Comedy vs Everything

Like a month ago, we talked to Brian Emuge. We talk about doing shows when you work nights, Uganda, pronunciation, public school, and a surreal show Jeremy and I did in Centralia.

We visited Truman University in Kirksville, MO, and interviewed Dr. Jay Self, who taught the class "The Art and Science of Humor" which led to Jeremy's first stand-up set. Dr. Self is also faculty advisor for the Upchuckles, Truman's stand-up club. In this short episode, we talk about the challenges of beginning stand-up, the importance of a venue, and reasons people laugh.

Sarah Bursich is a delightful, hilarious person who began doing comedy in rural Illinois, running her own shows and battling celebrity ghosts. She has a wall of goals and a head full of stories, some of which she shares with us here.

Andrew Mihalevich of Bareknuckle Comedy and the new Instant Expert podcast asks "What is funny now?" with only mild desperation. We talk about in what way he wants to die, internet witch hunts, and how it is both easy and difficult to be a feminist because people are idiots.

Ryan Dalton knows how to spot a scam and how to make a teacher cry with only the power of his dad's words. His experiences in Bareknuckle Comedy and co-hosting Nick's Open Mic do not qualify him to reform America's education system, though. Too bad. It's a mess.

Milly Naeger read Candide to prepare for this podcast because Jeremy mentioned it the day before. She does stop motion and was in a French German singing group. She co-hosts No Straight White Guys. She comedies good.

Nick Branson of the Drunk and Nerdy podcast has shifted from stand up to podcasting and other comedy mediums, but that doesn't mean he's forgotten the shows that were on when he started out or that roasts are fun. (Obviously. Why would he forget those things? That would be weird.) PLUS, we plot out a broad-appeal period drama that you will want to fund immediately.

COMEDY VS EVERYTHING'S TRIUMPHANT RETURN! Shop Talk! Fictional Universe Rules! Post-Apocalypse Highway Clean Up! Racism Towards Robots! Chris Cyr, co-host of Wild Card Comedy, joins us (again...stupid dead computer) for a beautiful, multi-topic clusterfuck of a conversation. There's something for everyone we care at all about appealing to. Welcome back, us.

Chris Ward is 33 and joins us for episode 33, which means he's going to die according to some scroll, probably. We talk about how he isn't a comic, what he does instead (cat videos! social media! man-terning!), and his misguided attempts to be a counter-culture youth for the Lord.

Nick Vatterott is not only one of the most successful comics we've had on the podcast but also one of the most congenial. We talk about bigot heaven, Lion's Choice, and what freedom of speech actually means.

In this episode, we travel to Columbia, MO, to interview Patrick Mahon, who is very funny and a great guest, in Josh Beck's dining room, which is echo-y. Patrick shares a story of performing at a high school after-prom, Jeremy explains his engagement, and once again I yell about religion.

Natalie Cox is not a person who pretends to like things she hates, whether they're relationship conventions, rich people on reality shows, or Jeremy's less interesting China News stories. In this episode, we invent an app to avoid human interaction and Natalie falls down.

Gabe Kea returns to St. Louis from Cincinnati, OH. We talk about weird sport fan rituals, how booking and comedy work in different scenes, and developing as a comic.

Improviser and sometimes stand-up Lisa Rimmert joins us during her visit from Denver to talk about how to be an activist without being a dick (see her delightful blog and interview site Weird! Why Aren't You Vegan? at whyarentyouvegan.com), the differences between groups of stand-ups and improvisers, and why you shouldn't climb into a vat of poop.

In this episode of Comedy vs Everything, we talk with Ben Kronberg. Ben is a talented comedian who appeared on Last Comic Standing as well as a surprising number of other reality shows. We had a very fun conversation with him, and he named our tweet-finishing game.

Justin Luke is not funny and will never be on this podcast.

Erik Anker shares plans for the cluster of shows that will be happening between May 24th and June 1st, dubbed "Oops! A Comedy Week!" We also talk about movies, video games, and Erik's belief that we're all just living the same life over and over again. 

