Succotash

The usual format for the show is to be festooned with wall-to-wall clips of comedy podcasts from around the world via the internet. Along with some regular features and some inane silliness provided by our local crew – me, Joe Paulino our producer/engineer, Bill Heywatt our booth announcer, and even Kenny Durgess, our booth assistant.

For Succotash, Epi65, we DO have a few clips but we also have an interview with special guest Paul Mecurio. We’ve clipped The Paul Mecurio Show several times before. And the last time was a short clip from an interview he did with Paul McCartney. Well, his entire episode featuring the McCartney interview dropped this week. So we talk to Paul about that, his own career, podcasting, and a whole lot more.

He talks about having gone from sweating out 100-hour-weeks as a big shot Wall Street acquisitions-and-mergers guy and chucking it all to do open mics and one-nighters as a standup comedian. And how his work ethic paid off as he moved up and into the offices of The Daily Show and later The Colbert Report as an Emmy-winning writer.

And then how he ran into Sir Paul McCartney in passing one day, struck up a conversation and ended up inviting him to be interviewed for his podcast. The rest is online and we have the interview with the guy who interviewed McCartney. I'm never washing my audio recorder again…

THE TOP 10 MOST ACTIVE SHOWS IN THE STITCHER TOP 100 COMEDY PODCAST LIST

There was mostly sluggish movement this week on the Stitcher Top 100 Comedy Podcast list. MOSTLY. There were a few gigantic climbs up the ladder, though and a few jumpy jumps as well. (That’s a technical term. Jumpy jump. It means, well…look it up.)

55. The Morning Stream +3062. Onion Radio News -1763. The Artie Lange Show -1565. Writer’s Bloc Podcast +355!68. Tits & Giggles +632!71. The Joey Medina Show +22982. Answer Me This +3687. Dining With Doug & Karen –2490. Keith & The Girl -2498. #AfterBlack +68

BACK TO BOGANWOOD

We're up to Episode 4 in our featuring of Jason "Jabs" McNamara's Boganwood pod mini-series. In my chat with Jabs before it play, we talk about what some other podcasters think about the show and also get into where he got the idea for some of the characters in the show.

CHEF EDDIE VEDDER

Since the beginning of the year, I've been featuring a little Easter Egg at the end of almost every episode: A recipe for succotash - different each week - pulled from videos on YouTube of people preparing the dish. But now I'm scrapping the bottom of the saucepan as I've gone through most of them at this point. So I reached out to Travis and Brandi Clark of the Tiny Odd Conversations podcast and they were able to get Chef Eddie Vedder to whip up his version of succotash exclusively for our show. So if you listen past the show ending, after Bill Heywatt says his goodbye, you can hear Chef Eddie prepare his dish while he tells - nay, sings - you how to do it at home.

BURST O' DURST

Our Ambassador to the Middle Will Durst lambasts the conservative folk of Texas in this week's installment of his regular feature. And if you're going to be in the San Francisco area this summer, Will's show BoomeRaging, LSD to OMG, has been extended! It plays ever Tuesday night at the Marsh Theater in the city. visit http://WillDurst.com for more information.

CLIPS

Tits & GigglesJumping up 632 places to hit #68 in the Stitcher Top 100 Comedy Podcasts this week, in only its second week, it's “The podcast for women in comedy AND their supportive male friends.” according to the homesite for the just two-episode old podcast. In our clip, host Sue Smith (actress, writer and comedian) talks to Orthodox Jewish transgender comedian Dana Friedman talks about the pressure, in front of a Jewish audience, whether to do Jewish material or not. (Spoiler Alert: Sometimes, she doesn’t.)

Writer’s BlocWriters’ Bloc is a podcast that leaped up 355 places, ending up at #65 this week on the Stitcher Top 100 Comedy Podcasts, and it’s a show all about the business of comedy writing. Hosted by J.R. Havlan, an 8-time Emmy Award-winning writer for The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, his recent guest was Scott Jacobson, the co-producer of TV's Bob’s Burgers. In the clip we have, Scott talks about how the show was originally pitched to the network, and they also get into some of the characters.

The OddCast PodcastCongratulations to Adam Barker over at The Oddcast Podcast on hitting his Epi100! Adam’s got several shows under the Barker Productions banner, including the It’s Not Soccer podcast and the Ask An American podcast. For Episode 100, he had fellow podcasters from all over the place chime into an extensive audio play, in which a visitor from the future comes back to warn him about how dangerous his podcast is going to become. I clipped a clever bit from the top of the show, springing off of his catchphrase, “Nobody Is Listening”, and based on the Baz Luhrman song, Everybody’s Free To Wear Sunscreen.

Doesn't seem like a lot in writing but this episode runs over an hour and 20 minutes. (Not as lengthy as last week's fun epi with guest co-host Monica Hamburg from the Dazed & Convicted podcast, but still pretty ample!) Hope you enjoy it. Fell free to let me know how you're liking the show by emailing me at [email protected] or show your appreciate even more concretely by going up to iTunes where you can rate and review Succotash. For even MORE concrete-ness, you can use the Donate button on the side of of our homesite and toss us some spare change to help us keep this mothership hovering a little longer over Podcastland.

Don't forget to pass the Succotash!

— Marc Hershon

It's not unusual to hear a guest drop by Succotash – podcasters, comedians, actors, etc. – but occasionally I invite some in to be my guest co-host for an episode. We each pull clips from shows we want to share, then we present them to you…and each other, sometimes for the first time. For Epi64, I invited Monica Hamburg, co-host of the Dazed & Convicted podcast from Vancouver, Canada, to spin clips with me.

We had a great time! Such a great time that this edition of Succotash clocked in as the longest epi for us ever - a few ticks over TWO hours! That's a lot of clips, and yakkin' and laughs. You might want to listen to the first hour, take a break and digest, then come back for more. BUT if you think you can finish the whole thing in one sitting…you get it for FREE!

Monica comes from an acting background and she's also a hotshot internet marketer-for-hire when she's not behind the D&C mics with her co-host, Bill Allman. We get into the history of the show, its previous incarnation as The S&M Rants, and the fact that Monica is definitely a true crime junkie. It's the main focus of her show AND it's the core of three of the five clips she's brought to share.

