Cloves and Fedoras: "The Grawlix Saves the World" is a New Comedy Podcast We Need

It feels weird to try and talk about other things after the helicopter crash on Sunday, but we have to try and move on, those of us not related, or even knowing him personally. Kobe, Gigi and the other 7 people that lost their lives will always be in our thoughts forever. That will never change. For those of us still around, and being a pop culture writer, I do want to talk about other things, happy things, that I am listening and watching at the moment. 

Today I want to talk about a new podcast that made me laugh for the first time since Sunday this morning when I listened to it. The podcast is called "The Grawlix Saves the World". For those that may not know, The Grawlix is a comedy trio composed of Adam Cayton-Holland, Andrew Overdahl and Ben Roy. If you see those names, and maybe don't recognize them, they were the creators and stars of a show that I was a big time champion of on Tru TV called "Those Who Can't". I loved that show, and I really dug these dudes senses of humor. I have written about Cayton-Holland's book "Tragedy + Plus" as well. Needless to say, I am a fan of these guys and their comedy. They have this great, quick wit that I am on board with. They had it on the TV show, Cayton-Holland talked about it in his book and the stuff I have seen online, from their comedy shows, they have a mutual respect, and a great working relationship with one another. The very same thing can be said with the podcast.

The premise is relatively simple, the Grawlix go out and do something out of their comfort zones and come back and talk about their personal experiences. There have only been two episodes, and both have been great. The first episode was about them disconnecting from social media for a week. Now, this seems pretty bland and simple, but their sense of humor makes this a wonderful listen. To hear them go at one another is gold. The way they go at Roy, who seems to be the most connected to social media, it was hilarious. And when they go to break, sidebar, the breaks are great because they play live stuff from their comedy show instead of a commercial, they come back a week later to discuss how they did. In the social media one, Roy instantly admitted that he did not stay off the phone as much as he could have, and Overdahl and Cayton-Holland roasted him, only to admit that they didn't stay off their devices for a week either. It was also interesting to hear them talk about how hard it was because they all have a show to promote, and to hear them have to do the old fashioned way, it was pretty insightful.

The newest episode, which comes out every Tuesday, they decided to try to eat out of their comfort zones. Again, seems simple, but made hilarious by the retelling of their experience. Overdahl and Roy ended up really liking the places they went to. Cayton-Holland however, he had a whole different story, and it was riotous. I don't want to spoil anything because I think people need to really listen to this podcast, especially comedy fans. This show is perfect for fans of comedy, guys that are great at riffing and poking fun at each other and themselves.

I highly, highly recommend "The Grawlix Saves the World" to anyone looking for a new podcast to listen to that will make them laugh. It is a true delight.

Ty

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

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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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Cloves and Fedoras: Ramona Shelburne Tells a Tale Worthy of Hollywood with "The Sterling Affairs" Podcast

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.

Zach Lowe finally returned from his annual summer vacation the other day, and released the latest "Lowe Post" podcast. I'm a big time fan of that show, I usually listen to it before I listen to anything else, and I like it so much that even when he has Brian Windhorst on, who I cannot stand, I still listen because Lowe is such a great basketball writer.

Yesterday I was thrilled when I saw that Ramona Shelburne was the guest. She is right up there with Lowe, for me, as far as the best writers in basketball today. I have a very short list, Lowe, Shelburne, Jackie McMullan, hell, that might be it. So, whenever Shelburne is on the pod, it becomes even more of a must listen to for me. She was on to promote her new "30 For 30" podcast called "The Sterling Affairs". Pretty much every, if not all, NBA fans know the story of him being forced to sell the Clippers. Sterling is a total scumbag, racist asshole who deserves all the horrible things in life to happen to him. And that is very straight forward on this 5 part podcast series. But what Shelburne does with this, how deep she dives into his past and present, is truly wonderful. Also, not only do we see how awful Sterling is, but we see that his wife Shelly is not much better. And how V Stiviano was the only person who was willing to put him on blast, but how it had to be an absolute last ditch effort type thing. We also get to hear from lawyers, former players and coaches, announcers and TV personalities. It is so cool, and kind of sad and creepy.

I am three and a half episodes in, I had to clean my house while my kids were at school, the perfect time for me to binge podcasts, and I am totally invested and riveted and disgusted and blown away at what I am hearing. I cannot recommend this enough. Only 3 episodes in, and I find myself yelling at my phone and gasping and being completely shocked, but not surprised at all the goings on from Sterling's early life to when the tapes that Stiviano was recording for almost 2 years released. Sterling has always, and will always, be a racist asshole who only surrounds himself with yes men and women. He is a womanizer as well, a curmudgeon and a cheap skate. Hearing from former players, guys like Olden Poliyence, Ryan Hollins and Blake Griffin, at how uncomfortable and how he treated his players like property is appalling and revealing. The stories of the infamous "white parties" that the Sterling's would throw before the season sound so awful and uncomfortable and sad. Hearing Doc Rivers, who played and coached under Sterling, talk about how awful he was behind the scenes was eye opening. Listening to his wife, who is still with him, makes me angry at her and feel zero sympathy. She tries to come off as all innocent and clueless, but she is complicit in everything he did, does and will do. She is just as bad. Like I said earlier, Stiviano was the one who really brought his horrible behavior to light, but she is not a great person either. She was a star chaser and would be with anyone if they had money. Listening to Matt Barnes talk about her was hilarious because he truly hates her. Apparently she really tried to insert herself into the players lives, and they weren't having it.

What I think I like most about it though is how this story has everything that a big time Hollywood movie would want. It has many bad guys that take advantage of people, guys who were too afraid to tell the main villain to stop, intrigue, disgusting affairs and the main bad guy, finally, getting what he deserves. I cannot wait to finish the last episode and a half. I'm going to workout later, and I will most definitely finish it then.

This is a real homerun. I know that I am super hard on ESPN, but every once in awhile, they do something like this, and it totally works. Check this 5 part podcast series out. It is very well done, and it is a great, yet horrifying story. Know going into it that there is some truly awful language, and some horrible, horrible things are said. But man is this so, so good. I cannot wait to finish listening. Check it out.

Ty

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. Ty never thought much about the Clippers until this whole Sterling thing blew up. Now the team cleaned up their ownership nicely, yet they make Ty take notice of the team a but more.

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Ty Listens to Comedy Bang Bang's 10th Anniversary Podcast

The “Comedy Bang! Bang!” podcast is celebrating its 10th anniversary, and to honor this achievement, Scott Aukerman decided he was going to do a 10 hour long episode bringing back as many famous guests as possible. So far I’m about 5 and a half hours in, and it is a treat. I’ve loved every single second of this record long podcast. It’s like hearing a ten of Best Of episodes of the show. It is awesome.

The guest list, so far, has been absolutely incredible. Jon Hamm was on for a bit because he’s been on the show from the start. Jon Gabrus as Geno the Intern has made his always funny appearance. Thomas Lennon and Rob Heubel, the first guests on the first show, returned. Lennon also brought back a very old, and hilarious character. Jason Mantzoukas was the first guest of the episode, and he and Aukerman were great as usual. Andy Daly showed up during their interview and played both Dalton Wilcox and Hot Dog, two of his best characters. We’ve been visited by Entre Penure, Bone Queaf and Chief. Those three were absolutely hilarious. I think, so far, I laughed hardest when they were on. Chief, played by Carl Tart, also performed as Sugarloaf, a rapper from the 80’s who just woke up from a coma recently. It was awesome. I just heard from Chelsea Perreti and Adam Scott. When they did the famous “Farts and Procreation” episodes, I’d cry with laughter. Unfortunately Harris Wittles has since passed. But, Scott and Perreti still brought the humor. They’re so funny when they get together. Nick Kroll brought back a famous character. Thomas Middleditch played one of his absurd characters. Seth Morris came on as Bob Ducca. I could go on and on. It’s been truly amazing.

