Tank Top Talks w/ Matt Braunger

When I reached out to ask Joel Murray if he’d be on the pod, I didn’t think he’d say yes. He’s Joel Freakin’ Murray, one of the biggest members of the Hollywood “Oh yeah, that guy” club. You know, maybe you don’t know his name, but you KNOW his work (His IMDB credit list is in the hundreds). But did you know his breakout role as George Calamari in the all-time 80s classic “One Crazy Summer” was hi...

Megan is a stand-up comic, writer, and mother of two boys. She’s also sick of the manosphere bullshit and not afraid to say so. Like me, she came out of the Chicago comedy scene. Unlike me, she was born and raised in Indiana, with a unique viewpoint on the Hoosier state that is both loving and merciless. Meghan recorded a stand-up special in her driveway while visibly pregnant and wearing a weddin...

Full disclosure, I did not know what to expect when I invited the “Clown Alley” clowns (it’s actually called The Alley Show) on the show at the recommendation of TTT alum Akela Munsey. In fact, I did no research ahead of time. Let me say that A) I enjoyed it, B) I liked them because they believe in what they do, and C) It’s pretty gross (intentionally). This episode was nuts, funny, and super illu...

Please welcome Johnny “Handsome” Sneed, my brother in the struggle of the middle-aged-actor/Dad. Johnny lives across the street from me, and I often see him loading up his truck with his drum kit to play a bar with his band. You’d probably recognize him more as an actor, and I’ve been in the same audition waiting room with him more times than I can count. As I say on the show, every time he shows...

Whitmer Thomas and I go way back and I’ve always loved his comedy but when I saw his new HBO special “Terminal Crew of Dudes,” I was blown away. To be simple, it’s like “Jackass” with heart and more art (and music). On a more complex level, it took me back to my skating days as a kid and a simpler time when being silly, young, and falling down a lot was just the fucking best. Whitmer is funny, emo...

Paul Walter Hauser is a great actor, a hilarious guy, and a kind, humble man. You might know him from “I, Tonya,” “Blackbird,” or “Richard Jewell,” but did you know he’s also a pro wrestler? Yep. We got into acting, being with someone again after a breakup (we have similar relationship stories), and he even taught me a lesson on being better to myself (using scripture, no less). A Hollywood giant...

Just like frosted Lucky Charms are magicially delicious, Jamel Johnson is instantly hilarious. I’ve known him for a little while, but it wasn’t until the Toledano Street Festival in New Orleans that I became a rabid fan. All weekend the comedians were onstage and off, drinking and hanging out, but I made a point to see all of Jamel’s sets after seeing his first one. He’s basically that guy that ro...

When I moved into the house my wife and I bought in 2018, Michael was one of the first neighbors I met and I was immediately glad I did. Everybody should have a talented, kind, black, gay, kind, hilarious neighbor with a husband and two kids like I do. This episode was so amazing and special because I learned so much about a guy who lives just down the block from me. For example, I knew he played...

I’ve had a lot of comedians on Tank Top Talks, but I don’t think I’ve had any who did the DIY thing as well as Shapel. Sure, we all work at getting the word out about ourselves, but Shapel A) stays on the road, and B) his online stuff is so well curated and uniquely him. I love his backstory as a cheerleader (he can still f-ing backflip, which is insane to me), how he got over his “crazy days” as...

If you eat out in LA and you like tasty food and good vibes, you’ve probably gone to All Time in Los Feliz or Betsy’s in Altadena. A co-founder of the first and the owner of the second, Tyler first came on the scene with Handsome Coffee, a company he later sold to make his first restaurant. During renovations on my house years ago, I used to walk over to All Time covered in drywall dust and treat...

Everybody loves Will Sasso, including me. First, as a massive fan (like everybody), and second, as a friend. He mentored me through my Mad TV days (what days there were), and I’ve had the honor of auditioning against him many, many times (I’ve yet to win, not surprising). Anyway, he’s a new dad and a great guy and Kenny Rogers’ Jackass is the funniest sketch of all time. Throw on a tank top and li...

Jessica Boudreaux is probably best known for being the lead guitarist and singer of the seminal rock band Summer Cannibals, but she’s also a cancer survivor, producer, and old friend of mine to boot. Originally from Louisiana, Jessica founded SC in my hometown of Portland, Oregon, later moving to LA to do her own thing as a producer. She now produces music for herself and other musicians and she m...

Here at Tank Top Talks, we’ve had some real big laughs, but I don’t think we’ve ever had one like the “Winconsinbly” one. Laura Peek is one of my favorite comics working today, a hell of a nice person, and a dear friend. There is a part of this podcast where Laura, myself, and podcast engineer Max all were legit crying from laughter. You should go see Laura but also, if you want a good laugh, list...

