Don't Get Me Started

Eight (ish?) years ago, actor/comedian/Emmy winner Jeff Hiller was a guest on this podcast to discuss reading celebrity memoirs. Today he returns to discuss what it was like to WRITE one! We were so excited to talk to Jeff we did the unprecedented/confusing thing of doing another episode of this podcast which for real is not happening anymore! Okay, back to Jeff! After the success of playing Joel on the terrific HBO show Somebody, Somewhere Jeff wrote a memoir "Actress Of A Certain Age." It tells stories of growing up in Texas, working for non profits in Denver and Africa, pursuing acting in NYC, doing improv at the Upright Citizens Brigade Theater, moving to LA and then back to NYC and lots more.  We were thrilled to talk to Jeff about his book and his life! Thank you Jeff! For minor obsessions, Anthony talked about trying to switch from reading social media to getting daily email newsletters and Will discussed the maddening video game Baby Steps.  Thanks to Susannah Beckett for suggesting that we do this! John Flynn (who wrote his own terrific memoir Baked) also suggested it! I thanked John in the podcast and forgot to thank Susannah! Conspiracy? Who knows? Also Connor Ratliff suggested it. Look, we have a lot of smart friends and we're grateful for them all!  

Hosts Anthony King and Will Hines return after two(ish) years to discuss the recent(ish) HBO documentary on Billy Joel "And So It Goes." Anthony and Will are both big Billy Joel fans and have a lot of thought on this very good doc! And the Minor Obsessions return! Anthony is into SuDuko to a troubling degree and Will talks vaguely about the art of a franchise returning after a long hiatus (a la the recent Spinal Tap sequel, not about the temporary return of this podcast). See you all in 2-3 years, maybe?

We're back! For no reason! Well, maybe because there's a writer's strike and Anthony has time. And maybe because Will figured out that if he just sent Anthony a scheduled zoom link with no warning, Anthony would accept it! But whatever the reason is, your hosts are back with another "minor obsessions" only episode. We go over apps, books, games, other podcasts and waking up early. Please enjoy this "for no reason" bonus epsiode!

Anthony and Will resurrect the podcast for one episode because... well, just kinda because! No guests! They each describe three minor obsessions. Oddly, their first ones are almost identical. They get into: music, liquor, video games, statistics, social media, Broadway, the pandemic, 9-11 and wondering how they will let anyone know that this episode exists!  Thanks to Connor Ratliff for encouraging us to do this!

Final episode! After almost three years, we are ending the podcast! "Why?" you ask, you DEMAND, to know? Well, we just wanted to. We've loved it every step of the way but now we can sense it becoming more of a chore than a labor of love so we're ending it before that happens. In this final episode, we talk about the reasons we started the podcast, the things we tried in our real lives, the nature of adult friendships, Seinfeld, Facebook algorithms, learning new music, Anthony's run of being artistic director of UCB, Will's method of remembering things from the media he absorbs and... that's it! Thank you to everyone who has been on our show, who has listened to it, who's supported it! Seeeee yaaaaaaaaaa!

Hayes Davenport is a co-host of the very funny podcast Hollywood Handbook, as well as being a writer for many great television comedies. We don't talk to him about any of that. We get into his obsession with CITY PLANNING. Why are cities set up the way they are? What are the issues with making them better? What's going with Los Angeles? Who made NYC have all those bike lanes? We love this episode and so will you. Also, Will discusses the cat petting/hair-pulling tool The Furminator and Anthony talks about the online service BookBub.

We break our "not about what you do" rule yet AGAIN to talk to television writer/former UCB Artistic Director Neil Campbell about SKETCH COMEDY. We get nerdy early and often as we go back to Neil's days at the University of Iowa, his thoughts on the early days of the UCB sketch scene, how he adjusts strategies when writing for television and way more! No minor obsessions because why follow ANY RULES?

