Tank Top Talks w/ Matt Braunger

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...

It’s not a tank top, but DVK could show up in a tux and I’d let him on the show. I last saw Daniel when he came up behind me in Las Vegas and yanked me out of my chair yelling, “You gotta go! Nope! You gotta go!” The fact that he was dressed like a bouncer helped the comedy. Known for his hilarious hosting on the Dumb People Town podcast with The Sklar Brothers, Daniel is also a top-notch stand-up...

Jay Jurden is a hilarious, handsome, opinionated man with a penchant for calling out the elephant in any room. I’ve wanted Jay on the podcast for a while for his quick wit, his shoot-from-the-hip style, and the fact that he looks great in a tank. We had a packed house at the legendary Higbie’s in Austin, Texas at the Moontower Festival, and I can say I don’t remember a recording that was more fun...

I first discovered Sam Sanders in his interview with Chris Fleming and was knocked out by how much fun he was having. I thought to myself, “I want to have that much fun on MY podcast, let’s have him on,” I reached out, he responded, “Why not?”, and here we are. Sam hosts the Sam Sanders Show on KCRW and it is a delight. He’s funny, engaged, smart, and fun to listen to. It was great to have a real...

Sydney Kane wrote a hit show based on something a guy said breaking up with her. Basically, he told her she wasn’t “Wife material” lol. While that would have wrecked most of us, Sydney took that football and ran with it, crafting a show that’s selling out wherever it plays (Next up: The Roxy on the Sunset Strip April 21). I didn’t know Sydney before this show, which is a first for Tank Top Talks,...

Tom Thakkar and I did the Toledano Street Festival in New Orleans a couple weeks ago and we juuuuust got over our hangovers. Jeez, it’s almost like they get worse when you’re older when you also have to care for a small child. A native of Indiana and a graduate of the Chicago comedy scene, Tom lived in NYC for years before coming to LA. Like me, he has a small child (well, mine isn’t so small anym...

Beth Stelling is one of my favorite comedians, male, female, or otherwise. She seems stoned on indecision, feeling around, then hits you with a punchline you never saw coming. A fellow graduate of the Chicago school of comedy, Beth and I became fast friends a long time back. She’s also a big time TV writer now. I always told her she should start a men’s clothing line called “Sweet Beth,” so maybe...

Folks, here it is, your very first Tank Top Talks Live. We were lucky enough to record it at the incredible Toledano Street Comedy Festival in New Orleans. You know the hilarious Ian Karmel from All Fantasy Everything and stand-up, but you might not know Andrew Stephens, young founder of the amazing Sports Drink Comedy Club in Nola. In any event, this is the live podcast taping for people who don’...

Jackie Kashian is a nice lady and friend/comedy hurricane. On the one hand, she’s a fun person to be around who is endlessly thoughtful and kind. On the other, she is a decades-working comedy legend with more jokes per second than anybody. She and I both share the tendency to talk, well, sometimes too fast onstage. Hey! We’re excited! Jackie joined me on TTT to talk comedy, our dream outfits, and...

You might know Lance Barber as George Cooper Sr. on the hit show Young Sheldon, but I know him as my buddy onstage and off from my Chicago days. We wrote a show together that we performed at the Second City in, ah, ’98? JFC where has the time gone? Since then he’s gone on to numerous roles, one wife, and two kids. We almost never see each other, so this was a rare chance to catch up and make fun o...

Drew Hancock is an old friend who was an absolute maniac for his art and it paid off. After working as a writer/director on a ton of things, he realized he wasn’t getting where he wanted to be and he spent a year on one script. After that year, he got new representation, sold the script, and even got the green light to direct what became “Companion.” He’s a great guy, a fantastic writer, and (most...

Vinny Thomas blew the f&%k up online. A stand-up comic and member of the Second City Improv Theater in Chicago, his real success was found in TikTok and Instagram posts. Perhaps you’ve seen his ‘Cheryl Hines goes to brunch’? His online performances, combined with his touring act, got him cast on the hit show “Platonic” with Seth Rogen and Rose Byrne. I reached out to have him on the show becau...

Chris Fairbanks is one of the funniest people alive. His off-kilter delivery and pitch-perfect timing/absurdity is unique and fantastic and I’ve been a fan (as well as a friend) for decades. You might know him from his numerous televised sets or his podcast “Do You Need a Ride?” with Karen Kilgariff, but you might not know how funny this guy truly is. Listen if you want to laugh for a solid hour,...

Gerald Meerschaert III (or GM3, as he’s known) is a husband, dad, gym owner, and a comedy nerd. He also holds the record for the most finishes in his weight class in the UFC (12) (!!). Unquestionably a bad ass, Gerald is also genuinely a hilarious guy. He doesn’t have any pretense or attitude about what he does, he just loves it and is good at it. We had a blast recording this one and I can’t wait...

My old friend-in-comedy-and-life Ricky Carmona is many things, not the least of which a good time. We first met doing stand-up in Chicago, just scraping by but loving it. To say we go way back doesn’t really scratch the surface. Ricky’s energy is contagious, and he BROUGHT IT to this recording. If you want an hour of a man on fire (via Cafecito y vida!), listen now.  Hosted on Acast. See acas...

Skyler Higley’s comedy writing resume (The Onion, Conan, The Oscars, Comedy Central, more) is amazing for such a young dude. Every time I was a panelist on After Midnight, I asked to work with him, but I didn’t know much about him. Turns out he was raised by white Mormons (!!), or as he joking puts it “The enemy” lol. This was an extremely funny and fun one to do. Strap on your fave tank (it’s get...

Film and television director Maureen Bharoocha has directed three major motion pictures (the newest of which has ME in it!) and dozens of TV show episodes, but she started out working at Sprinkles Cupcakes. Her journey is the best example of “If you can’t find a road, build one” I’ve come across, and her motto “Make cool shit” is something every artist should have a tattoo of (Maybe on their arm,...

Valley Heat is the funniest scripted podcast of all time and Christian Duguay is the creator and star. Granted, I’m biased, because I play the perpetually self-injured Codi, but a lot of other people (Patton Oswalt and Ed Helms among them) agree with me. Christian doesn’t own a tank top (In fact, he thinks they’re dumb), but he agreed to come on and make me laugh anyway. What a gem. Listen in for...