This is such a tremendous collection of super talented comedians and actors. I love how much they love, and appreciate all that “Comedy Bang! Bang!” has done for them and their fans. I first heard of a lot of these people because of this podcast. Jon Gabrus, Nick Kroll, Lauren Lapkus, Seth Morris and Jason Mantzoukas are just a few that I was introduced to by “CBB”.

I highly, highly recommend people check this out. This was such a great idea, and it has given me so much pleasure as a fan. I have been laughing and reminiscing since I started to listen to it on Monday. You do have to be a fan to truly appreciate all the characters, but I’d even go as far as to say that fans of comedy podcast should check this out because it’s a tour de force. I’m so happy with this, and I cannot wait to hear all the characters I will get to hear in the last 4 and a half hours.

Happy 10th anniversary “CBB”, and congrats Scott Aukerman. I really appreciate all the comedy you’ve provided for the past ten years. Here’s to many, many more. 

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. He is gearing up for the X Millennial Man 4 hour 4 year anniversary podcast. He is going to sit back with RD and do nothing but Simpsons references for four hours. Stay tuned.

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The Best Podcasts of 2018

Wrapping up my best of 2018 lists I am going to do my top 5 podcasts/moments. This has been a great year for podcasts. They are booming. This is the new thing for the younger generation. Podcast are the new talk radio. I love them myself. They are great. Anyway, lets do this.

At number 5 I have the day that I decided to stop listening to "The Bill Simmons Podcast". His "style" just got on my nerves far too much, and I was fed up. I don't remember exactly what he was talking about, I'm sure it was Boston related, and I just said aloud, "I'm done". After that I immediately removed his podcast from my library, and I haven't looked back. Ever since he started his own company, he has tried to act younger, hipper, cooler. It doesn't work. He is an old man. He still lives in the 80's when it comes to sports. His writing has completely regressed. His podcasting has gotten even worse. Also, he does the same thing over and over and over again. I cannot do another podcast with him totally sucking up to KD. We get it, you hate the Thunder, and now that KD is gone, you feel like he is your buddy. He's not. Also, all the Patriots shit is tired and loathsome. He is a shill. He may as well work for the Celtics and Patriots. I still listen to some Ringer shows, they have a few good ones, but I am totally done with "The Bill Simmons Podcast", and it feels great.

At number 4 I have the introduction of Gimlet Media to my life. My wife has a friend that works for Gimlet, she knows I like podcasts, and she recommend some she thought I would like that Gimlet produces. She was absolutely right. She first told us about "The Habitat". That was a homerun. Seriously people, go check that one out. I then started to listen to "Heavyweight", which makes me laugh, cry and feel for the people that the excellent host Johnathan Goldstein talks to each week of each season. This show is so perfect. It is like a nice warm shower after being out in the cold. Like a great cup of coffee after a long night. Like a perfectly cooked medium rare London broil steak for dinner. It is tremendous. And they just put out "Without Fail", hosted by Gimlet co founder Alex Bloomberg. He talks to people that have made it in the business/sports/computer/any big business type world. He also talks to some people that made it, then lost it, then made it again. It is so cool to hear these people's stories, and the way Bloomberg puts his spin on it makes the stories that much better. It is a great new show. Gimlet Media is awesome, and I love that I now know about it thanks to my wife's longtime friend.

At number 3 I have my own personal introduction to "Unspooled". I am a big Paul Scheer fan. I think he is a solid actor, and "How Did This Get Made" is one of the best podcasts ever. So when I heard him mention a new show when he was doing plugs on "HDGTM", where he would talk about good movies with film critic Amy Nicholson, I was intrigued. I downloaded the podcast, listened to the "2001: A Space Odyssey" episode first, and I have been hooked ever since. It is nice to hear Scheer talk about solid movies. It is even better to hear a person who gets paid to write and talk about movies, talk about these "classics". Amy Nicholson is a great, great critic. Her explanations of why she likes and dislikes these movies are excellent. I really enjoy this show, and I am now in the process of catching up on every episode, and it has made me watch certain movies I would have never thought to before. It's great.

At number 2 I have the "Comedy Bang! Bang!" Christmas episode. It is on here for one reason too. I love this episode. I love all the guests. I love that Jason Mantzoukas is always the co host because he always brings it. I also love that people like Jon Gabrus, Lauren Lapkus, Mary Holland and Paul F Thompkins, among others, always show up. But what made this specific episode so great was something I mentioned in my worst of 2018. If you remember, "CBB" did not do a Halloween episode, which meant no Leo Carpatzi. Well, he showed up, at the very end, of the Christmas episode. This was an almost 2 and a half hour long episode, and the last 14 minutes of it where the best. Carpatzi, played by Nick Wiger, showed up and said he had a new song. He always does that, and he always does his very NSFW version of "The Monster Mash". This time around he said the song was called "Happy Hauntedkah", which was his Hannukah/holiday song. Well, he got into the song, and it was just him doing, sorry mom and dad, "The Monster Fuck". It was as gross as ever. He made up some new lines, which were foul. And I loved every single second of it. It was hilarious. I was crying with laughter. It totally made up for the fact that there was no Halloween episode, because I got to hear Leo Carpatzi sing his famous song. It was amazing.

At number one I have a very personal reason for this being on top of the list. So, my wife's cousin introduced me to this new podcast "The Flagrant Ones". I have written about this podcast before, and that very blog is the reason this is my number one podcast moment of 2018. As I said, I wrote a review for this show about a month back, praising it. Well, on Thanksgiving, I was at lunch with my wife's family. Her cousin approached me and asked if I had heard the new episode yet. I told him no, but I was driving to Columbia later that day, and I was going to listen to it later. He told me to text him when I got to a very important part. He told me I would know what he was talking about. Well, I listened to the show, and about 20 minutes in, they read my review. They said my name. They said the website's name. They mocked me, which is what they do, but they also said very, very nice things. It was amazing. It is like when a band hears their song on the radio for the first time. This was my first single. The fact that three dudes that I admire in the world of comedy were reading my words and saying my name and saying the website's name was incredible. I will never forget this. It was the best. It was easily the best podcast moment of 2018 for me, and it wasn't even close.

There you have it, my best of 2018 lists. I hope you all had a great 2018, and an even better 2019. I'll be back to my regular schedule next week. Thanks.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. He forgets that the greatest podcast in all the world mentions Ty’s name and writing every week. I wonder what that podcast is called?

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The Worst Things of 2018

Next week I will spend the 5 days of the week doing my best of 2018 in movies, music, tv, podcasts and sports. I will do a top 5 of each category. Today though I want to do a similar list, but I want to do the one thing I consider the worst of 2018. I'll pick the worst tv show, movie, album/musician, podcast moment and sports moment. Before I get into it, I do have to say that this is just my opinion. I know that I will have a few things on here that will be odd and make people mad, but that is what year end lists are for, are they not? This will also be much quicker since I am just picking one thing from each category. My best of lists next week will be a bit longer. Okay enough preamble, lets get to it.

I'm going to start with sports because this was quite possibly the worst thing for me, as a sports fan, that has not only happened this year, but has happened in a long time. I am of course talking about Michigan getting absolutely crushed by the University of Ohio State in football. I have written about this game already, so I won't go as deep into detail as I did the Monday after the game. But this was awful. Michigan's vaunted defense got torched and refused to adjust all game long. This was their best chance in a long time, they were the better team on paper, and they laid a total egg. I mean, their offense scored 39 points, but it was all garbage time, and it was all for naught. They gave up 62 points, over 500 yards of offense, and it could have been much, much worse. Michigan blew it on the biggest stage for them in quite some time, and it was painful to watch. They had their best chance to beat their hated rival for the first time in 7 years, and a possible playoff berth at stake if they won the Big Ten title. They got none of that. They choked. They got crushed and it was, by far, my worst sports moment of 2018. Nothing else was even close.