We talk to Jackie Johnson, comedian actor and host of the hit podcast Natch Beaut, about her jaw-droopingly long obsessing with the SIMS. You know, the virtual family game where you set up a little community and they age and do stuff? Jackie has done this for like 15 years. Holy jeebs. Also, Will talks about the sketch comedy podcast from Austin called Victrola, and Anthony talks about Croation singing sensation Jacques Houdek.

We talk to comedian Beth Appel about ODYSSEY OF THE MIND, the middle-and-high-school competition designed to encourage creative problem solving. What got Beth so obsessed? How is it not like a quiz bowl or a math team or other nerdy competitive things? What's with all the building things out of wood? We get into all that and MORE! Plus Will is into a teahouse he visited in Beijing and Anthony likes Malcolm Gladwell's podcast Revisionist History.

We talk to comedian Will McLaughlin (TBS' show "Wrecked") about the JFK ASSASSINATION. Seeing the Oliver Stone movie JFK set Will on a path of researching President Kennedy's murder to see what parts of the official story really DON'T hold up. Will has three main issues with the official story, and if you listen to the episode you will hear WHAT THOSE ARE. Also, Will (Hines) talks about the Alessi Brothers' song "Seabird" and Anthony, after trying water skiing for the first time in years, ponders about how certain learned skills remain available years after you last use them.

We talk to producer/director David Zwick about the 1924 Democratic National Convention! In what could have been a shoo-in for the Democratic party, infighting and factions led to taking almost 2 weeks to pick someone who turned out to be an incredibly weak candidate! We hear about how the party couldn't decide whether or not to condemn the KKK, and how being Catholic meant you were a political liability! Hoo boy. Plus Will discusses the idea of "competency porn" especially related to the book "The Martian" and Anthony talks about the book "Hatching Twitter" by Nick Bilton.

Comedian Dominique Johnson comes on to talk about LISTENING TO NEW MUSIC. Through Facebook, the hosts realized that Dom had an interesting set of opinions on music: he's both very opinionated but also very open. Meaning: he'll listen to new music, even music that's very outside of his tastes. Yet he doesn't blindly accept artists just because they are widely viewed as good. It turns out there's a reason Dom is so open to music. We get into his childhood, moving from town to town -- black neighborhoods to white ones, places where his friends liked nu metal to places where they liked jazz. And we play a lot of stuff Dom likes, including perhaps most surprisingly John Mayer. Will talks about the George Saunders novel Lincoln in the Bardo and Anthony updates us on his increasingly problematic dependence on the iPhone game Clash Royale.

Comedian/musician/phenomenon Jim Santangeli talks to us about The NFL Draft. "What is it?" asks Will, and Jim answers. We also get into: college football, Connecticut pride, old podcast ideas, forgotten web series and love! Hey and there's more: Will likes Twin Peaks, and Anthony is fascinated by the story of Billy Joel backup singer Mike DelGuidice.

Returning guest Jen Krueger (from the "Notebooks/Day Planners") episode talks to us about her obsession with British Panel Shows. From the perhaps most well-known "QI" to the less-well-known-but-more-fun-named "8 Out Of 10 Cats Does Countdown," she tells us why she likes these shows, which are her favorite guests, why she thinks these types of shows haven't made it in the US and about a reddit user who is a hero for uploading all these shows to YouTube. Plus Will talks about his processes for getting rid of books (unfortunately named the fascist-sounding "book purging") and Anthony raves about the new play "The Antipodes."

Comedy mastermind Ben Rodgers talks to us about audio books. Great books, great narrators, great settings for listening to them. Why are Stephen King books so great? What should a good audiobook reader's IMDB profile be like? And much more! Will talks about watching movies on planes and Anthony discusses the website "Burbankia."

We break our rule (talking to people not about what they do) to talk to UCB co-founder MATT WALSH about IMPROV. We also get into sketch, and live comedy, and old school UCB shows like Robot TV and Killgore, and his time at the Annoyance Theater and improvOlympic, and Will implies that Matt has never done a Harold, which is unfair and untrue. No minor obsessions this week. ALL IMPROV. If you like this, make sure to check out Matt's podcast "UCB Sports and Leisure" which features lotsa UCB stars, including WILL HINES.

