movie. His one appearance on "Parks and Rec", where he interviews to be Ron's assistant, let him do his awkward comedy at his best. He appeared on the first show from Jessica St Clair and Lennon Parham, another underrated gem, "Best Friends Forever", and while I don't remember much, I do remember Mooney's one episode. He had a solid run on "Hello Ladies", the show from the original "The Office" creator, Stephen Merchant. He did a one off appearance on the "Comedy Bang! Bang!" television show. He reprised his "Hello Ladies" role for the movie. He was very memorable in the movie "Hello, My Name is Doris". And his most recent tv show, "Saturday Morning All Star Hits" sees him playing twin brothers on a 90's sketch show. It is funny, weird and incredibly dark. It is like a much darker version of "Brigsby Bear". I really enjoyed the first season of that show. I hope it comes back.

I feel like Mooney is right up there, as far as sketch stuff goes, with someone like Tim Robinson. Mooney can be much, much darker too. As for the Instagram reels, his stuff is riotous. He goes around interviewing people, all the while he is being very awkward and very bizarre. And I find myself cracking up every time at each new video, of which he puts out daily. Kyle Mooney has an old filter as far as comedy goes, and that works for me so much. I get excited when I see a new video. When he shows up in a movie or on a tv show or on a podcast, that makes it even more of a must see or listen for me.

Kyle Mooney is an underappreciated comedic genius. If you like awkward comedy, he may be the best one doing it out there right now. Give him a shot and I bet you will not be disappointed. Kyle Mooney rocks. 

Ty

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

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R.I.P. Richard Lewis

Richard Lewis passed away at 76 yesterday. No cause of death was given, but he was battling Parkinson's Disease.

This one kind of hit me hard, as a fan. Lewis was a big deal to me due to his recurring role on "Curb Your Enthusiasm". He was a pretty big part of one of the best shows to ever be on tv. Lewis and Larry David are lifelong friends. It showed on the show. The back and forth, the yelling, the lack of courtesy, it all played so well because of their closeness and chemistry. They knew each other so well that they knew how to goad the other one, or how to try and make the other laugh and break while filming the show. It was glorious to watch. To see David get on Lewis' nerves whenever he would cause a break up with the next girl that he would claim to be "the one". These interactions were amazing to watch. I also really enjoyed in recent seasons of the show how they shifted from who Lewis was dating to what they were going to do in the afterlife. In one of the most recent episodes, they yell fight at one another about putting each other in their own personal will. Seeing David endlessly challenge Lewis was wonderful. And all the while you could see Lewis smiling wryly back at David. The closeness and love between the two friends was very apparent. I walk around the house and say "Richie boy!" all the time. That was how David would greet him whenever he was on the show. Richard Lewis' work on "Curb" was his greatest achievement in my mind. He will go down as one of the best people to ever be on this show. But Richard Lewis did so much more.

The first time I saw him was in the Mel Brooks movie, "Robin Hood: Men in Tights". I watched this movie over and over again as a kid. I rewatched it in the last couple of years, and while it wasn't as great as I thought it was when I was a kid, I still found myself chuckling at it, mostly at Richard Lewis' character. He played the king, and he had this mole that always moved. Every new scene, that mole would be in a different spot. And Lewis really played it up. He also got to do some of his standup routine in the movie, and that was just as funny. I liked how he would break character and go into his bits. It was great.

That is another thing I always conflate with Richard Lewis, stand up comedy. He was one of the first stand up comedians I ever saw on tv, and I clocked him as the stand up guy. He had a very unique look, and that was my influence with comedians going forward. Anytime I saw a person that looked or dressed like Lewis, I assumed they were also a standup. I first saw Steven Wright on tv with a hat and black suit coat, thought he looked like Lewis so I assumed he was a comedian, and then he did stand up comedy. The first time I watched "Seinfeld", and saw his stand up at the beginning, he was dressed like Richard Lewis. During that era, he was the guy that made me think of stand up comedy and guided my direction into being a fan of the artform. He ushered me into something I adore so much now.

Outside of "Curb" and "Robin Hood: Men in Tights", he was the Golem in "The Simpsons" treehouse of horrors. He appeared as himself on the highly underrated "Dr Katz". He co-starred with Jamie Lee Curtis in "Anything But Love". And lent his voice to "Bojack Horseman". Richard Lewis has always been around in Hollywood. He stayed working, be it tv and movies. But he was, and always will be, best known as one of the best stand up comics to ever do it. He was one of a kind. He was a legend. And he will be missed.

Rest in Peace Richie Boy. You will be missed. 

Ty

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

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Ty Watches Eric Andre Live

Last night I went to see Eric Andre at The Factory on his new tour. Last night was the second night of the tour, so I did not know what to expect. I also did not know if it was going to be a standup thing or something else. It was most definitely something else, and that is a very good thing.

The tickets for the show said that the doors opened at 6 and the show started at 7. They were spot on. Eric Andre had an opener, DJ Douggpound, and he came on stage at 7pm sharp. He was very funny. I enjoyed his 20 minute set quite a bit. DJ Douggpound act is his standup with him playing some music underneath it. He was also on Eric Andre's new podcast recently, so it was nice for me to see him perform after hearing him talk about some not so fun performances. What I liked most about his set was how much fun he seemed to have with it all. He had some great jokes that were buttoned with some funny song clips. When he would play old songs but add in different words, that cracked me up. I also liked him pitching voices up and down. That was pretty hilarious as well. I also liked him coming on stage skateboarding. It was whimsy for me. DJ Douggpound also writes for Eric Andre's show, so he was a perfect opener.

After he was done, there was a five minute break and then Eric Andre came roaring to the stage. When I said that this was different from a standup show of his, that was made incredibly apparent from the start. This was a live version of "The Eric Andre Show". He came on stage and immediately destroyed his desk. He then proceeded to throw food at the crowd and spray them with water. I was sitting in the balcony, safe from all the carnage, so it was pretty hilarious to watch. After going off for a bit, he started the show. His co-host for the night was the Fridge Keeper. People who know know that the Fridge Keeper was introduced on the most recent season of the show. The Fridge Keeper is like the Crypt Keeper, except he lives in the fridge and he raps. I adore the Fridge Keeper. From there on out the show was mayhem. He invited an attendant of the show as his first guest. Andre messed with his phone and talked to his mom. He invited a different person on stage and tried to seduce them like Janet Jackson did on her recent tour. It was wild. We all saw his butt. When he called the first guest's mom, we all got to speak with her. She was a delight. At one point he blended a bunch of McDonald's and fed it to some crowd goers. He used a kiss cam which changed nearly instantly to a calculus cam. He had a few more people come on stage and do a ranch dressing chugging contest. When he couldn't pick a winner, he made them freestyle rap while sucking on hot sauce ice cubes. He then had his second guest, Clownvis, come on stage. He did an interview with Clownvis. He told Clownvis to kiss the Fridge Keeper. He had him drink wine and coffee mixed together. He asked Clownvis to sing his famous song, which happened to be a Christmas song. He messed with Clownvis, which delved into messing with the crowd. He did it all. The show ended with him and Clownvis singing a song, and then he walked on stage bottomless to bow to all of us.

This was a whirlwind of an hour. I leaned over to my buddy about halfway through and asked, "how long is he going to be able to keep this up?". The answer was an hour, and it was a perfect amount of time. You can tell he is still trying to figure out how to put this show on, but I had an absolute blast seeing him live last night. The last time he was in STL he had to cancel, so this was a long time coming for me. I am a humongous Eric Andre fan, so seeing him live was a big deal to me. He delivered. I was in awe of what I saw last night. It was weird and gross and exactly what I hoped a live version of his tv show could be. I had a great time and I highly recommend seeing this show if he comes to your town. It is unlike any other live comedy show that I have seen, and that is a very good thing. It was a great time. 

