Best of 2019: Top Five Podcasts

Today for my best of 2019 I have my top 5 podcast, or podcast episodes. Now, it would be unfair for me to put the X Millennial Man podcast on this list because, one, I am the co host, two, it is already the best podcast on the internet. So, unfortunately, I could not put it on the list. But, there are plenty of podcasts, for everyone, in seemingly every genre. Podcasts are much like TV, wherein they are having a big time boon right now. Everyone seems to have one, and some are good, some are not so good, some are great, and some are Hall of Fame worthy, like The X Millennial Man podcast. Anyway, lets get to the list.

At number 5 I have one of my favorite podcasts, Heavyweight, and their episode titled Scott. Heavyweight is a great pod with one of the best hosts, Johnathan Goldstein, in the business. He tells great stories are sometimes moving, sometimes heartfelt, sometimes sad, but always great, and well told. This episode, featuring Scott, moved me like none of their previous episodes have yet. And that is not to say the other ones aren't moving, they very much are, this one was just one a whole other level. Scott tells us his story of getting involved so heavily into drugs, mainly heroin, that he pawned all of his father's stuff. Things got so bad that his dad kicked him out, Scott hit rock bottom and went to rehab. He got clean, got his life together, and was finally able to get back into his dad's good graces. But, his father always brought up how he was still so upset that he sold all his precious stuff. From here on out, Scott made it his mission to get his dad's stuff back. He was successful in all of this, except a pistol that his dad, Scott's grandfather, gave him after the war. From here on out, Goldstein makes it his personal mission to help Scott find the pistol. They eventually do, but the dad didn't truly care about that. Yes, he was happy, but he was more happy that his son got his life together. It was great to hear as someone who is very close to his dad, and hopes my son will be as close to me. This was heart wrenching, but it had a very happy ending. It is heavy, but the ending is totally worth it.

At number 4 I have The ten hour, two part tenth anniversary of "Comedy Bang! Bang!". This was so great because it took one of my favorite, and earliest to discover, pods, and got all the best characters and guests that have ever appeared on the show. It was like a hall of fame of comedy podcast guests. I was struck by the running time, but it was totally worth it, and needed. When I say everyone that people love appeared on these two episodes, I mean EVERYONE. And the fact that Scott Aukermann just kind of let them do their thing, it made me like him even more. Aukermann is a podcast pioneer, and this tenth anniversary episode is a perfect encapsulation of how important, funny and well liked his podcast is. I cannot wait for the 20th anniversary episode now.

At number 3 I have my introduction to Ear Hustle. I was listening to another podcast that had the host of Ear Hustle on as the guest. I was so intrigued by what he was talking about, I immediately went and subscribed to Ear Hustle, and have now already gone through 2 of the 4 seasons. For those that don't know, Ear Hustle is a podcast that takes place in a prison, and the interviewees are prisoners. It is a real in depth, real life look into what prison life is like. Sometimes it can be dull, sometimes it can be wild, sometimes I find myself asking what this person did to get into jail because they seem like a good dude. The host, Earlonne Woods, is so great as a host, and since he was a prisoner, he has so much more insight than I, or his co host, sould ever have. I have read that since this show started, Earlonne has been released, but he is still doing the show. That rules. I cannot wait to listen to the next 2 seasons, and see what they have coming after that. Ear Hustle is wonderful, dark and personal on a level that not many other podcasts can do.

At number 2 I have the 30 for 30 podcast series, The Sterling Affairs. This was so well done, and Ramona Shellburne did he homework, and then some. Donald Sterling is a monster, and that came through in droves during this 5 episode mini series. To hear former players talk about him was eye opening. He truly looked at his players as property, not people. The way he treated Magic Johnson was appalling. The way he treated his wife was upsetting. She’s also a not so good person either. She has stuck around simply for money. Sterling’s mistress is a game hungry loner, but she was the one who blew this whole story out. Who knows if she did it for spite, fame or some unknown reason, but at least she got people to see the monster Sterling is. I always knew he was scummy, but due to Shellburne’s reporting, it was confirmed. This story was humongous in basketball fans world, and blew up in mainstream media. This was a story where the bad guy did lose, and deserved so. I cannot recommend these five episodes more for NBA buffs, and person who like juicy celebrity stories. It tells tales for both groups. This is one of the best 30 for 30’s that exists, and that’s an achievement.