When it comes to podcast/podcast moments, I have to go with "Comedy Bang! Bang!" not doing their usual Halloween episode. I look forward to this every year, and Halloween came and went with no visit to Boogie Woogie Avenue. I didn't get to hear Bret Gelman and Jon Daly do their thing. There was no Comedy Fang Fang this year. No weirdo ghosts for me to cackle with laughter at. It was a real bummer. The biggest disappointment with no "CBB" Halloween episode was the absence of Leo Carpatzi and his daughter Scaroline to sing their version of "The Monster Mash", which is always my favorite part. Although, as you will see next week, they do make up for it a bit in their Christmas episode. But, no 1122 Boogie Woogie Avenue, no Scaroline, no Mesmor, it all bummed me out. This episode is one of the few things I look forward to for a "holiday" that I am not the biggest fan of. Hopefully they remedy this next year because their Halloween episodes are some of their best.

My worst music of 2018 is kind of weird, but it struck me as odd, and kind of stupid to be completely honest. So, you all know how I feel about Drake. He is a wannabe, a front runner, a HORRIBLE rapper, he is just trash all around. So, for him to think he could even touch Pusha T was a joke and made that my most disliked music moment of the year. There is no beef, Pusha T is a far superior rapper, and always will be, when compared to Drake. He has lived that life. He has earned and grinded hard for everything he has accomplished. He isn't a fake, a phony or a frontrunner. Pusha goes about his business and makes incredible rap music. He literally started from the bottom. Drake was on a teenage high school drama in Canada when he was a kid. He is from the suburbs. He's never had a hard day in his life. He is a fake, a phony and a wannabe like I said before. He's a poseur. Pusha T will always, always be a much, much better rapper. So will thousands upon thousands of other rappers that a lot of people may not know about just yet. Drake is a rapper for white tweens. Pusha T is for a true hip hop fan. This whole beef was pointless and dull. Find something better to do with your time Drake because you are not even a top 500 rapper of all time. You are trash.

With TV I was very conflicted because the 2 shows that I think are the worst were 2 I LOVED last year. With that being said, what in the hell happened to "Westworld" and "Legion"? Am I not smart enough? Do I not get it? Am I not hip enough anymore? I don't know, and that was my biggest problem with both these shows. I feel like they decided to really just make some weird stuff and see if major critics would bite, and boy did they ever. I have read a lot of best of lists, and most have both shows on their lists. I totally disagree. Now, it needs to be said that I didn't finish either season. But I didn't finish because I was too tired of sitting there in utter confusion for hours after watching an episode. I made it through 3 of "Legion" and 2 of "Westworld" and just gave up. These shows are already confusing enough, but like I said, I felt like the writers were just messing with me now. They were intentionally trying to confuse me. I like my intelligence to be tested time to time when watching a show, but in watch these 2 shows this year, I felt like I was being made to look like a fool. Like I was stupid because I didn't get it. That is not how I should feel when watching a show. TV shows and movies should let you escape and have fun. I got none of that from "Westworld" or "Legion" this year. That was a bummer for me.

Finally, my worst movie of 2018. I have to admit that I don't get to the movies as much as I would like, but I still watch a fair amount On Demand and on streaming services. With all that being said, the worst movie I saw in 2018 has to be "Avengers: Infinity War". Now, I kind of liked the movie, but compared to everything else, it just doesn't stand up. I found parts of it dull and dragging. I don't like that Thanos wipes out half the population, but we just have to accept that most of those people are still alive because it's a "comic book movie". It would have been so much cooler if they really did kill off all the characters that Thanos killed. I found Thanos kind of dull and, while an okay bad guy, he was no Heath Ledger Joker or Tom Hardy Bane or Alfred Molina's Dr. Octopus or Ultron or even a marginal bad guy like The Mandarin. I think my biggest problem lied within my expectations for the movie. They were through the roof, and that is unfair. But still, my wife and I saw this movie on opening weekend, with a packed theater that had a 10 month old there, and we both left kind of shrugging our shoulders. It wasn't like when we saw "Black Panther" or the first "Ironman" or the "X-Men" movies. We left those exhilarated. With "Infinity War". we left unfulfilled. That is why I have it as my worst movie of the year.

Okay, I got the bad stuff out of the way. Come back next week where I will dedicate one day with a top 5 of 2018 for each category. 

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. Ty is lucky to have survived the Thanos snap so he can dump on the movie. Others in the SeedSing virtual cube farm were not so lucky. We forward to seeing Tina S when the next movie “fixes” all the important deaths.

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Cloves and Fedoras: "The Flagrant Ones" is a Podcast for Lovers of Comedy and Basketball

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'm always on the lookout for new podcasts, and my cousin in law set me up with something great. As you all know, I love comedy and sports. When those 2 worlds collide, it is a match made in heaven for me. My cousin knows that I love basketball, especially the NBA, and he has been pounding the ground for me to listen to "Hollywood Handbook". While I haven't gotten around to "Hollywood Handbook", I am familiar with the hosts, Hayes Davenport and Sean Clements. They are big in the comedy writing area, and I listened to their first podcast, "The Reality Show Show", which was so great, and came and went with little notice.

Well, my cousin informed me that they both are big time NBA fans. He brought this to my attention when he asked me about the NBA. He has decided that he wants to get into basketball now, and I was so excited, and I had many questions as to why, now, he wanted to get into basketball. He told me a lot of reasons, but the main one seemed to be this podcast he kept mentioning called "The Flagrant Ones". He told me that Clements, Davenport and the extremely funny Carl Tart, who has been on "Comedy Bang! Bang!" a bunch, most notably as Chief Queaf, host this podcast all about their love of the NBA. He set me up with the Patreon, and since then, a little less than a month ago, I have become obsessed with the show.

“The Flagrant Ones” is so, so funny. But, all three of them are incredibly knowledgeable on the game. I thought I knew a good amount about the NBA, and I do, but they put me to shame with their knowledge. They can name stats of random players that I have only ever heard of once, if at all. They do all this while making it hilarious mind you. Again, I haven't gotten around to "Hollywood Handbook", but I have heard nothing but good things from my friends that listen to podcast. I loved, as I stated before, "The Reality Show Show". I'm a big fan of "Comedy Bang! Bang!", and when I see Carl Tart's name on the list of guests, it jumps to the top of my listen to first list. So, the fact that "The Flagrant Ones" is so funny is not surprising. But, the knowledge they have blew me away.

In the first episode I listened to, they each picked a new favorite team and player. The way they went through why they were picking each for each other was perfect. They knew so much, like deep dive stuff, about the teams and players they picked. When Clements was informed that he was now a Dallas Mavericks fan, and that Damontas Sabonis was his new favorite player, you could hear the resignation in his voice. Since then, he has been trying to find a way to get behind these 2, but it is tough. Davenport was saddled with the Charlotte Hornets and Kris Dunn. He couldn't have gotten a more boring team, as he points out, and Dunn has been out since the second or third game of the year. Carl Tart was given the Orlando Magic and Buddy Hield. Every week, they each say their names, their new favorite team and player at the top of the episode, he is always positive about the Magic, and has a new nickname for Hield, it is glorious.

Since that first episode they have drafted their own teams, the Baltimore Pinchy Crabs, Clements and the Austin Rivers, Carl Tart. They have played a game that I know play with my wife where they name a player, and they have to name the team he plays for. On today's episode, which was their most basketball centric one to date, they talked about half the team and if they are better or worse than they thought. And I have hung on every word of every episode. Tart and Clements do a new theme song for every episode. Tart's are so much better, he is a better singer and writer, but Clements always gives it a shot. On today's episode, he tries really hard and screws up twice, but it is so funny. Davenport always says he is going to do one, but it is clearly never going to happen. Davenport is more so the orator of the podcast, the main host if you will, and he is a perfect fit for that. Tart has 2 great bits. He needs to know every week about the upcoming episode of "Family Guy", a show he claims to be a big time fan of. He also claims to have a "friend" that is in the NBA. I believed him so hard that I Googled the name, and it was nowhere to be found. But, he is sticking to it, and it makes me laugh every time.

