Sup Doc: A Documentary Podcast

Paco is back for a watch-or-not doc recap/review. It also happens to be the Seventh Anniversary of this podcast! We discuss:

Jimmy Saville: A British Horror Story

The Curse of Von Dutch: A Brand to Die For

Conversations with a Killer: The John Wayne Gacy Tapes

The Tinder Swindler

LuLaRich

Jeen-Yuhs: A Kanye Trilogy

stuff we're excited about but haven't seen yet:

Brett Morgen's David Bowie doc Moonage Daydream is not out yet.

Kurt Vonnegut: Unstuck In Time

Lance Bangs' I Don't Belong Here is not out yet.

Brian Eno Eno not out yet

Oxide Ghosts: The Brasseye Tapes is hard to find in the US

Biopics: The Shrink Next Door, The Dropout, WeCrashed, The Eyes of Tammy Faye, The Staircase, Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty

someone make a documentary about The Pickle

Follow Sup Doc on:

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And you can show your support to Sup Doc by donating on Patreon.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

We cover the Netflix series Bad Vegan: Fame. Fraud. Fugitives. a tale of manipulation, Stockholm Syndrome, and only tangentially veganism. It’s a four part series directed by Chris Smith (American Movie).

After marrying a mysterious man who claimed he could make her dog immortal, celebrated raw vegan restaurateur Sarma Melngailis finds her life veering off the rails.

This is truly one of the more baffling stories in a scam-heavy season of television, so we had to do an episode on it.

Our guest to discuss this is writer Laura Hooper Beck. Her work has appeared in Cosmopolitan, Jezebel, and she is a writer on Fox’s The Great North.

Follow Laura on:

Twitter: @mrpenguino

Instagram: @mrpenguino

Follow Sup Doc on:

Twitter: @supdocpodcast

Instagram: @supdocpodcast

Facebook: @supdocpodcast

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And you can show your support to Sup Doc by donating on Patreon.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

This is one of our BIOPSY episodes where instead of a documentary, we watch a ripped-from-the-headlines fictional account of a true story. 

Today we’re covering the Shonda Rhimes Netflix hit Inventing Anna. Anna Sorokin, who went by the made up persona of Anna Delvey, was convicted of larceny in 2019. Delvey rose through New York’s social strata and convinced many institutions and people to loan her money with a fake German heiress backstory, and this nine part miniseries dramatizes the saga with Julia Garner playing Delvey  

And our guest is comedian and musician Luna Malbroux, who fuses her experience as a skilled facilitator and educator of justice, equity, inclusion, diversity in all of her creative endeavors. She works in a number of genres from turning the documentary experience Mapping Privilege into an award winning play, How to Be A White Man, To blending jazz, comedy, and storytelling with her band, The Moon and The Man. Luna has been featured on NPR, PBS, AJ+, Glamour Magazine, The Atlantic and more. She is also chief vibe officer of Joy Channel, an org that brings together creatives and change agents to transform culture. 

Follow Luna Malbroux on:

Twitter: @lunaisamerica

Instagram: @lunaisamerica

Follow Sup Doc on:

Twitter: @supdocpodcast

Instagram: @supdocpodcast

Facebook: @supdocpodcast

sign up for our mailing list

And you can show your support to Sup Doc by donating on Patreon.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

We deep dive into Todd Haynes’ Velvet Underground documentary (2021) on AppleTV. Haynes talks to the surviving members of the band and a lot of New York art world and the Warhol Factory scene about this legendary group that blended drone, multimedia, and doo-wop. The first-person accounts are great and you get steeped in the heady New York days of yore.

Our guest is music publicist and Velvets fan Daniel Gill, who runs Force Field PR. George makes an argument for the TCCU (Tony Conrad Cinematic Universe) and Daniel plays a very thorough Cast This Doc. No Jonathan Richman impressions were maimed.

Daniel Gill runs the PR and management firm Force Field out of the Highland Park neighborhood of Los Angeles. Force Field is best known for launching the careers of many of your present day brunch playlist favorites, such as Sufjan Stevens, St. Vincent, Beach House, Toro Y Moi, Real Estate, Neon Indian, Tennis, Lord Huron, Panda Bear, Woods, Kevin Morby, and many more. They've also handled PR for a slew of music documentaries including Big Star: Nothing Can Hurt Me, ZAPPA, Once Were Brothers, Crock of Gold, Danny Says, Other Music, etc. Gill is also serving as the producer on the newly launched music podcast Discograffiti.

*Dan put together this Spotify playlist of songs and people we referenced this episode! A great Velvets primer.

Follow Daniel on:

Twitter: @forcefieldpr

Follow us on:

Twitter: @supdocpodcast

Instagram: @supdocpodcast

Facebook: @supdocpodcast

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And you can show your support to Sup Doc by donating on Patreon.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Paco and George talk to the director of For Madmen Only: The Stories of Del Close Heather Ross, and actor James Urbaniak. This doc is currently streaming on Amazon, Google Play, AppleTV, and Hulu.

