The Skewer Podcast

The Skewer's second birthday kicked ass and totally owned, folks. Melanie O'Brien took us into the horrors of the Values Voters Summit. Sarah Magnuson showed how much Harvey Weinstein can "change" in one week. Atra Asdou channeled Melanie Ornery, the beratement specialist who coached Donald Trump in expertly berating a grieving widow. And Skewer co-founder Eric Ruelle graced the stage once again,...

Another month of horror means another Skewer of glory. erica dreisbach hosted the whole affair like a champion as she summarized the month's news both good and bad. Kevin Johnson hosted the Skewer's delightful and extremely hard fake news quiz. Onicia Muller told the harrowing story of Sint Maarten, her home now devastated by Hurricane Irma. Joe Anderson showed us how the bumbling dopes of Equifax...

Oh wow, I say that The Skewer had one of its best shows ever every month, and that's because it's always true, but this month it was EXTRA true. I was honored to host this truly stellar night of comedy & satire, with a searing essay about the political power of art by Skewer co-producer erica dreisbach, a personal account of the unifying power of the eclipse by Kim Nelson, a meditation on the effe...

As ever, The Skewer owns. Who could ever doubt? Hosted by Tom Harrison, this edition features Kevin Johnson debuting a new fake-news-identifying game. Carrie Cook explained why today's hell world has poisoned the sweet relief of escapist TV. Tom Wisdom shared the arcane, eldritch horrors Jared Kushner left off his disclosure forms. Archy Arch J showed us that the GOP can give the devil head withou...

This is, like, one of the best Skewers ever. Anchored by the excellent hosting of erica dreisbach, we got Skewer co-founder #1 Tom Harrison on the ephemeral nature of Chicago's weird neighborhoods, Skewer co-founder #2 Eric Ruelle shared an essay about Bill Cosby/the fallibility of heroes that blew us away, Prateek Srivastava gave us the lowdown on the cricket world, Arish Singh shared the kinky,...

19 Skewers in the books and I can say with confidence that we cannot help but kick ass and rule in a major way. Zack Mast helped punch up the jokes of our nation's most treasured comic Mike Huckabee. Will Sonheim shared a horse-based fever dream of glue and politics. Carly Ballerini explored the complicated sexuality of noted shithead and literal motherfucker Mike Pence. Odinaka Ezeokoli took the...

With a lineup as dope as this, there was little doubt The Skewer 18 would own. And own it did. Ilana Gordon started off the op-eds with a terrifyingly in-depth look at the Unicorn Frappucino. Carl Glick showed us the dark side of jacking in to cyberspace. Erika Price shared the story of her long struggle and eventual victory over her hated rival Bill O'Reilly. Onicia Muller showed us a 7-step prog...

Oh good goddamn, The Skewer was on fire this month. Wall-to-wall dopeness. Host Tom Harrison's opening monologue on February/shock humor/Breitbart was one of the pieces of writing he's been proudest to present. Eric Lutz couldn't be at the show physically but his words on the nature of Kyrie Irving and truth made up for it. Mike Haverty showed us undeniable proof of Trump's lizardish ways. Chloe R...

The Skewer 15 was on point beyond already sky-high expectations. Elizabeth Gomez broke our goddamn hearts with an exploration of America's deadly hypocrisy in its treatment of children. Shannon Noll saw the opening days of DJ Trump's administration through a queer lens. erica dreisbach gave a report on the historic Women's March in DC. Alisa Rosenthal took us on a walking tour of the gems of the 2...

The Skewer roars into the new year with a dope batch of excellent satire, as is our way. Led off by a BRAND NEW SEGMENT: Voicemail Op-Eds, as performed by new Skewer co-producer erica dreisbach. Joe Anderson rightfully exposes the dangerously bland Andy Borowitz for the black hole of comedy he is. Arish Singh takes the left wing media to task for wasting time futzing about with white status wars w...

The Skewer takes ONE MONTH off and the country goes to shit. I can't trust you people for one second. Yes, it's the first edition of The Skewer live news revue since the election of Donald Trump, and we're going to wring every scrap of comedy and satire that we can out of the last few months in which dissent is legal. Elaine Phillips leads off with a discussion on language, comedy, and the truth....