I adore this podcast. It is a perfect marriage of my 2 favorite things to listen to when I listen to podcasts. The three guys, Davenport, Clements and Tart work so well together. Their knowledge is top notch, and their humor is of the highest quality. I cannot thank my cousin in law for introducing me to this, and I highly recommend that any fan of comedy or basketball, or if you are like me, both, go out and listen to "The Flagrant Ones" immediately. It rules.

Check out “The Flagrant Ones” podcast here.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. He is considering doing a special podcast about a basketball lover who talks about soccer. He gave up on the idea because soccer is boring.

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Cloves and Fedoras: Catch Up on the Great Podcast "Heavyweight" Before the New Season Begins

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.

Awhile back I wrote about a new podcast I really liked called "The Habitat". After listening to all of it in 2 days, I was looking for something new, in that same vain. My wife actually has a friend that works for Gimlet Media, the company that put out "The Habitat", and she recommend that I check out "Heavyweight". so, I subscribed and started listening to it the very next day. I was immediately intrigued right off the bat.

"Heavyweight", when you break it down to its bare bones, is about the host, who is amazing, more on him later, takes on a problem from family, friends or complete strangers, and he tries to help the person or people get closure. It is truly amazing. The first episode, as I said, it was the one that hooked me, was about him getting his dad and brother to speak again. The host, his name is Johnathan Goldstein, is so, so perfect for this show. He has a very calming way of speaking, and his hosting and writing are impeccable. One of my favorite things he does, at the start of every episode, he calls his friend Jackie and just harasses her. It is really funny. It is also needed when he gets into some very deep topics. It is a nice breath of fresh air. But Goldstein is just wonderful. I love pretty much everything he does, and how he goes about doing it. He is an amazing podcast host, and I cannot wait to hear more from him. Back to that first episode now. As I said, Goldstein has come to find out that his dad and brother haven't spoken in years due to some nonsensical fight. He gets them on the phone together, and eventually gets them to meet in person. The ups and downs and laughter and tears are all real, and it was a tremendous listen. And when Goldstein would try to interject, with these 2 very old school New Yorkers, I loved every second of it. The first episode was a great way to kick off this wonderful show.

From there on out, every episode was very enjoyable for me. Goldstein covers so many different things on the first 2 seasons, and I loved it all. He tracks down a girl that he saw on a video in a theater class in college that struck him so many years ago. He watched this video about angry people, and there was a transgender person who brought her daughter on set with her, and that was the person he remembered. He remembered her angry and confusion as to why she was brought to this set. He finally found her, and the conclusion was awesome. In one of the "funnier" episodes, Goldstein helps one of his buddies, who went to high school with Moby, try and track down a CD collection he lent him in high school. The CD collection was important because Goldstein's buddy loved it and could not find it again, and for Moby, it changed his life. That collection is heavily featured on his biggest hit record, "Play". The story of Goldstein and his buddy going to Moby's house, hearing Moby's side, and his friend eventually not getting his CD's back, it was great. It was so funny. There is another episode, possibly the saddest one, that involved bullying between teenage girls. Goldstein helps a lady that was bullied in high school find out why the girls started to bully her, and even when she moved, why they came to her house one day. The girl also reached out to another girl that was bullied, and their stories were heartbreaking. Another sad story was when Goldstein helped a lady find out why, after being diagnosed, and beating cancer, she was kicked out of her sorority. That story was all too real and all too troubling as to how cliques and rumors get started, and how they can last into adulthood. Another episode that spoke to me was about a foster child who fell in love with basketball, but then had to quit because her foster mom didn't feel like she made the proper grades to continue playing. The basketball hooked me, then the story, while tragic, was also moving and important for me to hear. When she plays basketball with her husband at the end, I shed a few tears. The best episode I have heard was the season 2 finale that involved Goldstein going home with his wife and new baby, and all the things he goes through and talks about with his mom. It was so great and so wonderful and so eye opening and just perfectly done. It is the brightest gem among many strong episodes.

"Heavyweight" is a podcast that is well worth your time. Know going in that it is sad and can be tragic, but Goldstein alone is worth listening. Season 2 ended awhile ago, but it is coming back for a third season this fall, and I cannot wait. Check this podcast out, and Gimlet Media, keep doing what you're doing because you are crushing it right now.

Find "Heavyweight" here.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. He likes to go out and solve people's problems every day. Just today, he gave a man directions, even though Ty had no idea where the man was going.

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Cloves and Fedoras: "The Habitat" is a Must Listen Podcast

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 just recently finished a podcast that was recommended to me by my wife called "Habitat". It was amazing. I was so intrigued by this show.

The podcast is a true story about 6 people that are sent to live a habitat that is meant to simulate if/when we send astronauts to me Mars. The selection of the people, their life before the habitat, their time in the habitat, the explanation of the habitat, the fights, the romance, their life after the habitat, and what they are doing now, it was all so wonderfully done.

My wife just told me about it on Monday, and I finished it all today. Now, there are only 7 episodes, and none of them clock in any longer than 32 minutes. I love that about this podcast. They got their story in, and they got it in tight. I appreciate that stuff. The story was truly amazing. It was a story that I know find myself asking how I would react in their situation.

So, without spoiling much, "Habitat" is about 6 people that are selected to live in a room that is the size of half a tennis court to simulate what life would be like for astronauts if they ever go to Mars. The people picked are not astronauts, rather people who may have had dreams of being one. But, they are hyper athletic people and they are outgoing and very smart. While listening, you get that from the way they speak and interact. What I really liked about the show was how these people, who figured they would become best of friends throughout this experience, really showed their true colors even before they were put into the habitat. They go on a hike in the very first episode, and they are immediately bickering with each other and already taking sides. They are already forming cliques, and they haven't even stepped foot into the tiny space all 6 of them will share for the next year. I like that because that is so true. Taking 6 random people, who have their own interests and ways about going about their day, then jamming them in a room that is so tiny will cause tension. It is just the human way. Of course after getting into the habitat, the stuff from the hike continued to rear its ugly head. People paired off. People talked badly about other people. People passed judgement on one another. People did things that made other people annoyed and angry. In a way, it was kind of nice to see these hyper athletic, super smart people have the same problems that regular everyday people have.

I have been imagining myself in this scenario, as I said, and I know for a fact that I wouldn't be able to make it the whole year. Give me 5 random strangers that I don't know, I am bound to find a problem I have with at least one of them and just focus on that for 365 days. An example, one of the people on "Habitat" bring their didgeridoo, calls it a "dige", and plays it loudly from time to time. That would drive me nuts. There is another person who is constantly playing his ukulele, and while it sounds nice on the podcast, I put myself in that room, and that would boil my blood after awhile. There is another guy that announces everything he does at every moment. Again, I would go bonkers. But that is one of the many reasons I loved the podcast. It was true and it was real. These were real people that had real problems.

Another thing I liked was how they were forced to live like astronauts. That meant that they had to eat, dress, use the restroom, clean and take exceptional care of themselves the whole time. They also had to do all the mundane stuff that astronauts have to do, like list the foods they ate, and what they do at every moment when they were able to go out in full space gear. That was cool too, getting to hear these people talk about, and complain about how bizarre and weird it was to wear these space suits. Most of the 6 involved had grand ideas about being an astronaut, but after living through "Habitat", they all seemed to come to the conclusion that it is a lonely and boring job. The episode where they focus strictly on the suits was tremendous.