At number one I have the “Drop Dead Fred” episode of How Did This Get Made. HDTGM is one of the best pods ever, and this episode is triumphant. It was done live, and to hear the “fight” that went on between the 4 people on stage made for great radio. Paul Scheer and the guest, don’t remember who it was, said this movie was bad. Jason a Mantzoukas and June Diane Raphael disagreed, and loved it. I tend to lean on the side of disliking it. I thought it was great when I was a kid, then I saw it with adult eyes, and the movie is very problematic. But to hear these actors and podcasters debate it, it was a great 90 minutes. It was epic. They got the crowd involved, which they barely ever do unless it’s the Q&A, and that just added to the madness. HDTGM is always good, always funny and is always worth listening to, but this episode is one of the greats. I have even considered watching the movie again, listening to the episode again, and then seeing how I feel. Not many podcasts make me consider using my time like that.

As for the stuff I didn’t like so much, it all starts with Kevin O’Connor. I think he’s a hack, I think his takes are garbage, I think he’s a phony and a poser and I don’t think he gets that. He’s a crummy writer too, but he’s an even worse podcaster. When he gets called out on stuff, he never admits he’s wrong, it’s always the other person. O’Connor is too in on the new world of “analytic” basketball, and it’s mind numbingly frustrating. He’s the problem with younger basketball writers. He’s too emotional and never willing to take blame. Other than that, I was bummed that we got no new Womp It Up this year. I know they’re taking their time off, and both Lennon Parham and Jessica St Clair are busy acting, but I was hoping they’d pop up here and there. In fact, the only time I heard from their characters on Womp It Up was during the CBB ten year anniversary episodes. I want more Womp It Up. Finally, as I said I adore CBB, but I was bummed there was no Halloween episode. I look forward to these because of all the guests, but it never came this year. Maybe Aukermann and crew are tired of it, but I still enjoy listening to them. I’m not a big Halloween guy, but I do love a good Halloween episode of CBB, if only for the fact that I get to hear Leo Carpatze(Nick Wiger) sing is version of “The Monster Mash”.

That does it for podcasts for 2019. Come back tomorrow for my final best of 2019, sports.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. Today their is a podcast for almost everything. The Head Editor listens to one just for fans of the 80’s GI Joe cartoon. When is Ty going to get his podcast featuring the flavor profile of the Ecto-Cooler?

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The Best Podcasts of 2017

For my final top 5 list of 2017 I’m going to tackle podcasts. I’m not going to do shows per say. Instead I’m going to talk about specific episodes of podcasts I listen to, the return of some podcasts and new ones I have just recently discovered, or just started. I should mention, the majority of what I listen to is sports podcast, but there isn’t one single sports related show or episode in my top 5. I also excluded the “X Millennial Man” podcast because it’s the greatest podcast ever, and I happen to cohost it as well. In fact, comedy, my other favorite podcast genre, is what fills my list. I love to laugh, and comedy podcasts have been pretty great this year. Let’s get to it.

At number 5 I have the newest podcast on my list, and that is the premiere of “Raised By TV”. I’ve talked at length about this show. It’s hosted by Lauren Lapkus and Jon Gabrus, 2 of my favorite improv podcasters, and they deep dive into different topics that they recall from 90’s TV. This is a perfect show for someone like me because, while I wasn’t raised by TV, I can relate to 99 percent of what they talk about. I remember the commercials, game shows, TGIF and the very special episode readings they do at the end. This is one of the funniest new shows to come out this year. I also enjoy how neither Lapkus or Gabrus play characters, or take notes. It’s just them and the stuff they remember. “Raised By TV” is definitely worth checking out for anyone that grew up watching 90’s television.

At number 4 I have any time Bone and Chief Queaf show up on an episode of “Comedy Bang! Bang!”. These are 2 sisters, played by men, and they are riotous. Chief Queaf has a pretty wild backstory. She travels across the world trying to track down Carmen Sandiego. There’s another 90’s reference for you kids out there. She can never find her, and claims to hate her, although, she may be in love with her. Every time Chief says, “Gumshoes!”, I crack up. The only person I think Chief Queaf despises more than Carmen Sandiego is her sister Bone Queaf. Bone is loud and proud and sassy. Every time she says her name she has to explain it. For example, Bone will say, “my name is Bone Queaf. That’s Bone, like a steak, and Queaf(sorry Mom and Dad), like a pussy fart”. She does this every time, and it works every time. The relationship between the 2 is pretty hilarious, and when I see that they are going to be on “CBB”, I drop whatever podcast I’m listening to, and start that one.