Ty

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

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Ty Watches Marc Maron Live

This past Saturday I went to see Marc Maron do some live standup. My buddy asked if I wanted to go, I did, so we went. I have seen Maron a few times prior to this. He is a very good standup and any chance to see him, I'm going to check it out. Maron was in Saint Louis for three nights and we went on the third night, his second to last show. I felt like this was one of the best chances to go because he had to really have his show down to a T at this point and we would get one of the best versions of Marc Maron that we could want. My buddy has also never seen him live before, so I was hoping for a good show.

We were fortunate enough to see a great show. I had a wonderful time seeing Maron. He played Helium here in STL, and that is a small venue. I like that because it feels a bit more intimate. The club was full, but it still felt small. That is my ideal way of seeing standup. Big theater shows are fine, and I've seen my fair share that way, but smaller clubs are the way to go. The real draw, of course, was Maron. He is such a pro. That was my biggest takeaway from the show. He has been doing this a long time now and it shows. He commands the stage. He makes it look so easy even though it is not easy at all. He commanded the crowd all night long. There was one lady who kept talking and he rolled with the punches. He was never mean to her, but he called her out on her BS. I like that. He would effortlessly move from joke to joke. He would go on his usual rants and they were as funny as ever.

Maron touched on all kinds of topics in his 70 minute set. He talked about his father's dementia. He let us know about him passing out on a hoke while listening to Taylor Swift. We got good bits about his status in the world and in Hollywood. He used the state of Missouri's backwoods politics to perfection. I agreed with all that he had to say on that topic. He let us in on his current relationship. He also talked about past relationships. He even did some bits about exercising which I found hilarious. He was on point all night long and it showed. My cheeks hurt from laughing. I had an absolute blast all show. We even stuck around afterward so my buddy could get a poster. We got to meet him and have a very quick chat. He seems like a very cool dude. Too cool for me, but I am very happy to continue to listen to his standup and his podcast.

Marc Maron has carved out a very good spot for him. It feels like he is at the perfect fame level. I think he would agree with that statement. Seeing him do live stand up for the first time since COVID was quite the treat. I loved every second of it. From the opener to Maron to meeting him afterward, it was such a wonderful time. I definitely recommend seeing him when/if he comes to your town. He is the consummate pro and one of the best touring standups in the world. See him and you will have as good a time as me. This was a great, great show. 

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.

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Tim Heidecker's The Two Tims Tour is a Must See

I had the pleasure to see Tim Heidecker live on his tour a little less than two weeks ago. I have been a fan for a long time, but he never really toured a whole lot. I love his shows, I am one of the few people that like the movie he and Eric Warheim made, I thoroughly enjoy "The Comedy" and have enjoyed all of his more recent stuff.

When Heidecker announced a tour called "The Two Tims". I was instantly intrigued. I let some friends know about it and we went to see the show. None of us really knew what to expect, we did very little research on purpose, but we knew it was going to be good. As we took our seats we were rewarded with one of the better, and most unique shows I have seen in a long time.

The whole idea of this tour is, Tim Heidecker comes out and first he performs as an intentionally bad stand up comic. The comic's catchphrase is "no more bull shit", but all the character he is playing does is spout bull shit. It is cringey and awkward and the character is delusional. But it was also funny. I found myself cracking up at how out of the touch the comic is. It takes a ton of talent to flub lines and mess stuff up and go on stage in front of a bunch of people and do that. Heidecker did that better than anyone I have ever had the pleasure to see live. It was one of the oddest and most interesting live experiences I've seen. And I loved it.

Heidecker then takes a short break and comes out with his band, The Very Good Band, and performs his music for over an hour. I have heard his music before, but never really dove deep with it. This was a great way to reopen my curiosity. I was highly intrigued. I knew Heidecker was a talented dude and comedian. But hearing him play his guitar and sing his original songs, it blew my mind. He is really good at this as well. I was stunned in the best way possible. He played a bunch of music, some country, some folk, all good. I like how he interacted with the band. They have a very good rapport and it shows. They all seem to be having a great time. Heidecker also told jokes and poked fun and had a loose attitude and was clearly enjoying himself. He had the band leave the stage for a minute and he played the piano and sang a very incredibly deep cut Bob Dylan song called "Lenny Bruce". And believe me when I say this song is very weird. Heidecker made note of that after every line of the song. He would sing it in Dylan's voice, stop, and talk to all of the crowd about how wild the lyrics were. And Heidecker is a humongous Bob Dylan fan. He told us that and I fully believe him. While the Dylan cover was funny and very cool, it was the original stuff that got me. I didn't know any of the songs but I know them now. I have been devouring his music since this show. I will hear songs and think back to the live show and how well they all played the song live. Having no idea what I was going to hear, hearing his music and his band has made me an even bigger fan.

The show was a little over two hours and I could have watched it for longer. The Two Tims is a must see show live. It was an awesome evening and an evening I won't soon forget. Tim Heidecker has a fan for life. What a show.

Ty

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

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If Joe Perra Comes to Your Town, Go to His Show

Over the weekend me and a buddy went to see Joe Pera at The Pageant here in Saint Louis. Let’s discuss.

I am relatively new to Joe Pera. The same friend told me to watch his show, as did RD, and I devoured all three seasons in less than a week. Each episode is only about 11 minutes so it wasn't some big undertaking. But I watched as much of the show each day as I could. I kept wanting to watch more and more. The more the show progressed the more I got into it. Joe Pera has this calm way about him. The show was great but also very unpredictable. "Joe Pera Talks with You" had a simple premise. Pera would bring up a subject he liked and try to talk to the audience about it. He would start his presentation and something wild would happen. That was what drew me into the show. I also appreciated the fact that the show took place in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. That is where my parents are from and a lot of my extended family still lives around the UP. It was easy for me to relate to the people, the accents and the general idea.

I did not know what to expect from an hour long standup show from Pera. I purposely stayed off the internet leading up to the show. I did not want to know anything that might be coming my way. I wanted to experience it all at the moment. That is one of my intentions in the new year. I want to get the full experience for the first time. That was the right thing for me to do.

Dan Licata, who wrote for the show, opened the night up. He did a solid 15 minutes. He was funny, fast and had some really interesting joke deliveries. He owned his lot in life. He made fun of family and friends. He did some very good crowd work. He was a little more upbeat and hyper than Pera. It was a nice yin to Pera's yang. I enjoyed his set very much. And without any wait he introduced Pera and Pera took the stage.

This crowd was perfect. We all cheered loudly, but respectfully when he walked on stage. We all knew his cadence and how he would deliver jokes. We know because we are all fans. And when he slowly walked on stage a giant smile grew on my face. I have found that, since COVID, I am nervous in enclosed spaces with a lot of people until the person I have come to see steps on stage. When Pera took the mic and started his show, all that fear washed away and I was in the moment.

Pera did not disappoint. He read an intro that killed, in his usual slow cadence. It was hilarious. He made joke after joke while reading the intro. I loved it. He did way more crowd work than I expected and it was tremendous. He would start a bit and then go out to the audience to get our take. His bit about feeding pita chips to a squirrel was made all the better because of his crowd work. He would openly laugh at some of the stuff the people were saying, but then he would use it. He is a pro at crowd work and it showed tenfold on Saturday night. I was blown away. He told a great bit about writing a love column for the New York Times. It had his typical outlook and joke telling presentation. Then, near the end of the letter he got real blue. I was caught totally off guard in the best possible way. I did not expect him to say the words that he was saying and I was cackling all along the way. And it wasn't like a shock comedian or anything. The swear words were needed for the joke and Pera used them expertly. He brought Licata and another actor who was on the show with him and they did a solid bit to close out the night.