I was fully into this show from start to finish. I loved every moment. I feel like it is a better version of the first season of "Serial", which I thought was great. The host, Lynn, has a great way of speaking on mic, and she seems like a great journalist. I highly recommend this show for everyone. I'm not much for science and space exploration, but "Habitat" is more of a human story than a space story. But, there is still a good amount of space talk, and I learned a ton of things I never knew before. Go listen to "Habitat". It is a very, very good podcast.

Find The Habitat here.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. He was already to join the habitat, until they told him no Michigan football for a year. That is too much to give up.

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The Best of Everything in 2017

Welcome to the final day of 2017. The year has featured a lot of good stuff, and a whole lot of stuff we want to forget, COUGH Trump COUGH. In order to celebrate we are going to focus mostly on the good stuff. Check out all of our best of the year articles, and enjoy the X Millennial Man 2017 Year in Review podcast. 

Oh, and have a Happy New Year.

The Best Films

The Best Television

The Best Music

The Best Podcasts

The Best Sports Moments

The X Millennial Man Year in Review

The Staff at SeedSing

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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?

Follow Ty on instagram and twitter.

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

Cloves and Fedoras: If You Love 90's Television, Check Out the Podcast "Raised By TV"

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

As you all know I am always on the hunt for new podcasts to listen to. I mostly do sports podcasts, but I am also always looking for new comedy podcasts. I also like podcasts that are hosted by people that I enjoy on other podcasts that I listen to.

When it was announced that Jon Gabrus and Lauren Lapkus were going to do a podcast together, I was fully on board. I love them both on their many podcast appearances. The funny thing is, I don't listen to either of their own podcasts. I used to listen to "High and Mighty", Jon Gabrus' show on Feral, but I just couldn't get into it. I have not tried "With Special Guest" yet, but maybe I will one day in the future. But, when they appear on, most notably for me, "Comedy Bang! Bang!", it is always a must listen. Lauren Lapkus plays a bevy of characters on that show, and all of them are great. She is absolutely hilarious, and one of the best improvisors in all of comedy. My favorite characters she plays are Traci Readon, one of Scott Sukerman's many interns, and Ho Ho the Naughty Elf. I am also a fan of Todd, Scott's nephew. She does these people so well and I always have a big smile on my face when I see she is going to be a guest on "CBB". Jon Gabrus only plays one character on "CBB", but Gino the Intern is a god damn delight. He is another one of Scott's interns. Gabrus is so god damn funny as Gino. His blue comedy, his interruptions, his running the soundboard, basically everything he does is comedy gold. Of all of Scott's interns, Gino is, by far, the best. I wish he was on "CBB" every week. But, alas he is not.

Like I was saying earlier, about a month or so ago it was announced that Lapkus and Gabrus were going to be teaming up to do a new show on the Earwolf Network. I was rapped with anticipation. I was telling pretty much everyone I know how much I was looking forward to these 2 comedy giants doing a show together. We got a little preview a little over a month ago, and while that was great, it made me want more. Now, for the past 5 Tuesday's, we have gotten 5 new episodes of their show, "Raised By TV".

The premise of the show is that these 2 adults, in their early 30's, will sit down and talk about any type of TV that they watched as kids. This is so perfect for someone like me because, while I wasn't raised by TV, I do have some great memories of shows that I watched in the 90's. I'm also roughly the same age as the 2 of them, so the references are easily noticeable to me. In the premiere of "Raised By TV", Lapkus and Gabrus sat down and just discussed the outline of the podcast. There would be no characters. It was just going to be the 2 of them reminiscing about the TV they remember from childhood. They decided in the first episode that they were going to do theme episodes. And, true to form, that is what the next 4 episodes have been. They have done commercials, game shows, cartoons, and most recently, TGIF. All four episodes have been truly wonderful. They have brought up stuff that I had forgotten, and now, floods my memory with some great stuff.

For example, the commercials episode made me remember Mr Bucket and Crossfire. These were 2 commercials that were always on Nickelodeon when I was a kid. They also mentioned Bubble Tape commercials, and of course I remembered that it was "6 feet of bubble gum for you, not them". During game shows they talked about everything that I watched on Nickelodeon when I was a kid. "Double Dare", "Legends of the Hidden Temple" and "Guts" were main themes. I vividly remember those 3 shows. I also remember how much I wanted to be on those shows, just like them. When they talked cartoons, I wasn't as hip to some of the stuff because I only ever really watch "The Simpsons". But, they did bring up "Rugrats" and "Ren and Stimpy", both of which I am very familiar with. They have done some deep, deep dives on shows that I can't recall, but someone like my wife, who watched a ton of TV, remembers fondly.

During their episode this week, "TGIF", I was taken aback at how much I had forgotten about that lineup. And what a lineup it was. They mentioned "Family Matters", "Step By Step" and "Perfect Strangers". I watched all three of those shows religiously on Friday nights as a kid, especially "Family Matters". They talked about that show with as much regard as I would like to remember it being.

They end every episode with a reading from the "very special" episodes of some famous 90's shows. They have tackled Jesse Spano's pill addiction, a death on "Growing Pains" and when Will, from "Fresh Prince" gets abandoned by his dad one last time. These are always very funny, and it may be my favorite part of every episode so far.

"Raised By TV" is a homerun. I'm so happy that Lauren Lapkus and Jon Gabrus are doing a podcast together. I'm also very happy that it is about a subject I am very familiar with. They've only done 4 episodes so far, and each is under an hour, so it is easy to catch up on. I cannot wait to see where they go from here. I'm so excited for the future of this great new podcast. Go give it a listen, especially if you are a child of the 90's.

Check out "Raised By TV" 

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. Want to hear Ty reminisce about his childhood? Check out his look at all things 1996, 1999, and 2008.

Follow Ty on instagram and twitter.

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

Cloves and Fedoras: Finally Catching Up to the Great Podcast "My Dad Wrote A Porno"

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

There is a podcast that I just became aware of about a week ago, and I have been obsessed with it ever since. I cannot stop listening to it, and it has almost become a problem, because I have 2 small children that are like parrots. The podcast I am talking about is, "My Dad Wrote a Porno".

By the title, I think you all can glean why it has become a problem for me trying to listen to this in the car. The podcast is filthy, filled with sex and very bad language, but it is also extremely funny and awesome. So, I have to find odd times to listen. For example, yesterday I was mowing my grass while my 1 year old napped and my 5 year old had his "quiet time". This was the perfect opportunity to knock off 3 or 4 episodes. When I go for a run at night, another great time. Sometimes, after the kids go to bed and it's just my wife and I, she will go read a book, and I will listen to another episode. It's all about finding time when my kids are not present, or sleeping, before I can hear a new episode of "My Dad Wrote a Porno".

Now, this podcast is new to me, only a week or so old, but it has been around for awhile. According to the podcast page, "MDWAP" has been around since October of 2015. I listen to so many other podcasts, so sometimes I am late, or in this case, very late, to something that is suggested to me by a friend or family member. This one was suggested by a friend, and I'm so glad he brought it to my attention.

"MDWAP" is so funny, and the funniest part of it is the host and his 2 friends who comment on each chapter. The host, Jamie Morton, says in the first episode that his father gave this to him for him to keep. Instead of just hiding the book, and the fact that his father wrote an erotic story, he invited 2 of his friends to start a podcast where he would read one chapter a week. His friends are the stars of the show. Both James Cooper and BBC Radio 1's Alice Levine are absolutely hilarious. Their reactions to sentence structure, dialogue and grammar are uproarious. I especially enjoy Alice's reaction to most things in this book. She sounds so put off by all this, but she keeps saying that she cannot wait to hear more. I am the same way. And James Cooper, he is literally just laughing the whole time, which is really the only thing you can do in a situation like this. I love that Morton did not hold on to this book as just some keepsake. It is wonderful that he wanted to share this book with 2 of his friends and the whole podcast listening world.

