On this week’s episode, standup comedian wunderkind Taylor Tomlinson ( Self-Helpless podcast) talks about becoming one of the youngest comics ever to have their own Netflix one-hour stand-up special. Her path to taping her hilarious Quarter-Life Crisis at the age of 25 is an extremely nontraditional one: she started as a teenage Christian comedian, after taking a stand-up class with her father. This meant to fully become the comedian she wanted to be, she had to distance herself from her church ...
Mar 17, 2020•1 hr 10 min•Season 7Ep. 4
On this week’s episode, we welcome back Moshe Kasher, a comedian who’s best known as an early podcast pioneer (R.I.P. the Champs, long live Houndtall and The Endless Honeymoon ) and one-half of the standup power couple with wife Natasha Leggero, who he starred alongside in Netflix’s Honeymoon Stand Up Special. This time he’s discussing the much maligned art of crowd work, where the comedian talks to audience members in search of laughs or a funny story. Moshe has become a modern master, able to ...
Mar 10, 2020•1 hr 20 min•Season 7Ep. 3
Our two-part series on “comedians named Michelle” continues this week with Michelle Wolf. Michelle has been known to comedy fans for years for writing and performing on “Late Night with Seth Meyers” and “The Daily Show with Trevor Noah.” But her headliner performance at the 2018 White House Correspondents Dinner made her a household name and changed the expectations of the audiences that went to see her stand-up. The joke discussed in this episode, which starts off with otter pictures on social ...
Mar 03, 2020•1 hr 18 min•Season 7Ep. 2
Good One relaunches with comedian Michelle Buteau, who you may know as host of the Netflix reality show "The Circle," or her roles in "Always Be My Maybe" and the "First Wives Club" reboot on BET+. Michelle’s about to bring her conversational, big-hearted stand-up to a worldwide audience with her first Netflix one-hour special. Host Jesse David Fox talks to Michelle about a joke featured in her 15-minute set from Netflix’s “The Comedy Lineup.” The joke was recorded in February 2018, three months...
Feb 25, 2020•1 hr 4 min•Season 7Ep. 1
What goes into writing and telling a joke? Each week, Vulture senior editor Jesse David Fox breaks down a joke with the comedian or performer who told it. New episodes drop Tuesday mornings. From Vulture and the Vox Media Podcast Network. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Feb 19, 2020•2 min
This is the episode you've been asking for -- yes all of you! The tables are turned as Josh Gondelman interviews Good One host Jesse David Fox ( @JesseDavidFox ), and poses all the big questions -- why a podcast about jokes? What's changed about comedy today? How are you relaunching the show? And what's up with the laughning round? Josh Gondelman ( @JoshGondleman ) is a comedian, the author of the recent collection of essays, Nice Try , and a co-executive producer of the Showtime series Desus &a...
Feb 10, 2020•1 hr 3 min•Season 6Ep. 26
In anticipation of the series finale of The Good Place, stars D’Arcy Carden and Manny Jacinto talk about how the show's writers came up with the unconventional romance between their characters Janet and Jason, what they're going to miss most about the show, and how playing Jason inspired Manny to propose to his fiancé. This panel was recorded live at Vulture Festival in Los Angeles on November 9th, 2019, and was moderated by The Good Place: The Podcast host/demon Shawn Marc Evan Jackson . Learn ...
Jan 27, 2020•57 min•Season 6Ep. 24
Jesse David Fox and Moshe Kasher deconstruct a joke about heaven from Moshe's 2013 "Live From Oakland" special -- it's a bit that's evolved over time, as he first tried a much shorter version of the joke on his 2009 album. They talk about religion, Moshe's 2017 Comedy Central show "Problematic", and how Moshe mastered the art of "highbrow-lowbrow." BONUS: At the end of the episode, we've got a special preview of Moshe's new comedy album, Crowd Surfing , which comes out January 24, 2020. Live in ...
Jan 13, 2020•1 hr 3 min•Season 6Ep. 23
Nikki Glaser asserted herself as a ruthless and talented roaster at Comedy Central's Roast of Rob Lowe in 2016, so it was no surprise that she was invited back for Bruce Willis in 2018. Nikki walks Jesse through the roast process from start to finish, explaining the massive undertaking that is writing effective insults. Follow Nikki on Twitter and Instagram , and check out her website for her upcoming live shows. This episode originally aired on October 29th, 2018. Learn more about your ad choic...
Dec 30, 2019•1 hr 1 min•Season 6Ep. 22
Ok, here we go. The most requested joke/sketch/idea for this show, ever. Recorded live from Vulture Festival 2019 in LA, it's the first ever "Live Oral History" featuring one of the year's best pieces of comedy. "Ford Focus Group" is a sketch from Netflix's I Think You Should Leave. It stars writers and creators Tim Robinson and Zach Kanin, along with Ruben Rabasa, who plays a boisterous but endearing participant in a focus group for a car development. Hilarity ensues. Director Akiva Schaffer al...