This show was everything I wanted it to be, but it was so much more. I was blown away by what I saw. I am an even bigger fan than I was a few days ago. Joe Pera is a top notch alternative comic. I definitely recommend seeing him if he is near or in your time. He is more than worth the price of admission. 

Ty

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

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RIP Gilbert Gottfried

Gilbert Gottfried has passed away at the age of 67. This is a bummer. There are too many people losing their lives lately. It stinks.

I have a fond memory of Gottfried. I have always liked him to be honest. I know people complain about his voice and his movies and other stuff, but that never bothered me. I found his voice unique and hilarious. He was a much better version of the Micro Machine guy. They each had their schtick, but Gottfried was much more my speed. I truly did not care that he yelled at his jokes. I found it funny honestly. It worked for me as a fan of comedy.

As for his movies, I loved "Problem Child". He was awesome in it too. I adore "Aladdin", and Iago is so memorable. He was the only good part about the horrible "Saved By the Bell: The Wedding" movie. He was definitely the biggest get in any "Sharknado" movie that he was involved in. As for TV shows, you could find him doing voicework in any number of shows ranging from the 80's throughout the current day. His voice is everywhere. Going outside of voice work, he was a cast member on what many consider to be the worst season of "SNL", but he was the only one on that season that thrived. Going back and watching those eps awhile back, and man are they bad, but Gottfried had something special. He was the only person that worked that season.

The thing I think made him stand apart was the roasts he did. I have been watching clips of him at these roasts the past couple days, and Gottfried kills every single time. He would just pummel the audience and the roastee with joke after joke after joke. He would crush it out there. He was doing the best in a room full of people that pride themselves on their ability to roast. He would have fit in perfectly in the old time roasts that I used to see commercials for as a kid. Gottfried was the perfect amalgamation of old school and modern time comedians. He knew what he was best at, and he ran with it. The roast clips are an amazing thing to watch.

Of course we all remember him as the Aflac duck. My kids even know his voice from those commercials. But, what I remember most about Gottfried as the Aflac duck was him getting fired from that job. It was classic Gottfried. He tweeted a very unflattering stance on the tsunamis in Taiwan, and he was let go. Part of me always thought that he did that on purpose. I think he wanted out of that job, did something awful and was let go. And we all forgot about it a few months later.

Gottfried went on to do many things after that. That would have ended other people's careers, but Gottfried soldiered on and kept plugging away. It has also been super cool to see the many people coming out and talking about how nice and polite Gottfried was on the stand up scene. He didn't big time anyone or refuse to help out. Quite the opposite. I've seen people like Paul F Tompkins, a comedian and actor I adore, come out and say that Gottfried would let him watch his sets for free. That rules. There have been countless other actors talking about interactions with Gottfried, and they are all glowing.

Gottfried's passing is a bummer. He was so young, I know they said an unknown illness, and that makes it even sadder. It is not on the Chadwick Boseman level, but it is akin. Rest in Peace Mr Gottfried. You will be missed.

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.

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Ty Watches Jerrod Carmichael's "Rothaniel"

Jerrod Carmichael's new HBO special "Rothaniel" is a masterpiece. I watched it last week and have since watched it two more times and still think about it on the daily.

For those that may not know, Carmicheal is a strong stand up performer, had a very good, very underrated tv show, "The Carmichael Show" and has written a ton of great things for movies and tv. He was also in both "Neighbors" movies, and he was memorable in those as well. He wrote on "Loiter Squad", which is where I assumed he met Tyler, the Creator, and he does the interstitial parts on the epic "IGOR" album. But I think "Rothaniel" is going to open up a whole new level of stardom for this young man.

He opened the show and told the audience that he was going to leave no untold secrets for the hour-long set. He was going to let it all out. And he most definitely did as much. For instance, he revealed that his first name is Rothaniel. He went into a long bit about how he got his name. He said it was two names pushed together, the two names coming from two people in his life. One of which was his father. He then proceeded to tell us all about his father and how he was a lothario. The best part of this bit was when he told the crowd that his best friend saw his father at his house one day and his father lied about who he was. He told this young man that his name was Jerry Rice. This was so hilarious. But underneath it all you could see the pain and anger Carmichael had towards his father for what he was doing. He then told his dad he knew and he wanted him to tell their mom. She needed to know. And he did. He kind of skirted it and made his son's deal with the mom beforehand. But his dad told her, and she forgave him. This also seemed to irk Carmichael.

It was after this reveal when Carmichael told the biggest unknown secret of the evening. Carmichael revealed to the audience that he is gay. This was a powerful and moving moment in the special. And he did not sweat it or skirt it, he just came out with the news, and it was received perfectly. The crowd applauded and told him how much they loved him and how brave he is. He seemed a bit put off by the reaction, but he talked about that too. He said he is still trying to feel good when hearing people applaud him. He is still trying to accept the love. It is just tough. He then, and the rest of the set was about him coming out, telling many stories, both funny and moving, about coming out to his friends and family. I loved when he talked about telling his best friend, and his best friend told him he felt "forced to be friends with a gay guy". He said a lot of his friends actually felt "lied" to. But he did say that his girl friends were super supportive, until he told them he dated white guys. This was a riot. The crowd interaction was tremendous. I loved the back and forth. I also really adored Carmichael's openness. It was nice to see him getting all of this off his chest.

The last fifteen minutes of this set is what puts this special apart from others. He talked about his father accepting it, but his mom not. He is, obviously, devastated by this. He talked about his love for his mom, but he is clearly upset that she is using church and god as an excuse to not accept him. This was when the audience interaction was at his best. It was almost like a live therapy session, which can be intrusive, but this felt right. It was not awkward or intrusive, it was a breath of fresh air. Carmichael let it all out, and he fielded every question from the audience with grace. He was speaking his truth, and I loved it. I was moved by it. It was amazing. Carmichael used his talent to do an extremely brave and commendable thing. Bo Burnham's direction was spot on too. You can tell these two have worked together before.

I loved "Rothaniel". I think everyone should see it. It is one of these HBO specials that will resonate with anyone anywhere. It is a work of art. Check it out.

Ty

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

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Ty Watches Nicole Byer's "BBW (Big Beautiful Weirdo)"

Last week, before departing for our holiday trip, my wife and I were finally able to watch Nicole Byer's new stand up special "BBW" on Netflix.

We are Byer fans in my house. We love "Nailed It". My wife and I think she is tremendous on "Brooklyn 99" as Trudy Judy. She is the star of the new, very good show "Grand Crew". She is always a delight when she is on a podcast or hosting her own. But I have never seen her standup before. I have heard about it from other people. I have heard that she works very blue, that she is very funny and that she knows how to control the crowd. A buddy of mine saw her pre-pandemic and said she was amazing, but he did not know that she was so dirty. He knew her from "Nailed It" as well I believe. So I was pretty pumped about the special. I did know, or heard, that she does work dirty, but I could care less about that. I have seen a bunch of comics that work blue and the same amount that work clean. It does not matter either way. A good comic is a good comic. Hell, Tracy Morgan was incredibly blue when I saw him, and it was amazing. Brian Regan is known as a clean comic, and he was fantastic every time I have seen him. Jen Kirkman straddles the line, and she rules. The language does not matter. But make no mistake, Byer is blue, and that comes off right away in "BBW".