The book is entitled "Belinda Blinks". There is a sub title, but I still can't get over how ridiculous the main title is. I'm currently on chapter 8, "the Tombola", but up until now, "Belinda Blinks" has been as disgusting and hilarious as I could have imagined. When she has the job interview in chapter one, it was some of the most soft core stuff I could imagine. It was also a riot. As the book goes along, it gets more and more pornographic, and Cooper and Levine's responses are pitch perfect for each horrific moment. When Morton's dad goes into great detail about a sexual experience, the "oh my god's!" and "what the hell's" are a delight. There is one particular chapter where Morton's dad talks about Belinda going to a tennis party, meeting an American man with a very small "member", and complaining about her encounter with him. It is so poorly written, yet I was laughing so hard I had to stop what I was doing for fear that I would drop whatever heavy thing I was currently moving. Morton's father also has some weird thing with thongs, both for men and women. He also explains stuff that has absolutely nothing to do with his erotic tale in great detail. It is so odd.

The best way that I describe this podcast to friends and family is, imagine if your father wrote some erotic fiction and gave it to you. What would you do with it? I would love to think that I would do the same thing as Morton. I would want the world to hear this crazy story. And that is what makes me keep coming back to "MDWAP". I also love how every time Morton's father writes about a sexual encounter, both Cooper and Levine keep telling him, "this is your father!". I crack up every time.

"My Dad Wrote a Porno" is not a new podcast, but if you are a fan of comedy podcast and you haven't listened to it yet, I highly recommend it. It is so funny, and each episode is only about 30 minutes long. I only discovered it a week ago, and I am already on chapter 8. As far as I know they are still releasing new episodes and I cannot wait to catch up. This is a very, very funny and uncomfortable podcast, but in all the right ways. Give it a listen.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. He is currently working on his own porno called "Moistness At the Crack of Dawn". One day his son will read it to horrify the people of 2030.

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The Bill Simmons Ego is Bringing Down "The Bill Simmons Podcast"

Next time Simmons will tell us all how he could improve sex, the US Constitution, and happiness.

I was listening to the most recent "Bill Simmons Podcast", and I've got to say, Bill Simmons is quite full of himself. I still very much enjoy his writing and his podcast, but man oh man does he think that his decisions make the sun set.

On the latest episode to get on my nerves, Simmons had 2 of his buddies, Jim Miller and Bryan Curtis, and they were talking about all things ESPN. They were talking about all the layoffs and new hires, basically all the news that has come out over the past couple of months involving ESPN.

Simmons exit from ESPN has been very well documented. He said something that needed to be said about that monster Roger Goodell, and since ESPN is in bed with the NFL, they suspended him, then let him go a few weeks after he came back. He then went into hiding for awhile before reappearing with his own company, The Ringer. I'm an enormous fan of The Ringer. I read pretty much everything they write about basketball. I listen to all their basketball podcasts. I enjoy their football stuff. Mainly though, I'm all in for The Ringer because it has Bill Simmons name on the front of it.

Simmons highly anticipated television show was a massive disappointment. This is widely known. The show is best known for a drunken rant about the Patriots coming from Ben Affleck. That's some reality show shit there. But, when pressed about the demise of his show, he never once took the blame. It was all on HBO. They put him on at the wrong time he said. They thrust him into a bad situation he said. He wanted to do so many things different he said. Basically, it was everyone else's fault. He said all of this, and even more on his own podcast, which HBO owns. I wrote awhile back that he needed to take the blame. He was a poor host. He couldn't conduct a proper interview. The only time the show was any good was when Michael Rappaport was on. He was too much of a  fan boy. He wasn't good for television. The show disappeared, and no one has missed it. But he still blames other people all the time.

Then we have the latest podcast. As I said, the three guys were talking about ESPN, and Bill Simmons kept chiming in with all that he tried to do to make that company money. He was patting himself on the back for creating "30 for 30", as he should. But, the self congratulations did not stop there. He claimed that he was the only person trying to get ESPN to get better advertising for podcasts. He complained that they only wanted Subway as a sponsor, and that "I could have gotten them so much more". What an ass. I don't deny that he may have been able to get extra sponsors, but ESPN doesn't need extra sponsors. One of my biggest gripes with his podcast is all the ad reads. They totally take me out of the flow. In fact, I don't like any ad reads on podcasts. It drives me nuts. That doesn't mean I don't want people to donate to SeedSing though. Please, if you can, donate to us so I can continue to do what I love.

Simmons also went on to say things about the people that got fired and how he could have helped keep them around. Does he think he was some kind of savior at ESPN? I guarantee on ESPN's list of important people, Bill Simmons was probably in the 40's or 50's. He complained that no one paid attention to Grantland. That's because Grantland was for hipsters, and who in the hell cares what those writers were saying back then. I know that most of his staff is filled with former Grantland writers, but they are 1,000 times better now than they were then. He griped that the higher ups wanted full control of "30 for 30", but he only wanted to do 2 seasons of it. Why would you want to end something so soon that was so successful? I would bet a ton of money that he wanted to close down shop so he could gloat to people in 25 years that he was the "genius" that created "30 for 30". I've got some news for you Bill Simmons, some other asshole would have come up with a similar idea, and it would have succeeded.

I hate ESPN with a passion, but Simmons comments on this most recent podcast really annoyed me. He is super talented, and many big time people have said as much. So why does he feel the need to constantly stroke his ego, I will never know. I'm not going to stop listening and reading his stuff, as I said, I am a big fan. But he needs to pump the brakes on giving himself all the accolades that he thinks he deserves. It is getting too be a bit too much.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. He may hate hearing ad reads, but the head editor convinced Ty that reading ads is the best way to podcast. Right Ty.

Follow Ty on instagram and twitter.

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

Cloves and Fedoras: If You Watch Movies, Then You Need to Listen to the Great Podcast "Reel Spoilers"

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.

Recently, thanks to some advice from RD, I have started listening to a podcast called "Reel Spoilers". First off, the name says all you need to know what it is about. The hosts,Tom O’Keefe, Kevin Brackett, Dan Graney,Joe Buttice see movies, then explain what they liked or didn't like about the specific movie that day. Also, they spoil every single thing in the movie. Up front they tell you that they are going to spoil everything as well, so you have no reason to get mad if you are listening to it.

What I like so much about the "Reel Spoilers" podcast is how informative and smart they are about movies in general. These dudes know what they are talking about when it comes to movies and films. They understand the business and seem to have studied all things involving movies. They talk about the movies so well, I feel like they are all in the industry. They may or may not be, but they sound like they are involved some way, some how.

The second thing I love about the podcast is that the guys are from, and record in my home city, Saint Louis. I am super supportive of people that do things in my home city. I love when someone from Saint Louis goes out there and tries to make it big. These guys have sponsors, so they are, even if it is little, making some money off their podcast. That is something that RD and I are striving for with our own podcast. So, mad props to these dudes from Saint Louis, out there making money while simply talking about movies.

When RD told me about this podcast, he said that he listened to their episode about "Logan", and he was getting ready to listen to their podcast on "Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2". I hadn't seen either movie, so I wasn't going to start with either one of those recordings. I was going to save them. So, I started with "John Wick Chapter 2". First off, I love both "John Wick" and "John Wick Chapter 2". I have sung those 2 movies praises from the high hills. They are incredible action movies. I was curious to see what the "Reel Spoilers" guys thought of this movie that I hold in such high regard. When they got into the movie, I was blown away by how well informed about every single second of this movie that they were talking about. they were bringing up stuff from the first movie that I had forgotten about. Hell, they brought up stuff from the second movie I had forgotten about. But, what really blew me away was their knowledge of the cast, and all the stuff they had done before. They were also super informative about the effects and all the kick ass fight scenes in the movie. In fact, when they talked about John Wick going to the wine dossier, or whatever the hell those guys are called, and talked about that scene in depth, I was fully on board with this podcast. The way they broke that scene down was amazing. As they went on and talked more about the movie, the more I found myself really enjoying these guys conversation. They really broke the movie down, I am glad I saw this movie before listening to this, but they talked about "John Wick Chapter 2" beat by beat. And, I loved every second of it.  

