An Ode to the All Stars of "Comedy Bang! Bang!"

Anytime I download my podcasts in my library, every Monday there's a new episode of "CBB". This is my favorite podcast. It wasn't my introduction to this world, but it is the one I've stuck with the longest. Other shows come and go, but "CBB" has always been there. The only Patreon I subscribe to is "CBB World". I'm a big fan.

Whenever I see that the guestlist includes Jason Mantzoukas, I get stoked. I want to listen right away. Jason Mantzoukas is hilarious. He makes me laugh during any podcast appearance, any tv appearance and any movie appearance. The guy is funny, has great comedic timing and knows how to really sell the jokes in any setting. He is a great comic foil for Scott Aukerman. They have a great rapport and it is some of the best podcasting out there. Mantzoukas co-hosts his own podcast, the dynamite "How Did This Get Made", where he is just as funny, and a little crazy. When he appears on  "CBB", he is much calmer and more there to enjoy. That is my favorite version of Jason Mantzoukas.

Then, when I see Andy Daly's name on the list, I get even more pumped to listen. Daly is one of the most underrated comedy actors out there. "Review" is one of the best, and least seen, shows I have ever watched. He is hilarious on "Eastbound and Down". He shows up for little character arcs in shows from time to time and he is the best when he does that. He also has his own little podcast empire with all the characters he has created on "CBB", and those shows are wonderful as well. I enjoy most of the characters he plays, but Dalton Wilcox has to be one of the best. I am also fond of Hot Dog. And then when you pair him and Mantzoukas together on "CBB", I know I'm going to have a good time, and I'm going to be smacking my leg cracking up. Those two, combined with Aukerman make for some of the best comedy podcast listening out there.

Then we have Paul F Tompkins. He is on "CBB" a bunch. He and Aukerman are good, long friends. They have been working together since "Mr Show". They have seen things, done things and seem to have an absolute blast whenever they get together on mic. PFT is one of those performers that I know will make me laugh and will not disappoint. He is, as much as he may not like this, a podcast pro and is amazing at what he does when he is on any podcast. So, when PFT, Andy Daly and Jason Mantzoukas are on separate from each other, it is wildly funny and successful. Put them all on with Aukerman running the show, that is comedy dynamite.

This is what we got this past Monday. All of them were there and all of them were great. Daly and PFT played an abundance of characters the whole time. They were jumping back and forth between the plethora of the people they have done on the show in the past. Mantzoukas and Aukerman were egging them on and continuously adding more and more people for them to play. And like the pros they are, Daly and PFT ran with it and made this one of the best episodes of the best podcast I have ever heard. I was cleaning my house while listening to the episode and I had to stop multiple times due to how hard I was laughing. I was literally cackling walking around the house all morning long. I didn't want the episode to end. I could have listened for hours and hours. It was a perfect episode of "CBB".

I cannot recommend it enough, especially if you are on the fence about the show. This is a perfect starting point for any new fans. These are the best of the best. It is all you could want in an improv comedy show. I have it saved to listen to again, and I cannot wait until they are all back together in the next year or so to do it all over again. This was gold. 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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The "Comedy Bang! Bang!" A-Team Cannot Be Beat

I was listening to the most recent episode of "Comedy Bang! Bang!" and I came to a comedy realization. When Scott Aukerman invites Jason Mantzoukas, Andy Daly and Paul F Tompkins on the pod, it is some of the best improv comedy in the game. These four work so well off of one another. All they need is a little bit of a premise and they are off.