At number 3 I have the glorious return of “ Womp It Up”. We’ve had to wait for a year and a half for Chardog and Wompler, but they’re back and better than ever. First off, Lennon Parham and Jessica St Clair are improv geniuses. And these 2 characters they created a few years back on “CBB” are 2 of their best. “Womp It Up” finds Wompler and Chardog interviewing local students and teachers at the high school they go to in Marina Del Rey. The people they get to be guests are awesome. Actors like Seth Morris, Paul Scheer, Casey Wilson and Jason Mantzoukas are just perfect in this format, especially Mantzoukas. He’s a gem on “ Womp It Up”. It’s bittersweet that this show is back on. Parham and St Clair’s excellent, and extremely underrated TV show, “Playing House” was cancelled, so I think they decided to go back to podcasting until they get another idea for a show. I am happy that “Womp It Up” is back though.

At number 2 I have my personal discovery of “My Dad Wrote A Porno”. I wrote about this podcast a few months ago, and it is still as cringeworthy and funny as ever. The premise is amazing. The fact that the main host is reading his own father’s erotic stories is a riot. The 2 other hosts add the exact amount of confusion and laughter that I would have if I were in their same situation. To hear the host read “Belinda Blinks” is so great. And I love that his 2 friends continually remind him that this is his own father’s writing. This podcast was recommended by a friend, and I am now indebted to him for life. I laugh harder at this show than any on my list. Go listen to “MDWAP”, and then try to imagine this being your father’s writing and reading it to your friends. It only enhances the listening experience.

And at number 1 I have the “ How Did This Get Made” re release of their “The Room” episode with added interviews with the cast of “The Disaster Artist”. This was a dream podcast for me. The main reason I first watched “The Room” was because of what I heard the hosts of “HDTGM” say the first time they covered the movie. That podcast lives in lore for me now. The fact that they had Greg Sestero on, you may know him as Mark from “The Room”, made it that much better. To hear the stories he told about working on that movie was amazing. Listening to it again made me smile. Then, after they replayed their original episode, Paul Scheer took it upon himself to interview people from “The Disaster Artist”. He’s in the movie, he’s great in it by the way, so it was pretty cool of him to get these people on mic. He got James and Dave Franco to sit and talk with him for about 10 minutes. Seth Rogen and the actress that played Lisa in “The Disaster Artist” gave him a good 5 minutes. Tom Bissell and his writing partner, Bissell co wrote “The Disaster Artist” book and movie, talked about their relationship with “The Room” and “The Disaster Artist”. But, the creme de la creme was getting Tommy Wiseau and Greg Sestero to sit down for 5 or so minutes. It went as crazily as you can imagine. The fact that Scheer and “HDTGM” did this was a pure delight. This is a podcast I will go back to and listen to many, many more times. It is so awesome.

Well, there you have it. Those are my top 5 podcasts/podcast moments/podcast characters of 2017. This wraps up my best of 2017. I hope everyone has a good holiday, and I will be back with new content on the 26th.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. He is thinking about using part of 2018 doing some podcasts about the erotic stories from the  head editor. Who wants to hear all about GI Joe / Star Wars dirty fanfic?

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Cloves and Fedoras: Go Check Out the Awesome Comedy "I'm Sorry"

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

While listening to the podcast "How Did this Get Made" a few weeks back they had Andrea Savage on as their guest. I do not remember which movie they were talking about, but I knew that Savage and Jason Mantzoukas were both cracking me up. I am already a big time fan of Mantzoukas. I have sang his praises many times on the podcast and the website. He is a funny dude and I really enjoy the characters he plays. I vaguely knew of Savage. She has shown up in bit parts on shows I watch like "The League" and "Veep". In fact, she plays the president on "Veep". She was also in a very underrated, short lived Comedy Central show, "Dog Bites Man" that everyone should check out. She is also very funny in the movie "Step Brothers". She has a smaller role, but she does wonderful things with it.

Near the end of the podcast, both Savage and Mantzoukas, while doing plugs, plugged a show that Savage created that Mantzoukas was a co star on. The show is called "I'm Sorry" and it is on the TruTV network, and it is glorious.

After hearing about "I'm Sorry" on "HDTGM", I wanted to check it out and I was glad that I landed on it while channel surfing. My wife came into the living room while I was watching it and she sat down and finished the episode with me. We both loved what we saw. The show was hilarious. We were lucky enough to see that TruTV was having an all day marathon on Labor Day leading up to the season finale. We recorded all the episodes and the finale. We had 10 episodes on our DVR and we blasted through them in about 3 days. We would sit down after putting our kids to bed, say we were only going to watch one, then we'd watch 3 or 4. We could not get enough. The show is so funny. The wit, the jokes, the acting, the writing, the directing, it all comes at you so fast and furious and it is all hilarious.