WHAT'S HOT…WE'RE HOT!

Here's a big thank you to all of those Succotashians who have been dowloading, raiting and reviewing The Comedy Podcast Podcast up on iTunes! This past week, Succotash got up into the What's Hot section, which really helps with our visibility. (So maybe this isn't the best time to crank out a 2-hour epic episode. On the other hand, maybe it's JUST the thing. I don't think anyone knows for sure…)

THE 10 MOST ACTIVE IN THE STITCHER TOP 100 COMEDY PODCAST LIST

Here’s the rundown on the latest Top 10 Most Active Shows On The Stitcher Top 100 Comedy Podcast List:

37. The Champs with Neal Brennan & Moshe Kasher +3260. This Week In Blackness Radio +4763. Dining With Doug & Karen +3465. Cashing In With TJ Miller +3666. Keith & The Girl comedy talk show +1478. Superego +5080. Jim Florentine’s ‘Metal Comedy Midgets’ -1684. Sex Squad -1285. The Morning Stream +2391. Yoshi Didn’t Podcast -17

SPECIAL FEATURES

In addition to a whole lot of clips, we have our Burst O' Durst with comedian Will Durst, a song by Ren Faire sensation Hob The Troll, a promo for Mount Us More, the long-awaited music CD from Shunt McGuppin and The Journeymen (better known as the guys from Superego), a commercial for the new Henderson's Poncho Pants, and episode 3 of Boganwood, the Australian podcast mini-series along with a brief lead in chat with creator Jason McNamara.

THE CLIPS

Dazed & ConvictedOur guest co-host Monica Hamburg provides a clip from her recent Epi100. It's a sketch performed by co-host Bill Allman, Malox, and herself, revolving around a crime in Vancouver that revolved around - somehow - a bag of chips.

Dining With Doug & Karen Normally the Karen in the title is comedian Karen Anderson. But she’s on “special assignment” as co-host Doug Benson puts it. So filling in is comedian Karen Kilgariff. Their guest comedian is Dave Anthony from Walking The Room and their guest chef is Shanna Lynn Milazzo from The Belmont in LA. This clip is less than 5 minutes but covers a range of topics – food, kids, pot, and a new sponsor whose viral video spurred Karen’s condition called Don’tClickOnIt-Itis.

Distorted ViewA big favorite of our guest co-host, this show proclaims on its site: “The Distorted View Show is a daily comedy podcast hosted by Tim Henson. Every weekday he scours the darkest corners of the web in search of the truly bizarre. He then presents his finds to you, complete with unique (read: crass, vulgar, childish, and inappropriate) commentary. For a half hour each day, sit back and witness this audiophonic trainwreck. After listening, you'll feel much better about your own life.” Enjoy!

HobcastWe don't often play clips from the same show two weeks in a row. (Well, except for our running feature on Boganwood…) But last week, Hob The Troll (Steve Doccerson) sent us the wrong clip, which we then incorrectly identified. So we agreed to play the intended clip, featuring guest King John (The Thrilling Adventure Hour's Mark Gagliardi). It's a podcast. He's a troll. What more do you need to know?

The Bi-Quarterly Women’s ClubThe hosts (and their tech guy) are four of the ugliest women I've seen, but that could be because they're dudes: Chris Wilding, Slako, Dylan, and Max. In this clip, they’re at the court, at the preliminary inquiry of “alleged” Canadian serial killer Luka Magnotta. Luka Magnotta fainted during the hearing. So when the trial paused for a bit, the BQWB used the break to interview people supporting not the victim, but the killer.

Kickin’ It Mary Lynn StyleHosted by comedian and actress Mary Lynn Rajskub who you should recognize from TV's 24 and also The Larry Sanders Show, has her own p'cast over on Nerdist. (Lucky Nerdist!) One guest a recent episode was actress Casey Wilson, who has a new movie coming out and who was recently on the ABC series Happy Endings. They get deep-ish into the subject of auditioning.

The New York City Crime Report with Pat DixonHosted by comedian Pat Dixon, along with producer Marcus Parks and guest Dave Rosinsky. As their website proclaims: “Crime might be down, but it sure isn’t out. This is the only podcast that gives you all the information on New York City crime, court and killers at large.”

Lost Moon RadioLost Moon Radio features the sketch comedy group of the same name, out of Los Angeles. I played a clip from one of their first episodes and, I’m happy to report, they’re still funny! In this clip from Episode 8 entitled Hauntings, we catch up with a group of young campers on their closing night bonfire.

Sarcastic Voyage

The Sarcastic Voyage podcast is a biweekly endeavor by Ron “AAlgar” Watt, with Matt Rowbotham and a supporting cast of voice actors and contributing writers. It is largely comprised of prepared material (sketch comedy and comedic serials), which are linked by short “host segments." The clip Monica shares with us features the conversation between a couple of servants working the never-ending party at Jabba The Hutt's hideout.

RISK!Kevin Allison hosts the weekly storytelling podcast “where people tell true stories they never thought they’d dare to share in public." Guest Julie Threlkeld tells the story of “Mom and the Bomb”. She begins by talking about the difficulty of coming as a teen as a lesbian to her mom, who didn’t approve (“You’re having sex with a woman?!”) Later on that same life, things got weird.

If you like your podcasts long, then THIS is episode of Succotash you're not going to want to miss! We're happy you're here and we'd love to hear from you! You can write me at [email protected]. You can leave comment on our Succotash Show page on Facebook. You can also call out Succotash Hotline: (818) 921-7212.

Until next time, please pass the Succotash!

— Marc Hershon

"This is Marc Hershon and you’re listening to Succotash, The Comedy Podcast Podcast." That's generally how I open the show and - yes - I know it’s repetitive. Me, saying the name of the podcast right after listeners hear the show's opening with our announcer, Bill Haywatt, where HE tells you the name of the show.