I had to listen to some more of their episodes. As I wrote last week, I finally saw "Logan", and one of the first things I did after seeing it was download the "Reel Spoilers" episode of "Logan". Again, the guys gave me a bunch of information that I did not know, or that I missed. They are much more well versed in comic books and super hero stuff than myself. I like that type of stuff, they seem to love it. They were referencing stuff from old comic books that I had never heard of. I feel like they introduced me to a whole new side of my favorite super hero. But, what I loved best about this specific episode was the fact that they felt the same way as I did about "Logan". One of the guys said that this was a Western that just happened to have super hero in it. I said the exact same thing to my wife after seeing the movie. Also, their episode of "Logan" got me through a good portion of a 10k that I ran last weekend. So, thanks for the help getting through a 6 mile run guys.

The last episode I listened to was "Alien: Covenant". Now, this was the first time I disagreed with them, but I still loved all almost 90 minutes of the episode. Everyone knows how I feel about that movie, I wrote about it yesterday. But, these guys really broke it down. Now, all of them said they enjoyed "Prometheus" in different ways. I hated "Prometheus", so I was curious as to why they liked it. They all gave their reasons, and I thought, okay that is fine, to each their own. But, when they delved into "Alien: Covenant", they all liked it a bit more than I did, but I got what they liked about it. With that being said, they still had problems with the movie, and I totally agreed with their gripes.

I highly recommend people go out and check out "Reel Spoilers". It is a very well made podcast with very smart and fun and funny hosts. Remember, when listening to it, EVERYTHING is going to be spoiled, but that shouldn't stop you. This is a very good, very fun podcast. Check it out.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. Since the X Millennial Man Podcast is recorded, edited, and released from Cincinnati Ohio, Ty only roots for the half of the podcast that comes from the talking of the St. Louis host.

Follow Ty on instagram and twitter.

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.

"Doughboys" Deserve all the Medals for their Great Podcast

All Tacos are golden

For the past three weeks the excellent podcast "Doughboys" has been holding their own "Olympic" games. They have called it the Doughlympic Susser Games. Much like their Tournament of Chompions, which they did during March Madness, the hosts, Nick Wiger and Mike Mitchell, have proclaimed it a disaster. But, I have found myself really enjoying these games almost as much as the Tournament of Chompions. The Tournament of Chompions was more structured, but the Doughlympic Susser Games episodes of the podcast have been very listenable and very funny. Wiger and Mitchell continue to dump on themselves, but they have created a podcast that is very funny, and they have a lot of fans that look forward to each episode.

During the Doughlympics, they have placed contests between pizza chains, taco chains and they ended with coffee chains. Sure, they could have done it a bit differently, like placed Italian food versus Mexican food, but they chose to pit three of the same food stuffs against each other. At first I didn't think it was a good idea, but after a listen, it made total sense. For example, in the taco episode, they put the chains, Taco Bell, Del Taco and Chipotle up against each other. And, instead of just rating tacos, they had competitions for different types of food at the chains. They did hard and soft shell tacos. They also did burritos. They also compared nachos. As I said, it made sense. They gave themselves a short time limit to talk about each food, and when they were done, each restaurant got gold, silver or bronze. Then, Wiger would pick a song that "represented" that chain as their anthem, and he'd play a snippet from it. This was the theme throughout the past three weeks of the games. They did it with pizza chains and they ended the games this week with coffee chains. I thought it was a great idea to not just pick one food item to give medals to. That would have made the episodes way too short.

That is one of the best things about "Doughboys". I love the length of the episodes. I enjoy Mitchell and Wiger's back and forth. I love that their guests are, not only friends of theirs, but also fans of the podcast. They seem genuinely happy to be on the show. I have not thought, for one second, that the Doughlympic Susser Games was a waste of time. The only waste may have been Evan Susser himself, but that is his "role" on the podcast. He shoehorned his way in, but I find him funny on each episode. I even listened to the after show, "After Dough", and found it interesting.

The best thing about these particular episodes, they still kept the basis of their regular podcast. They still had a guest. They still did drops. Wiger still roasted Mitchell. They still read emails. They still did one of their many funny ending segments, i.e., "Snack or Wack". I found these games fun, but more importantly, funny.

I hope Mike Mitchell was just upset when he said they were going to end the podcast at the new year. He relented a bit on the most recent episode, saying that it might not end that soon, so there's still hope. I hope Nick Wiger and Mike Mitchell realize that they have fans that really enjoy this podcast. The fans, myself included, even like the episodes that the hosts may not care for. I can't recommend "Doughboys" enough. It's funny and a whole lot of fun to listen to, and yes, that includes the Doughlympic Susser Games. Keep up the great work guys.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. The editor is still upset that Ty dismissed the Quesalupa. That thing was awesome. Follow Ty on twitter @tykulik.

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.

"Serial" Season 2 Joins the Ranks of Disappointing Sequels

Brings the good, and the boring, to your ears.

As the entire podcast listening world knows by now, season two of Serial began about 2 months ago. This season, Sarah Koenig is talking about Bowe Bergdahl. He's the soldier that was captured by the Taliban, but, others say that he is a war deserter. Opinions vary about both situations and Koenig and her podcast are trying to show both sides. One week it seems that he was legitimately captured and the next week, I change my mind and feel that he deserted the war because of the poor living conditions and war is scary as hell. I personally do not know where I fully stand yet, there's still a long way to go before they get to the bottom of this case. 

The path to the bottom has gotten a whole lot longer with the news that they are switching from every week to every other week. Also, this season of Serial doesn't feel the same as the first. That first season of Serial was phenomenal, although the finale left a lot to be desired, and this season just seems to be falling flat. During the first season, I was on pins and needles before, during and after each episode. Did Adnan do it, or was it one of many other suspects? Why would a seemingly good natured high school student turn on a dime like that? Did he really have this insanity deep down in his body? Did his attorney screw him over? Was he set up by his "friends" that were interviewed? What cell phone tower picked up the calls from that night the best? I could ask about a million more questions pertaining to Adnan Syed. For the record, I do not think he did it and I feel very sorry for him that he has had to spend the majority of his life in prison for a crime I don't think he committed. His new trial can prove me wrong and I'll sound like an asshole, but I don't think he did it. My wife, on the other hand, is 100 percent convinced that he did it. She thinks he's guilty, showing no doubt in her face or voice when we talk about it. We still talk about it to this day by the way. That first season had everything. Drama, intrigue, horror, guilt, flip flopping, it was perfect. I would be scared to go to sleep some nights, just thinking about it. I also have had sleepless nights thinking about whether Adnan is guilty or not. That is the mark of good podcasting.

This season of Serial doesn't have the same allure of the first season. That's my point today. I know it's very hard to follow up something that was so big and virtually came out of nowhere, at least to my generation. "Serial" type stories have been around as long as talk radio has been around, but with my generation, this was the first "serial" story we'd really paid attention to. I also think that expectations, mine included, were way too high going into this second season. There was no way Koenig could top the first season, but I thought she had a chance. It's like a sequel to a great movie. Not every sequel will be "Terminator 2:Judgement Day" or "The Godfather: Part 2", not even close. Most sequels are more "Speed 2: Cruise Control" or "The Godfather: Part 3". They are usually much, much worse because it's so hard to recreate what the actors and director nailed the first time around. It usually backfires and I feel that's what's happening with the second season of Serial. I don't find myself waiting for the new episode every other Thursday. Now, don't get me wrong, I still listen, but it feels like homework this time around. I feel almost obligated to listen because the first season was so groundbreaking. You should never feel obligated to listen to something that you get for free. It should be fun and you should want to listen to it. Much like the first season, you should be on pins and needles waiting for the new episodes.