First off, Savage is an absolute comedic genius. she is so damn funny on the show. Her jokes and acting are top notch. She makes me laugh harder than anyone else on the show does. It makes sense because it is her show, but she ups the comedy to a whole new level. Tom Everret Scott plays her husband. You may know him from "That Thing You Do". He is great on "I'm Sorry". He is quieter and kind of just plays off Savage's fast paced comedy, but he has his moments. There is a great scene after they see their marriage counselor that I do not want to spoil but Scott is so funny, sad and reverts back to being his quiet self immediately. It is the best moment of season one. Both Savage and Scott have great chemistry too. They play so well off each other. Their daughter is equally funny. She is 5, just a child, but Savage and crew write some great lines for her. Some of the stuff she says blows my mind because she is so young, but being on this show, I guess it should be expected. Her mother, played by Kathy Baker, has great moments too. She is very funny. Martin Mull, who plays her father, has a tremendous character arc that is one of the funniest things from season one. The aforementioned Mantzoukas plays her writing partner, and every scene he is in is awesome. He is so god damn funny on the show. He is still playing a kind of disgusting character, but it is nowhere near Rafi from "The League". He actually gets to be human in this role. Mantzoukas is great, and I am so glad that he is getting chances to play different roles in movies and TV shows lately. He has earned his shot.

There are also a ton of people in the current comedy world that show up on this show in small roles. Gary Anthony Williams is great as a stay at home dad that is friends with Savage. Steve Zissis as "shorts guy" has a very funny, very small role in the show. Judy Greer is great as one of Savage's friends who rally enjoys to see Savage squirm. Allison Tollman, in her 2 episodes, is very funny. Nelson Franklin as Savage's brother, is really good. Morgan Walsh is great. Pretty much everyone one of Savage's friends that show up for an episode here and there are just wonderful and I love when I see them on the screen.

"I'm Sorry" is a gem. I highly recommend that everyone watch this. It is a great show for couples, especially married couples, to watch together. Like I said, there has only been one season, so it is easy to catch up. Every episode is on TruTV On Demand, and they are about 25 minutes long. The show has been picked up for a much deserved second season, and I cannot wait to see where they take it from season one. Go watch "I'm Sorry", it is one of the funniest new shows on TV.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. He is a big supporter of shows married couples can watch together. Shows like "The Red Shoe Diaries", "Coed Confidential", and "The Erotic Traveler".

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The SeedSing 2016 Year in Pop Culture: The Best, and Worst, in Podcasting

For my final best of list this year, I am going to go very niche, and I'm going to give you all my top 5 podcast moments, or just flat out episodes of the year. Some of these are compilations, or random appearances on certain podcasts by people I like, or just straight forward episodes. Also, all mine are comedy podcasts, except for one, because that is what I like. I do not have anything from NPR, ESPN, The AV Club, Cracked, nothing like that. Also, there is no "Serial" or anything like that on my list. That was a one hit wonder type deal, and I think the second season of "Serial" proved that very point. Anyway, lets get to it. 

At number 5, I have all of the "Doughboys" episodes during their "Tournament of Chompions". This was when Nick Wiger and Mike Mitchell, and one guest for each episode, went around to various fast food type restaurants and put the burgers in a tournament. They had franchises all over the US, places like Five Guys, Hardees, Burger King and Wendy's that they judged. But, they also went to places that some people around the US don't have, like Shake Shack and In N Out Burger. Look, I knew form the beginning of this tournament that In N Out was going to make the finals. Wiger, ever since the birth of "Doughboys", has talked about how In N Out Burger is the best place ever. He legitimately loves this place. There is no mistaking that. Mitchell knew this, so he tried to game the system by having friends of his that dislike In N Out on to "beat" whoever they matched up against. It finally happened, when John Gemberling appeared, and picked Burger King as the winner over In N Out. Wiger was audibly upset and Mitchell was audibly thrilled. But, like a whiny baby, near the end of this tournament, look, the whole thing was convoluted from the start, as I said, the matchup was going to be In N Out versus Shake Shack no matter what happened in each previous episode, they all but said this at the start, Wiger got In N Out back in, and they "won". But, what I liked about this whole series was how much Mitchell just got on Wiger's nerves. This is their whole setup for the podcast. Wiger is Mitchell's whipping boy, and he took that to a whole new level during the "Tournament of Chompions". It was funny, uncomfortable and everything I want from any episode of "Doughboys". It is a really good podcast.