The special opens with a pole dance, those of us that follow her on Instagram know how much she has practiced this, and it is great. It is a perfect way to open the show. From there on out Byer touches on a ton of things. She opens talking about life during the pandemic. That can be tiresome, but she made it funny and personal. She talked about how it has affected her sex life. She cannot find a good and safe way to hook up with another person. It was very funny. From there the special just got better and better. Her whole bit about Karen's was simply wonderful. I loved her portraying the children of said Karen's. When she talked about flying on a plane with a humongous NICOLE chain and getting drunk, that was the best bit of the night. I loved the button she put on that bit, talking about getting Shake Shack in the morning when she landed, and eating it in the airport toilet. Another pandemic joke I loved was when she talked about the only people who oppose masks are the people who should be wearing them to hide their not so great looking faces. That was perfection. I really enjoyed the crowd work. That is always a plus for me. I like how she went after JK Rowling, and the Harry Potter stuff was gold. I related to her dropping pizza on the ground but deciding to finish it anyway. But what I loved the most was when she talked about singing and how she is not very good at it. This included some wonderful crowd work. She made some very solid jokes about how her appearance can fool people who may think she is a singer. But it was all wrapped up in a great bow when she was talking about Shake Shack and eating it in the toilet. This was when she was so hammered that she decided to sing to try and calm her nerves and let the other people in the bathroom know she was okay. This made me laugh the hardest. This had me giggling afterward. I am smiling thinking about it right now. It is a great bit of comedic storytelling.

Check this special out. Byer is finally getting the shine she has deserved for a long time now. Byer is a great actor, but she is an even better comedian. This special more than proves that.

Ty

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

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I Miss Chris Farley

This past Friday, during date night, I showed my wife one of my personal favorite comedies from the mid 90's. The movie was "Tommy Boy". I watched that movie over and over and over again when I was a teenager. It was the best. And I think it still holds up. There are a few problematic things and words used in the movie, that is for sure. But other than those very short, very few not so great words and scenes, I found myself cracking up just like when I was a kid. My wife wasn't laughing as hard as me, but she did say it was funny. She was also very clued in to why I loved, and still love, this movie so much.

I'm not here to talk about the movie. I love it, as I said. I want to talk a bit about Chris Farley. Farley was a comedy legend. He was one of the greatest "SNL" actors ever. He owned the comedies he starred in in the 90's. He was lightning in a bottle. He was this physical mastermind who also happened to be extremely hilarious. Farley had it all. And as a young teen, that was exactly what I wanted when I watched comedy. Farley was pretty much my entryway to comedy. I did not start to really dig deep into comedy until I discovered Farley. He was a gateway drug for me.

Unfortunately, he also lived his life way too hard. He died way too young. He could have done so much more in his life. But drugs are bad and addictive. He relapsed a ton. He did not take care of himself at all. He lived too fast and died much too young. He truly lived like his idol, John Belushi, to the fullest extent. Which is a bummer.

Watching him in "Tommy Boy" was amazing. When he did cartwheels after passing his test I was amazed at how athletic he was, but I was also cracking up. Seeing him lead this comedy was incredible. He was a force of nature. But he also handled the very minor dramatic moments really well in the movie. He had range. The same could be said for some of his other movies. He was amazing in "Coneheads". He had a very small role, but it was memorable. "Beverly Hills Ninja" would be unwatchable with any other actor in the lead role. The movie is not good, at all, but Farley is good in it. He makes it watchable. I saw it in the theaters simply because of Farley. He has some of the most quotable and memorable lines from "Billy Madison". He is so awesome as the bus driver. After doing "Tommy Boy", he and David Spade teamed up again for "Black Sheep". I saw that movie almost as much as "Tommy Boy". It is like an unauthorized sequel, and it is a decent movie. Farley, again, totally carries the movie. The scene at the Rock the Vote festival is one of the funniest things I have seen in a movie in quite some time. And his role in "Dirty Work" is so god damn cool. He is in full Farley mode, and it rules. And of course we have "SNL". He was, as I said before, one of the best actors that show has ever seen. His work on "SNL" is, for me at least, the best and most memorable of all time. From the GAP workers, to the Chippendales skit, to his talk show, to jumping in the cage at the zoo, to Matt Foley, and so many more I cannot think of right now, he was simply the best. The physicality was second to none. His timing was impeccable. He was made for live TV. He lived in the moment, and when it was his time, he seized on it. He was amazing.

I really miss Chris Farley. He was one of my favorite actors of all time. Watching him in "Tommy Boy" last week has me wanting to revisit a bunch of his other work. I have rewatched some of his "SNL" skits since Friday. I plan on watching "Black Sheep" soon. I want to see "Beverly Hills Ninja" again just to see if he still carries it like he did so many years ago. Farley was an amazing talent who lived his life much too hard. I highly recommend everyone go and check his stuff out if you haven't, or if you just want to revisit it. Farley was a once in a lifetime talent. I really, really miss him.

Ty

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

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RIP Norm Macdonald

Yesterday I was coming home from a workout when RD texted me. The text read, "Norm Macdonald. That stinks man". I did not know what happened. I had not been on my phone much that day. I was clueless. So I texted back and asked what had happened. He told me that he had passed away from cancer.

I was stunned. This is two people that I have watched and respected that have died in the past two weeks. These both hurt. A lot.

I have been a big time Norm Macdonald fan ever since I was a kid. I loved his role in "Billy Madison". I walk around to this day and still tell people it is October when they ask me what day it is. I also crack up every time I see him in that movie laughing with his buddies after they light the dog poop on fire and he says "this is the best night of my life". As I got older I started to watch "SNL". Norm Macdonald always made me laugh on that show. He did the best Burt Reynolds impression ever. No one will ever come close. It was spot on. But it was his work as the anchor on Weekend Update that really won me over. This was where he shined. He was the funniest anchor they have ever had. Much like his Burt Reynolds impression, no one will ever live up to what he did as the host. I would laugh hardest when he would tell a joke that might not have landed as well as he wanted, and he would just sit on it, then repeat the tag. That was where he shined brightest. He was so quick and smart and such a good improv comedian. He could roll with any punches. The fact that he was never given a real shot at "SNL", that they tried to make him be a comedian that he so clearly did not want to be, that was a shame. He was gold on that show, and they failed to recognize it. I know I'm not the only person that believes this. Norm Macdonald got the shaft, but that led to him doing what he wanted.

Soon after "SNL" he got a starring role in one of my favorite movies, "Dirty Work". I know that the movie is stupid and not great and poorly made, but Macdonald is so goddamn funny in it. He crushes the role. He gets to do his quips and his jokes and he is so charismatic in the movie. This should have led to more starring roles for him. Unfortunately it didn't. But he did have some great recurring roles in other movies and TV shows. He was great on "My Name is Earl" as the strip club owner. My mom and dad enjoy him thoroughly on "The Middle". I have seen him in a few episodes, and he is great. He has popped up in other Adam Sandler movies with very small, but very memorable roles. He had his own TV show for three seasons, and while it was a good show, it did not get the due time to grow and evolve, much like many other things in his career. He and Dave Chapelle starred in the very underrated movie "Screwed". Seriously people, if you want to see a young Macdonald and young Chapelle crush it, watch that movie. After doing a good amount of acting, he went back to stand up, and he was as great as ever. His specials are masterful. He was a genius of a stand up. He knew how to work the crowd and shift so easily from joke to joke. He was a one of a kind comedian.

Upon the news of his death yesterday I saw an outpouring of people talking about how he was " a comedian's favorite comedian". I have heard that about other people, but I actually believe it about Macdonald. He was a master of his craft. He was also excellent on talk shows. He always brought it. There was a clip that was all over the internet yesterday when he was on Conan, and it is so perfect. It shows his genius. It proves that he was the best of the best. And he did this all the time on talk shows. That was his thing. I feel like he is my generation's Dave Letterman. He is unique and different and dry and witty and hilarious and a genius. Just like Letterman. I think the only thing I disagree with him on was his politics. But that is neither here nor there. And who knows who he supported late in his life. But the fact that no one, other than the people he wanted to know, knew that he was sick makes so much sense to me. He never made stuff like this known to the public, and I respect the hell out of that.

