No Bad Ideas

The Bad Ideas Squad is joined by Wooden Overcoats's Beth Eyre, voice performer extraordinaire, for two terrible story ideas!

In today's first bad idea, Zach brings the team a terrifying profile of a museum exhibit that specializes in something truly sinister: disgusting food. The squad tries to find some way to spin it into a tale of charming bar that is trying to make more money with a gastronomical flop than with a hit. Then, Sarah brings us the tale of an author rolling a one on their research check, which leads to a tale of intrigue, trust, credibility, and despair! 

All of that, plus: TED Talks that go super viral, ancillary details, comedians everybody hates, many mistakes, and life-ruining tragedies. 

Today’s Bad Ideas™:

Idea #1

Idea #2

For more of Beth's work, follow her on Twitter, and check out Wooden Overcoats.

Support the show: http://patreon.com/NoBadIdeas

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We’re delighted to welcome the wonderful Em Mantoani back to the NBI digital hot seat for more bad ideas mayhem!

First, Sarah brings a story about the ubiquity of images in our digital age, and the gang turns it into a love affair with an artificial intelligence twist.

Then, after briefly cancelling the episode, we chat with Em about the stories that have been helping us through 2020, what we find sustaining about art and the magic of playing pretend.

Plus: Richville, Maryland, real life Barbie and Ken dolls, terrible plot twists, a lot of plausible deniability, and Zach Talenti.

Today’s Bad Idea™:

Idea #1

To hear more of Em’s work, visit The Van’s website, or follow the show on Twitter.

Support the show: http://patreon.com/NoBadIdeas

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Bad Ideas Team is joined by Em Mantoani, the creator of the Van Podcast, for two stories of food, identity, and poor impulse control!

In our first story, Zach brings us a tale of a kindly old British gran who has taken a McDonalds burger far, far beyond the point of no return. The team goes into overdrive trying to come up with a character who would want to follow her footsteps for more sensical reasons. Then, Gabriel's story of a man trying to avoid a humiliating reunion with an ex is taken to its logical conclusion: faking your own death. 

All of that, plus: pranks that were never activated, diamond packages, the psychology of a character, the ultimate grifter, and things that are found in both heaven and hell. 

Today’s Bad Ideas™:

Idea #1

Idea #2

To hear more of Em's work, visit The Van's website, or follow the show on Twitter. 

Support the show: http://patreon.com/NoBadIdeas

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

More mayhem, more ideas, more Crowley!  We’re delighted to have the inimitable Tom Crowley back for one more ride in the Bad Ideas-mobile.

And the idea is Mr. Crowley’s! Tom lets us in on a secret source of revenue that a German circus has been taking advantage of during the pandemic, and we turn it into a rags to riches to bars fable of ambition… and animal poo.

We also settle down and talk to Tom about his sketch comedy work - how he comes up with ideas, how he structures episodes of his show Crowley Time, and his grand theory of joke types.

Plus: The re-skinned Burt’s Bees origin story, embarrassing censored movie posters, hilarious wacky mix-ups, Gabriel’s secret weakness, and a surprising emerging market.

Today’s Bad Idea™:

Idea #1

For more of Tom's work, follow him on Twitter, and check out Wooden Overcoats, Victoriocity, and his website, where you'll also find Crowley Time (With Him, Tom Crowley). 

Support the show: http://patreon.com/NoBadIdeas

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Writer, performer, and (comedy) sketch artist extraordinaire Tom Crowley joins the Bad Ideas Squad for two tales from beyond the grave!

For our first bad idea, Sarah brings us a witchy obituary like nothing we've ever heard before, and - naturally - the team tries to figure out how to turn it into a story of growth and self-actualization á la Amelie. Then, Gabriel presents the tale of the somewhat ghoulish thing a Belgian town has done with the heart of their mayor, leading the squad to spin up a yarn about a man who couldn't lie in the most improbable way. 

All of that, plus: old-school pyramid schemes, husbands of little-to-no importance, ladder embezzlement, oracular aunts from the beyond the grave, and Bentham Football. 

Today’s Bad Ideas™:

Idea #1

Idea #2

For more of Tom's work, follow him on Twitter, and check out Wooden Overcoats, Victoriocity, and his website, where you'll also find Crowley Time (With Him, Tom Crowley). 

