It's nearly Christmas and Nick is on the road, so what's a lonesome Neeraj to do? He calls on the one person who can step in to save the day, his biggest fan, his harshest critic, his brother. Much mentioned and so far little heard, Tejas makes his debut on this week's Christmas themed episode. There's talk of presents, the industry of Christmas and the tropes of television specials. But in a blink and you might miss it moment, Neeraj and Tejas perform an almost imperceptible bait and switch and what started out as a festive installment transforms into a discussion about science fiction, speculative fiction, aliens and higher dimensional beings. But all it boils down to is this: imagine it's Christmas day, you wake up, the sun is shining, the birds are chirping, you turn on the news and discover that aliens have landed. How would you feel?

Thumbnail DALL·E prompt: "a goose pulling Santa in a sled on a starry night with UFOs in the sky"

Please join us on our website and Discord:

https://www.wildtruthchase.com

The time has come for our hosts to move away from their basic dad jokes and into more expansive territory. In today’s episode, Neeraj and Nick discuss humour and storytelling, beginning with a performance of a short, maybe humorous, story written by Neeraj. From there, our hosts touch on Tropic Thunder and Joseph Heller’s “Catch 22” as examples of humour and storytelling. This leads Nick to explore the distinction between adding story to humour and the alternative of sprinkling humour on story.

This is our closing episode on the subject of humour, at least for the time being. It’s been a fascinating ride delving into a subject that is often taken for granted. Lessons have been learnt, co-hosts have been humbled and tears have been shed (in private, mostly by Neeraj). We hope you’ve enjoyed the season. Get in touch on discord if you have any suggestions for the next season.

Thumbnail DALL·E prompt: "a goose in army fatigues reading a humorous story book, cartoon style"

Please join us on our website and Discord:

https://www.wildtruthchase.com

We take a look at laughter and its connection with humor. Nick is interested in laughter because it is one of those phenomena, like aging, that is “hiding in plain sight”. Not traditionally considered a fit subject for scientific investigation, we run through some ideas that have arisen from relatively recent studies of laughter. Laughter is found to serve many purposes and to come in several forms. Contagion becomes an unexpected theme: from laugh tracks and social laughter to Kuru and laughing epidemics (really!).

Nick’s sources for this episode:

Laughology

Thumbnail DALL·E prompt: "Generate a picture of a happy goose with a big smile on its face and tears of laughter streaming down its cheeks, cartoon style"

Please join us on our website, Twitter, Reddit, and Discord:

https://www.wildtruthchase.com

Please join us in welcoming a new guest on the podcast, ChatGPT, the recently released AI chat bot. Our new guest has been causing quite a stir for their strong conversational skills and in today’s episode on artificial intelligence and comedy, we check out ChatGPT’s comedic chops.

Neeraj and Nick discover that ChatGPT is definitely no slouch and can match their comedic capabilities. In fact, in a brazen moment, ChatGPT accuses our hosts of humour failure. Nick piles in with ChatGPT, taking shots at Neeraj’s prior quips. But ultimately, our AI friend shows its weakness in two rambling jokes about farmers and geese that Nick struggles to follow. In an unusual twist for this season, Neeraj walks away from this episode with his comedic confidence boosted.

Thumbnail DALL·E prompt: "goose robot holding a microphone and telling a joke, cartoon style"

Please join us on our website, Twitter, Reddit, and Discord:

https://www.wildtruthchase.com

In this episode, Neeraj and Nicholas exit their comfort zones to talk about comedy and controversy. There has been no shortage of controversy in the comedic world over the past few years. In 2018, Kevin Hart quit as host of the 2019 Oscars due to decade old tweets. More recently, Dave Chappelle’s “The Closer” was accused of transphobia. Television shows have also come under the spotlight with five episodes of Always Sunny in Philadelphia being removed from streaming services.

It’s an awkward episode and conversation as Neeraj wonders how he should react to episodes of a show he enjoys being removed and Nicholas offers up Dave Barry as a comedian unlikely to cause any strife. Listen to our hosts flail about trying to discuss this challenging topic whilst steering clear of any controversy themselves.

Thumbnail DALL·E prompt: "a person throwing a tomato at a goose who is holding a microphone, cartoon style"

Please join us on our website, Twitter, Reddit, and Discord:

Enough theory, it’s time to learn by example! In today’s episode, Nicholas and Neeraj share a variety of jokes they’ve found online and in books. Nicholas enthusiastically delivers his Wild Truth Chase themed selection with the skill of a budding voice actor. Neeraj is still trying to make long jokes land, but either his delivery, the audience or the joke is not quite working. However, in a major victory given the previous episodes, Neeraj does manage to sneak in a joke of his own without Nicholas recognising it.

Sources

101 Short Jokes Anyone Can Remember | Reader's Digest (rd.com)

Please join us on our website, Twitter, Reddit, and Discord:

We’re going back to basics in this episode and taking lessons from Greg Dean’s Step by Step to Stand-Up Comedy. In this book, Greg Dean describes the core elements of a joke, taking us from the setup to the punchline. The construction of humour presented resonates with Nick, who sees close parallels to an explanation for the existence of humour provided in the previously mentioned Inside Jokes. Neeraj tries to keep up, hoping that whatever he lacks in natural talent, he can make up for in grit, graft, and perseverance.

Experts be warned, this is a groundfloor introduction to crafting jokes for the uninitiated.

Thumbnail DALL·E prompt: "a bandit goose breaking the lock on a grocery store door at night, cartoon style"

Please join us on our website, Twitter, Reddit, and Discord:

After last week’s disastrous attempt by Neeraj to tell a joke, Nick decided that an intervention was necessary. He’s spent the week reading and watching comedic experts explain the mechanics of good comedy and today he shares that with us. In this episode we go through the mindset and behaviours required to be a successful comedian. We speak about the value of broadening your experiences and a need to put in the time to hone your craft. Nicholas tries to sprinkle in a joke or two during the course of the episode. And Neeraj, showing a total disdain for failure, has another go at telling a joke. 

Thumbnail DALL·E prompt: "a crab stealing money from a goose, cartoon style"

Please join us on our website, Twitter, Reddit, and Discord:

It’s time for a new season and Nick has chosen the topic of Humour. The plan is to spend the season learning about the theory and practise of humour. In this first episode, we chat about our existing relationships with humour, the types of humour we seek out, and a bit about how we use humour in our daily lives. Nick shares a theory about the existence of humour that goes a little over Neeraj’s head. In return, Neeraj shares a spectacu-lair homemade joke that lands like a lead balloon. There’s clearly plenty of learning to do and there might be some laughs along the way.

Thumbnail DALL·E prompt: "a goose doing standup comedy in front of a microphone in a dive bar, cartoon style"

Please join us on our website, Twitter, Reddit, and Discord:

https://www.wildtruthchase.com

Nick and Neeraj wrap the season on the news. Reflecting on what they’ve learned, a few themes emerge. Limiting news consumption and being aware of the incentives at play are top of mind, as is giving yourself appropriate context by studying some relevant history. Our season on the news nearly perfectly coincided with the ‘reign’ of Liz Truss, the UK’s ill-fated prime minister. A head of lettuce now presides in the UK (or not).

Thumbnail DALL·E prompt: "two geese learning about the news, cartoon style"

Please join us on our website, Twitter, Reddit, and Discord: