When Joe Pera Comes to Your Town You Have to Go See Him

Over the weekend I got to see Joe Pera do stand up live for the second time this year. Pera is a fantastic comic. My daughter asked if he was my current favorite standup, and after some thought, yes, Joe Pera is my favorite comedian at the moment. I like the way he performs. We had very good seats in the balcony at The Pageant here in Saint Louis. I prefer sitting up there now. It's much more comfortable. I guess that's a sign of my aging. Oh well.

The opener came on stage just a bit after 8pm. His name is Robert Dean. I liked his set quite a bit. He kind of reminded me of an upbeat Paul F Tompkins. I'm not saying Tompkins is a dour comedian. He is far from it. Tompkins is funny and fun on stage. I've seen him with "CBB Live", and he is a delight. Dean just had a tiny bit more energy, and he dresses like Tompkins. Anyway, Dean was a great opener. He got the crowd ready. He had a bunch of good bits. He interacted with the crowd very well. He moved through his set with ease. It was nice to see a seasoned standup open for another seasoned standup. Dean did a very good job at his job. I have been watching some of his other sets on the internet since seeing him.

After 20 minutes, it was time for the headliner, Joe Pera. Now, after seeing him only a few short months ago, I didn't know what to expect. I did expect very good comedy, which is exactly what we got. Pera is a pro. He knows what he is doing on that stage. He knows how to command the crowd. He knows his segues like clockwork. He is damn good. It was all new material that we saw the other night as well. There were no repeated jokes. Everything was fresh. I applaud that from a pro. He could've done some of the same material, but he didn't. He deemed us necessary to hear new jokes. And I loved them all. I was in stitches the entire hour long show. He even stayed out on stage a little later than expected to tell us a very new joke, which proceeded to kill. I don't know if he does this everywhere, but this joke that he claimed was a work in progress really felt like a closer. It was damn good. During his set, he crushed with his new stuff too. I loved the video game bit. He brought a few people on stage to play out a videogame he was working on. It was pretty wonderful. I was all in on the meatball bit he did. That was a crowd bit, and it went off like gangbusters. I really liked hearing about some of the topics they went over in the writers room of his show. These were ideas for future episodes, or ideas they never made. This was very funny and I loved the inside look at his excellent tv show. But, my favorite bit of the night was when he talked about seeing "Aliens" for the first time. He told us that he was a kid, that he watched it in the dark by himself and that he came running up the steps to make a big proclamation to his family. I will not spoil the joke here, but I will tell you, it goes in a direction that none of us in the crowd were expecting. And that is why it was my favorite joke of the night.

Go see Joe Pera if he is coming to your town. He is great at what he does, he does tremendous crowd work and he seems to be having a blast while he is on stage. He is one of the best out there at his craft. 

Ty

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

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Catch Connor O'Malley on His Stand Up Tour

Before going out of town last week I went to see Connor O'Malley at Helium here in Saint Louis. Let’s discuss.

I like Connor O'Malley. I was first introduced to him via the tv show "Detroiters". He was only in one episode, but for me it was a very memorable scene. He and Tim Robinson just yell at each other for a few minutes. From that moment on I was a fan. I then saw other stuff he was involved with. He was in the entirety of "Joe Pera Talks With You", and he was great. He would pop up on a few series on Netflix. He has a great, and very odd Instagram presence. He is second to none on "I Think You Should Leave". All of his appearances on these shows kept me in hysterics. But I had never really dug too deep into his standup or his YouTube page. I'd see snippets on Instagram and other websites, but I never sat down and watched him do his own thing. I went into the show still pretty blind too. I wanted to be surprised by what I saw.

And boy was it one of the best comedy shows I have ever been witness to in my life. This was truly a one of a kind standup show. Connor O'Malley isn't a joke a minute guy. He isn't really even a storyteller comic. He is more absurd. He goes on tangents and rants that seemingly come from nowhere. He would, at times, be very quiet and then he'd get very loud. All of the time though, I found myself cracking up. He did a bit about going to a skatepark, which was gold. He had people come onstage to do a performance, which he wrote, that crushed. He wore a ridiculous t-shirt that made me laugh and laugh and laugh. He used his ability to mess with the internet to fit his comedy stylings to a T. But where he really excelled, where he won me over right away, was his navigation through the quiet parts of his set. When it would get silent he would make a noise to put us back in the moment. He could make a face that got us all involved and laughing. He would scoff at one of the few crowd members that were speaking when they shouldn't have been speaking. He owned the moment where most comics just try to get to the next premise. He was in his element in these times. I found that rather impressive. I was curious as to how much I'd be laughing during the whole show. I didn't know if it would be a slow burn or if it would be laughing at the mundane. I found myself, and the whole crowd for that matter, laughing during the whole hour long set. I had an idea that this was going to be a good show, but I was blown away by how much I enjoyed myself, and I don't think I should be so surprised. I told my wife when I got home it was one of the best and most unique standup shows I've ever been to. I told my family on vacation all about the show. I found myself having the time of my life watching Connor O'Malley do his style of standup as a headliner.

I highly recommend going to see him if he is coming to your town. It is well worth your time. Now I am going to check out his YouTube stuff to see how funny that is. I can't wait. 

Ty

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

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Roy Wood Jr Live is a Must See

This past Friday I had the great pleasure of seeing Roy Wood Jr on his current tour, which ended a night or two afterward. Let’s discuss.

I have been a fan of Wood Jr's for quite some time now. The first place I saw him was "The Daily Show", and I was hooked. I like the way he delivered his segments on "The Daily Show". He had a calm energy, but he could get frenetic from time to time. That stuff always makes me laugh. When you can go from one level to the next effortlessly, I'm going to be all in for that person. From there on, Wood Jr has popped up in things I watch on tv. He was in an episode of "Only Murders in the Building". He had a very big role in "Confess, Fletch". He was a guest on an episode of "CBB". He was on "The Last OG". He even popped up in one episode of "Better Call Saul". It feels like he only does stuff that I enjoy. So, the opportunity to see him on tour was all I needed to see his standup. The fact that it was on the tailend of his tour made me even happier. This meant, to me, that his hour was going to be as tight as it could.

It was a tremendous hour. He had a few local openers, who were pretty funny. I always enjoy local humor that speaks to the crowd. I'm into that. But we were all waiting for Roy Wood Jr. He came on stage and proceeded to crush for the next hour. He would jump from bit to bit with the ease of a pro. He had that same calm/frenetic energy on stage. If anything, he was even more animated doing his show. He made tons of gestures and seemed to walk back and forth on stage the entire time. At one point some random fan started to walk up to the stage, claiming he knew someone from Wood Jr's family. Sure enough he did. But, Wood Jr used this to his favor, taking the crowd on a hilarious ride with this fan and how they knew one another. I like how he explained that he had to get closer to the city to get the fans he wants for his show. The stuff about The Funny Bone was dynamite. When he got into talking about police in a small town, that was some good stuff. He could've made it political and went down a rabbit hole, but he didn't. That was cool, although I would have enjoyed him dragging the police force. His bit about protests was hilarious.

But it was all in his last two long form jokes. He told two great, hilarious and interesting stories to close out his show. The first was about making friends with some old school porn stars and them inviting him to a sex party. From the initial meeting, to the blossoming friendship, to the crowd showing our age, to the brochure and all that followed, it was amazing. When he acted like the private chef I could not stop laughing. When he eventually explained himself and why he did what he did, I was fully on board with this entire crazy story. But, the closer of the night was tremendous. You could tell why this was his closer. He went into this story, which I could have listened to for hours, you realized early on that it was all about soulmates and his feelings on soulmates. It was truly amazing. It was poignant and hilarious. It was beautifully heartbreaking. He jumped from bit to bit within the story and closed it out with an all time banger of a button on a joke.