Comedian/musician Ariana Lenarsky talks to us about TAROT. Cards, the image, the history, tips of doing a reading, how she got into it, history of the classic cards that you are thinking of, and MORE! Plus Anthony is into the XM radio app and their station "70s on 7." And Will is really into hotels.

We talk to comedian Dru Johnston about EVOLUTION. How did he get interested in it? How much of it is getting mad at creationists? Why DO people get passionate about creationism? What happened to the neanderthals? What books are good to read about this stuff? AND MORE! Plus Anthony talks about the Fijian dish Kokoda, and Will abhors the process of condemning tropes in TV/movies just because they have a cool label.

John Purcell talks about the rock group U2. Why does he love them? Why was he ashamed of that at first? What are some deeper cuts people don't appreciate? Why did he see 4 shows in one week one year when their set list doesn't really change that much? Plus Will talks about both the audio book "The Kid Stays in the Picture" and podcast playing speeds; while Anthony discusses flower gardening. NOT VEGETABLE GARDENING.

Film and television creator Sarah-Violet Bliss talks about sociopaths! What makes one a sociopath, how should you deal with them and what's the difference between them and narcissists? Plus Will discusses the tropes of business self-help books and Anthony talks about a great video for the song "Wyclef Jean" by Young Thug.

Comedian Joel Spence is a multi-talented, well-educated man who knows about a lot of things. Despite that, he choose to talk to us about the band Frankie Goes to Hollywood. "Why?" we thought. "Aren't they just a one-hit wonder band from the 80s?" Turns out that they are a several hit wonder band, as well as a group of truly talented musicians and also the creators of a fascinating and ambitious double album "Welcome to the Pleasuredome." We go through it. Plus Will discusses conversation starters he uses and Anthony goes over a twitter account that makes fun of this very podcast, @Parody_DGMS.

Comedy writer Nate Dern discusses author George Saunders! Absurdist! Heartbreaking! Sci-fi-ish? And more! Plus Anthony talks about the strange public domain movies in the Prelinger Archives and Will reminisces about NYC columnist Jimmy Breslin.

Comedy writer Dylan Snowden tells about his time working for FEMA and the world of responding to disasters! Plus Will talks about the song "Magic" by B.O.B. and Anthony discusses an innovate production from the theatre group Teatro Republica.

Comedian/writer/editor Sasha Feiler talks to us about DOG SPORTS. We get into how great her dog Spoon is at dog sports. We talk about "nose work." We talk about "dog agility." We talk about training. We talk about how dog owners in the world of dog sports can be, ironically, catty. We also touch very briefly on how Russia views WWII, as seen from Sasha's childhood in Siberia. But it's mostly dog sports. This is one of our favorite segments ever. Also Anthony discusses Planet Earth II and Will discusses Letters to Cleo's new song.

Comedian/writer/Broadway actor Michael Hartney returns to the podcast to discuss the internet phenomenon called "Unfavorable Semicircle." Basically, someone (or perhaps, some program) is uploading videos of seemingly incoherent video and audio noise, which is vaguely machine like in nature. But wait, is it incoherent? Theories abound in discussion groups which are tracking these videos: is there a message buried in these vids? And what does Steamboat Willie have to do with it? Plus, Will discusses the lovely NYTimes crossword puzzle site xwordinfo.com, and Anthony discusses... well, I guess he discusses how many people have to be in a group before they answer the question "how are you" with the sound "wooo!" rather than words. Yep.

We talk to artist Liz Rodriguez about her lifelong obsession with Studio Ghibli - the Japanese animation/production house behind My Neighbor Totoro, Kiki's Delivery Service, Howl's Moving Castle and Spirited Away. Beautiful illustration! Female protagonists! A lack of formulaic storytelling! And just... it's good! Plus Will gives a poorly organized telling of the baseball mishaps of "Snodgrass' Muff and Merkel's Boner" and Anthony discusses APPLE SLICERS!