For Madmen Only is an intimate look at the tremendously influential comedy and improv guru Del Close. This documentary is an eye-opener for anyone unfamiliar with this improv family tree that includes: Jon Glaser, Rachel Dratch, Dan Aykroyd, John Belushi, Tina Fey, Vince Vaughn, Bob Odenkirk, Adam McKay, Amy Poehler, Elaine May, and Bill Murray. It's crazy how many comedy stars were his students! Check out a partial list here.

We had a great conversation and that moves from comedy, mental illness, improv, drugs, seekers vs oracles, comic books, music and much more!

Our guest Heather Ross is an Emmy winning director & producer. She directed the documentaries For Madmen Only and Girls on the Wall as well as directing and producing for HBO, NBC, Fox, Discovery, A&E and more.

James Urbaniak has starred in a series of films by Hal Hartley starting with Henry Fool, plays Dr. Venture on The Venture Brothers, was Crumb in American Splendor, and was a regular on Difficult People and Review. He also hosts the podcast Getting On With James Urbaniak.

Follow the film on:

Twitter: @madmenonlymovie

Follow Heather on:

Twitter: @sincerelyhr

Follow James on:

Twitter: @JamesUrbaniak

Follow us on:

Twitter: @supdocpodcast

Instagram: @supdocpodcast

Facebook: @supdocpodcast

sign up for our mailing list

And you can show your support to Sup Doc by donating on Patreon.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

We're discussing Fantastic Fungi (2019), directed by Louie Schwartzberg. We look at all the forms of fungi, the roles they play in recycling matter, communicating with the trees, and even their role in human evolution. You may never look at mold the same way again. Our guest for this episode is comedian Jessica Sele.

Fantastic Fungi is a consciousness-shifting film about the mycelium network that takes us on an immersive journey through time and scale into the magical earth beneath our feet, an underground network that can heal and save our planet. Through the eyes of renowned scientists and mycologists like Paul Stamets, best-selling authors like Michael Pollan, Eugenia Bone, Andrew Weil and others, we become aware of the beauty, intelligence and solutions that fungi kingdom offers in response to some of our most pressing medical, therapeutic, and environmental challenges.

Jessica Sele is a Los Angeles-based comedian whose teeth were cut sharply in the San Francisco Bay Area. Her material ranges from sexuality to substance abuse to living in the end times. Her performances leave audiences to feel that demons have just left their bodies to take the night off. She hosts the West LA comedy night at Giant Robot, as well as the podcast, “Hot Topic: Jessica Sele talks about climate change for some reason.” Jessica has performed on Viceland, is a regular feature at her home club the San Francisco Punch Line, and has performed at fancy comedy festivals, colleges, clubs, and alt shows across the nation.

 Follow Jessica on:

Twitter: @jsele

Follow us on:

Twitter: @supdocpodcast

Instagram: @supdocpodcast

Facebook: @supdocpodcast

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And you can show your support to Sup Doc by donating on Patreon.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

We review the documentary Too Soon: Comedy After 9/11 which you can catch on Vice TV on Sept. 8th, just a few days before the 20th anniversary of the 2001 attacks.

The documentary features interviews with comedians including David Cross, Gilbert Godfried, Janeane Garofolo, and Marc Maron about the struggle to re-establish humor’s place in the aftermath of the attacks that day. The film explores how stand-up comedians, Broadway performers, late-night hosts, and Saturday Night Live helped audiences laugh even in the darkest of days. Our guest is Julie Seabaugh the director, executive producer, and story editor of Too Soon: Comedy After 9/11.

Too Soon premieres on VICE TV September 8 at 9 p.m. and will be repeating numerous times thereafter. (VICE TV is available via all major satellite and cable providers and the VICE TV app via iOS, Android, Apple TV, Roku, and Chromecast.)

Julie Seabaugh grew up on a farm in rural Missouri and discovered stand-up when Dave Attell performed during her senior year of college. Way back in 2003, she founded and edited the criminally ahead of its time print and online comedy magazine Two Drink Minimum. Now the only full-time freelance comedy journalist in the United States, she’s contributed to The New York Times, Rolling Stone, The Hollywood Reporter, GQ, Variety, The A.V. Club, The Village Voice, The Huffington Post, Spin, Playboy, Vulture, Paste, Time Out New York, Time Out Chicago, and numerous other alt-weeklies. 

Seabaugh’s coverage of modern roasting culminated in the 2018 book Ringside at Roast Battle: The First Five Years of L.A.'s Fight Club for Comedians, and her love of Mitch Hedberg led to producing/hosting 2020’s Hope on Top: A Mitch Hedberg Oral History for SiriusXM’s Comedy Central Channel (available to stream via the SiriusXM app). With Emmy-nominated director and editor Nick Scown, she is currently producing the documentary Too Soon: Comedy After 9/11. Participants include David Cross, Janeane Garofalo, Gilbert Gottfried, Lewis Black, Darrell Hammond, Doug Stanhope, and Marc Maron; the film’s 2021 release will mark the twentieth anniversary of the attacks. 

