This Is Your Afterlife

Rashawn Scott (South Side, Abbott Elementary, Second City) tells me about the hell of the Old Navy stock room, the impulse to narrativize your life, a couple of really intense moments at funerals, and her grandmother delivering an unintentional post-college wake-up call. Rashawn is one of my favorite comedic actors, and she's expansive, self-assured, and vulnerable all in one in this episode.

I think this show's worth the cost of a coffee or a meal a month. If you do too, subscribe for $5 or $15 at patreon.com/davemaher. You'll get my full convo with Rashawn, every installment of the companion podcast This Is Your Aftershow, and shoutouts in future episodes.

Follow Rashawn, @rashawnscott on Twitter and Instagram. And listen to her podcast, Mystery County Monster Hunters Club!

Here's my favorite Rashawn performance on South Side: Season 2, Episode 2, "Ambulance"

Subscribe to my weekly newsletter, Hella Immaculate! And follow me @thisisdavemaher on Twitter, TikTok, and Instagram.

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Music = Future: "Use Me" / James Blackshaw: "The Cloud of Unknowing" / Four Tet: "Two Thousand and Seventeen" / Johnnie Frierson: "Miracles"

New segment alert! Standup Michael Timlin (Shameless) is the first guest to tell me the superlative he'd get (and the one he'd want) in his eulogies. He talks about showing up for loved ones, and worrying about their wellbeing. He starts the show committing to never having kids, and he ends it with abundant, specific declarations of love for his wife. It's a complex episode with a lot of feelings!

To get the full experience, start by listening to my episode of Mike's sanity-bestowing podcast, Work Sucks, I Know! Who doesn't love a crossover event?

I think this show's worth the cost of a coffee or a meal a month, and if you subscribe for $5 or $15 at patreon.com/davemaher, you can get my full convo with Timlin, every installment of the companion podcast This Is Your Aftershow, and shoutouts in future episodes.

Follow Mike on Twitter: @MichaelTimlin

Subscribe to my weekly newsletter, Hella Immaculate! And follow me @thisisdavemaher on Twitter, TikTok, and Instagram.

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Music = Future: "Use Me" / James Blackshaw: "The Cloud of Unknowing" / Four Tet: "Two Thousand and Seventeen" / Johnnie Frierson: "Miracles"

We finally did it! We recorded the first episode in a new series, the Afterlife Movie Club. Claire Favret and Bill Stern join me to talk about the movie most referenced by far on This Is Your Afterlife, 1998 Robin Williams vehicle What Dreams May Come.

Why is there so much purple in this movie? Does the story measure up to the set design? Exactly how fucked up is it for a movie this horny to end with two reincarnated lovers meeting as children? Oh, and spoiler alert.

If you like this episode, subscribe to my Patreon at patreon.com/davemaher to suggest other movies (and guests) for Afterlife Movie Club!

Here are the two Hieronymus Bosch paintings I reference:

1. The one above the bed: The Garden of Earthly Delights
2. The one that reminded me of Annie's hell: Ascent of the Blessed

Follow Claire and Bill's sketch group, Cigarette Sandwich: @cigsandwich on Instagram and Twitter.

Follow Bill on Twitter: @dollarbillstern

Follow Claire on Twitter: @clairefavs

Subscribe to my weekly newsletter, Hella Immaculate! And follow me @thisisdavemaher on Twitter, TikTok, and Instagram.

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Music = Future: "Use Me" / Four Tet: "Two Thousand and Seventeen" / Johnnie Frierson: "Miracles"

Writer Sasha Geffen (Pitchfork, Rolling Stone, NPR) wrote the book Glitter Up the Dark: How Pop Music Broke the Binary and hosts the podcast Shattering Gleam: A Podcast About Music and Gender, so it's fitting we tackle gender and pop music HEAVY in this episode. In his Relive 1 Memory segment, Sasha goes in depth about his memories of pop star Sophie: interviewing her, talking to her at dinner, and seeing her perform live. So much of this episode is about our relationships to our bodies. Sasha is open about the medical aspects of transitioning and insightful about the relationship between our bodies and music. It's a really unique episode of This Is Your Afterlife.