Support the show: http://patreon.com/NoBadIdeas

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Note: the recording for today's episode features a bit of static interference, especially during the second idea. We sincerely apologize about this - it was an unavoidable technical problem due to recording remotely - and hope to have this matter resolved for all future episodes. 

Taking Initiative mastermind Josh Perrault returns to No Bad Ideas for two more tales of walks in the woods, creatures of the night, and glaring typos!

In the first of our bad ideas today, Sarah brings us the tale of a man who goes on a harrowing - yet somehow wholesome - walk in the woods. The team turns it into a story of a man who discovers a wide network of monsters and other beings who go bump in the night. Then, Gabriel brings us the story of a man who tried to fake his own death but was brought down by his own typographical errors. The team tries to figure out how to turn this into the tale of a man looking for a way to cheat a very specific death, no matter the cost. 

All of that, plus: press conferences, vampires, selkies, car crashes, and a gigantic cargo of fish. 

Today’s Bad Ideas™:

Idea #1

Idea #2

If you’d like to hear more of Josh, you should listen to Taking Initiative and visit their Patreon and Twitter! You can also find Josh on Instagram. 

Support the show: http://patreon.com/NoBadIdeas

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

No Bad Ideas is proud to present a short trailer for Mars' Best Brisket, an audio comedy charity event happening this week! Help our friends raise $1,000 to help the Lovin Spoonfuls provide food to their neighbors in Boston! 

Check out the show's website at marsbestbrisket.com, or contribute to their campaign at marsbestcharity.com.

A transcript of the trailer is available here. 

Support the show: http://patreon.com/NoBadIdeas

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We are down one NBI host today, but never fear! We recruited one of our most favorite people in podcasting to step into the breach: a veteran of both the dungeons and the dragons, Taking Initiative’s Josh Perault is back for more!

And boy, do we have more. We begin the episode with an idea that has it all: rookie detectives, poisoning plots, witchcraft, heartbreak, and… trees? The boys take this bizarre piece of Austin, TX lore and turn it into an affirming fable about learning to love the cycles of life. Then, Zach brings us a foreboding tale of automation meets childcare, and the guys concoct a sinister thriller that phases out parenthood.

Plus: the root of feeling, the knowledge of love and evil, a Sarah Connor situation, a low-key action sequence, and the Whomping Willow Gone Wild. 

Today’s Bad Ideas™:

Idea #1

Idea #2

If you’d like to hear more of Josh, you should listen to Taking Initiative and visit their Patreon and Twitter! You can also find Josh on Instagram. 

Support the show: http://patreon.com/NoBadIdeas

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We are delighted to have Mr. Briggon Snow, the literal best, back in the No Bad Ideas virtual studio to chat about his journey from acting to writing, learning how to sit down and get out of your own head to doing the Lin Manuel-Miranda thing, creating from a place of truth, and everything in between.

If you’d like to check out more of Briggon’s work, visit his website and the website for Atypical Artists. You can also follow Briggon on Twitter and on Instagram.

Support the show: http://patreon.com/NoBadIdeas

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Today on No Bad Ideas: flying high in the sky... the world of organized middle school crime... and one of our favorite actors and creators in podcasting, The Bright Sessions' Briggon Snow!

Briggon joins us for two tales of people who climbed too fast too quickly, and the strange, terrible consequences they faced as a result. First, Gabriel brings us the tale of an aviation pioneer who took flight in a rather alarming way. The gang, of course, makes it into a rom com about two mis-matched souls who need to find some common ground. Then, Sarah brings us the most demented story about neopets, organized crime, and password recovery to ever emerge from the depths of Twitter. We strive to turn it into an epic of organized crime, replete with everything from tragic double-crosses to criss-crossing parallel stories. 

All of that, plus: bi-annual emails, juice packs, races to say, "I love you," bad puns about things rising, and things that only happen in LA!

Today's Bad Ideas:

Idea #1

Idea #2

For more of Briggon's work, visit his website and the website for Atypical Artists. You can also follow Briggon on Twitter and on Instagram. 

Support the show: http://patreon.com/NoBadIdeas

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.