Don't Get Me Started

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.