Don't Get Me Started

In honor of episode 50 and our anniversary, the topic of this podcast is the podcast itself. Hosts Anthony and Will bring on former guest and devoted listener Jon Gabrus to discuss their favorite episodes, podcasts in general, the craziness of their friends, what other minor obsessions they might do, whether they should do a spin-off podcast, which of their previous guests' topics have become part...

Comedian Beth Appel talks about the equally fascinating and disturbing world of FACE TRANSPLANTS (capitalized for how much we are fascinated by it). We get into the most famous cases of it, the science of it, how much better it is than you think, and how strange is it and lotsa stuff.  Also Will talks about how long a window people's nostalgia is, or something like that and Anthony discusses the b...

Writer/comedian Eric Scott talks to us about his lifetime obsession with trains and railroading. It goes deep and we get into it: what are the best train rides? Types of engines? How does he feel about model trains? Also Will finds out that an indie team from the early 2000s that he used to read about on message boards was a fictional team that Eric had made up. Also, Anthony talks about climate c...

Comedian Haley Hepworth talks to us about true crime and cults! We get into the Zodiac killer, the Green River killer, the Source Family, Elizabeth Smart, Jeffrey Dahmer, as well as quick digressions into many truly disturbing real stories that have happened and obsess/ruin our minds!  Also, Will talks about the times Bob Dylan makes fun of other singers in ways that almost no one notices, and Ant...

Comedian Jess McKenna talks about her passion for time in high school doing "mock trial." MT FOR LIFE. We talk about how intense practice trials can be, the passion and investment of her great teachers, the drama of her junior year super team making it to the finals and winning. We talk about how some things feel like sports that are not sports, and how mock trial can weirdly hit the same part of...

Comedian Erin Whitehead comes on the show to talk about her passion for Harry Potter! We talk about the power of the books including how well it handles dark and intense emotions, how the movies fall short (and what they do well), what's so special about the characters, and Erin's explanation of why you need Slytherin at all in Hogwarts! Also, Will talks about longtime Los Angeles institution Thom...

Writer, actor and hilarious all around human Dan Klein comes on the show to talk about his obsession with the Kurt Vonnegut novel The Sirens of Titan. We talk about the appeal of Vonnegut in general, and this book in particular, and the possibility that this is the first book Dan has read? Past guest Connor Ratliff shows up at one point and we invite him on and it turns out he knows a bunch about...

Actor and writer Hillary Matthews talks to us about her obsession with Martha Stewart's Living magazine, and also about the world of lifestyle blogs, and how the latters often do not measure up! We get into Martha's calendar, how she is a bad ass, and what is lacking on blogs that Hillary REFUSES TO NAME. Also, Anthony and Will's minor obsessions were coincidentally both about video games! Will is...

Actor and writer Drew Spears joins us to talk about his love of Southern Gothic Fiction. What is it? What is it not? Who gets defensive about that label? Co-host Anthony King joins Drew in a brief discussion of what they think of the title "Southern" since they are in fact from the south! We read some great excerpts from Flannery O'Connor, Barry Hannah and Charlie Smith! Also Will talks about the...

We talk to Charlie Todd, the founder of Improv Everywhere and longtime UCB improviser, about his obsession with craft beers. We get into how Charlie discovered his love for them, how an iPhone app game-ified his obsessed and cranked it into new levels of documentating his tastes, about how many beers have silly puns on the name "hops." Also, Will talks about the international seed warehouse which...

Comedian / writer / improviser Mary Sasson comes on the show to talk about her obsession with her home city of Pittsburgh. We talk about the accent, the three rivers, Andrew Carnegie, and which cities are the stars of America's mental landscape! Also Anthony talks about a book on directing by Arthur Laurents, and Will discusses former comics publisher cat yronwode.

Writer/actor/podcaster Sean Clements comes on to tell us of his long-time love for the band The Mountain Goats! We go over their original lo-fi stuff, the later highly produced stuff, the way that the right band can teach you what you're already feeling and the nerve-wracking moment you meet your heroes. Also, Will talks about Rose Wilder Lane (the Karl Rove to Laura Ingalls Wilder's George Bush!)...

