The Nerdologues Present: MBSing

Alison Banowsky loves a nice, soft pretzel with some nasty fake cheese more than most things in the world, and she doesn't care if you think that's gross because that's who she is. We get into how this started (being a mall rat) and how it continues (the frozen food section at Walgreens) and the nice, fancy beer cheeses that Alison ignores in favor of the kind of cheese you'd inject into a pretzel. Stick around for a fun romp into dream interpretation wherein Alison reads an actual dream description that's very, very funny.

Thanks to Cards Against Humanity for sponsoring and the Chicago Podcast Cooperative for coordinating sponsorships and such.

If you thought the recent conversation MBS had with Abraham Lincoln about his love of Weezer was too good to be true, wait until you get a load of past presidents William Howard Taft and Andrew No-Middle-Name Jackson chatting about the beloved teen party romp, Can't Hardly Wait. AJ counts down his top 5 baseball movies, Taft pines for Jennifer Love Hewitt, and Abe crashes the party before past guest of the show Tim Dunn shows up pretty upset that MBS "stole" his guests again. Boy do these prezes really give Tim the runaround.

For more fun with Lincoln, definitely listen to Tim and Abe’s show at www.15MinutesWithLincoln.com

Thanks to Cards Against Humanity for sponsoring and the continued use of their studios, and thanks to the Chicago Podcast Cooperative for lending a sense of legitimacy to this whole endeavor.

Ho ho ho? Uh, try no no no! Nerdologues co-founder Kevin Reader finally came on the show to chat about his favorite athlete. From being a nerdy kid in jr high who got into basketball because it's what his friends were into (and because he grew up in IL in the 90s) to playing pickup basketball with Deron Williams in college, Kevman found an idol in Mutombo when he got his story and stats in a physical, chapter-a-month encyclopedia mailing. Can't deny a guy who didn't start playing basketball until he was 15 in DR Congo and started college at 21 (even though he denied players on the court for 18 seasons in the NBA). Better late than never!

Thanks to Iron Galaxy for sponsoring and the Chicago Podcast Cooperative for coordinating sponsors.

Lifelong fan of the classics and passionate supporter of the continued seasons, Chris Rathjen is a Whovian of epic proportions. From watching black and white episodes on Iowa public television every Friday night ad infinitum to appreciating newfound BBC production quality and emotional nuance, Chris loves the humanity behind the otherworldliness of the show and has never missed an episode (to the point of enjoying ones that have recently been reconstructed from found audio and newly-produced animations). In spite of not spending too much time on the villains of Doctor Who, we cover a lot of ground on Doctors, companions, and the show runners and writing that tie them all together.

Check out Chris's work on Improvised Star Trek, Hello From the Magic Tavern, and The Probe.

Thanks to the Second City for sponsoring and the Chicago Podcast Cooperative for their fellowship and sponsor coordination.

Filmspotting cohost Adam Kempenaar takes a break from film reviews to chime in on the hit musical Hamilton and why he feels it has moved him so much since he saw it on Broadway in February (and subsequently in Chicago in October). While there is plenty of time spent on how Lin-Manuel Miranda's artistic feat shines from Burr's opening number to Eliza's closer, there's also exploration of the magic and singular nature of live theatre that has been reinvigorated for Adam this year. In his mind, Hamilton is a story about greatness and those who aspire to it. Listen up, get all the songs stuck in your head forever, and feel the warmth of Adam's anecdotes about how this show has brought him closer to his children in a way maybe nothing else has before.

Buy tickets for the Fifth Anniversary of Your Stories here and listen to The Probe here.

Thanks to Emporium Arcade Bar for sponsoring and the Chicago Podcast Cooperative for continued sponsorship coordination and support.

From Puttin' on the Ritz to a shitload of dimes, Will Biby has loved all things Mell Brooks since he caught Young Frankenstein and Blazing Saddles as a young man thanks to the gentle prodding of his father. Since then, Will has dug into the deeper cuts of Mel's career and went so far as to host a staged reading of Mel's first film and one of his personal favorites, The Producers, to celebrate his own 30th birthday. Will and MBS attempt to discuss some modern comedy that has Brooks's influence all over it and what exactly it is that Mel did so right. 

Thanks to Iron Galaxy for sponsoring and the Chicago Podcast Cooperative for its coordination of sponsorships and so much more.

EDIT - MBS noticed some lost words in this episode upon a relisten, and it turns out the raw audio is fuckity and thus unfixable. Big bummer, but CERTAINLY doesn't make it unlistenable. Just a word or part of one lost every so often. Sincere apologies as this is certainly not up to the standard the show hopes to keep.

[Recorded live as part of the first annual Chicago Podcast Festival] Noted actor-improviser David Pasquesi fell deeply in love with living in Italy when he spent a year "studying" there as a college student (by slowly convincing his parents he was considering joining the priesthood so they'd let him stay). From the general demeanor of its residents to its remarkable food to its storied, centuries-long history, Dave cannot separate himself from the nation of his ancestors. The country and his time spent there has colored his life from his grandfather's immigration to the states as a teenager to living there with his own wife and sons as they wait through the process of becoming dual citizens. He's even still performing with a pair of the students he studied abroad with - a lasting connection from a formative time.

Huge thanks are owed to the Chicago Podcast Festival, the Chicago Podcast Cooperative, and this week's sponsor, The Second City. These events and organizations are lending legitimacy to an artform, and MBSing is overwhelmed with pride and humility to be a part of it all.

Nnamdi is a man after MBS's own heart: he's a movie crier. He unpacks the highbrow and lowbrow films that have inspired and moved him throughout his life. From Forrest Gump to Creed, Nnamdi has always emotionally responded to incredible storytelling via filmmaking, acting, and character work and strives to do the same in his own life as a performer. Herein lies Oscar talk, actor-director pairings, and Masters of the Universe for some reason. Also, from the bottom of both of our cinephilic hearts: go see Arrival ASAP.

MBS at the Chicago Podcast Festival THIS WEEKEND. Use promo code CHICAGO for 1/2 off tickets!

Thanks to Basecamp for sponsoring and the Chicago Podcast Cooperative for making a vast majority of this possible and way more worth the time and energy spent on it.

Regular listeners may remember Bill's first MBSing appearance right after Election Day 2014. At the time he worked with United Way and Get Covered Illinois. He returns to unpack Election Day 2016 as a first year law student driven by the desire to affect policy. This conversation was recorded about six hours after the presidential race was called. It is raw, biased, and comes from a place of privilege.

Thanks to Field Notes Brand for supporting this show and giving me a place to write down my hopes, fears, and dumb ideas. Thanks to the Chicago Podcast Cooperative for helping me and others more marginalised than I am feel our voices are important.

Volunteering has been so integral for Emily's life that she didn't realize it was the perfect topic for her to chat about. From the Appalachia Service Project to The Ronald McDonald House, Emily has found causes she can contribute her time and energy to that make people's lives tangibly better. The real story here is about her time with REALITY Theatre, a local group that used the actual experiences of young people to reach school audiences on topic like substance use and bullying. Starting as a student in the program and slowly phasing into running the thing for not enough pay, Emily outlines how she unknowingly racked up thousands of volunteer hours and how bureaucracy, her schooling, and her own actual employment factored into her experience with REALITY.

Emily and MBS in Attend the Tale of Danny Tanner

Thanks to Cards Against Humanity for sponsoring and the continued use of their studios, and thanks to the Chicago Podcast Cooperative for lending a sense of legitimacy to something laced with passion.