#NotAboutUpod

This episode featured Ryan West, the owner and publisher of the Palacios Beacon newspaper in Palacios, Texas. Ryan shared details about his family of six children and discussed the challenges of running a small-town newspaper in a community of about 4,000 people. The conversation covered Ryan's experiences covering local government meetings and dealing with public pushback, including accusations of bias. The discussion also touched on marijuana legalization and use for pain management, with Marianne and Jamal sharing their personal experiences with medical cannabis. They explored topics around racism, immigration, and cultural diversity, sharing personal anecdotes about growing up in diverse communities and the importance of cross-cultural understanding through food and social interactions.

On this magnificent episode featuring two talented L.A based comedians, Jen Saunderson and Tony Dijamco, the gang discussed parenting in today's social climate, horror movies, and then it gets weird and hilarious.

This episode featured guest Gary Stone, covering current events, politics, health, and pop culture. The group discussed the rise of AI and automation, concerns about robot trucks, and the impact of technology on jobs. They talked about health updates, including Romeo's cancer recovery and experiences with medication. The conversation touched on political topics such as Trump, the MAGA movement, and the upcoming midterm elections. They debated movie remakes, casting choices for Black Panther, and shared their recent binge-watching habits.

The gang discussed their trips. Marianne and Romeo in Chicago visiting Kyle; Jamal in Houston celebrating is birthday with his high school friend. They also shared their thoughts about the current administration.

Jamal discussed his unexpected visit to Chicago where his bus was canceled, leading to a full day exploring the city including Millennium Park, Lake Michigan, and the South Side. Marianne recounted a chaotic open mic experience at where an intoxicated mother disrupted the show, leading to their early departure. The conversation also covered political topics including speculation about Mitch McConnell's health, and extensive discussion about the World Cup.

Hosted by Jamal Harrington, where he discussed his recent comedy show in Madison, Wisconsin at the Bartell Community Theater and shared experiences from his weekend travels. Jamal recounted visiting a unique restaurant called "Porn in a Morn" that showed pornography on TV screens while serving breakfast, which he described as one of the most unusual experiences of his comedy career. He also shared details about his unexpected layover in Chicago after his Madison show, including exploring the city's downtown area and Lake Michigan. The conversation then shifted to social and political topics, with Jamal and guest, Brandon Popson discussing economic challenges, minimum wage issues, and their perspectives on current political divides. They explored topics around LGBTQ+ rights, with Jamal sharing his personal support for gay rights. The discussion concluded with a debate about fascism and political terminology, where Brandon mentioned the 14 traits of fascist societies and compared current political trends to historical fascist movements.

This podcast episode featured first-time guest Matt Black discussing recent experiences in the comedy industry. Jamal shared a detailed account of a problematic comedy show in Poughkeepsie The conversation also covered Matt's transition from stand-up comedy to political content creation on social media platforms, where he has built a following of around 40,000 Facebook followers and 5,000 TikTok followers. Matt explained his shift toward political content was driven by his inability to remain silent about current events, particularly noting his background listening to bands like Rage Against the Machine influenced his left-leaning political views.

Jamal, Romeo and Marianne discussed Jamal's recent colonoscopy experience, where doctors found two benign polyps that were removed during the procedure. Jamal detailed the challenging preparation process, including the difficult-to-tolerate solution and subsequent bathroom issues that persisted for hours after the procedure. They discussed the importance of patient advocacy, particularly after Jamal had previously been encouraged to use a less invasive Cologuard test instead of a colonoscopy. Marianne emphasized how crucial it is for patients to insist on appropriate medical care when they believe something is not right with their health. The conversation also touched on lifestyle changes, with Marianne sharing her experiences quitting smoking and drinking, and Jamal discussing his own health habits and recent decision to stop smoking and drinking before performing on stage.

Marianne, Romeo and Jamal conducted a podcast recording session where they discussed their recent comedy performance experiences and the benefits of comedy writing workshops. They reflected on how the workshop they attended helped improve their comedy sets, with Jamal noting successful application of new techniques and Marianne sharing how the workshop refreshed her approach to material. They shared details about upcoming shows, with Marianne performing at Cornicopia Comedy Club in Chehalis, WA and Jamal heading to Delaware for a show in Lewes, where they discussed the challenges of road gigs and proper preparation. The conversation also covered their perspectives on comedy venues, including memories of the Comedy Underground in Tacoma, and they shared insights about proper stage presence and the importance of taking open mic performances seriously, even when sets don't go perfectly.

Jamal, Marianne, and Romeo were conducting a comedy writing workshop where they shared and discussed new joke material. Jamal presented several new bits including a controversial opening joke about Charlie Kirk that caused 2 audience members to walk out and later return, and a story about a woman who assumed he was gay because of his painted nails. Romeo shared a joke about generational differences in parenting styles, describing how he throws his grandchildren outside to play like "feral cats" rather than letting them play video games. The hosts discussed how to refine these jokes.