I bring it up because I’ve been listening – this week in particular – to so many podcasts that don’t ever remind you what you’re listening to that it started to seem odd to me. I know this isn’t terrestrial radio and that podcast listeners what they've downloaded or are streaming. But let's face it: People have terrible memories. (I know I do, as an sampling of one…) So some of you comedy podcasters might think about reminding people the name of the show they’re listening to and also who’s doing the talking. Otherwise it’s going to be a whole lot of “Hey, I heard this great podcast the other day. It had this guy who did that thing, you know? It’s called…something. I think it starts with an 'R'…”

And that's not going to help you to get and maintain new listeners.

People often ask (or I imagine them asking, anyway…) "How can I help your podcast?" I won't belabor the Donate button on our SuccotashShow.com website. But if that's not what you mean by help, you can always go to iTunes via your computer and look up Succotash in the listings, then click on five stars and jot down a short, 2 or 3 sentence, writeup about how you like the show. If you listen via Stitcher, you can click the Thumbs Up button. And, as always, you can simply just tell your friends about us or, as we like to say, pass the Succotash.

BOGANWOOD

On the back half of this show, we'll be playing episode 2 of Boganwood. We started playing all eight episodes in the first season last week and we'll do one an episode until they're all played. Just prior to this episode's installment of the novel pod mini-series, I speak with Jason "Jabs" McNamara, the Boganwood head cheese (actually, as producer, director, writer and talent on the project, he's pretty much all the cheese...) via Skype from Canberra, Australia, and he gets into where the idea for the show came from, the characters and the white trash world they inhabit.

THE 10 MOST ACTIVE IN THE STITCHER TOP 100 COMEDY PODCAST LIST

Here are the show that were movin' and shakin' this past week as the most as The 10 Most Active On The Stitcher Top 100 Comedy Podcasts:

39. Onion Radio News +38

63. The Naughty Show -12

69. The Champs with Neal Brennan & Moshe Kasher -25

76. Where’s My 40 Acres +38

78. SModcast/Get Up On This +30

86. Vos & Bonnie’s My Wife Hates Me +19

90. The Ricky Gervais Podcast +33

95. Who’s Paying Attention +56

97. Dining With Doug & Karen -30

99. SModcast/FeaB -29

And for those of you keeping track, Succotash this week rang in at #5036, which is up about a thousand places since a month ago, so we’re moving up, too!

BURST O' DURST

Our Ambassador to the Middle , that Raging Moderate himself, Will Durst, gets a little misty-eared as he regards America's latest 4th of July birthday bash.

HENDERSON'S PANTS

Our chief sponsor, Henderson's Pants, is back with a new line of trousers - the Peer Sucker Pants! Don't miss our commercial for this one.

THE CLIPS

Vos & Bonnie’s "My Wife Hates Me"

Moving up into the Stitcher Top 100 Comedy Podcasts this week at #86, this podcast features a pair of married comedians, Rich Vos and Bonnie McFarlane. They call it the podcast they swore they’d never do and yet…here it is. They talk about themselves, their lives, their child, the comedy business and, no matter what angle they take, they seem to mostly be at odds with each other.

The Paul Mecurio Show

We recently featured a snippet of host Paul Mecurio interviewing Jay Leno – great in-depth chat – and now he’s done it again, grabbing a podcast rarity by talking with Sir Paul McCartney! In the clip we got, Paul asks Paul about where The Beatles got the confidence to go from the music that had gotten them to the top and put out something as daring at the time as Sgt. Pepper.

After Hours with Mark Pitta

The term “comedy podcast” is a pretty big circus tent – it includes comics talking to other comics, comedians talking to themselves, non-comedians talking to comedians, improvisational shows, sketch shows, non-comedians trying to be comedians, and even comedian hosts interviewing non-comedian guests. Marc Maron does it all the time on WTF, we play Paul Mecurio with Paul McCartney in this episode, and now on his podcast called After Hours, friend-of-Succotash Mark Pitta just dropped a fascinating interview with legendary baseball manager Tony LaRussa.

The HobcastI just mentioned the wide-ranging category of comedy podcasts and I forgot to mention trolls interviewing sketch comedians. There’s only one I know about and that’s the Hobcast with Hob the Troll aka Stevo Doccerson. The toast of Renaissance Faires across the country, and the star of Hob Sings!, a CD with his legendary music – songs such as “I Hate Goats”, he recently brought his unique speaking voice to the podcast universe. In this clip, he’s chatting with King John, aka Mark Gagliardi from The Thrilling Adventure Hour podcast.

TOPICS

We’ve been big fans of Michael Ian Black along with Tom Cavanagh with their Mike And Tom Eat Snacks podcast. But there hasn’t been a fresh epi of MATES since may and now there’s a new podcast with Michael Ian Black and Michael Showalter – both of whom were in The State and also Stella. Maybe MATES is delayed? ON hiatus? Gone away? I don’t know. Ostensibly, this new format is a way for two funny guys to address more serious issues but, as you might be able to hear in this clip, their tongues seem to be lodged in their cheeks a bit…

See You Next TuesdayI discovered Troy Saple’s See You Next Tuesday podcast just by surfing through iTunes’ New & Noteworthy this past week. But it turns out that this isn’t a NEW podcast, it’s a show that’s been on hiatus for the past 18 months, ever since the host had to do some jail time for a DUI. He’s been out on probation, clean and sober, but with frequent and random drug testing and whole bunch of other restrictions. So he hasn’t been feeling podcastery until recently, when the itch has begun to return. The last time he hit the podwaves was in 2011 and I gather he was interviewing comedians and musicians. Maybe he’ll go there again but, for now, it’s just a man and a microphone.

Mike Ward Is Full Of Shit

Mike Ward is a Montreal-based comedian and I gather he performs in both English and French – or Quebecois. He’s been named one of the top 25 Comedians of All Time by the Just For Laughs festival. His podcast is called Mike Ward Is Full Of Shit EXCEPT on iTunes and Soundcloud, where he’s had to sanitize it to: Mike Ward Is Full Of Crap. In the clip we have, he’s talking about how he went to LA to find a writer to help with a new show and he happened upon the legendary Paul Mooney.