Neil Casey joins us for his second appearance on this podcast to discuss his obsession with flying, specifically the world of general aviation (meaning unscheduled flights generally from small airports). We talk about radio protocol, the appeal of open air space, the similarity of planes and boats and just a drop of physics to boot. Also, Anthony talks about the secret behind the Magic Eraser and...

Comedian Dan Black talks about his long time, passionate obsession with professional wrestling. We get into the Attitude Era, the Reality Era, how the fans change the sport, a number of specific wrestlers and their appeal, and how Dan sent us several videos that we should have watched as homework to more fully appreciate the sport (we didn't). Also, Will discusses the possibility of a lost Shakesp...

Actor and adventurer Eli Newell stops by to talk about exotic travel, meaning travel to places American tourists generally don't go including: Jordan, West Africa, some crazy islands off of Central America and many others. We also get into: being chased by packs of wild dogs, being cornered by angry mobs, the proper way to bribe an usher at a baseball park and more! Anthony talks about the restaur...

Actor and writer Fran Gillespie describes the amazingly specific, comforting and relatively new world of ASMR, or Autonomous sensory meridian response, which certain types of quiet soothing sounds creating a peaceful physical reactions in the listener. We listen to many YouTube videos of people speaking in barely audible whispers while doing things like: crinkling shirts, brushing hair, typing on...

Eric Appel, writer/director who worked on a million cool TV shows and before that made a million cool FunnyOrDie videos, talks to us about Disney Theme Parks! We go deep, as always.  Also, Anthony King talks about his obsession with new iPhone app Periscope, which lets you live-stream yourself at any time, and Will talks about the Great Extinctions, which is times when most life on Earth ended!

Jeff Hiller, a for-real star of stage and screen (Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson, 30 Rock, Ghost Town) talks to us about the maybe-not-totally-recognized genre of celebrity autobiography, particualry the audio book version where the author read their own. Anthony talks about the William Shatner/Ben Folds musical collaboration "Has Been" and Will discusses being off of Facebook.

Comedian Michael Hartney talks about his lifelong obsession with Superman. If you, like the hosts of this podcast, thought Superman to be a character who somehow is just not really that interesting when it comes to superhero characters, get ready to have your mind completely changed and to become a huge advocate for how cool Superman is. Also, Will discusses Los Angeles legend Griffith J. Griffith...

Comedian / musician Geoff Garlock talks to us about the musical genre of Extreme Metal, by which he means several different metal genres that your average Joe has maybe never heard of. Geoff's parade of insane-sounding proper nouns is something to behold. Also, Will talks about The Maltese Falcon (book) and Anthony talks about Dean Smith and the possibly lost era of Great Men.

Comedian Kevin Hines talks to us about Duck Comics --- meaning the comics and cartoons about Disney characters Donald Duck, Uncle Scrooge, Huey, Dewey, Louie, etc. And more importantly about their legendary greatest illustrator/creator: Carl Barks. Also, Will talks about a late 40s radio sensation the Lonesome Gal, and Anthony discusses the tragedy of owning a hugely tall avocado tree.

Comedy writer Tricia McAlpin talks to us about her obsession with the 2008 Anna Faris comedy "House Bunny." It's our most specific obsession yet! Also, Will Hines talks about tower defense smart phone games, and Anthony King talks about the funny/weird Randall Munroe "What If."

Brian Gallivan, improviser writer and actor, talks to us about his longtime obsession with the Billboard Charts. Starting with Casey Kasem's weekly top 40, and then through today -- learn what it's like to root for pop singles as if they were sports teams. And hear quick allusions to several humiliations of Brian's life!  Also, Will talks about the Gin Blossoms' Doug Hopkins and Anthony discusses...

Improviser and comedy writer Danielle Schnider talks to us about megamusicals, meaning specifically the big Broadway productions of the 80s and early 90s.  Les Miz, Phantom, Miss Saigon, and MORE. Also Will discusses the world of travelling alone and Anthony discusses Christian pop star Carman and his hit The Champion.

We talk to improviser and comedy writer Tami Sagher about dogs. Not just dogs! But dogs of instagram. And not just dogs of instragram! But moving, amazing, dramatic stories as told via dogs on instagram! Check it out! Also, Will talks about how the early 20th century symphonies The Planets by Gustav Holst so obviously influenced John Williams and Anthony discusses the early 1970s Elaine May-direct...