Among her career highlights, simultaneous Bridget Everett Village Voice and Roast Battle L.A. Weekly cover stories ran on both sides of the country the week of September 8, 2014. Interviewees over the years include Carl Reiner, Christopher Guest, Jon Stewart, Stephen Colbert, Joan Rivers, George Carlin, Don Rickles, Eddie Izzard, Drew Carey, Howie Mandel, Jimmy Kimmel, Key & Peele, Judd Apatow, Lily Tomlin, Mitch Hedberg, Seth Meyers, Wanda Sykes, and Zach Galifianakis.  

Having previously served as A&E staff writer at Las Vegas Weekly, Seabaugh won a 2015 Nevada Press Association Award for a cover profile tracing the downward health spiral of The Amazing Johnathan. “It’s obvious the author is a wordsmith,” judges wrote. “Every sentence is well thought out. It’s full of lively adjectives and truly paints a picture of what the Amazing Johnathan looks like, what he’s experiencing and how he got to his current state. I felt like he was sitting next to me, boisterously telling his story.”

For nearly two decades Seabaugh has covered, judged, and moderated panels at festivals including the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, Just for Laughs Montreal, SXSW, San Francisco Sketchfest, New York Comedy Festival, Just for Laughs Toronto, Sasquatch, Grand Rapids' Gilda's LaughFest, Montana's Big Sky Comedy Festival, Austin's Moontower, Portland's Bridgetown, the Seattle International Comedy Competition, Riot L.A., Nashville's Wild West Comedy Festival, and Atlanta's Laughing Skull.

Follow Julie on:

Twitter: @julieseabaugh

Follow us on:

Twitter: @supdocpodcast

Instagram: @supdocpodcast

Facebook: @supdocpodcast

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And you can show your support to Sup Doc by donating on Patreon.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

We review the controversial Woodstock 99: Peace, Love, and Rage (directed by Garrett Price) out now on HBOMax.

Boomer nostalgia meets nu metal in a fight where no one wins. The ceremonies took place in Rome, New York in 1999, three decades after the initial Woodstock festival. Seemingly small logistics issues roll into a massive (and literal) shitshow, sprinkled with arson, sexual assaults, and at least one fatality.

Do Bill Simmons’ and HBO lay the blame where it belongs, or are they re-exploiting these events for a quick payday two decades later?  

Our returning guest is Cory Sklar aka Chaki. Chaki is a funky alien wizard from Outer Space. With his unique take on electro funk, he has brought his weird ass stage show to festivals like Noise Pop and The Offbeat Fest. Chaki has shared the stage with like minded weirdos Peelander Z, El Vez, Bob Log III, Metalachi, Captured By Robots and The Oingo Boingo Dance Party.

We also have first-time guest Adam Papagan, a comedian, public access producer, and candidate for California Governor.

Follow Chaki on:

Twitter: @chakifunkwizard

Follow Adam on:

Twitter: @adampapagan

Follow us on:

Twitter: @supdocpodcast

Instagram: @supdocpodcast

Facebook: @supdocpodcast

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And you can show your support to Sup Doc by donating on Patreon.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

George talks to musician Sam Mickens about one of his favorite docs LOST SOUL: THE DOOMED JOURNEY OF RICHARD STANLEY'S ISLAND OF DR. MOREAU (2014, David Gregory)

It's the mid-'90s. British/South African horror director Stanley pitches a version of the H.G. Wells novel The Island of Dr. Moreau and New Line Cinema picks it up. Some huge movie stars get attached and the set becomes a war of egos, bad weather, worse attitudes, and inevitable chaos. Stanley is sent packing, but this is not the last we see of him.

Sam Mickens is a native Angeleno, musician, writer, multidisciplinary artist, and now President/head of programming for Another World is Possible, a new politics and culture streaming service and news network.

*Abuse accusations leveled against Stanley came to light in 2021.

Follow Sam on:

Twitter: @SamMickens

Instagram: @SamMickens

Follow Another World Is Possible on:

Twitter: @AWIPTV

Instagram: @AWIPTV

Follow us on:

Twitter: @supdocpodcast

Instagram: @supdocpodcast

Facebook: @supdocpodcast

sign up for our mailing list

And you can show your support to Sup Doc by donating on Patreon.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Paco and George talk about some recent docs

THE SPARKS BROTHERS - (Edgar Wright, 2021) In Theaters / Purchase

THE DONUT KING (Alice Gu, 2020) Hulu

SUMMER OF SOUL (Questlove, 2021) Hulu 

THE COCKETTES (Bill Weber & David Weissman, 2002) Documentary Plus

 Controversy around Summer of Soul footage

We are also super excited about the upcoming Val Kilmer doc! George found footage of him at Pehrspace.

Follow us on:

Twitter: @supdocpodcast

Instagram: @supdocpodcast

Facebook: @supdocpodcast

sign up for our mailing list

And you can show your support to Sup Doc by donating on Patreon.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.