The More You Nerd

Here’s another show I discovered in iTunes' New & Noteworthy. (Of course, they’ve had over 80 episodes. I’m beginning to think “New & Noteworthy” is like the term “Overnight Success”.) These guys nerd out all over the place about all kinds of things. This clip is from the episode “Obscure Reference #6: America, Aliens and Ghosts”, and here Myles, Patrick, Mike and Drew duke it out – metaphorically speaking – on which are the best and worst ghosts.

That's the basic rundown for Epi62 of Succotash. There are some bells, whistles, and other assorted goodies in the show this time around, including a revisit with Dana Carvey from WAY back in Epi3, and some classic old radio comedy from a show called The Bickersons. So enjoy and, even if you end up stuffed to the gills with podcast, please remember to pass the Succotash with your friends.

— Marc Hershon

Back from the dead. Or the nearly dead. Or at least the severely Laryngytised. Is that a thing? Anyway, my throat and voicebox were down for the count with a nasty virus. Still playing a little hurt, but I’m ready to muscle through with Epi62 of Succotash, the Comedy Podcast Podcast!

We’re diving heavy into clips this episode. Some new shows. Some old favorites. Got a new Henderson’s Pants ad. Have an unprecedented TRIPLE shot of Burst O’ Durst because we got so far behind. And we actually had someone FINALLY click the Donate button on the http://SuccotashShow.com website! (It’s been over a year since anyone’s touched it but it’s happened and I reveal who it was AND give the person a big ol’ wet sloppy thank you in the TweetSack segment this episode. (Oh, what the heck, I'm going to spoiler alert it right here and thank Geoffrey Welchman, our buddy over at the Inverse Delirium podcast for his generous clicking of the Succotash Donate button!)

THE 10 MOST ACTIVE IN THE STITCHER TOP 100 COMEDY PODCAST LIST

Even though I was out for a bit, those active podcasts kept marching up and down the list over at Stitcher. Here's how this week's MOST active shows shook out:

39. My Brother, My Brother & Me +3151. The Naughty Show +2063. Too Beautiful to Live with Luke Burbank -2369. The Dead Authors Podcast +4182. Cashing In With TJ Miller -2184. Rollin’ with Dice & Wheels -3785. Tom Rhodes Radio +28391. This Week In Blackness Radio -2497. The New York City Crime Report with Pat Dixon +1899. Answer Me This -24

BOGANWOOD

Friend-of-Succotash Jabs over at the DHead Factor put together an interesting "mini-series" of a podcast a few months ago. The show, done narrator or storyteller style by Jabs, chronicles the misadventures of a bunch of low-rent Aussies who live in Boganwood, "Canberra, Australia's forgotten suburb". Delivered in eight episodes, it's an ambitious little project that demonstrates the ability for practically anyone living anywhere to produce inventive entertainment via podcasting.

For the next 8 episodes of Succotash, I'm going to feature the Boganwood episodes of Season 1, and we'll also have some conversations with Jabs about the series - where he got the idea, how he executed it, and how plans are coming along for Season 2. We kick off this mini-featurette with Episode 1 in this edition of Succotash.

THE CLIPS

Tom Rhodes RadioTom Rhodes is one of those veteran standup comedians who has traveled the world, literally, performing and sometimes NOT performing comedy. At one point he had made the San Francisco scene his hang, but since then he’s been around quite a few comedy scenes. Podcasting is the latest scene and he’s been quietly dropping episodes since 2011. This week Tom Rhodes Radio makes a mighty leap up 283 places to get into the Stitcher’s Comedy Top 100. He interviews guest Andy Kindler (who visited us during Succotash Epi55.)

SModcast/FEaB After watching this show ricochet around in the Stitcher Top 100 for the past few weeks, I finally listened to enough of it to find out that FEaB stands for Four Eyes And Beard, which are indicative of the two hosts – Matt Myra, who is also part of The Nerdist with Chris Hardwick, and Scott Mosier, who partners with Kevin Smith on the original Smodcast. (I’m not sure, but I think the Smodcast Network is slowly taking over all of podcasting. They’re like the Borg of the internet.)

Live Wire! Radio With Luke Burbank, Courtenay Hameister, Sean McGrath, Patricia Ferguson, Live Wire! Radio is a audio variety show recorded in front of an enthusiastic live audience from the Alberta Rose Theatre in Portland. They've got music, conversation, and sketch comedy. It's "radio variety for the A.D.D. generation", as they say on their homesite. Guests this episode include Jen Kirkman, Dan Savage, and The Builders & The Butchers. But our clip is one of their home-brewed sketches about a somewhat different genie…

Pablo Francisco: Anything GoesComedian Pablo Francisco has joined up with the ever-growing Sideshow Network to enter the rolls of comics-with-podcasts. In the clippage we share, he takes a look at someone with a lot of fame and fortune that also recently revealed that he’s spent millions on blow.

About Last Night Adam Ray and Brad Williams are 55 episodes into this podcast and going strong. Both are comedians, and both are irreverent. Adam Ray’s in that new movie The Heat that just opened, and their guest this episode is pop culture TV host Michael Ho, who also got to interview President Obama after the last election’s disastrous first debate. (I also reviewed this show on last week's This Week In Comedy Podcasts on Splitsider.com - check it out!)

Proudly ResentsThis is Adam Spiegleman’s podcast where he and assorted friends like to take movie apart at the seams. Sometime old movies. Sometimes new movies. And, in the case of one recent episode, kids movies. Specifically, Adam invites a friend over with her kids to talk about what they thought of TWO kids movies – A Talking Cat? and Tommy & The Cool Mule. Kids make great reviewers because they pretty much always tell the truth…when you can get them to talk.

Air-Raid PodcastWe’ve featured some clippage from the Air-Raid podcast out of Seattle before, with host Aaron Roden, and it’s often more hot new music rather than comedy. But Aaron does pull down some nice chatter, including recently when he took his mics to The Sasquatch Music Festival at the Gorge in Washington State. He ran across comedian Mike Birbiglia, who was performing at the festival, and sliced off a little interview, with a cell phone cameo appearance by You Made It Weird host Pete Holmes.

Rutledge Radio

Hosted by comedian Gabriel Rutledge and his wife, stay-at-home-mom Kristi Rutledge, their Rutledge Radio hails from Olympia, Washington. In our clip Gabriel talks about the misery and false hope of the audition process.