Comedian Todd Fasen talks to us about the music festival institution Coachella! Why is it good? How has it changed? What are the best ways to enjoy it? What's the deal with the camping? Plus Will discusses Vertigo comics editor Karen Berger and Anthony raves about a newfangled device he has - the Fidget Cube.

Vulture.com writer Jesse Fox talks to us about watching SNL as a sport. Good episode, bad episode, good season, bad season -- you keep watching at least partly because you want to see how the "team" does. We love this theory and talk forever about it. Also, Will talks about some computer programming thing (PHP framework called Laravel) and Anthony talks about the forgotten 1980 film "How To Beat The High Cost of Living."

Comedian Brandon Gardner talks about his interest in comedian/filmmaker Woody Allen. Heard of him? Genius comedy writer and stand-up comedian? Maker of brilliant films (both comedies, dramas and some that are in-between)? Oh yeah, and the guy who dated and then married the 19 year old daughter of his longtime girlfriend, and then later was publicly accused by his daughter of molesting her? Uh, yeah. Him. We get into it. The appeal of Allen's comedy and his movies, and the trouble of separating what you feel about someone's art versus what you feel about the artist. Also, Will discusses the Doomsday Clock and Anthony discusses the Bobby Kenny biography "The Last Campaign."

A very cool and interesting personal episode. We talk to comedian Luke Kelly-Clyne about Zoloft and how this anti-depressant ended up being the thing that helped him handle his clinical depression. We talk a lot about the stigmas of anti-depressants, and therapy and admitting that you're dealing with depression at all. We also get into some of the basics of medications. Please note that we are not doctors and thus much of what we say is almost definitely oversimplified and is not official advice, etc etc. We also talk about how Anthony has been watching season one of the TV show Newhart, and that Will wants LA residents to vote "NO" on Measure S come March.

Comedian Billy Merritt returns to discuss BIRDS. "I'm ready to talk about birds now," he emailed us, and even though we didn't know what he meant by "ready" and "now" we scheduled a podcast immediately. We get into bird watching, birding, and going birding. We get into sparrows and swallows and cardinals and titmouses and California condors. We get into how Billy is an excellent "animal spotter" and lots of other stuff! Plus Will discusses the 111-year-old Beijing man who was the father of Pinyin, or modern written Chinese. And Anthony discusses the particular flavor of guilt you feel when you can't afford something at a restaurant.

Nicole Erb (actor, comedy writer, you know the drill) talks to us about Shakespeare's "problematic plays." This includes the "problem plays" (neither comedies nor tragedies) but also any play which either drops plot threads, or makes enemies suddenly decide to get married, or has tragic scenes in the middle of otherwise happy acts, ET CETERA! Nicole likes the awkwardness they creates, but many directors try to hide them. We also get into Shakespeare in general. Spoiler: he's popular. In addition: Anthony talks about a podcast he is obsessed with called "In The Dark." Then Will discusses Betteridges' Law of Headlines, which says headlines that are questions are always answered with "no."

WE FIND OUT THAT CHARLES PRANKED US AT 19:30. Charles Rogers, co-creator of the TBS show "Search Party" and the South by Southwest winning film "Fort Tilden" comes on the podcast to discuss PRANKS. But not little pranks like you're thinking of. These pranks sometimes involve months of setup, or elaborate fictional characters, or daring phone calls, and sometimes even outright lies. Charles talks about how his approach to doing pranks has changed over the years as he learns about what makes a prank creative vs. just mean. And he declares how pranking is a form of art. Also, Charles reveals that in the days previous to recording the session, he had played a prank on Will and Anthony. Also, Will discusses the screenwriting book "Beat by Beat" and Anthony discusses the book "Everything Was Possible" which is an actor's diary of the production of "Follies" by Stephen Sondheim.