A deeper problem I think they're having with this season, most people, if not everyone, knows the Bowe Bergdahl story, or they know of it. That wasn't the case with Adnan Syed. I had never even heard of this story that happened in Baltimore more than a decade ago. It was great to hear her uncover new evidence and things that the police and the attorney's missed the first time round. Every week she'd peel back a new layer on the onion of this pretty much unknown story to anyone outside of the Baltimore area and it was great. Like I said before, anytime there's new news on Bergdahl, it's national news. We all find out about it the same time Sarah Koenig does. There's no intrigue or drama in that. It's no fun. She will bring some "new" news to the story and I'll sit back, listen and yell into my phone, "We all already knew that!", there is nothing that she can bring to this story that we all don't already know.  I still listen because I like the way Sarah Koenig speaks. She has a very calm, perfect for NPR voice that only Cecily Strong from "SNL" can replicate. I commend her for taking on a much bigger story for the second season of Serial, but it just doesn't carry the same weight the first season did.

Hopefully for the third season, there will definitely be one, she picks a smaller story again that the entire nation doesn't already know about. This season though, has been pretty dull, at least so far.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor and the other host of the X Millennial Man podcast. He loves great storytelling, but dislikes being bored. Ty is a great storyteller who is not boring. Find out for yourself by following him on twitter @tykulik.

The SeedSing (half) year in Pop Culture: The Top Five Podcasts of 2015

Time to remember the mic's best guests

Continuing my week long best of 2015 countdown today I'll pick my top five podcast episodes of the year. I'm a very, very big fan of podcast, mostly comedy podcast. Comedy podcasts are very well represented in this countdown, but there's one pretty serious, not very comedic episode that tops my list. I could've easily done a top 25, 50 or even 100 for this topic, so paring it down to five was tough. Here it goes.

My number five podcast episode of 2015 was the return of "Go Bayside" when they critically deconstructed the "Saved By the Bell: Hawaiian Style" movie. By they I mean the excellent and very hilarious host, April Richardson and her equally as funny best friend, Millie De Chirico. I was so pleasantly surprised and happy when my podcast app showed me that there was a new "Go Bayside". I put time away to go on a hike so I would not be bothered while I listened. April Richardson took a long time off after she finished doing all the pertinent episodes of "Saved By the Bell", but she promised to return to do this movie and the one when Kelly and Zack get married. This episode made it well worth the wait. Richardson and De Chirico come out hot from the start, just chastising the racism in this movie. It was so funny. I loved how upset they both got t the fact that there was a principal's convention in the exact same spot of Hawaii that the students were vacationing in. They couldn't fathom a world that in all of Hawaii these people picked the same spot to vacation in. I couldn't agree more with them. They constantly bad mouthed Kelly's vacation boyfriend for being a creep and this actor totally deserved it, he was terrible. My favorite thing in the whole episode was how they kept going back to the piece of paper that the hotel lease was written on that was literally, a plain sheet of paper. They kept asking why this wasn't a more important document that they would keep in a special place and I found myself asking the same questions. It's baffling. This was such a great episode of my all time favorite podcast and I can't wait until April Richardson does the wedding of Zack and Kelly on what I assume will be the final episode ever of "Go Bayside".

Number four is the episode of "Doughboys" where they talk about In and Out Burger. "Doughboys" has been my new favorite podcast and this episode takes the cake. In most episodes, there's a back and forth between Mike Mitchell and Nick Wiger and the guest just chimes in with whomever they are friends with. It's all very funny, but this episode was bizarre in the best possible way. Their guest was Armen Weitzman. Comedy fans know who Weitzman is, and how weird he can be, but he was off the handles in this particular "Doughboys". He would go back and forth between talking about the food to talking straight nonsense. While I was listening, I was enthralled at how wacky this episode was becoming. Even Mitchell and Wiger seemed to be taken aback at where all this was going. They even stopped their bickering towards each other and let Weitzman go on some long, strange rants. The best part was Weitzman explaining why his basketball podcast with Mitchell never came to fruition. This was the most bizarre thing in a completely absurd episode. I loved every second and I've listened to it multiple times just to hear the craziness. Not every episode is like this one, but I'm glad they have this, because it's one for the ages.

Coming in at number three I have "The Bill Simmons Podcast" episode with Michael Rappaport. As we all know by now, Simmons was fired from ESPN, took a social media hiatus for a couple of months and finally announced he'd be returning with a podcast and a TV show soon. The podcast was first and his early episodes were with friends and former athletes. It was basically the same thing as the "B.S. Report". Then, he had Michael Rappaport on and it was magical. He talked about everything fro his love for Knicks basketball to Rocky's trainer being a ladies man. He professed his love for Knicks rookie Kristaps Porzingis, calling him the "Latvian Gangster". He also kept calling Latvia, Lativia. He added an "I" that didn't need to be there. He also pushed Simmons to say something bad about ESPN. I loved how he was all in his business trying to get Simmons to say anything about his firing and what led to it. Simmons didn't say anything on air, but I like to imagine he crushed ESPN off air. Rappaport was a great relief from all the Patriots, Red Sox and Celtics love that flooded the first month of Bill Simmons new podcast. He was lively, constantly cursing and just being himself. I loved it and I know most of his listeners did too. I can't wait for part two because there needs to be a part two.

My number two podcast episode was Comedy Bang Bang's fourth edition of "Farts and Procreation". This was bittersweet. Harris Wittels unfortunately overdosed and died the week before this episode came out. It was tragic and he has been greatly missed. He died way too young and had a horrible addiction problem. I didn't even know him and I miss him, so I can't even imagine what was going through Scott Aukerman's head when he did the intro. Well, his intro was an absolutely beautiful homage to his friend. He spoke of the good and the bad times they had and their close friendship. These two were very good friends. I'll admit, the intro brought me to tears. Then, they played their annual episode and it was as funny as one could've hoped for. Wittels, Chelsea Peretti and Adam Scott were as goofy and funny as they were on the previous three. Aukerman did his thing as the host, keeping the pace. Wittels did his classic "Harrison's Foam Corner" where he tells jokes that aren't ready for the stage yet and it was, once again, riotous. Peretti and Scott were great too. This was a great sendoff to the great career of Harris Wittels that was cut way too short. This is another episode I go back and listen to because it reminds me how truly talented Harris Wittels was. He was a great comedy writer nd he will be deeply missed.

And that brings us to my number one podcast episode of 2015, the "WTF with Marc Maron" episode where he interviewed President Barack Obama. This was a watermark moment in podcast history. I know that Obama was on other podcast, but not a comedian's podcast that thousands of hard core comedy fans listen to. This was a huge deal to me because I am an Obama supporter and I'm a Maron fan, so put those two together, I'm immediately on board. Maron did a great job with the interview, asking him all types of questions. Obama was even better, answering everything and telling more. He spoke of his father not really being around. He spoke of his love for his mom. He praised his wife. He talked about being a dad to teenage girls. He came off as a regular guy, not the President and I loved that. This was easily the best one hour of podcasting I listened to every year. And, I'm glad it was Maron that got the interview. He's gotten some big time people to be on his show, but he got the President and to people of my generation, this was great for us to hear this powerful man sound like an everyday guy. Maron and Obama did a great job with this episode. I mean, how could anything else be number one beside this episode.

So there you have my top five podcast episodes of 2015. Come back tomorrow where I wrap it up with my top five sports moments of 2015.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. Next year his top five podcasts will all be ones he is a featured guest on. Follow Ty on twitter @tykulik.