This show was awesome. I was so happy with the hour and I could have listened to him talk for another hour with ease. Roy Wood Jr is a pro, and this show lets you know that tenfold. Go see him if you get a chance. It is more than worth your time. I am so glad I did and I enjoyed his show so much. It was a great, 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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Comedy Bang! Bang! Live Delivers Again

For the second time in two years I got to see "Comedy Bang! Bang!" live. The show started its tour about a week ago, and Saint Louis was one of the earlier stops.

As you all know, I adore this podcast. It is the one that I have hung onto the longest. I've been a listener now for over seven years, and that is only half of the time that the show has been running. "CBB" was my introduction, for all intents and purposes, to improv comedy. I have become a fan of a bunch of actors and comedians by hearing them on this show first. I did not know anything about Scott Aukerman until I first listened to "CBB". It is my favorite podcast. So, the opportunity to see the show live, I'm going to find a way to see it. When I went in 2022 I was still pretty leary of COVID. I was, and still am, vaccinated, but it was one of the first times I was indoors with people I didn't know. Some had masks, others didn't. Before the show started, I was nervous. Then they did the show and I was able to enjoy myself. It was awesome. That was my first time seeing "CBB" live. I got to see Aukerman, Paul F Tompkins, Carl Tart and Dan Lippert. It was great and seeing a live show for the first time in two years was amazing.

Going into the show last night, I had a whole different vibe. I have been to many live shows since 2022. I am comfortable not wearing a mask indoors with people I don't know. I love sitting in the balcony now. I invited my buddy Kirk to the show, knowing he doesn't really listen to the show. I wanted to introduce him to what I listen to most of the time. I'm in a totally different place in my life and I went to this show expecting and hoping for a good time. And I had a very, very good time. I don't know if Kirk finds it as funny as I do, but I definitely heard him laughing here and there, and that made me smile.

Aukerman came out at 7:45 last night and the show instantly started rolling. He did his catchphrase submission. He did the balcony report. He made a few jokes and it was right to the interviews. PFT, who always tours with him, was the first guest. He was an Irish priest who has only been on Andy Daly's podcast. I enjoyed this character quite a bit. PFT and Aukerman have such great chemistry and they are lifelong friends. It shows when they are on stage together. Their rapport is excellent and they perform with ease. To me it truly feels like they are the only people there and they are having a good time. After PFT's segment Lily Sullivan came on as Bicky from the Gym. This is a classic "CBB" character. She plays an "Australian", but she is really from Ohio, she just studied abroad for one month. She also plays an actress named Lily Sullivan, but she is nothing like herself. Everything is bigger and better. Sullivan is a great improviser and she has really grown to be one of my favorite guests on "CBB". The highlight of the night was the next guest, Conor Ratliff. He was Maurice the Missourah Mule, and boy oh boy was he hilarious. The back and forth with Aukerman was amazing. He had a good time with both Sullivan and PFT. When he went to confession, that was one of the funnier bits of the night. Ratliff has become a fast favorite for me and I laugh harder and harder each time he is on. He hit an absolute home run last night. His performance was great. Carl Tart returned to STL again and played the Pine Sol Lady. I like this character a lot. He always mentions the power of pinesol and it gets bigger and bigger each time. As the Pine Sol lady, Tart likes to talk about her love for porn and crime. He also got up and did 20 push ups during his time last night . I was impressed by that. I also really liked his "monologue" from "The Wizard of Oz". And his take on Imo's pizza was not far off. The show concluded with Will Hines playing the Galactic Boogie Boarder. Before he even got on stage he had a big laugh. He was trying to "skate" onto the stage, but he fell. He also had three pizza boxes in his hands at the time. He was okay, and when everyone was settled, Hines was able to successfully skate onto the stage. From there on out it was business as usual when Hines is on "CBB". He played a rather boring character, and the panel on stage proceeded to mess with him. It was tremendous.

For me, the show last night delivered everything I want from an episode of "CBB". I laughed a ton. I got to hear some of my favorites. I met a new character. And it was longer than a regular episode. I was very pleased with pretty much everything last night. You should see "CBB" live if you can. It is one of the funnier shows out there now, and they seem to be in a groove. They can do no wrong in my opinion. Last night was a total blast. 

Ty

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

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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.

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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.

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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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