We talk to returning guest/comedian/madman Connor Ratliff about the comic strip PEANUTS. We get into how it changed over its 50 year run, how amazingly devoted creator Charles Schulz was to it, why Connor likes drawing so much, the TV specials and MORE! Plus Will talks about the book "Thinking, Fast and Slow" and Anthony talks about his new Alexa Dot from Amazon.

Comedian/writer Lauren McGuire discusses the tv show "RuPaul's Drag Race." What is so compelling about it? How is it different than other reality/competition shows? Where does the positivity come from? What is it about drag queens that are so compelling and inspiring? And what are the factors that let someone win? EDITED TO ADD: LAUREN MEANT TO SAY THAT SEASON 7 IS LACKLUSTER, NOT THE TERRIFIC SEASON 6! SHE KNOWS BETTER AND SHE IS SORRY! Also Will discusses a new podcast he's doing about The Beatles called "Screw It, We're Just Gonna Talk About the Beatles" and Anthony discusses how much he likes the new Broadway show "Natasha, Pierre and the Great Comet of 1812."

We talk to writer/director Robbie Pickering about BOXING. How did he get into it? What do you learn about yourself? Are you, the listener, intrigued by the idea of being hit in the face? Then BOXING could be for you! Also Will talks about Batman: The Animated Series (yes the 90s one) and Anthony discusses indie video game "The Swapper."

We talk to comedian / director Clay Larsen about game structure. "Game" like board games, party games, things-you-play games, and "structure" meaning the stories you get into while you play games. Like if you play Risk and start acting like a tyrant, you know? Oh, you'll see. Also, Anthony talks about the mash-ups of our friend Daniel "Chambaland" Chamberlin and Will talks about the super-exciting computer language SHRDLU!

We talk to comedian Mark David Christenson about the band Deerhoof. How does one categorize their indie but epic but funky style? How did he get into them? Why does Anthony like them right away? In addition, Will talks about the two recorded versions of Buddy Holly's "That'll Be The Day" and Anthony discusses the deliciousness of a low country boil.

We talk to comedian/musician Bridgid Ryan about her love of JAPAN. Like Anglophilia, but for Japan. Japandamania? Japandamonium? We talk the language, the culture, the media, the style and more! Plus Anthony talks about trying to stay off of his phone and Will discusses the book Dracula.

We talk to comedian Shaun Diston about PRE-HISTORY, meaning the human civilizations that existed before current recorded history. We're talking lost coastal cities, a hypothetical EARLIER Egyptian dynasty, the people who first figured out how to build pyramids, the cities beneath the ancient ruins, the ships at the bottom of the Black Sea, and more! Plus Will talks about the British tradition of observing a two-minute silence on Armistice Day, and Anthony talks about the surprising appeal of spin classes.

Writer and stand-up comedian Amy Silverberg loves wiener dogs, and she tells us all about it. What breeds? What types of coats? What are her preferred names? What is the appropriate voice to make when you are addressing a wiener dog? How about if you are making a voice on BEHALF of a wiener dog? What instagram accounts should you follow? We cover all of this and somehow much more! Also Will and Anthony review the different minor obsession theme songs that listeners have sent in!

We talk to comedian Jamie Lee about her obsession with MOVIES WHERE PEOPLE DIE. Tragedies, preferably involving a fatal disease and a group of tight-knit friends getting even tighter. We're talking "Steel Magnolias," we're talking "Boys on the Side" but we are NOT talking "Forrest Gump!" Why not? Listen to find out! Also, Anthony talks about the Garry Marshall memoir "Wake Me When It's Funny" and Will discusses the creepy/beautiful video game Limbo.