It's good to be back, and with so many clips! If you'd like to make sure we get to your show, you can always send us a 3-5 minutes MP3 clip to [email protected]. or, if you just like what we're doing, jump on up to iTunes and gives us a healthy rating and maybe a short review. We'll be your bestest friend! Especially if you remember to pass the Succotash!

— Marc Hershon

I've done it again. Recorded a rambling edition of the podcast while tooling north on Interstate 5 between Los Angeles and San Francisco. Fair warning: There are no clips in this epi, so if you're dropping by to grab our usual sampler platter, apologies. This is just one man, one mic, and 400 miles of tarmac.

I WILL be back with the usual array of clips, interviews, etc., in a few days with Episode 62, but I was busy and also away from my technology for a few days, so this mini-sode tides us over in the meantime.

During my ramble, I tell you about why I was in LA (mostly for a friend's 40th birthday), some of the people I saw (including podcasters), and I even offer a few suggestions for comedy podcasters in terms of how to, perhaps, better find your funny as you're during your own show.

This "Bonus Edition" runs about 45 minutes - twice as long as my first I-5 mumble - and it was an interesting time to pass part of my journey. Hopefully, you'll find it a bemusing part of one of yours, too.

Until next time, please pass the Succotash!

— Marc Hershon

First thing you gotta know is that Epi61 is the longest installment of Succotash, the Comedy Podcast Podcast, that we've done to date. No particular reason for it. The interview with our Special Guest Graham Elwood comes in at about 30 minutes. But we've got a bunch of podcast clips to share, a Boozin' With Bill segment, the TweetSack section, our Burst O' Durst and a new song by musical geekmaster John Anealio. That, plus my usual rambling gum-flapping has us pushing the limits in terms of just how long someone can shovel Succotash into their earholes.

Sue me - this stuff's free.

I was delighted to talk at length with the aforementioned Graham Elwood. We had tried to link up when he was in San Francisco recently for a face-to-face sit-down but couldn't coordinate schedules. So we Skyped it and it came out fine. Graham's a comedian, an actor, a writer, a podcaster, and most recently, co-producer and organizer of the Los Angeles Podcast Festival (the 2nd annual is this October 4-6 in Santa Monica.)

Along with his partner-in-crime Chris Mancini, Graham hosts the Comedy Film Nerds podcast and also co-authored the Comedy Film Nerds Guide to Movies. In addition, he is heard often on Doug Loves Movies, competing against the audience during Doug Benson's live shows on the road.

We talk about how he got his comedy start, his podcast start, his podcast festival start...lots of starts. And, most important to our podcaster listeners, reveals what they have in store at this year's LA PodFest to let more of us get into the action of podcasting in relative comfort from the event. (And his latest CD, Palm Strike Dance Party, is available at http://Graham Elwood.com!)

GET HIP

It's not too late to help friend-of-Succotash Chris Bonno (interviewed in Epi43) as he's just gone through hip replacement surgery. Being as he' a comedian and a painter, he's got zip in terms of health insurance, so paying for his operation is going to be one giant mofo that Obama's health care program doesn't seem set to cover. You can find out how to kick a little money into the hip kitty through his website at http://ChrisBonno.com or else click on the link to get over to the GiveForward website where they're taking care of the funds as they come in.

THE 10 MOST ACTIVE IN THE STITCHER TOP 100 COMEDY PODCAST LIST

I realized that what I read The 10 Most Active in the Stitcher Top 100 Comedy Podcast List, veroften I don’t even know some of these shows I’m reading about. And they’re in the Top 100 of comedy podcasts – that’s out of literally THOUSANDS. So starting this week I’m going to pick one or two or a few to play clips from so we can all learn as we grow.

Here’s the list of, again, the most ACTIVE shows on the list this past week. That means, regardless of their rank, they showed the most movement either up or down the chart.

47. The Champs with Neal Brennan & Moshe Kasher -1059. The World of Phil Hendrie +2163. Sir Darryl Radio Experience +33973. Sex Squad +1779. Conversations with Matt Dwyer +25780. The Dana Gould Hour -1581. Yoshi Didn’t Podcast -1482. Wits +2784. Rollin’ With Dice & Wheels +11398. SModcast FeAB -17

BURST O' DURST FROM THE OL' BOOMERAGER HIMSELF

We have our usual Burst O' Durst feature but I wanted to remind those Succotashians who live in the San Francisco Bay Area that Will Durst still has a couple of Tuesday nights (thru June 25th) left in the run of his one-man show, BoomeRaging: LSD to OMG, at the Marsh Theater in San Francisco. Hop over to http://WillDurst.com for showtimes and ticket information.

SING YOUR SONG, NERDY MUSIC MAN

Our friend John Anealio - from The Functional Nerds podcast with co-host Patrick Hester - has a new song out and we've got it featured in this episode. I'll Be Your Thor is a love song from a nerd to his even nerdier lady for whom only one hero can save the day. Once you hear it on Succotash and you love it, you can download it for FREE over at http://JohnAnealio.com.

STRAIGHT FROM THE BOTTLE

Our Boozin' With Bill is a little different than our usual visit with Succotash's booth announcer cum bartender. He's unearthed an ancient bottle of creme de menthe and he's determined to see if it's still viable for getting a heat on.

THE CLIPS

The Sir Darryl Radio ExperienceI’m not sure what this show is all about – or why it shot up 339 places on the Stitcher Top 100 Comedy Podcasts this week. I listened to part of a recent episode where Sir Darryl, who bills himself on the homesite for the show as “The Most Articulate Negro in America”, starts drinking wine and apparently starts to get loopy within just a couple of minutes.

Conversations with Matt DwyerComedian, actor and writer Matt Dwyer’s podcast is into its 50s, episode wise, and this week his show's Stitcher numbers leaped up 257 places this week! We feature a slice from his recent interview with Duncan Trussell, who is also a comedian and the host of the Duncan Trussell Family Hour.

Rollin’ With Dice and WheelsDice is back. Celebrity Apprentice wasn’t enough and now Andrew “Dice” Clay and his longtime opening act Michael “Wheels” Parise have their own podcast. They’re only into their Epi8 and doing phenomenal numbers – up 113 places this week to make it into the Top 100 on Stitcher. In this recent episode we're clipping, comic Tom Green is co-hosting in place of Wheels.