This really stinks. RD was right. I am bummed and I wish he were still here. He was so young. Cancer stinks. RIP Norm Macdonald. You will be very, very missed.

Ty

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

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Ty Watches Brian Regan's New Special "On the Rocks"

The other day I sat down, in between the movies I have been watching, and I watched Brian Regan's new Netflix Special, "On the Rocks". Brian Regan is one of my all time favorite stand up comedians. He is a lightning bolt. He is a force on stage. His facial gestures, the way he uses his body for his comedy, the way he uses his voice, it all works. He is also clean, which is an accomplishment, although it shouldn't be, and he still seems to absolutely crush every time he is on stage. He also keeps politics out of his act, which is smart and endearing of him.

Again, Brian Regan is simply one of the absolute best, and this special is fantastic. It is quick, funny, moving and perfect. It was also shot during the pandemic, which is wild. Apparently they made it in Utah, and there seemed to be about 100 or maybe 200 people in the audience, all of which were masked, and it is probably the first of its kind, with more of them to come. It was crazy to see all the masked fans, but I will say, it actually made me feel oddly comfortable. This is the new reality we live in, and this is as safe as a performer can make a stand up show now, and most definitely in the future.

This special was filled with classic Brian Regan bits, facial gestures and all. I was a bit on the fence about this special, I haven't heard much from Regan in the past few years, but he showed why he is one of the greats. From the moment he walked on stage with a full head of gray hair, to talking about his newfound OCD and anxiety, to his social anxiety, to his love for mayo, all the way to his impression of the person who invented the bagpipes, it was all hilarious. The gray hair was a perfect start. He mentioned it right away, talked about how COVID forced him to stop dying his hair, which made for a great bit inside a bit, and got it immediately out of the way, and did it very funnily. I loved the OCD and anxiety stuff. As a person who has both of those, it was nice to hear someone make a joke about it, to not take it so seriously but to recognize it. I loved the stuff about bookshelves. I have taken the exact tests he mentions in the special. I feel the same way about things that he talks about. I check the stove every night for example. The social anxiety was just as good. Hearing him try to shoehorn his way into conversations is exactly how I felt pre COVID. Those party going situations with strangers make me so uncomfortable, and to hear how Regan deals with it, I was rolling. When he talks about the lady who says that animals are smarter than people, that was my absolute favorite part of the special. The mayo bit I feel like was written for my wife. He loves mayo so much that he had to make a resolution around it. I have made that joke to my wife before. And when he described how he dealt with this, it was gross, but also one of the funniest things I have heard. And that closer about the bagpipes, it was classic Regan. He did facial stuff, he used his body, he used his limbs. When he performed this joke it was talking, but also very visual, and it worked like a charm. It was funny and goofy and silly and classic.

It was nice to see a new stand up special from one of my favorites, and one of the best stand up comedians of all time. Go check it out. You can watch it with your kids, and they will find it funny. You will also get to see one of the all time greats crushing at their profession. Watch this. It is well worth your time.

Ty

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

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The Comedic Genius of Fred Willard

I mentioned last week how my wife and I have been on a Christopher Guest kick for our quarantine date movies. We have watched three the last three weeks. We watched "This is Spinal Tap", "A Mighty Wind" and "Best in Show". They all still hold up, they are all still very funny and they all make me want to watch his other movies.

On these re-watches, I noticed that it is Fred Willard usually being, or having one of the best parts or moments in the movie. He is only in "Spinal Tap" for one scene, but it has still stuck with me. He is the naval base guy when they play a veterans show, and he greets them. He calls them Spinal Tarp, he throws in some solid dry dad jokes and I was sitting there watching it and just laughing and laughing. It is supposed to be a forgettable role, but Willard made it great. And then in "A Mighty Wind" and "Best in Show", he steals each movie, at least for me. He is absolutely wonderful in both of these movies. He is, by far, in a cast filled with great humorists and comedians and improv people, the very best. In "A Mighty Wind" he is the manager of the New Main Street Singers, the cheesy Branson esque folk band, with a past in TV. He appeared on a TV show called, "Wha Happened", which according to the newspaper in the movie was "canceled due to total lack of interest". But Willard's performance makes it seem like he was a star. He was so funny, doing the "wha happened" line over and over again. And when he is talking about doing stand up and bombing, but throwing in lines that he thought worked, it was tremendous. He was a sad sack of a comedian and actor, but he had this happiness that he let wash over him all the time. He also had bleached blonde hair that he gelled up for this role, adding even more humor. I don't know if Guest asked him to do this, but I like to think it was his idea, he told no one and showed up to set the first day and rolled with it. He is so good in that movie.

Fred Willard, and I am not kidding, is Oscar worthy great in "Best in Show". He is a bumbling broadcaster for the dog show, who knows nothing about dogs. He goes off on these tangents and soliloquies, that are total nonsense, but coming from Willard, they are delivered to perfection. He is so funny. He is so memorable. He is the best thing about what I consider to be the best Christopher Guest movie. When he is talking about the dogs, then goes into questioning the co broadcaster how much he thinks he could bench in his prime, that is classic. When he calls Jane Lynch "one happy fellow", and is told that she is, in fact, a woman, hilarious. When he tells the proctologist joke, and the other broadcaster calls him out for using that last year, and he just moves on, it is majestic. Every single thing Willard does in "Best in Show" not only works, it is perfect. His portrayal of this buffoon is just perfect.

This got me thinking about some other things I have seen Willard in, and how he is pretty damn good in everything he did in his lifetime. Most recently he was on "Modern Family", and even though we stopped watching that show, I did see Willard, as Phil's dad, and he was great. He was in a sketch in one of my favorite shows from last year, "I Think You Should Leave", as an organist at a funeral, and his performance is riotous. He's the TV show manager at the news station in "Anchorman", and his cut away lines, when he is talking to the school about his kid, or his one interaction with Christina Applegate, those are some of my favorite quotable lines from that gem of a movie. He was in three episodes of "Space Force" as Steve Carrell's father who is clearly suffering from dementia, and he makes that funny. I will never, ever forget him in "Review". He was amazing as Jessica St Clair's dad, who Forrest tries to reconcile with, takes him to space, and he meets a very unfortunate and untimely death, again, played to humongous laughs.

The list for Willard goes on and on and on. IMDB has him as a credited actor in over 300 things. That is astounding. The fact that he isn't more appreciated, he barely ever comes up when people talk about all time great comedic and improv actors, is criminal. Willard is one of, if not, the best. He is always reliable. He was always funny. He never really had any outside problems, minus the being caught in an adult movie theater, but he found a way to make a joke out of that because he is a master. Fred Willard was a tremendous talent, and rewatching some of his older stuff, I have found myself missing him, and wishing I could see him in more. Willard was great, and I suggest people go and check out his work. It is a plethora of comedy classics, and he usually steals the show.

The fact is that Fred Willard was one of the all time greats. 

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.

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Ty Watches Eric Andre's Comedy Special "Legalize Everything"

Last night I was able to sit down, finally, and watch Eric Andre's new stand-up special, "Legalize Everything".

I loved it, of course. I am a big time Andre fan. I have watched his talk show on Adult Swim multiple times. I loved his role on "Man Seeking Woman". Any time he pops up in a movie, even in a very small part, like in "Popstar", I always end up laughing. And one of the more upsetting live show misses for me was when I was supposed to see him in Saint Louis, but he had to cancel the show due to scheduling conflicts. He never rescheduled, and who knows what will happen with live shows given the current situation. I wished I had gotten to see him. But, luckily, I have all this other content of his to watch, and now this new stand-up special. Since I didn't get to see him live, this was my best case scenario. And as I said, I loved it.