At number 4, I have "The Bill Simmons Podcast" when Michael Rappaport was on the first time this year. This was one of the better episodes of "The BS" podcast, and it was all because of Rappaport. He is so lively and talkative and funny and has stories for days. When Simmons brought up the Knicks and Kristaps Porzingis, that was when this episode became great. Rappaport loves the Knicks, and he loves Porzingis even more. He really, really likes this Knicks team, but Simmons, and myself for that matter, do not think this Knicks team is that good, but do not say that to Rappaport. He went on and on and on about how they can compete, especially in the East, and talked about their potential "greatness", which involved Porzingis mainly. He loves this dude. He kept calling him the "Lativian gangbanger". He talked about how he was the next great NBA super star. I thoroughly enjoyed this episode because of Rappaport's lively conversation skills. His own podcast is great, but when he shows up on other people's stuff, it is must listen for me, especially when you talk about something in his wheelhouse, like the Knicks, or who the greatest "stick men" in Hollywood may be. Rappaport is a delight.

At number 3, I have any episode of "Comedy Bang! Bang!" that Neil Campbell is on, playing his loved character, the Timekeeper. This is one of the funniest things on podcasts right now. He is so weird, and sounds so odd, but I cannot help but belly laugh whenever the Timekeeper shows up. He is hilarious. Campbell is such a great improviser and so good on a podcast like "CBB". "CBB" is the perfect show for the talents of someone like Neil Campbell, and the Timekeeper is his greatest character. His performances are great, and any time he is on, I get giddy with excitement and listen, hoping that he will bring in the Timekeeper at some point. He was just on their holiday episode, and it was one of the funnier episodes all year of "CBB". This is always a wonderfully hilarious performance.

At number 2, I have the episode of "How Did This Get Made" where they cover the Village People movie, "Can't Stop the Music". The episode has Jason Mantzoukas and Paul Scheer, but no June Diane-Rapheal, but, they do get Cameron Esposito and Pete Holmes, and they are great substitutes for this live episode. First of all, "HDTGM" is one of the best podcast hands down, but when they do a movie this insane, and try to figure it out, it is laugh out loud funny. Mantzoukas seems legitimately confused the entire show, trying to explain this movie. Scheer is just dumbfounded the whole time, never stopping to ask any question that pops in his head. Esposito does her best to try and explain, but even she has a hard time trying to figure stuff out. At points she thinks she has something figured out, but then someone will give a counterpoint, and then she is questioning her theory. It makes for great podcasting. But, the star of this episode is Holmes. He, instead of trying to figure how this movie got made, he did what he does best, and just riffs the whole 90 minutes. He goes from doing impressions, to bad dad jokes and ends up doing some terrible, but also extremely funny, puns. Holmes is so god damn funny, and that is on full display during this 90 minute "HDTGM". I do not always love the live episodes, but this is one of their best of all time.

Finally, at number 1, I have the episode of "I Was There Too" when Matt Gourley had Marc Maron on to talk about his bit role in "Almost Famous". This was another live episode, but this was such a great, great podcast. First off, I vividly remember Maron in "Almost Famous", his catchphrase for "WTF" comes from that movie, and I loved his role as the angry club promoter. He went into this role. He talked about auditioning for the role, getting a call back, and reading with Cameron Crowe. I love these stories. Then he talked about set life. I love these stories too. But, after deep diving into his 3 minutes or so on screen, the talk divulged into stuff like cats, how he prepares for his own show, writing jokes and talking to the crowd. This is the perfect medium for Maron, and Gourley was great at letting him go on any tangent that he wanted. I really loved this episode so much,  I have listened to it 3 times, and it has never gotten old. It was far and away the best podcast of 2016, in my personal opinion.

As far as the worst podcast episode of the year, it was anytime that Bill Simmons got on his soap box and complained about his show got cancelled, and how it was not his fault. His show was bad, I know, I watched it, and it was because of him. He is not a TV host. He is a writer and a podcaster, and he is damn good at those 2 things. He doesn't need a TV show too. But, for him to blame everyone else became very tiresome very fast. I would fast forward through these 10 minute whine fests because it was so grating and uncomfortable to hear. His show was bad, and that is that. It got cancelled, and that is what it deserved. Simmons has gotten better about it lately, but anytime it is brought up, I groan because I am fearful that he is going to get into why he was great and why everyone else was wrong. He needs to get over it and let it go. It's so childish and ignorant of Simmons to whine this much.

That's it for 2016. This has been a crappy year, but at least we have the good things on these lists, so that has to be some kind of consolation. Thanks for reading.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. The number one podcast in his heart is anything he does on the X Millennial Man. Check out his new one ones every Saturday. Follow Ty on instagram and twitter.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

You can find "High and Mighty" right here.

Ty

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

You guys have a fan for life.

Ty 

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