Pop My CultureWe haven’t looked in on Cole Stratton and Vanessa Ragland of the Pop My Culture podcast for awhile. They’re going great guns, after taking a little time away from the mikes, and just dropped their 116th episode, which features guest Dana Gould. Comic, actor, writer, he’s also the host of podcasting’s The Dana Gould Hour. (I’m also featuring this episode for my review in This Week In Comedy Podcasts over on Splitsider.com!)

The Paul Mecurio ShowThe Sideshow Network has a massive pile of steaming comedy podcasts, with some really great shows like PodCRASH with THAT Chris Gore, Overview with our pal Rick Overton, and Story Worthy with Christine Blackburn & Hannes Phinney. It’s also home to The Paul Mecurio Show. I’ve clipped Paul here before but it’s been a while. Paul’s guest this week was Jay Leno. I don’t think I’ve heard of Jay being on any podcast before – is that possible? Anyway, Paul got him – they have a bit of a history together – Jay bought the very first joke Paul sold before, which gave him the inspiration to give up his law practice to become a comedian.

The Bitter Sound PodcastAlthough I’ve played a few bits and pieces and show ID’s from Davian Dent over at The Bitter Sound podcast, I think I’ve yet to feature a bona fide clip…until now. He’s also a co-host of the Strange Times podcast along with Kat Sorens from the Rigid Fist podcast and Bonn from The Bonn & Obo show. But he’s off in his own thing here, with music, sounds and a great set of pipes to boot.

The Geek GenerationRob Logan over at the Geek Generation podcast did what every red-blooded internationally-heard comedy podcaster should do – he sent in a clip! It’s easy to do: Just send along a 3-5 minute MP3 clip of your show to [email protected]. If you want to include a little written descriptor of what the clip’s about, even better. Like Rob did – here’s what he says: "Rob Logan and Mike Volpe get inspired by the upcoming Fall TV schedule and pitch some show ideas of their own."

Whew! That's a lot of show! Hope you enjoy it - don't be shy about letting folks know about it, either! Go on up to iTunes and give us a rating and a little review. And you can give us a thumbs up at Stitcher.com and leave a comment. Or visit our Facebook page and leave us a comment there. Then there's always Stitcher. See you in the next episode but, in the meantime, don't forget to pass the Succotash!

— Marc Hershon

Welcome to Epi60 of Succotash, the Comedy Podcast Podcast! I feel like celebrating every ten episodes we get further down the podcasting road. And I hope you're enjoying listening as much as I enjoy putting this thing together.

While we're got a few comedy podcast episodes to share this week, the bulk of Epi60 is given over to an interview I did recently with Marc Price. Yes, THAT Marc Price. Stand-up comedian since he was 14, an actor, a producer, and still most often recognized for the seven years that he appeared as Irwin "Skippy" Handleman on NBC’s Family Ties.

Marc was passing through my hometown of Mill Valley a couple of weeks ago and played a Tuesday night at the 142 Throckmorton Theatre as part of the Mark Pitta & Friends show. I hadn’t seen him in quite some time so I was able to not only cajole him into sitting down and catching up, but doing so in front of our microphones. He's had a number of TV, movie and web opportunities over the years but, in hearing him tell his tale, the success brought into his life by Family Ties starting at the young age of 14 overshadowed a lot of other efforts.

Mark Price with Michael J. Fox

He was on a bit of a soul-searching trip along the West Coast, driving from gig to gig to get away from some hassles at home which he delves into during our chat.

THE 10 MOST ACTIVE IN THE STITCHER TOP 100 COMEDY PODCAST LIST

I didn’t do The 10 Most Active in the Stitcher Top 100 Comedy Podcast List last show, Epi59.5, because it was a special shortened show, but things have continued to slide around on that list without us so let’s take a look…

28. Friday Night Comedy from BBC Radio +737. The Champs with Neal Brennan & Moshe Kasher +2744. Sklarbro Country -1251. The Comedy Mixtape +2552. Off The air with Chick McGee +1453 The Bone Zone +979. Improv4Humans with Matt Besser +1881. SModcast FeAB -3082. Mike & Tom Eat Snacks +71 (Reviewed them last week!)98. The Tenderloins Podcast +26

BURST O' DURST

In this week's installment, Raging Moderate Will Durst looks at The Tangle Tango, in which our intrepid correspondent tries desperately to extricate himself from the sticky embrace of two of America’s least favorite organizations. (Also: If you're going to be in the San Francisco area, be sure to catch Will's new one-man show BoomeRaging: From LSD to OMG, Tuesday nights through June 25th at the Marsh Theater.)

THE CLIPS

Here's The ThingNow that 30 Rock has finished, I guess Alec Baldwin’s podcast, Here’s The Thing, is all he has left. That, and Capital One commercials. His guest is veteran actor Stacy Keach and we've clipped a bit where he talks about taking on Shakespeare’s role of Falstaff when he was only about 30 years old, and the craziness of trying to star in a movie while commuting to Central Park at the same time. (BTW, I’m reviewing this particular episode for This Week In Comedy Podcasts on Splitsider.com!)

Defective GeeksI saw the hosts of Defective Geeks, Gizzy and the Space Pirate Queen, a few months ago in LA at a show that Chris Gore from PodCRASH was having at IO West. Their podcast is a little unusual in that it features them: two LADY nerds who aren’t afraid to show it let their geek flag fly. In recent Epi118, they welcome the creator of web series Super Knocked Up, Jeff Burns, along with actors Jourdan Gibson (Darkstar) and Mark Pezzula (Captain Amazing). The series features the domestic disaster of what happens when a super hero and a super villainess hook up and he gets her pregnant.