Eric Andre is like the Tasmanian Devil of comedy. He is a total ball of energy on stage, but he can also turn on a dime and really slow things down and tell some funny ass stories. I also appreciated that it was just under one hour long. He gets in and out, and crushes while he is doing his show. The live show was what I wanted to see as well. I mentioned the energy, he has great jokes, he talks about deep stuff that he makes funny, and his crowd work is impeccable. I am going to spoil much because people need to check this out.

Andre is a bit different than most stand-ups out there today. He is so high energy and so wild and so crazy, but it is all done with a tremendous amount of humor. I also liked the cold open of the special where he pretended to be a police officer in New Orleans, where the special was taped, and he walked around getting high, giving people pills, telling people he took evidence, just doing everything illegal, and seeing real people have real reactions, it was like watching his talk show. He then proceeded to crush from the moment he stepped on stage. Oh, he also went through the crowd when he was introduced, and was yelling and getting everyone hyped up. It was great. When he took the mic, he talked about so many different things. He did a good chunk at the beginning about drug use, which was hilarious. He talked about smoking pot with his mom, his experience with MDMA, his one time Xanax trip at Coachella, the bad cocaine in NOLA. It was so funny. He then did a classic bit about the show "Cops", and how ridiculous that they have reggae music as their theme music. It is funny, and timely. The stuff about religion, and Plymouth, Massachusetts was tremendous, and I am totally on board with his thoughts. I howled when he climbed onto an audience member, and told him to stop being weird. The thing with the phone, and texting, that is going to be a classic bit. When he spoke about his early career stand up, and the exploits that happened, again, cackling with laughter. The bit with the souvenir he got in Cuba was great, as was his story about being in the Red Light District in Amsterdam. The whole damn thing is great.

I am a fan, so I knew that I was going to enjoy this special. I do think people who may be on the fence about him will enjoy it too. Like I said, it is wild, but he does tone it down from time to time, and does very funny stories, of which he calls back later in the special. Eric Andre is awesome, and this special is great. I highly recommend checking 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.

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Marc Maron Playing a Small Club is Comedy Bliss

Last week I got to see Marc Maron do live stand up for the second time, and he was awesome. As I said the first time I saw him, the guy is an absolute pro. He knows how to do his job, and do it at a very high level.

He played Helium here in Saint Louis, which is a smaller club, and that kind of shocked me. He even said during his set that he usually plays theaters, which got a big laugh, but I loved seeing him in a smaller room. The last time he was in Saint Louis he played The Firebird which is a rock venue. This time he went the club route, and he picked the best one we have in Saint Louis. Helium is great, and it was a filled room last Friday. And, as I said, he crushed. I was in stiches the whole time. My buddy and I went to the early show last Friday, and it was great. The whole club was packed. We got there about 10 minutes early, and we had to sit on the side of the club, next to the kitchen, because every other seat was already filled. One thing I was super stoked about, as we were walking in to get tickets, Marc Maron was out by the booth, saw us, and told us to "come on in". I was in shock. Maron is a big time star, at least in my eyes, and he acknowledge me and my buddy. This was big for me. After we got our tickets, my buddy and I talked about him talking to us. It was great.

The show started right on time, and his opener, I cannot for the life of me remember her name, was great. She had this soft voice, but her jokes pack a loud punch. The stuff about her boyfriend was awesome. The sneezing bit was great. She was a solid comedian, and she felt like a perfect opener for Maron. Maron then came out right after her and started with a bang. He mocked Missouri because we are a backwards ass state when it comes to politics, and that won over the crowd right away. He meant no disrespect, and he is right. As far as politics go, Missouri stinks. And that is one thing you should expect when you go to a Marc Maron stand up set. He is a political guy, he leans to the left, and he will let it be known. And the crowd was all the same. I have called myself a super liberal. My buddy is a democrat. The majority of the crowd, if not all of us, are democrats, and are just as terrified at the current state of the government as Marc Maron is. We just can't make it laugh out loud funny like he does. I won't spoil it, but his ending bit about Pence was pure gold. If you have a chance to see him on this tour, go because he rules, but also go for this bit. It is amazing.

Outside of the political stuff, he told some great, and hilarious, stories. The stuff about taking vitamins as you get older was tremendous. The stuff about his old life in comedy clubs was perfect. The tea bit was outstanding. But my favorite was the anti vaccine idiots. It was so well crafted, and the story was so well told, while also being absolutely funny. It was such a good way to deal with these morons. To call them out, and their lack of science. I was proud and cracking up. It was great.

Marc Maron is so good at pretty much everything he does. I love that he still goes on tour and plays small clubs. It is the best way to see him. He is now, well he always has been, a must see when he is on tour and he comes to Saint Louis. Please, if you like stand up, and you want to see one of the best, go see Marc Maron. He is so good, and I hope he comes back to Saint Louis soon. Maron rules.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. He is an advocate to let St. Louis separate from the rest of Missouri. It’s not like anyone in St. Louis says they are from Missouri anyways.

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Cloves and Fedoras: The Comedy, and Energy, of a Live Todd Glass Show

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

This past Saturday I had the great pleasure of seeing Todd Glass do standup here in Saint Louis.

I'm a big fan of Glass'. He is a very funny standup, and he is filled with energy. One of my favorite things about the show was Glass doing the rules before hand. He was given a mic in the back of the club and he laid out what he expected from the fans during his set. I like when comedians do this because then you know exactly how you should behave. He asked everyone to turn their phones off, not to heckle and to enjoy themselves during the set. Three simple requests. Of course some people didn't oblige, I still will never understand why you need to check your phone or talk loudly while a comic is doing comedy. But, for the most part, the crowd obliged Glass. He had our attention.

And it wasn't just him. For the life of me I cannot remember the opener's last name, I know his first name was Chris, and he was hilarious. He had a tight 15 minute set that was very, very funny, especially his closer about a stay in a hotel in Minnesota. I don't want to spoil anything, and I won't. But this story about his hotel bed was tremendous. And the way he told it made it that much more funny. He was great. Then Glass came on stage and proceeded to crush for 80 plus minutes.

Todd Glass has a band with him now, which I love. He has always talked about his love for music, especially drums. So, it was nice to see him have a drummer, keyboard player and a guy that played slide whistle and tambourine, among other things. Glass used them to perfection. Whenever he needed a punctuation on a joke, he looked to the drummer. When he wanted to tell a story, he used the keyboard player and told him what kind of music he wanted to accompany him. And when the band messed up, which they only did a few times, he gave them the business. It was all good-natured and hilarious. Glass is a master of that. He knows how to rib someone, how to push their buttons just to the edge, then pull back and become your best friend. He even showed this when the people who didn't follow his rules messed up and he caught them. A lady in the very front kept talking, and he would give her the business, but by the end of the show, she was reaching up to shake his hand, and he was smiling ear to ear.

What I love most about Glass, and this show in particular, was the energy. He is a ball of energy. He goes 1,000 miles a minute. even when he slows it down a bit, he talks fast. He did that all night, He jumped from bit to bit. Even when he forgot something he started, he would go into a mini rant that was filled with what seemed like a million words in one minute. It was tremendous. One of my favorite bits of the night was when he talked about old singers using the band to their advantage. He talked about how they would try and tell a joke, totally bomb, but be able to fall back on one of their hit songs. It is one of the most solid bits I have ever seen live. I also loved when he did Rodney Dangerfield doing Mitch Hedberg jokes. That was classic. But, I have to say that I loved the "crowd work" the most. It was so irreverent, and so funny. He is a master.

This is the second time I have seen Todd Glass, and he has delivered, and then some, both times. I highly recommend seeing him live if you can. He is one of he better standups out there right now. I had a blast, and I know everyone who saw him in Saint Louis last weekend did too. Todd Glass is awesome. He is a must see standup.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. Todd Glass is a great up and coming comedian, but who are the 10 best ever. We did a podcast about that.