Get my full convo with Sasha, every installment of the companion podcast This Is Your Aftershow, and shoutouts in future episodes at patreon.com/davemaher.

Listen to Sasha's excellent podcast, Shattering Gleam: A Podcast About Music and Gender!

Learn more about Sasha and their book, Glitter Up the Dark: How Pop Music Broke the Binary, at sashageffen.com.

Subscribe to my weekly newsletter, Hella Immaculate! And follow me @thisisdavemaher on Twitter, TikTok, and Instagram.

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Music = Future: "Use Me" / James Blackshaw: "The Cloud of Unknowing" / Four Tet: "Two Thousand and Seventeen" / Johnnie Frierson: "Miracles"

Hero, mentor, and friend of mine Chris Gethard ("The Chris Gethard Show," "Career Suicide" on HBO, Beautiful/Anonymous podcast, countless TV shows & movies) is here for an extended episode of the show. I tell him about a text exchange we had that he didn't know changed my life, and that's just the warmup. He goes on to describe his customized hell full of Aerosmith, socks with sandals, and raw tomatoes. He explains an underrated aspect of parenting. He cheats when I ask him to "Relive 1 Memory" and picks two that both relate to "The Chris Gethard Show." And he revisits the night that opened him up after a childhood of trying to hide he was not okay.

If you know Gethard and not me, welcome. I hope you'll take a look around the world of the podcast and stay. If you know me and not Gethard somehow, you're in for a huge fuckin' treat.

Get my full convo with Gethard (including more comedy talk at the beginning and the briefest "Funeral Planning" segment we've ever had), every installment of the companion podcast This Is Your Aftershow, and shoutouts in future episodes at patreon.com/davemaher.

Read or listen to Gethard's new book, Dad on Pills: Fatherhood and Mental Illness.

Follow him on Instagram: @chrisgeth

And here are the two episodes of "The Chris Gethard Show" on New York City public access TV that I reference in my intro:

"TCGS #87: Let's Get Real"

"TCGS #99: Lookin' at Dicks for an Hour: A New Low" (aka "Dick Skirt")

Subscribe to my weekly newsletter, Hella Immaculate! And follow me @thisisdavemaher on Twitter, TikTok, and Instagram.

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Music = Future: "Use Me" / James Blackshaw: "The Cloud of Unknowing" / Four Tet: "Two Thousand and Seventeen" / Johnnie Frierson: "Miracles"

Comedy writer and actor Patrick Rowland quit his job at Target to work his dream job as a writer for "The Amber Ruffin Show." Patrick's story should be taught to creative people everywhere as an object lesson in doing all the things "they" tell you to do: work hard, be kind, and be patient. It actually worked for him!

Other highlights: He and I agree being immortal would NOT get boring! Patrick genuinely loves improv! And—hard left turn here—he tells me about being shot at 17 and how it changed him, in many ways.

Get my full convo with Patrick (including a lovely "Relive 1 Memory" segment), every installment of the debrief podcast This Is Your Aftershow, and shoutouts in future episodes at patreon.com/davemaher. By joining, you're helping me realize my dream of making this show my living.

Watch "The Amber Ruffin Show" streaming on Peacock for free!

Watch "Patrick Rowland's Sketch Show" on Patrick's YouTube channel.

Follow 3Peat: @3peatcomedy on Twitter and Instagram.

Subscribe to my weekly newsletter, Hella Immaculate! And follow me @thisisdavemaher on Twitter, TikTok, and Instagram.

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Transcript: This Is Your Afterlife on Podscribe

Music = Future: "Use Me" / James Blackshaw: "The Cloud of Unknowing" / Four Tet: "Two Thousand and Seventeen" / Johnnie Frierson: "Miracles"

Was it a dream, alien abduction, angel visitation, or something else? Whatever it was, artist/musician/writer Ross Simonini refuses to dismiss the flying experience he had as a child. We take a tour of some of Ross' more extreme consciousness-shifting experiences in part 2 of our conversation. He also tells me about the play he wrote as a kid for his loved ones to perform at his funeral.

Get my full convo with Ross (even more than Parts 1 and 2 combined!), every installment of the debrief podcast This Is Your Aftershow, and shoutouts in future episodes at patreon.com/davemaher. By joining, you're helping me realize my dream of making this show my living.