You may know Fumi Abe from the Tonight Show, the Late Show, or as a writer on Seth McFarlane's Ted, but I know him for his incredible bravery. He showed up to record this week with no tank top in hand, and accepted the challenge of wearing my clearly-too-big Santa Cruz tank top for 58 minutes and 31 seconds. We covered a lot of ground – the strong connection between racism and tank tops, New York...

Walking About’s Allan McLeod joins me to FINALLY JUST SIT DOWN. His acclaimed podcast features him and a guest walking around an area and learning its history, while mine (not acclaimed) features two schlubs in tank tops, in chairs. Nice to give him a break. Oh, he’s also a legendarily funny sketch and improv comedian. Listen in and find out how he got the name “Molasses Boy.” Hosted on Acast. See...

Grace Helbig is a hilarious online icon, full stop. She’s got millions of followers, untold hours of online content, and never (to my mind) came off like a person who NEEDS attention. When people started vlogging, I couldn’t find many that I liked, arguing that you couldn’t pump out interesting stuff that often. Grace proved me wrong. She’s always interesting and funny, whether it’s her long-runni...

Folks, I'll be honest...we've been working our way up to Gabrus for a while now. In addition to being comedy podcast royalty (Action Boyz, Doughboys, High and Mighty, Comedy Bang! Bang!) at this point, he's also basically the king of tank tops. As he says himself, he feels most comfortable without sleeves, and that made this chat a real delight. We cover a lot of ground – the Key West lifesty...

Gareth may not have come with his own tank top in tow but he made sure to bring his sparkling wit and signature charm! You may know Gareth from his various podcasts - The Dollop makes me cry laughing - or from his hilarious stand-up act. It was a real treat to have him join us in the tank top treefort to discuss cocaine, vasectomies, and also cocaine. Plus, Gareth has the pleasure of explaining th...

Our 50th episode features the hilarious Rob Haze. Put simply, Rob cracks me up good. Extremely dry and insightful, he’s not what you’d call a high-energy entertainer, but that’s what makes him great. A lot of comics (like, say, me) have used big energy and being loud to cover up their lack of strong material. Not Rob. We got into whether shorts are ok to wear onstage, doing comedy at noon on a col...

Will Pepper has a joke about visiting Vietnam and “feeling white” that made me immediately follow him online. His outlook and perspective are hilarious on stage, and he’s got a great family story as well. In fact, his dad is low-key famous from Will’s videos (check them out— his dad‘s laugh is infectious). My only requirement for a guest is that they be either funny or interesting and Will is...

Hilarious on stage, Vine (RIP), and a writer (currently on “Ms. Pat” on BET), Patrick Walsh is one of those guys who is reliably funny AND prolific. Not a huge tank top guy (those are, admittedly, rare on the show (irony!), Patrick nonetheless joined with a banger of a tank. We talked writing for TV, comedy, movies, and he even shared some savage tea about a famous Brit he worked with. Want the ho...

You might recognize Melissa from her appearances on Californication, New Girl, Key and Peele, or Black Monday. She’s also an old stand-up pal of mine who used to produce a legendary show downtown called Holy Fuck (Great name, no?). She’s got a new stand-up special coming out soon called “Sparkle” about all the bad jobs she’s worked along the way (which, come on, amazing idea). We had a hilarious c...

If you haven’t watched Luke Mones’ “Woke Trump” bit from his Don’t Tell Comedy set, go watch it on YouTube now. I’ll wait. Hilarious, right? Luke is one of my favorite comics out there and not just because he’s from my hometown of Portland. He wore a Trailblazer jersey to the taping and we got into some really, really interesting/funny stuff. Do you need an hour of laughs in these trying times? Th...

Drew Landry writes jokes so good it makes me mad. I’d met him a while back, but we rarely see each other outside of random LA shows, but I follow him online. If you like to laugh, you should also follow Drew online. One of those guys who kind of fly under the radar, yet is always throwing hilarious stuff out there. I loved getting his story, his perspective, and also finding out he spent over a ye...

I did a movie with Sherry Cola—Yeah, I said it!! We aren’t in any scenes together, but it counts! Sherry Cola is truly America’s Sweetheart. You might know her from her recent run on Apple TV’s “Shrinking” or from the hit movie “Joy Ride,” but if you don’t yet, you will. Her joy and hilarious outlook are infectious and, even though she kept a jacket over her tank, she killed it with me at the Netf...