Aloe CourtHere's the story of this podcast. Once upon a time, it started out as Cinematic Method, a show where the hosts reviewed movie trailers. That's right. Not whole movies, just the previews. They then guessed how well the movie would do over on the Rotten Tomatoes website. But three of the guys - Kyle Coleman, Chris Russell, and Gerry Carey - decided to switch formats, focus on the funny, and do away (for the most part) with the movie talk. Does it work? Have a listen…

And that's pretty much the story for Epi60 of Succotash, the Comedy Podcast Podcast. Bill Haywatt, our booth announcer, is on vacation this week, which means I had to do the Henderson's Pants commercial myself. But our esteemed collegue returns next episode for another installment of Boozin' With Bill.

Until then, please pass the Succotash!

— Marc Hershon

Warning: This is not a regular edition of Succotash, the Comedy Podcast Podcast. It's Epi59.5. Anytime we do a ".5" edition, just figure it's something off the rails. In this one we have no clips. No regular features. Not even our TweetSack. (Oh, wait - there is one regular feature: Our Burst O' Durst is coming up at the very end of the show!)

Regular listeners to the show over the past couple of months have probably noticed a preponderance of mentions, clip and cruel japes aimed at the Chillpak Hollywood Hour podcast. And they've been flinging it right back at us. It's all be in good fun - the hosts of CHH (Dean Haglund and Phil Leirness) not only have become good friends of mine personally, but theirs was the first podcast I started listening to on a regular basis. Now in their 7th year, I have dubbed them "podcast royalty", a dubious distinction that they nevertheless wear with honor.

This past week saw the Chillpak boys MISS their opportunity to hit me back. Dean's father was ill and off Dean went to visit his dad in Canada. This necessitated the playing of a pre-recorded CHH. A pre-recorded version in which they didn't mention Succotash.

So…we WON! There were no rules stated at the outset of our friendly competition, and no prize money at stake. So we did the next best thing - talked about. So the bulk of what you're in store for is Phil Leirness and I engaged in conversation about out little back-and-forth as well as a number of other topics. Phil is an avid conversationalist and, rather than just have him waste his breath on me, I'd prefer to share him with the world.

So here he is. If you like what you hear and haven't caught Chillpak Hollywood Hour own podcast, you owe it to yourself to do so. You'll find them over at ChillpakHollywood.com, iTunes, Stitcher, Jackalope Radio, The Talk Superstation...you'll find 'em

The other thing I popped into this special edition is a quick call into the Succotash hotline from Davian Dent, host of The Bitter Sound podcast and COhost of the Strange Times podcast. I wanted to make sure we gave ol' DD a little extra air because he's currently got me up as his special guest on Epi9 of The Bitter Sound - check it out!

Finally, we DO have our regular installment of our Burst O' Durst will political comedian Will Durst, talking about the Bengazi debacle along with a flurry of other issues buzzing President Obama like tiny drones.

Until our next FULL-sized Epi60, please remember to pass the Succotash!

— Marc Hershon

Welcome to Epi59 of Succotash, the Comedy Podcast Podcast once again. This episode we’ll be paying visits to some old friends. Why? Well, I’ve been playing a lot of clips from new shows – new in the both the sense that they just started podcasting and some new in the sense that I just am getting around to them even though they’ve been online for a while. So I figured we should drop in on some podcasts and podcasters we've clipped previously and see how they're sounding.

I also have an interview with Special Guest Michael Meehan, who is a San Francisco-based comedian, actor and now movie maker. I talk with Mike while eating at a really noise Chinese restaurant in the Marina District about Hey Monster, Hands Off My City!, the feature-length comedy he’s directing and has an IndieGoGo campaign for to help foot the bill. Which means there is still time for YOU to get involved, kick in some dough to help out and - if you get really generous, get yourself a juicy onscreen appearance in the movie!

There's a link to the 15-days-left-to-go IndieGoGo campaign over on the right hand side of our homesite at SuccotashShow.com. (We kicked in $50 - why wouldn't we? Mike bought dinner, after all...) And I'm embedding the teaser video for Hey Monster, Hands Off My City in the body of the blog below.

Mike and I talk a bit about standup and some sketch comedy he did with his two brothers awhile back but, because we're mostly focusing on the movie, I'll be inviting him back to spend more time talking about comedy and his take on podcasting as an extension of some comedians' careers.

BOOZIN' WITH BILL

This epi sees a new Boozin’ With Bill segment. This time he's got a nice summer cooler of a drink that he whips up (with no blender mishap like last time!) and he'll tell you how to make an Elliott Spritzer, in honor of the besmirched prostitution customer and former governor of New York, Elliott Spitzer. The recipe is included right on our homesite, should you be brave enough to attempt whipping up one of booth announcer Bill Haywatt's concoctions.

CHILLPAK VS SUCCOTASH: WE WIN!

After months of playful back-and-forth mentions on each others' podcasts, it seems that Dean Haglund and Phil Leirness of The Chillpak Hollywood Hour dropped the bal due to Dean having to leave town suddenly and the guys having to play a pre-recorded show that pre-dated our tete-a-tete. Rather than be a sore winner, I talked with Phil at lenght the other night about that and other things. It was too long to include in THIS episode of Succotash, so I will make it the focus of an upcoming Succotash Special Edition: Epi59 that I will drop in a few days.

THE 10 MOST ACTIVE IN THE STITCHER TOP 100 COMEDY PODCAST LIST

I'm enjoying the fact we moved away from a standard Top 10 list to feature, instead, the shows showing the most movement - up OR down - on Stitcher's Top 100 Comedy Podcasts list. Just wanted to thank Ed Wallick of the Don't Quit Your Daycast for suggesting the idea. Here is this week's rundown:

37. Onion Radio News +2838. Smodcast -> FEaB +7850. The Dana Gould Hour +5455. The Naughty Show +1962. About Last Night +3767. Yoshi Didn’t Podcast -2868. Jim Florentine’s ‘Metal Comedy Midgets’ +2481. The Tenderloins Podcast +3683. Dining With Doug & Karen +4994. The Dead Authors Podcast -22

BURST O' DURST

This week's installment features our Ambassador to the Middle Will Durst picking on those he calls "The Batty Battalion" of Obamanators. (If you're going to be in the San Francico area, check out Will's new one-man show BoomeRaging: From LSD to OMG, Tuesday nights through June 25th at the Marsh Theater.)