On the newest "CBB" it was about as simple as it gets. Mantzoukas was there as himself. He is one of the unofficial guest hosts of the show. Then Andy Daly was Byron Denninson, the royal watcher, and PFT was on as The Grizz. These are some tried and true characters. They have been on a few times, and with each appearance the story gets bigger and better. This time around Mantzoukas and Aukerman were just talking about stuff that was going on in the world and they happened to mention some people dying. This was when Daly came in as Dennison. He told them about Queen Elizabeth and Daly was as funny as ever. He is so good at this character. This is a keeper. I very much enjoy listening whenever Dennison is on. Then PFT came in as The Grizz and totally blew up all of the stuff Dennison was talking to them about. He took off the covers to Dennison's whole story. It was great. I loved every second of it. Then both of them turned into Australian versions of their characters. It was wonderful. While they were doing the Aussie version of their characters was when I realized how awesome all of this was. I was listening to four great improvisers doing their thing at the top of their games. It ruled. Mantzoukas and Aukerman took a backseat, and that was the right thing to do. PFT and Daly were riffing off of one another. One would tell a joke and the other would just go with it. They would do multiple minutes on so many different topics and it all worked. I was cracking up. The stuff with the Grizz and Dennison was great. But the stuff with the Aussie versions was even better. When Daly realized he had to change his accent, that was gold. It was so real and so funny. And PFT didn't make fun of him, he just went with it. It was incredible. At times Mantzoukas would chime in with a joke and it was excellent. Aukerman was there to keep it all moving and he is so good at this task because he is a top notch podcast host.

I was in awe of all the things they were doing. I was sitting in my car cracking up, but also appreciating the greatness I was listening to. I was hearing some of the best people in the game do their thing. I saw that these four were on the episode and I immediately got hyped up. I knew it was going to be great. But when I listened it was even better. It exceeded my very high expectations. I appreciate when professionals all get together and perform so well. It can be magical.

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

"Comedy Bang! Bang!" is Great. "Comedy Bang! Bang!" is Greater Live.

Last night I had the pleasure of seeing a live recording of Comedy Bang! Bang!. As many of you know, I have been on the bandwagon of this podcast from the jump. It was the second pod I came to, and I have been listening ever since. I was a fan before I had kids, a fan after having kids, a fan since I have been married, basically Comedy Bang! Bang! has been in the majority of my adult life. My cousin, who is also a fan, came with me, and it was awesome. There are few shows that I want to go to now. I have seen a lot of bands I have wanted to see. I have seen a good amount of comedians I wanted to see. I have gone to poetry readings, live talks and gospel shows. I have seen a lot. So when something comes along that I haven't seen, I will go without a second thought. COVID be damned, I was going to this show. They were also pretty COVID safe in the venue as well.

Anyway, this show was amazing. There is something special about Comedy Bang! Bang!. Improv comedy is such a tough balancing act but these guys are pros. They are the absolute best at what they do. Scott Aukermann is a masterful host. The way he guides the conversation, how he goes from one guest to the next, how he rolls with all the punches, he is such a pro. I can think of no one better to host. He also happens to be very funny and very quick witted. He knows the game and he plays it so very well. He also had total control of the crowd from the jump. It was great. Second only to Aukermann is Paul F Tompkins. He doesn't host, but for all intents and purposes he may as well be the co host. He is so excellent at playing along with Aukermann. The way the two of them play off one another is magical. PFT is also very good at character work. He is so good at taking some random character and making it memorable. Last night we were treated to Brock Lovett. This character is based off of Bill Paxton's character in "Titanic". Obviously he takes a lot of liberties. He also makes it hilarious. The whole wet treasure thing is comic gold. This was also my first time seeing PFT live and he did not disappoint. Dan Lippert was next on stage and he played Bill Walton. I was pumped. Dan Lippert is newer to me, but Bill Walton is one of my favorite characters on CBB, and he was hilarious as ever. All of the weed talk, the psychedelics talk, the way he couldn't string together a proper sentence, it was all wonderful. He did some great stage work. The whole "Ring" scenario was incredible. At one point he called PFT by name and was told to run laps by Scott Aukermann. He had to do crazy stuff with his headband and the stuff in his pocket. It all worked. Carl Tart was the final guest, and being a big fan of his, seeing him live was an absolute treat. I was so pumped when he was announced. Tart is a great podcaster, a very good actor and one of the better improvisers in the game right now. He played the lead singer of the band Cameo last night and it was as funny as it got. He and Aukermann play off each other almost as well as PFT and Aukermann do. Tart kept trying to lead Aukermann into jokes, and that was awesome as well. There were so many special things about this show last night. When they all did stand up that was great. Hearing them sing a bunch of different songs done like the band Cameo was amazing. The way they tried to make each other laugh was perfect.