For both a foundation and a deeper exploration of some of the ideas we talk about, check out Ross' essay, "The All," in The Believer.

Follow Ross on Instagram: @rosssimonini, visit his website rosssimonini.com, and if you're in New York City, go see his art show "The All" at Anonymous Gallery until February 19, 2022! 

Subscribe to my weekly newsletter, Hella Immaculate! And follow me @thisisdavemaher on Twitter, TikTok, and Instagram.

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Transcript: This Is Your Afterlife on Podscribe

Music = Future: "Use Me" / James Blackshaw: "The Cloud of Unknowing" / Four Tet: "Two Thousand and Seventeen" / Johnnie Frierson: "Miracles"

Painter, musician, and writer (among many other things) Ross Simonini likes to get at the truth by subtraction. In this episode, we talk about the zen koan of "the finger and the moon" and how it relates to knowing the unknown. He introduces me to fun concepts like apophatic theology (the idea that God can never be known or described). And he describes the hell that is being trapped inside yourself. This episode is part one of two because there's a lot to chew on here, and I want to let the conversation breathe a bit. Stay tuned for Part 2 later this week!

Get my full convo with Ross (even more than Parts 1 and 2 combined!), every installment of the debrief podcast This Is Your Aftershow, and shoutouts in future episodes at patreon.com/davemaher. By joining, you're helping me realize my dream of making this show my living.

For both a foundation and a deeper exploration of some of the ideas we talk about, check out Ross' essay, "The All," in The Believer.

Follow Ross on Instagram: @rosssimonini, visit his website rosssimonini.com, and if you're in New York City, go see his art show "The All" at Anonymous Gallery until February 19, 2022! 

Subscribe to my weekly newsletter, Hella Immaculate! And follow me @thisisdavemaher on Twitter, TikTok, and Instagram.

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Transcript: This Is Your Afterlife on Podscribe

Music = Future: "Use Me" / Four Tet: "Two Thousand and Seventeen" / Johnnie Frierson: "Miracles"

Artist and children's book illustrator Bianca Diaz talks to me about unpacking her identity as a white Latina, the personalities of buildings, and the comfort she'd like to give children with incarcerated parents in See You Soon, her forthcoming book with bestselling author and abolitionist organizer Mariame Kaba. She's also at least the third person to reference What Dreams May Come when describing her hopes for the afterlife, so it might be time to start a This Is Your Afterlife movie club.

Get my full convo with Bianca, every installment of the debrief podcast This Is Your Aftershow, and shoutouts in future episodes at patreon.com/davemaher. By joining, you're helping me realize my dream of making this show my living.

Follow Bianca on Instagram: @biancadiazart, visit her website biancadiaz.com, and pre-order See You Soon! 

Subscribe to my weekly newsletter, Hella Immaculate! And follow me @thisisdavemaher on Twitter, TikTok, and Instagram.

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Music = Future: "Use Me" / James Blackshaw: "The Cloud of Unknowing" / Four Tet: "Two Thousand and Seventeen" / Johnnie Frierson: "Miracles"

Pro wrestler Colt Cabana (AEW, All Elite Wrestling) is a man of sensory pleasures, which is why this is the most sexiest, "nut"-filled episode of the podcast yet. Colt talks about the rare wrestling event that honored a wrestler who died (his friend Brodie Lee), the distinction between joke hell and cartoon hell, and how getting fired from WWE changed his life, for the better. It's not just sex-y,and heartfelt, this episode is constant laughs.

Get my full convo with Colt, every installment of the debrief podcast This Is Your Aftershow, and shoutouts in future episodes at patreon.com/davemaher. By joining, you're helping me realize my dream of making this show my living.

Listen to Colt's newest podcast, Wrestling Anonymous! And follow @coltcabana on Twitch, Twitter, and Instagram.

Subscribe to my weekly newsletter, Hella Immaculate! And follow me @thisisdavemaher on Twitter, TikTok, and Instagram.

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Transcript: This Is Your Afterlife on Podscribe

Music = Future: "Use Me" / James Blackshaw: "The Cloud of Unknowing" / Four Tet: "Two Thousand and Seventeen" / Johnnie Frierson: "Miracles"