THE SKEWER TURNS ONE! A full year of dope satire from your favorite sweeties, and this month is no different. Host Tom Harrison kicks us off with a eulogy for Bake-Off. Tocarra Mallard puts Ted Cruz in his place (a satirist's work is never done). Dominick Mayer dived into Corey Feldman's inscrutable existence/musical career. Bill Bullock delivers a searing piece of satire (that might be one of my...

God damn, this edition of the Skewer was one of the all-time greats. Liz Reuss kicks it off with a look at would-be Good Wife and unfortunate victim of Carlos Danger, Huma Abedin. Kayla Lane Freeman took us on a tour of her hyper-aggressive home state of Texas, where puffy pony stickers are criminally underappreciated. Joe Anderson showed us the darker side of fandom culture through the lens of th...

We're double digits, you guys. Ten Skewers, and what better way to celebrate than by being GODDAMN AMAZING AS ALWAYS? Rachel McCartney demolished Illinois's weird obsession with young people, Shannon Noll took us on a tour of the Juggalos and the GOP, Ian Randall said goodbye to the city with a somber note from an unappreciated tree, and Gwynn Fulcher reviewed a very important movie. The Skewer's...

Another month of news, another month of unassailably excellent writers and comedians making fun of the news. That's the way we do shit at the Skewer. Sarah Magnuson opens the show with a meditation on childlessness and apes, as all great shows must. Sonia Denis prescribed the sitcom cure for wokeness-related exhaustion. Will Sonheim, son of Arkedelphia, sent off the venerable Prairie Home Companio...

It's a miracle! Despite massive microphone failure, The Skewer podcast roars back into existence with June 2016's show thanks to Ian Rigg's recordings. And what a show it was. Host Eric Ruelle presided over one of the Skewer's best outings before moving on to Detroit. Ilana Gordon took CBS to task for their crippling Kevin James addiction. Tom Harrison let a twitter poll about monkeys dominate his...

The Skewer returns to destroy the dumb news of April. This month our lineup is SUPERCHARGED with the writing staff of The Whiskey Journal, America's second favorite source for fake news. This is a super-sized show with a packed bill, so excuse the length. Maybe listen in two sittings. It's worth it. Show is fire. Josh Ballew- 2:13 Eric Stassen- 12:53 Calle Hack- 36:35 Patrick Reilly- 42:21 Mathias...

The Skewer never disappoints. This month we have incredible op-ed essays from Joe Anderson, Elaine Phillips, and Meredith Kachel. First-time live lit readers Carl Glick and Anthony Sanders TOTALLY KILL in their first-ever performances. As if that weren't enough, we have the first SKEWER FOUNDER'S DEBATE featuring Eric Ruelle vs. Tom Harrison! It's a doozy. Joe Anderson- 2:53 Carl Glick- 13:15 Elai...

The fifth edition of the Skewer wrecks all with its unfathomable quality. These writers crush February's skull under the weight of their mind-searingly potent talent. Op-Eds by Eric Ruelle, Tocarra Mallard, Alisa Rosenthal, and Gwynn Fulcher. The Skewer debate this month features Stephanie Weber and Ian Rigg. Hosted by Tom Harrison. Eric Ruelle - 1:21 Tocarra Mallard - 7:52 Alisa Rosenthal - 15:10...

It's a goddamn supernova of talent as The Skewer takes on the news of January 2016 with our metaphorical katana of satire. Host Eric Ruelle takes us on a journey through the news, featuring the editorial might of Kayla Lane Freeman, Matthew Defiore, Elaine Phillips, Amanda Claire Buckley. AND THEN comes the signature Skewer debate, for the first time ever with a prize on the line, as Zach Wziontka...

We proudly present the Skewer's January 2016 show, satirizing the dumb news of the preceding December, recorded for the poor souls who couldn't make it to Cafe Mustache to see it in person. Hosted by Tom Harrison, featuring op-ed from Pari Karim, Rebecca O'Neal, Ian Randall, Calle Hack, and Tyler Snodgrass. Debate by REAL-LIFE BROTHERS Dan Rife and Chris Rife. 1:33- Pari Karim 11:32- Rebecca O'Nea...

The first ever Skewer podcast presents our hilarious live monthly news revue for the poor souls who couldn't see it in person (or the lucky souls who want to experience it again). Hosted by Eric Ruelle, featuring Amanda Claire Buckley, Josh Leeper, Jim Markus, erica dreisbach, Tom Harrison, and Cory O'Brien.