I am so very happy that I got to see this show last night. It was a "bucket list" thing for me and it more than lived up to the hype. I cannot recommend seeing CBB live enough if they come to your town, or even close to your town. It rules and is one of the funniest things I have ever witnessed. What a great, great night of comedy.

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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A Millennial's Appreciation of Garry Marshall

Yesterday we lost another legend. This legend was huge in television and movies. We lost the great Garry Marshall at the age of 82.

Marshall was one of the great writers and directors that Hollywood had ever seen. Marshall had his hand in on many, many great television shows. Among many other things, Marshall created "Happy Days", "Mork and Mindy", "Angie" and "Laverne and Shirley". He wrote on classic TV shows like "The Dick Van Dyke Show", "The Odd Couple" and "The Lucy Show". He directed classic movies like "Pretty Woman", "Beaches", "Overboard" and a bunch of the television shows he created and wrote on. He was a master of comedy in the 60's and the 70's. "Happy Days" is a timeless television show that, at least the first couple of seasons, still holds up. "Mork and Mindy" was the coming out party for the greatness that was Robin Williams(another person we lost way too young). "Laverne and Shirley" was, and still is, one of my mom's favorite TV shows, and I really enjoy it as well. It was one of the first shows that featured 2 females in lead roles. Marshall was an innovator.

Writing for the shows he wrote for was just incredible. During that era, there were very few channels, so whatever the higher ups at the channels wanted on TV, that what was on. That included some great shows like "The Dick Van Dyke Show", "The Lucy Show" and "The Odd Couple". Those shows are all timers and Marshall was one of the lead writers on each one. Dick Van Dyke was an enormous star and a lot of his spoken words were lines written by Gary Marshall. There is almost no one as big as Lucille Ball in the history of TV, and Marshall wrote a lot of her jokes. "The Odd Couple", featuring Jack Lemmon and Walter Matthau, again, written by Gary Marshall. Lemmon and Matthau are two of the biggest stars of all time, and Gary Marshall was one of the leaders in the writers room, feeding these guys their iconic lines.

I know that his movies near the end have become a punchline, but look at the ones I mentioned above. "Pretty Woman" was Julia Roberts coming out party. That movie made her a star. Also, to get a movie made in the 80's about a prostitute with a heart of gold, that's super impressive. Like I said, he was ahead of his time. "Beaches" is one of the saddest, most heart wrenching movies ever made, but I do not know one person that hasn't seen at least most of that movie. That movie is so sad, but it is also very well made and excellently directed. "Overboard" is a great comedy movie starring two fairly unknown people at the time. Kurt Russell and Goldie Hawn were marginally famous, but that movie put them over the top. That movie is also very, very funny and it does hold up. The farcical story is so out there, but due to Marshall's directing, it's believable and executed exceptionally. I never thought of Kurt Russell or Goldie Hawn as comedic actors until I saw "Overboard".

He also had a hand in on a lot of the stuff his sister, Penny Marshall, was involved with. Be it helping her write or cast or perform himself in the movies, he was a big help. His minimal role in "A League of Their Own" stands out among many great things in that wonderful movie. I'm sure he helped some way in one of my favorite movies, "Big". He directed, and gave his sister her start, in the wonderful "Laverne and Shirley". He also never had any problems helping his sister out. When he was called out for nepotism, he didn't hide from it, he embraced it. His famous quote about hiring family members, "When in doubt, you bring in relatives. Nepotism is a part of my work", is incredible.

I know it might seem weird that the millennial of the site is writing about Garry Marshall, but he has been involved, some way, throughout my entire life of watching TV and movies. I adore Gary Marshall's TV shows and most of his movies. I'm also curious as to how the podcast "Comedy Bang! Bang!" will approach this news. For those that don't know, Paul F Tompkins plays a lot of characters on the podcast and the TV show, but I think his most beloved is his impression of Gary Marshall. He does a spot on impersonation, and I hope they do something special to remember the man. I'm sure they will and I'm sure it will be hilarious and heartfelt. I eagerly await your move "Comedy Bang! Bang!".