THE CLIPS

Tiny Odd Conversationsravis and Brandi Clark just hit their 100th episode! There was a time about 50 or 60 epis ago when they were ready to hang it up for fear they had nothing left to say. Obviously, they found some new stuff to talk about. I’ve had a several opportunities to meet up and hang out with them and they are a delight, as you may be able to glean from this exchange clipped from TOC Epi100…

Dylan Brody's Neighbor's CouchDarren Staley is a podcast host I’ve NOT had the pleasure of meeting personally but we have cross-tweeted a lot and I’ve clipped his show a few times on the show before. He's a nice guy – Dylan Brody even told me that himself – and the audio quality on his show has gotten WAY better since he first put voice to mic. Here’s part of his chat with writer and a producer of Everybody Loves Raymond and a bunch of other stuff, Lew Schneider.

Royal & DoodallAfter I got my t-shirt and a nice note from Tommy Royal and Angus Doodall over at the Royal & Doodall podcast, I mentioned I’d play a clip form their show, which we hadn’t visited in a while. To my surprise, they hadn’t DONE a show since March. Never fear, they’re still around and finally dropped show 59.1 a few days ago. Tommy thought he should catch Angus up on what he’d been missing…

Dazed & ConvictedLast episode I mentioned that I would clip Dazed & Convicted by friend-of-Succotash Monica Hamburg and so I did. She and co-host Bill Allman podcast out of Canada, where they bring up some freakish crime stories, do some sketches around them, then bring in a comedian to help determine their “Fucktard Of The Week”.

That's all for now. Like our Facebook page. Rate us on iTunes. Thumbs up us on Stitcher. Buy some merch. And, above all else, please remember to pass the Succotash!

— Marc Hershon

Okay, I’ve been teasing this for a few weeks now but I'm finally going to pop the top on the roadtrip recording I made of Dana Carvey, San Francisco veteran comedian Larry “Bubbles” Brown, and me. The occasion was a pair of theater gigs that Mr. Carvey was headlining — one in Medford, Oregon, the other in Redding, California – and which Mr. Brown was the opening act. Me? I was the chauffeur, documentarian and backstage announcer.

We had two GoPro cameras rigged up in the car, courtesy of a trio of documentary filmmakers who are doing a project about comedy in San Francisco (in which Larry plays a prominent part) and we also had a digital recorder running so that we might grab some on-the-road chatter for Succotash.

Thanks to my technical knowhow, we almost failed to captured both video and audio during the trip but we did manage to capture enough to fill out this latest epi. (Apologies to listeners: Longtime Succotashians know that I like to nitpick when it comes to crappy audio quality in podcasts and - due to road noise and the other hazards of recording in a vehicle moving in excess of 70 mph, we ended up with a less-than-optimal podcast-quality recording. But I've cleaned it up as much as I can so, hopefully, you'll enjoy the drive along with us.)

TOP 10 MOST ACTIVE IN THE STITCHER TOP 100 COMEDY PODCAST LIST

If you heard the last episode you know we had some HUGE swings in the numbers all up and down the Stitcher Top 100 Comedy Podcast List. In some cases but 100, 200 or more places. After seeing this week's figures, I think something must have gone screwy at Stitcher HQ, but they are closer to what counts as normal on this list this week.

14. Smodcast: Jay & Silent Bob Get Old +2117. Duncan Trussel Family Hour +3039. By The Way: In Conversation With Jeff Garlin -1543. Uhh Yeah Dude +2051. The Onion Radio News -1561. Off The Air w/Chick McGee -1168. The Todd Glass Show +1283. About Last Night -2397. Who’s Paying Attention +1599. The Dead Authors Podcast -23

"LIVE" HENDERSON'S PANTS SPOT

For the first time since Succotash began, our booth announce Bill Heywatt wasn't available to record our sponsor's commercial (he says he's on "vacation", I prefer the term "rehab refresher".) So I give it my best shot this episode when it comes to pitching Henderson's latest, their Sleepover Slacks.

BURST O' DURST

Our Ambassador to the Middle Will Durst sounds off this episode about two things that go together like salt and pepper, namely politicians and scandals.

THE CLIPS

The Craig Shoemaker ShowBack in Epi29 my special guest was comedian Craig Shoemaker, from an interview we had when he played San Francisco last summer. So high time we pay a quick visit to the Love Master via a clip from The Craig Shoemaker Show, which is also known as Laugh It Off, kind of a healing-through-laughter philosophy. He’s joined by comedian Sarah Sweet and sidekick/barista Joel Geist. Craig talks about how he likes to record his encounters whenever he gets pulled over by the police for traffic stops — and we get to hear one.

The Edge with Mark ThompsonThis week my combing through podcasts turned up an old acquaintance: Mark Thompson. He's been doing TV weather, news and voiceover mostly out of LA for years but we first me when he would guest host show with my improv group in San Francisco at The Punchline in the 80's. About a dozen episodes or so ago, Mark flipped the switch on The Edge podcast. Heather Ankeny is his co-pilot and in the most recent epi, his guest was the very funny Caprice Crane, who is a TV writer and an author. Her parents were pretty well-known folks. Dad was broadcaster Les Crane and - in this clip - Caprice tells what it was like having Tina Louise (Gilligan's Island's Ginger) as her mom. (The Edge is also the podcast I'm reviewing over on Splitsider.com for This Week In Comedy Podcasts!)

You Had To Be ThereSplitsider.com has their own comedy podcast network and You Had To Be There, hosted by Sara Schaefer & Nikki Glaser, is part of the roster. (Don't even get me started why Succotash isn't part of their lineup...) Recently they had Jim and Jeannie Gaffigan guesting — yes, we heard the Gaffigans LAST episode when I featured a clip from The Todd Barry Show — but this time they're talking about fame and Taylor Swift. Or, rather, Taylor Swift’s fame.

So that's all we have in the way of clips this week. Hopefully, you'll be amused by the over 45 minutes of rambling conversation on the road with Dana Carvey and Larry Brown.

Please take two seconds to jump up on iTunes, click to the Podcast section and both rate and review Succotash. You can give us a Thumbs Up on Stitcher. And if anyone asks what podcasts you're listening to these days, be sure to pass the Succotash!

— Marc Hershon