Dec 16, 2019•1 hr 1 min•Season 6Ep. 21
Aaaaaaand we're back. Jesse and Vulture Staff Writer Kathryn VanArendonk continue their review of the year's ten best standup specials, counting down numbers 5 to 1. Discussed in this episode: Nikki Glaser - Bangin' Gary Gulman - The Great Depresh Mike Birbiglia - The New One Anthony Jeselnik - Fire in the Maternity Ward Lil Rel Howery - Live in Crenshaw This is Part 2 of a 2-part episode. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices...
Dec 11, 2019•59 min•Season 6Ep. 20
As 2019 draws to a close, Jesse and Vulture Staff Writer Kathryn VanArendonk review her ranking of the year's ten best standup specials, with some added honorable mentions. Discussed in this episode: Nate Bargatze - The Tennessee Kid Whitney Cummings - Can I Touch It? Wanda Sykes - Not Normal Julio Torres - My Favorite Shapes Emily Heller's - Ice Thickeners Bill Burr's - Paper Tiger Roy Wood Jr. - No One Loves You This is Part 1 of a 2-part episode. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcas...
Dec 09, 2019•1 hr•Season 6Ep. 19
In another live panel recorded at Vulturefest 2019 in LA, we're bringing you the first ever Party Down reunion. Jesse talks with the show's creators and stars about what went into casting the show, and then runs through their favorite episodes and moments. Everyone talks about how much they got paid, Megan has a wig, Martin talks about "playing" with other actors, and the panel agrees that while there probably won't be a movie, there's bound to be new Party Down coming down the line at some poin...
Nov 25, 2019•1 hr 18 min•Season 6Ep. 16
Recorded live at Vulture Festival 2019 in LA, holy shit, it's a live Community reunion! The cast and creators of the hit show Community talk about their favorite episodes and moments from the series. Jim raps, Danny does the Batman voice, everyone talks about Chevy and Donald, there was a scene that got cut where Shirley was supposed to poop in a drawer? Everyone gushes about the fun and hard work that went into the show, on camera behind the scenes. A story about being on the set of War of the ...
Nov 11, 2019•1 hr 13 min•Season 6Ep. 16
A lot of people tell us we should talk to Maria Bamford, and you know what? They're right. They're so right that we're re-airing the episode she was on two years ago. The interview focuses on the commencement speech she gave at the University of Minnesota—her alma mater—in which she discussed the negotiations that took place to arrive at her fee for said speech, along with a long list of the mistakes she'd made in her life. Maria talks frankly about her financial status, and how to deal with bei...
Nov 04, 2019•54 min•Season 2Ep. 1
Jesse talks to Ron Funches about his short but sweet joke "F Linda". The "F" in this joke title stands for f**k, so you're going to hear the word f**k a lot. Wait, where are those stars coming from. I can't type f**k here? Ok. Fine. Moving on. "F Linda" is just over a minute and half long, but Ron Funches achieves maximum hang time in between the few words that comprise the joke. Jesse asks Ron about how true the joke is (it's true), his singsong delivery and how he allows his audience time to c...
Oct 28, 2019•44 min•Season 2Ep. 2
In this episode from Season 1, Jen Kirkman looks at the closer of her 2017 special Just Keep Livin'? She and Jesse start at the very kernel of this joke, going back to its inciting incident in a Starbuck's parking lot in North Carolina. Jen took that event and incorporated it into her act that night, and kept reworking it at subsequent shows. From there, Jen built a whole drama around the character she encountered in that parking lot. Realizing the joke's potential to close out her show, Jen too...
Oct 21, 2019•55 min•Season 1Ep. 7
Back in Season 2, Jesse got to speak with actor, writer, and director Taika Waititi about his remarkably comedic take on the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Thor: Ragnarok. The interview touches on Taika's New Zealand style of comedy, and how he approached changing a historically serious protagonist like Thor into the goofy, muscly, laugh-inducing character that he is in Ragnarok. Jesse and Taika talk pre and post production, as well as what role improvisation takes on set. Also included: eggs. Follo...
Oct 14, 2019•57 min•Season 2Ep. 3
In 2017, Jesse recorded a live episode of Good One with Roy Wood Jr. at the Just For Laughs Festival in Toronto. The bit that they discussed was "Black Patriotism?", from Roy's 2017 special Father Figure. Roy reveals the staggering amount of live comedy he watches in order to ensure his material is truly his own. He's a brilliant comedic strategist who understands that for a joke to truly be funny, it needs to be funny everywhere--even in front of the people it pokes fun at. Also included: Roy r...
Oct 07, 2019•1 hr 2 min•Season 2Ep. 5
Tig Notaro has been one of the most requested Good One guests, so we're replaying our interview with her from Season 1. Tig and Jesse talk at her house about her breakthrough Taylor Dayne joke, in which Tig chronicles her various run-ins with singer/songwriter/actress Taylor Dayne. We walk through a few different performances of the joke, specifically from her album Good One (ha), her appearance on Conan, and a small, little-known indie podcast called This American Life. What was originally a 30...
