No Bad Ideas

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

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Today on No Bad Ideas: Stolen Cars! Unconscionable Emails! Misinformation! And special guest stars Amanda McLoughlin and Julia Schifini, co-hosts of the Spirits Podcast!

We are joined by Julia and Amanda of Spirits, Multitude, and all-around badass podcasting fame. And boy do we need their help to tackle two exceptionally terrible ideas. First, Gabriel brings us the story of a (Florida) man who steals a series of vehicles with increasingly erratic and destructive results. The team turns it into the saga of a man who finds himself repeatedly possessed by a mischievous spirit every time the sun goes down. Then, Zach brings us a report about an entirely made-up, trumped-up claim about litter boxes for Furries in all-gender bathrooms. The squad remakes it into the story of a group of high school friends who create a secret, vandalizing teenage superhero to fight back against the discriminatory policies that have swept into their world. 

All of that, plus: cryptography, Joe Pesci, Robert the Doll, high speed swamp boat chases, and things that shouldn't be interrogated too much. 

Today’s Bad Ideas™: 

Idea #1

Idea #2

Follow Julia and Amanda's work by checking out Spirits, Join the Party, and the rest of their work through Multitude. Or follow them on Twitter at @shessomickey and @JuliaSchifini.  

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

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Today is a big day on supersized No Bad Ideas. We have not one, not two, but THREE special guests joining us in the Bad Ideas Thunderdome. Beth Eyre, Felix Trench, and Tom Crowley, three of the amazing stars of Wooden Overcoats, join to lend their brilliance to a pair of truly odd and awful ideas. 

First, Gabriel brings us the tale of a woman who tried to buy a baby, and somehow we blow it up and shrink it down into a gentle indie stop-motion comedy full of heists and very organized babies. Then Sarah tells us about a man who stole a lot of manuscripts but didn’t do anything with them, and we transform it into a layered revenge plot that begins with identity fraud and ends with the worst writers’ retreat of all time. 

Finally, we ask Beth, Felix, and Tom about their work on Wooden Overcoats. They share some of their thoughts on this fourth and last season of the show, Piffling being a place that time forgot, their routes into the characters, the recording process and the show’s place in the tradition of British radio comedy, and the challenges (and fun) of performing the show live. 

Plus: Build-A-Bear Texas, semi-collapsed societies, Steven King’s sawed-off shotgun, World War B, and a pre-emptive apology to Guernsey. 

Today’s Bad Ideas™: 

Idea #1

Idea #2

To check out Wooden Overcoats, find them in your podcatcher, check out their website, Instagram, and Twitter, and check out the live-streamed performances of Season 4 at Kings Place’s K Player. 

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

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Today on No Bad Ideas... passports! Courts! Fraud! Deception! Ana de Armas!

In our first bad idea, Zach brings us the story of a man who bought a passport holder and found himself getting a bonus illegal item in the deal. The gang brings in Sgt. Offerman to investigate an evil scheme being carried out through Etsy. Then, Sarah offers up a frivolous lawsuit brought forth by fans of a world-famous actress. The squad uses it as a springboard to create a television show about a desperate, seedy lawyer for whom no case is too frivolous. 

All of that, plus: the crud de la crud, timeline questions, irredeemably broken people, Disney princesses, and fake commercials. 

Today’s Bad Ideas™: 

Idea #1

Idea #2

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

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Today on No Bad Ideas: Fire! Gangs! Drugs! Lies! And more!

On today's first idea, Sarah brings us a hall-of-famer about an enormous Christmas goat that gets burnt every year in Sweden. The gang - once they stop cackling with glee - come up with a Love-Actually-like kaleidoscopic story about a merry gang battle royale. Then, Gabriel presents the story of a man who tries to talk his way out of a drug bust... very unsuccessfully. The team makes it into a movie about a man who finds the world believing each and every one of his lies. 

All of that, plus: the right honorable man from Florida, suck-friendly shows, outstanding sound bites, classless twats, and Christmas magic.

Today’s Bad Ideas™: 

Idea #1

Idea #2

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

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Today on No Bad Ideas: Florida Men! Underwear! The robot revolution! And the gang recording together for the first time since the start of the pandemic!

First, Gabriel brings us the story of a man who tried to wear a piece of women's underwear as a mask... while going on a commercial flight. The gang tries to turn it into a film about an alien who arrives on Earth in the middle of the pandemic, and has to figure out how to navigate this strange new world. Then, Zach brings us the story of an Alexa advising a small girl to do something very dangerous. The gang tries to find a new angle on a Robot Revolt story and on a super-being that has the information superhighway in their head.

All of that, plus: fucking up everybody's day, the mayor of Orlando, machines gone wild, The Matrix but more punk, and beavers.

Today’s Bad Ideas™: 

Idea #1

Idea #2

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

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We’re back! Sarah kicks us off with a Belgian church in a bind, and we turn it into a sensational scandal that might be the miracle that bring the flock back. Then Zach introduces us to the Squirrel Board and we take the concept of keeping squirrels as pets and turn it into a heartwarming tale of an unusual friendship between man and monster. 

Plus: Benedetta’s viral marketing campaign, an animal arms race, lovely British sitcoms, metaphors for community, and several hot priests. 

Today’s Bad Ideas™: 

Idea #1

Idea #2

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

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Welcome back to the first No Bad Ideas for 2022! Today on the show, we bring you: fake IDs, tattoos that determine your life, accidental hacking, and crime cell phones!

In our first bad idea, Gabriel presents the tale of a man so desperate for a vaccine card - but so unwilling to get a real vaccine - that he tries to use a fake arm to bluff his way through the vaccination. The gang turns it into a cyberpunk adventure about escaping your government-assigned role. Then, Sarah brings us the story of how an unlucky man accidentally hacked a Latin American organized crime ring. The squad transforms it into a breakneck adventure starring a mild-mannered man man who finds his life turned upside down when a notorious assassin sets out to steal his identity. 

All of that, plus: cartoons come to life, microchips, extended Some Like It Hot riffs, digital footprints, and nuevo telefono, quien es? 

Today’s Bad Ideas™: 

Idea #1

Idea #2

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In our last episode of 2021, we tackle a couple very normal and relatable problems. First, Gabriel brings us the tale of a Don Draper stan in all the wrong ways and we turn it into the cutthroat tale of a kid who takes a cynical scam much too far. Then Zach tells us a chilling story of a forgotten VHS tape that resulted in a felony charge, and we turn it into an origin story for the spy drama of the century and a great opportunity, we think, for Vanessa Hudgens. 

Plus: Savvy 16 year-olds, the cyber mob, new uses for Christmas trees, a North By Northwest situation, and Finance Bros, Inc.  

Today’s Bad Ideas™: 

Idea #1

Idea #2 

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

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Today on No Bad Ideas... Airplane crashes! Movie diaries! Darkwing Duck as a person! Cocaine hippos! And more!

In our first bad idea, Sarah brings us the story of the airplane pilot who meticulously documents every single one of his crashes... just in case someone wants to turn his life into a movie. The gang tries to turn it into a movie about a foolish man chasing the wrong kinds of glory. Then, Zach brings us the news that Colombian hippos have officially been declared legal humans. The squad tries to spin that into an animated story about some displaced animals trying to find out what happened to their master. 

All of that, plus: incredibly dangerous animals, buffoonery, one-page RPGs, people who definitely do not deserve justice, and last minute pivots. 

Today’s Bad Ideas™: 

Idea #1

Idea #2

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

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