Kellen and I appropriately enjoyed cups of joe he brewed for us as we chatted about one of his favorite things, coffee. His entrance to the interest in coffee is fun to hear about, his knowledge of the subject is fascinating, and our digression to a general discussion of having passions and routines is goddamned lovely if I do say so myself. I apologize in advance for how many times I compare the way he talks about coffee to the way I think about booze (wine, beer, and whiskey all come up). No s...
Sep 25, 2013•55 min
Caution: If you do not like singing AND fun, you will not like this episode because there is a ton of both. Jessie Stegner (the third member of my improv team Raygun Reagan to be on MBSing) and I gab like gal pals about a favorite topic of both of ours: musical theatre. She spoke more than once about how important musical theatre is to performance in general and why she thinks some people wrongfully write it off. Now let's go on with the show! Notes: Like the Ray Rea Wednesday page on Facebook f...
Sep 18, 2013•58 min
I jawed with White Sox fan Bill Meincke in this super fun meeting of two baseball minds. I hope we didn't get TOO inside baseball (oh... that's what that means...) to prevent this conversation from being enjoyable for non-fans, but honestly I loved it so much and think everyone can. We really delved into what makes this game mean so much to us, and we share some really vulnerable baseball nerdiness. One of my favorite moments comes towards the end when Bill outlines a fine line between composure...
Sep 11, 2013•56 min
Don your sleeveless shirts and tie your bandannas, folks, because this MBSing has a dress code. I sat down with my friend and fellow Nerdologues member Eric Garneau (and his sweet doggie AC) to chat about his musical hero, Bruce Springsteen. Eric has actually written a scholarly paper and been to a symposium about The Boss (both of which I'd think are MBSing guest firsts). As a result, he has some gloriously well-worded thoughts and feelings about Springsteen. Phrases like "the magic of Springst...
Sep 04, 2013•55 min
Wherein I sat down with my dear friend and (former) fellow member of The Nerdologues, Alex Talavera. I've never seen No Reservations, but I want to start after hearing Alex talk about it for a little under an hour (even though it seems like most of what Alex gets from the show is rage jealousy). I'd take hanging out with Alex and/or watching him eat and drink things in cool places over Anthony Bourdain personally. Notes: Anthony Bourdain's current wife's name is Ottavia, and she and Julie Klausn...
Aug 28, 2013•59 min
This week I sat down with a real life Billy Shakes! I also made the dumbest joke I could've possibly made (you just read it... it's that Billy Shakes thing). This episode is truly wonderful. Stephanie shares how she came to write and publish numerous plays that have been produced all over the country and touches on how her Cuban heritage has been an inspiration for her throughout her life. Play on! Notes: Stephanie's The City That Talks podcast with her brother, Mark: https://soundcloud.com/the-...
Aug 19, 2013•1 hr
Lauren in the house for a good times episode about her favorite TV show, Veronica Mars. I hope you all enjoy me not being able to grasp some simple concepts about the show as Lauren explains them. Yet again this ep gets extra "crispy" as we delve into the effect VMars has had on her life. Some poignant and hysterical moments in this one, people. Notes: Here's a San Diego Comic-Con sneak peak of the Veronica Mars movie coming out next year: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LVJhjV3EOY4
Aug 11, 2013•59 min
Grab a seat, folks, and settle in for my guest Meghan Babbe's delightful tales of growing up in a small town in South Dakota. Babbe first came to Chicago as a part of The Second City's Comedy Studies program (http://www.comedystudies.com/), and she shares with me that it totally changed her life. Get into this silly fun episode! Notes: Babbe mentions being a fan of this podcast towards the top of the show: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/welcome-to-night-vale/id536258179
Aug 03, 2013•1 hr
Buckle up, podcast listeners, and bring your fire hoses. This discussion with Ryan Ben about one of his favorite films is a total delight. Even someone who doesn't know Ryan can get a good sense of his character from his breakdown of Backdraft. He acknowledges its weaknesses and silliness while praising its themes and simplicity. Get into it! Notes: The Superman episode of The Nerdologues Your Stories Podcast curated by Eric Garneau: http://yourstories.podbean.com/2013/07/22/july-2013-bonus-supe...
Jul 20, 2013•54 min
Hoop it up, dudes! My friend Brandon is an NBA fanatic who has faithfully followed the Chicago Bulls and the NBA in general for almost 20 years. He has a ton of incredible insight on the way the league has changed in that time and the way his own life has been affected by his love of the game. I forgot to mention this in the intro, but before every show that Brandon does with his improv team Quiet Wyatt, he leads them in the Chicago Bulls' "What time is it?" "Game time, hoo!" Enjoy! Notes: This ...
Jul 13, 2013•59 min
'Ello govnas! Cheerio pip pip an' all dat! I sat down with my friend Jay Bee Hanna to discuss his love for all things British: accents, culture, comedy, music, Doctor Who, etc. It was a silly blast of a chat all will enjoy. My roommate Stephanie Corkery was home for this one, so she inevitably makes a number of appearances. As discussed: Here's the isolated vocal track of Under Pressure separated from the background music. It's amazing: http://youtu.be/uMQb9LCNGxs Here's The Who performing A Qui...
Jul 07, 2013•58 min
Open your ears for the first music episode, nerds. I sat down for a chitty-chat with friend and improv teammate Nick Johnson to discuss his favorite band, NOFX. He's got a deep love for these guys, and it was really fun to unpack why. Turns out Nick has been incredibly musically and artistically influenced by NOFX, and I think it shows in the best way. Notes: Here's a clip from their behind the scenes DVD we discuss, Backstage Passport http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5aa9aIoorJ8
Jun 29, 2013•1 hr
Get all up into this honest, funny conversation with my friend Megan Brennan, people! Her older brother is mentally challenged, so she has an incredibly unique window into understanding the challenges and joys of what that brings to someone's life and the life of his or her family. Towards the end of the episode, she says (in the best way), "This is your life. Fucking deal with it." I loved that too much not to write it down. PS- I say 5B class when I meant to say 5B show once in the intro. I al...
Jun 23, 2013•50 min
This podcast thing is still happening, and this week it happened in the form of a chat with my friend Matt Visconage about his love of action figures and, more specifically, Hasbro’s Mighty Muggs line. This whole thing is an amazing hodgepodge of Bit City pop. 2 and some trips down to Honest Town. I super loved it, and I hope you all do, too. Notes: Matt’s Hulk Mini Mugg: https://twitter.com/TheTokenGinger/status/345963213499813888/photo/1
Jun 15, 2013•54 min
More MBSing for your ear holes! Listen to Whitney Golden and me discuss her favorite decade: The 1980s! The music, the movies, and the jean jackets... you name it, we gabbed about it. Blondie would've wanted you to listen! Notes: I reference this in the introduction (Patton Oswalt on birthdays): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RJnCHy0p6n4 Whitney references this in the interview (a-ha's Take on Me video): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=djV11Xbc914 (It's awesome, and I had never seen it!)
Jun 08, 2013•47 min
I've wanted to start a podcast with this title since September. I used an Amazon gift card that I got for Christmas to buy a decent podcasting microphone. I finally recorded an episode. Listen. Comment. Share. Volunteer to be a guest (seriously). The topic could be as simple and pointed as one particular film or band or something as broad and loose as a sport or your college major. Thanks for visiting, and thanks even more if you give it a listen.
May 25, 2013•25 min