Sep 30, 2019•49 min•Season 1Ep. 6
In Jesse's first "holy shit, I'm interviewing this person" interview, "Weird Al" Yankovic explains what went into his song "Word Crimes" from his 2014 album Mandatory Fun. Based on Robin Thicke's multiplatinum, misogynistic club theme "Blurred Lines", Al's parody goes the educational route and confronts the multitude of offenses committed against proper grammar and syntax. In true Good One fashion, Jesse breaks down "Word Crimes" to the syllable, having Al walk him through brainstorming the conc...
Sep 23, 2019•40 min•Season 1Ep. 4
Haven't bothered to check out the Good One back catalogue yet? Well, don't worry. We're digging out the classics to bring to you while you wait for our next season. In this proto-episode of Good One, hear the interview with Jerry Seinfeld that inspired this whole show. Recorded live at Vulturefest in 2015, Jesse was given the opportunity to interview Jerry in front of a live audience. The conversation is based around a clip from Jerry's series Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee (now on Netflix), b...
Sep 16, 2019•1 hr 2 min•Season 1Ep. 14
In the Season 6 finale of Good One, we finally deconstruct the legendary joke "The Aristocrats" with the help of its most infamous teller, Gilbert Gottfried. This one's marked explicit for a reason, folks. You'll hear Gilbert's personal history with the joke, along with his retelling of his set the night of the Hugh Hefner roast, where he launched this joke into the public eye. Jesse asks Gilbert about the evolution of his onstage persona and his relationship with audiences. Also included: Jesse...
Sep 09, 2019•1 hr 18 min•Season 6Ep. 16
Nate Bargatze is one of the the few comedians whose funniness Jesse couldn't fully put his finger on. He wrote about Nate's Dead Horse joke in April 2018 after Nate performed a shortened version of it on Jimmy Fallon. It was an atypical joke for late night not only because of the length of the joke, but because it was a story about an actual dead horse. But Nate pulled it off, and he pulled it off again in his 2019 Netflix special The Tennessee Kid. Nate talks to Jesse about how he balances punc...
Sep 02, 2019•1 hr 20 min•Season 6Ep. 1
Whitney Cummings released her latest stand-up special Can I Touch It? on July 30, 2019. Its title can be read a few different ways, one of which being a question of what is and isn't ok for comedians to joke about. Jesse talks to to Whitney about tackling sensitive topics in her act, and how it relates to #metoo and feminism. Whitney reflects on past jokes and behaviors, and how it makes sense at this point in her career to be self-critical. The conversation also focuses on her rigorous daily wr...
Aug 26, 2019•50 min•Season 6Ep. 15
Danny McBride walks Jesse through the opening scene of his new HBO series The Righteous Gemstones. Along the way, they also touch on the first scenes of his other series and films, including Eastbound & Down, The Foot Fist Way, and Vice Principals. Danny talks about where he wanted to go after Vice Principals ended, as well as the research that went into creating a show about Christian megachurches and superstar preachers. Jesse also asks Danny about how he constructs his antiheroes, and the...
Aug 19, 2019•1 hr 9 min•Season 6Ep. 14
This week we're looking at the greatest joke of all: death. More specifically, the twenty-two deaths that occur over the course of the Netflix series Russian Doll. Jesse talks to Leslye Headland, the show's co-creator, writer and director, about the protagonist Nadia's (Natasha Lyonne) journey episode-by-episode, and the significance behind each death she experiences. The show uses death to explore overcoming trauma and self-destructive behaviors under a deeply dark yet comedic veil. Just a head...
Aug 12, 2019•2 hr 2 min•Season 6Ep. 13
Jesse speaks to Amy Sherman-Palladino and Daniel Palladino, the creators and co-writers of the tv-show The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel. Despite the titular Mrs. Maisel being a fictional comedian, Jesse wants to know where she might draw her material from, and how she might write and perform comedy within the context of the show. Jesse asks Amy and Daniel about Mrs. Maisel's creation, and how they go about writing and pulling off a realistic standup performance. Also included: the parallels between Mrs...
Aug 05, 2019•1 hr 10 min•Season 6Ep. 12
Comedian, writer and actor Emily Heller talks to Jesse about a joke from both her album Pasta and her Comedy Central standup special Ice Thickeners. Despite being recorded about six months apart, her delivery and wording is almost exactly the same in each version. Jesse and Emily go over her meticulousness and handling of tropes, as well as the writing retreats she employs to develop new material. Ultimately, the two get around to discussing how Emily actually hasn't done stand-up for some time ...
Jul 29, 2019•1 hr 37 min•Season 6Ep. 11
Jesse once again dives into the world of Late Night television, hosting another panel of writers at NeueHouse in Los Angeles. While the writers answer Jesse's questions about their starts in Late Night and their daily routines, a good chunk of the conversation involves the guests grilling one another on how their shows function, comparing their processes for pitching, writing and producing. Jesse asks the writers how they maintain their individual voices when writing for their respective hosts, ...
Jul 22, 2019•1 hr 36 min•Season 6Ep. 10