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RIP Brody Stevens

Last week another comedian that I like took his own life. Brody Stevens died by suicide at age 47.

Stevens always seemed to be very upbeat, a force, when he performed. I remember the first time seeing him on TV was his Comedy Central show, "Enjoy It". This was basically a documentary style show, that showed Stevens life as a warmup comedian, and just stand up in general. This was also the first time I remember thinking that he may not be completely there mentally. He definitely showed a lot of his demons on the show. When he would talk about his career, in an open and honest way, you could see and hear the depression ringing from him. But, throughout the one season of "Enjoy It", I always left the episodes thinking, he has a great group of supportive friends, so I think he will be okay. Clearly, he wasn't.

Even after "Enjoy It", I found myself actively seeking out his stand up material. I would watch hours of his stuff on YouTube, and it was always great. I would go back and watch him in small roles in movies like "The Hangover" and "The Hangover 2". He famously would say during stand up sets, "I was in The Hangover 1 and 2, and I got cut out of "Funny People". It was a great way to take a swipe at himself, but also get a laugh from the crowd. I was also a big time fan of "The Meltdown with Jonah and Kumail". He did warmup for that show, and even did a phenomenal set one time. He just seemed like the stand up's stand up. Everyone seemed to love him.

After the news of Stevens death last week you couldn't go on Twitter or Facebook without any number of famous comedians or actors talking about what a great guy he was, and how greatly he will be missed. This is the ugly side of depression and mental instability. At any moment, it can turn you into a nightmare. This is clearly what happened to Stevens. As I said, he had a wide range of friends, all of which seemed more than willing to help him out. A big part of "Enjoy It" was how much Zack Galifinakis cared about him, and how much he was there for him. Sarah Silverman always seemed willing to lend a hand, or even an ear just to let him vent. The Sklar brothers were very clearly close to him, and they have just seemed shattered by the news. I mean, there is not one single comedian I have heard from that hasn't said anything but nice words about Brody Stevens, and this was even before he died. I was listening to "Doughboys" from last week, and Mike Mitchell, Nick Wiger and their engineer Emma told just wonderful stories about him. Jonah Ray keeps sharing a famous GIF of him and Stevens. Comedians from all walks have been sharing great stories about how awesome he truly was.

This is sad. This is right up there, at least for me, when Harris Wittles died over 4 years ago from a drug overdose. Why does this always seem to happen to comedians? Is the sad clown thing really this true? I just cannot imagine the pain he must have been dealing with to take his own life. Like I said, on his show he seemed like he was taking the right steps towards getting better. His stand up was always so positive and funny and riveting. He was always on when a camera was around. Go look at the pictures Steve Agee has been posting since his death. Stevens was always ready for a funny photo op.

Brody Stevens is very, very missed. This is one of the sadder things, involving someone I don't know, that has happened in awhile. I have not really been able to shake his death yet. My only regret, I once saw Stevens at the Denver Airport, about 5 years ago, and I was so star struck that I was too afraid to just go say hi and tell him I was a big fan. I'm sure he would have been totally cool and nice about it, but I was so in awe of him. He was larger than life, and just being a fan, I am really going to miss his comedy. For his friends, I feel so bad for them. This is rough. Seriously, if you are in a bad place mentally, just talk to someone, anyone. You will find at least one person that can help you out. I wish Brody Stevens had done that. He may still be around if he did. Rest in Peace you beautiful comic genius. You are missed.

Ty

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

Need Help? Call the National Suicide Prevention hotline 1-800-273-8255

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Aparna Nancherla Headlined an Awesome Hunger is No Joke

Last Friday I went to my second Hunger is No Joke show at The Pageant in Saint Louis. This year's headliner was the very funny Aparna Nancherla. The Hunger is No Joke shows that I have been to are always good, and they represent a great cause. The majority of the proceeds go to food shelters in and around Saint Louis, and we the audience get to see some top notch comedy. The first time I went, 2 years ago, I saw John Mulaney, and he subsequently blew up. Hopefully the same happens for Nancherla. But, before I get to her, there were some openers.

The host of the night was a local radio DJ, Tim Convy. He does a morning show on Y98 FM, and I have to say, he was a perfect host for the night. He had some solid bits like, how people that work in radio all use a radio voice, including janitors. He talked about being a keyboard player in a band, and how they never really led to many hookups. He told some solid, frequently funny stuff. I found myself chuckling at most of his material.

Convy introduced the first opener, a comedian by the name of Angela Smith, and I found her enjoyable as well. She is a local comedian, and her bits about growing up in Jefferson County here in Missouri, were very funny and very real. She also talked about her love life, but in a different way. She mentioned the dating app world and went into some good material on that whole front. The story she told about a guy "complimenting" her by telling her she was built like a "brick shit house", had me cracking up. The fact that she talked about her mom, who was in attendance, and gave out her real phone number, so guys could send her nudes, was great. She seemed to be having fun on stage, and it really rubbed off on the audience.

The third, and final opener, was my favorite. His name is Kenny Kinds, and he has a way of delivering jokes that I love. He comes off very serious on stage, and when he hits the punchline, his face barely moves. He reminds me a lot of Hannibal Burress, and that is a huge compliment. He told so many great jokes. I loved when he talked about trying to offend white people, and he said the best thing he has come across so far is telling them he doesn't know who Wilco is. That was great. His story about going to a bar to a show to see a band he liked and not remembering the name of the beer he had, but what was on the bottle instead, was riotous. To hear him say that he screamed the words, "WHITE DEVIL" during a silent moment of the show was awesome. I also liked him talking about realizing that he was older when he went to take a picture with his phone, and the screen was turned around. He mimed what old people look like when they have trouble reading something. It was great. I also enjoyed his bit about sleeping with older women because they know what they want. He capped this off by saying that he once saw the biggest sex toy he had every seen. He compared it to the Goodyear Blimp, and quoting Ice Cube's song, "It Was a Good Day". Kenny Kinds is awesome. Seriously people, if you don't know him, or haven't heard him yet, he is well worth your time.

After this, we got our headliner, Aparna Nancherla. I have been waiting awhile to see her live. I love her dry sense of humor. I love the way she tells a joke. I like her voice. I have liked her on any TV show I have seen her on. This show was a big deal to me, and she did not disappoint. She is such a funny, well rounded comedian. She was perfectly able to jump from joke to joke. She has a great way of connecting with the crowd. She tells personal stories. And, she does it all like the seasoned pro she is. Some of the highlights for me where when she talked about being catcalled in New York. The whole "skinny bones" story about one catcaller was hilarious. The other story she told about the guy questioning the time of day while trying to catcall was just as good. She talked about her struggles with anxiety, and the meds that go along with it. Being a person that lives with anxiety, and takes meds for it, the whole bit about dropping pills on the ground was masterful and so relatable. When she went into the audience to talk about dating, and dating sites, it was perfect. Everything she said was a homerun. But, the best joke of the night was about the worst date she had ever went on. I don't want to spoil it because it was her closer, but it was cringe worthy and relatable and so god damn funny. She really crushed. I was so happy that I finally got to see her do her thing live. She is the real deal, and now that she is a headliner, hopefully more people will begin to respect what a great comedian she is.

Aparna Nancherla, along with the rest of Hunger is No Joke, crushed it Friday night in Saint Louis, and I was glad I was there to see it.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. He is well aware that Wilco is one America's Greatest Band. 

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Chris Gethard Delivered a Great Comedy Show in St. Louis

Last weekend in Saint Louis, at Helium Comedy Club, Chris Gethard did 5 shows over 3 nights. I was fortunate enough to be at the second show, 7:30pm on Friday, and he was great.