NOTE: The audio starts cutting in and out after 14 minutes. My recording error. It's ironic that a conversation about trying to communicate better is ITSELF having trouble communicating. We're leaving it up but it unfortunately skips. Our apologies. Mary Sasson returns as she, Anthony and Will do a follow-up to their Election 2016 episode, in which they all seemed pretty confident that Hillary Clinton was going to win. Titled "Oops!" this episode gets into why they had gotten so wrongly confident, the nature of arguing in this election cycle, the understandable anger and bewilderment of all of their friends and most of all a reminder that sometimes when you think you know what's going on, you don't.

We talk to comedian Devin Field about FAST-TALKING WEIRDOS IN COMEDY MOVIES. Michael Keaton is the best example, and maybe the only example? No, there are others and we talk about them! Also, Anthony talks about The Seven-Year Itch and Will discusses musician Emilyn Brodsky.

We talk to comedians and Headgum network founders Jake Hurwitz and Amir Blumenfeld about their obsession with DANCING. These guys get dressed up, hit the bar/clubs (but usually bars) and get into the music. We talk about what kind of bars they like, what kind of music, how the act of dancing fills you with joy, how they got into this and how they are honestly not being creepy but yes incidentally girls like it when you dance. Also Will talks about the Stephen King book "Misery" and Anthony raves about the new Broadway play "The Encounter."

There's not enough talk about the elections, we figured, so here's our contribution. We talk to comedians Travis Helwig and Mary Sasson about the 2016 US presidential election. More than in previous elections, we are fascinating with the race this year. How did Trump get here? What went down with Bernie vs. Hillary? Why does everyone want to think everything is rigged? Will the president and congress ever work together? How did Hillary clean Trump's clock in the debates when no one else could (our interpretation)? Also, are we in the middle of World War III?

We talk to comedian Casey Feigh about the radical idea that Facebook is good and fun. People love to criticize it, but Casey is here to defend it. We get into the main criticisms people have, and Casey has ideas of how one can get around those criticisms. We talk about getting in touch, and posting fun photos, and letting friends know how you're doing and even -- gasp -- having empathy for other people's life choices! Will talks about the first 13 seconds of the song "Dancing in the Moonlight" and Anthony talks about politico David Plouffe's prediction that Trump has very little chance of winning the election. And then we talk about politics for like 20 minutes!

Comedian / writer / director Alex Fernie returns to the podcast to discuss ROBERT KENNEDY. We get into his strengths (committment to civil rights), he weaknesses (er, being real cool with Communist witch-hunting), his impromptu speech on the night Martin Luther King Jr. died, how he might have been a more transformative figure than JFK, and how his assassination in 1968 may have changed American politics forever. Anthony talks about the two different musicals' interpretations of the jazz age poem "The Wild Party," one of which he worked on. And in case this is all too exciting, Will keeps it mundane by giving a very-quickly-researched discussion of local LA political issue Measure M (new sales tax to fund transportation upgrades).

We talk to comedian Nicole Byer, star of the MTV shows "Girl Code" and her own "Loosely Exactly Nicole" about her obsessions STEALING and FAKE HAIR. It's our first two-obsession podcast, including one that is straight-up a criminal activity. First, Nicole talks about her (past) days as a shoplifter, how she got into it, how to do it right, how she eventually stopped. Then we just downshift into fake hair: we get into extensions, weaves and wigs. Anthony and I reminisce on some of Nicole's past hair styles we've seen her with over the years. Nicole is hilarious and great and we are so excited we got her on our show. Also Anthony talks about what's going on in increasingly depopulated shopping malls, and Will discusses the book "Elf Girl," a memoir of the alt-comedy scene in the Lower East Side of NYC.

We talk to comedian Mike Carlson about comics writer Grant Morrison! He's written almost everything in the super hero world! He's into chaos magick! He's cerebral and laid-back and Scottish! We talk about what Mike likes about him so much. We get into several of his famous works, like All-Star Superman, The Invisibles, his run on Batman and X-Men, as well as some more minor but awesome things like We3. Also Anthony talks about Galco's Soda Pop Shop and Will talks about the movie "My Dinner With Andre."