Rest in Peace Garry Marshall. You were an innovator, a genius, a writer ahead of his time and an all around fantastic TV and movie personality. Your directing and writing will go down in history. Enjoy the afterlife good sir.

ed note: We forgot an extra r in Garry when the article was first published. We have corrected the mistake. Sorry that we are idiots.

Ty

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

Ty binges on "BoJack Horseman", and it was great.

These horsemen agree with Ty

I just recently finished season two of "BoJack Horseman" on Netflix, and it was an upgrade from season one.

I liked season one, but season two was better. This show is on a good path after two seasons. It's already been picked up for a third season as well. All of us who watch "BoJack Horseman" know that season one ended with BoJack(Will Arnett) getting the lead role in the upcoming "Secretariat" movie and that's where season two started. Bojack was listening to self help tapes and was trying to be a better person. He was the complete opposite of himself from the first season. He was upbeat, encouraging and ready for the next challenge, but something seemed off. He wasn't truly happy and flashbacks during the season showed that his dad left when he was young and his mom was a bad mother.

As the season moved on, BoJack returned to his old self and was a pretty miserable friend and person. Later on, he meets a female owl named Wanda Pierce(voiced by Lisa Kudrow), who's been in a very long coma, woken up and is now a high level TV executive. Everybody likes her ideas because she's so "nostalgic". Diane(Alison Brie) and Mr. Peanut Butter(Paul F Tompkins) continued their martial "bliss". I put bliss in quotes because, both of them have issues with their marriage. Mr. Peanut Butter feels like he can never make Diane happy and Diane wants to go to a war torn Cordovia to help less fortunate children. They both seem upset with each other, but they constantly are trying to make things work. Princess Carolynn(Amy Sedaris) eventually finds problems with her boyfriend, who's really a couple of kids playing dress up and acting like an adult, and they eventually call it off. Princess Carolynn also is very unhappy at the agency and she starts an agency of her own this season.

The real standout of this season was Todd(Aaron Paul). He had some of my favorite episodes of the season. The episode entitled "Yes And" was a great send up of Improv comedy. The writers treated improv like it was a cult. They even went so far as to have Todd wander around aimlessly, look into Scientology, but turn that down for Improv. I loved the way they skewered that style of comedy and I'm a big fan of improv comedy. The character of Todd kind of grew up this season and in the end, he stills winds up sleeping on BoJack's couch.

Some of the guest voices this season were pretty big named people. The first director of the "Secretariat" movie was a lady named Kelsey Jannings, voiced by an all time great alt comic, Maria Bamford. She was later replaced because she was deemed to good of a director and replaced by an old catfish named Abe voiced by Garry Marshall. John Krasinsky plays the voice of Secretariat in the flashbacks during this season. Academy Award winner Alan Arkin voices JD Salinger this season. By the way, the episodes with JD Salinger aren't flashbacks, they reveal that he's been alive for years and bring him into the world of TV gameshows. The episodes with him, there's two of them, are excellent. Ben Schwartz(Jean Ralphio on "Parks and Rec") plays a new agent that works with Princess Carolynn named Rutabega Rabitowitz. There are many other big name actors and actresses that do voices this season, but the ones I mentioned were the ones that carried over for me and the ones I remembered the most.

The final couple of episodes were very good. We see BoJack leave the movie he's making to try and reconnect with an old flame. Diane moves in with BoJack, his new girlfriend and Todd because she's too afraid to go home to Mr. Peanut Butter. BoJack eventually breaks up with Wanda and buys a boat. And Todd gets out of the "cult" that is improv comedy. The finale seemed a little too crammed with them trying to tie up a ton of loose ends. I enjoyed it, but I would've liked it more had it been an hour long instead of thirty minutes. Things are going the right way for "BoJack Horseman" and I see it getting better and better.

Season two improved upon season one, and the only way to go is up. I really like this show a lot.

Ty 

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the co-host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. He would much rather watch a cartoon horseman than a live horseman. Follow him on twitter @tykulik