First off, his opener, who is a writer for his show, was really funny. His name escapes me right now, I believe his first name is Carmen, but he was real funny. He had a bunch of different bits that I really enjoyed and found very funny. One was him reading reviews of his standup from various publications, and stuff like that always gets me. The other one, which was my favorite, was his impressions of his step grandpa telling jokes, and his impression of his brother picking up girls. He was real funny, and it was a very good way to start the night.

Then, it was Gethard's turn.

I am a big time fan of his. I have read all of his books. I go out of my way to watch movies that he is in. I was stunned when I saw him in very bit parts on "Parks and Rec" and " The Office". His own show, "The Chris Gethard Show", is insane and genius. And his HBO special from about a year or so ago, "Career Suicide", is one of the best specials I have ever watched. So, I was obviously excited to see him do an hour on Friday.

Gethard did nor disappoint. He is a great story telling comedian. My son asked me what kind of jokes he tells, he mentioned "knock knock" jokes, but I had to tell him that he is a story telling comedian. I let him know that Gethard takes a moment from his life, even tragic moments, and he finds a way to make them funny. That was exactly what he did on Friday. He came out of the gates hot, giving his opener a hard time. From there on out, I was completely entertained by every story he told.

Some of my favorite stories he told included things like him talking about going on a trip to Orlando with his wife in February. He told the audience how they both had already done Disney World, so they wanted to find something different. He then went into a good 10-15 minute long, hilarious story about a place called Gator Land that they visited. His comparison, between Gator Land and Disney World was wonderful. The stories about the things he saw in Gator Land had me crying. My favorite part of the bit was when he said that, in the Midwest, he has to put this joke in the middle because a place filled with gators isn't that crazy to us. He then proceeded to talk about how, when he traveled on route 66 across the US, when he stopped near a gator farm in Missouri just before getting to Meramec Caverns. This story ruled because EVERY SINGLE ONE OF US in the audience understood, and knew the place he was talking about. He brought up people's plans for the apocalypse, and this was great. He made a great point, that none of us really know what to do, but all of us with glasses, we would be goners the moment our glasses broke, and he is right. He also told us that he asked his dad what he should do when the apocalypse happens, and he said, "follow the rats". That was absolutely hilarious. He talked about how messed up 16 year old dudes are. This started somber and down, but, in only a way Gethard can do, he turned it into something funny. I never thought that when he started this story that I would be cracking up by the end. His story about his parents going out to a comedy show when he was in high school, and him inviting his buddy over so they could drink beers was riotous. The whole deal of getting the beer from a pizza place, to him and his buddy, who was much bigger than him, pounding the 30 pack, to his parents getting home earlier than he expected, to the interaction between him, his friend and his dad, was picture perfect comedy. What made this joke the best though, was everything that happened with his mom when she found out he had been drinking. It was amazing. The closing story was a thing of beauty. He talked about the rough neighborhood he grew up in, and one day entering the bus, only to be pelted by ice cubes. He then told us he found out that everyone was chucking ice cubes, so he joined them. The story he then goes into, and again, this is his closer, so you know he is bringing it, is something that needs to be seen by comedy fans everywhere.

Chris Gethard is a wonderful, an tremendous standup. He has earned all the acclaim that he gets. He is an awesome crafter of jokes. He has a very special quality that is very niche to him. I highly recommend all fans of live standup go see him if he comes to your city. I know that I am very happy that I did.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. His first visit to Meramec Caverns was filled with wonder and horror. He was filled with wonder by the big ass cave. His terror came about because of his jerk ass older brothers constantly telling him the cave was falling in. Good times were had by all.

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Cloves and Fedoras: "Zack Morris is Trash" Delivers the Truth on One of Television's Greatest Monsters

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'm not big on watching TV or videos on my phone. The screen is too small, and unless it is about 5 minutes long or shorter, I am not interested. But, there is one particular shot clip show that I love watching on my phone, and that is Funny or Die's "Zack Morris is Trash".

Now, I used to love "Saved By the Bell". I watched it all the time with RD, and when he moved away, I watched it by myself. RD and I even went so far as to wear Zubazz pants and have a Screech Powers day, for which we were deservingly ridiculed by friends and family. I even listened to April Richardson's phenomenal podcast, "Go Bayside" two full times through the entire catalog. After listening to "Go Bayside", I decided that I wanted to give "Save By the Bell" another chance. Luckily for me, it was streaming on Netflix, and I was able to start watching the very next day. I did, and I was so disappointed in what I was watching. This show that I adored as a kid was truly, truly awful. There is not one redeeming thing about "Saved By the Bell". RD and I have argued about this on the podcast, but I feel like I am 100 percent right. The show is terribly acted, poorly written, horrifically directed, misogynistic and, almost always, pretty racist. Maybe my mind was turning on it just from listening to comedians I like destroy it on "Go Bayside", but still, the show is very bad.

One day I was scanning Facebook and I saw a new Funny or Die video entitled, "Zack Morris is Trash". I was immediately intrigued strictly by the title. I have always thought, and it was only further hammered home by April Richardson and her guests, that Zack Morris is a horrible person. He takes advantage of his friends, family, school mates, pretty much anyone he comes in contact with. He will also stop at nothing to get his way. He is like a big baby. And, when things don't go his way, he never learns his lesson. He just whines and complains and causes awful things to happen to the ones he is supposed to love, just to get his way. He is the quintessential narcissist.

Well, "Zack Morris is Trash" takes this narrative and runs with it. The narrator, who's name I don't know, but he is so great at his voice over job, takes several instances from past episodes to explain why Zack Morris is trash. Some examples from season one include how he took photos, unknowingly, of his female class mates and printed out calendars and sold them to other students. He then gets mad when a modeling rep sees one, tells Kelly that she can travel the world as a model, and she decides that she wants to do it, leaving Zack behind. He of course convinces Kelly that she will let everyone down if she leaves, and he thwarts her chance at stardom just so she will stay at Bayside with him. There is another one where he goes on a date with a girl in a wheelchair, unbeknownst to him until later, and how he takes it way, way too far. He starts a wheel chair basketball game at school for her. He complains that there is no handicap seating so loudly at a theater that he embarrasses the young lady. He makes a big speech about hos much she has overcome, once again embarrassing her, this time in front of the whole school. He clearly only cares about himself, and the "good deed" he thinks he is doing. Another great one with a "good deed" is when he helps out the homeless family in that god awful Christmas episode in the mall they did. That "Zack Morris is Trash" is more than worth your time. There is the Yom Kippur episode where Zack fakes being Jewish so he can go to a Dodgers game, then messes with Jesse's step brother and breaks Lisa's heart all in 22 short minutes.

There are so many more great mini episodes to watch from season one of this wonderful internet show. The narrator, as I said before, is amazing. He rips Zack Morris to shreds every time. He breaks down all the evil, maniacal and mean things he does to the people he is supposed to care about. The breakdowns at the very end are my absolute favorite part of the show. This is when the narrator quickly goes through all the bad stuff Zack did, reprimands him for it and shows sympathy for all the people that got hurt during his personal take downs.

The reason I bring this show up today is because season 2 just started. I of course watched the first episode, it was about the ski trip and teacher's strike from a later season. I'm so happy that this is back. I look forward to the new one coming out every week. I went back and watched all of season one after seeing the season 2 "premier". "Zack Morris is Trash" is the best internet show right now, hands down, and if you even watched just one single episode of "Saved By the Bell", "Zack Morris is Trash" is must see internet television. It is wonderful. Thank you Funny or Die, thank you so much for this wonderful show.

Watch "Zack Morris is Trash" right here.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. Do you like "Zack Morris is Trash" Check out the great works creator Dashiell Driscoll on Funny or Die. Just watch the horror of recapping the "Mr. Belvedere" episode where a kid gets AIDS. You read that correctly.  

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