In this episode, Jeremy actually has a reason to talk about China when we interview Josh Arnold, a hilarious stand up comedian with years of improv experience who also taught English in Korea for two years. We talk racism, culture, sensitivity, and the impossible task of discerning the true nature of morality and reality. 

In the questionably triumphant return of Comedy vs Everything, we interview Ian McGowan of the bands Bearcub and Ian McGowan and the Good Deeds and the podcast A Beginners Guide to Interplanetary Destruction. The introduction is terrible. The episode is good. We're glad to be back.

In this episode, we drink quite a bit of whiskey with JC Sibala. JC talks about the challenges of writing new material while maintaining a solid hosting set, his experiences as a model, and sports shit that he and Jeremy care about (or, as JC would grammatically correct me, "about which he and Jeremy care"). Amy sings a kickass song. It is, as the kids say, a "pretty amusing episode."

In this two part episode, we talk with Steve Poggi, a comic who started out in St. Louis 9 years ago and now lives in San Francisco. In Part B, Steve talks about how a break up spurred him to try stand up, his methods of dealing with stage fright, and how his style developed from Hedberg-esque to storytelling. 

In this two part episode, we talk with Steve Poggi, a comic who started out in St. Louis 9 years ago and now lives in San Francisco. In Part A, Steve's mom Karen discusses her history with Tarot cards and using meditation to overcome mental illness and loss. Both Steve and Karen share stories about spiritual encounters. Amy and Jeremy both have their cards read, which is only about 80% as awkward as it sounds. It's a pretty interesting hour.

Josh Beck and Tree Sanchez talk bucket lists, surreally bad shows they've performed at, and cultures we all know very little about. Like all of our guests, they were deeply impressed by our professionalism and poise.

Bobby Jaycox talks movies, ghosts, and working with TJ Miller (among other things) in this slightly longer than usual episode. If I were a marketing person, I'd call it "super sized" or "bonus extra more fun for your money great time," but really Jeremy and Bobby just have a lot of problems with The Dark Knight Rises.

In this episode, Michigan comedian Zach Martina and his girlfriend Emily join us to talk about the differences between the St. Louis and Detroit comedy scenes and the mechanics of travelling to do shows. There is a lot of talk about food and a surprising amount of murder and intrigue. We also learn that Jeremy is fine with cannibalism and Amy cannot sit in a chair properly. Podcast!

Our sometimes sound guy and hilarious comedian/ hard working showrunner Brandon Judd joined us for a very interesting and very funny conversation. He has a messed up nose and some guy in China blew up his car on accident. Also, more fortune cookies, purely by coincidence.

Hilarious comedian Nathan Orton joined us for a great chat in Jeremy's dining room. He talked about how his brother is a famous WWE wrestler, and that causes a lot of weird and crazy problems on Facebook. We also all got fortune cookies, and Amy found a weird Christian message on a candy cane. This was quite possibly the funniest episode we have ever done.

Kris Wernowsky runs one of the very best monthly standup comedy showcases in all of St. Louis. He is also a comedian in his own right, and has been a working journalist for 10 years. Kris told us probably the craziest and most entertaining individual story we have heard from a guest. Give it a listen, and like us on Facebook and subscribe on iTunes.

Kelsey McClure joins us to talk about the comedy scene in St Louis. She brought a fart gun. She also talked about her show and website Comedy In The Lou. 

Happy New Year everybody! Comedian Max Fitzgerald joined us for lucky episode number 13, and we discussed Amy's past respiratory issues, storks, desks, weird foreskins, and comedy. We also talked about the insane facebook page for the new Funnybone in Valley Park. You should go check it out, because it's so weird. Also, Jeremy recently did an interview on a blog called Weird! Why Aren't You Vegan? if you are interested in that, and he will be writing regular blog posts on a site called Comedy In the Lou. We will also be posting links to this podcast there, so go support that.

In this episode, Andrew Frank interviews us. Jeremy talk about the cons and cons of monkey ownership, Amy stammers about cults, and Andrew's mom calls to ask him if he wants chicken wings.

This week's guest is the very hilarious Ben Johnson. He tells tales of filming a youtube video in a cemetary, difficulties parking his car, and whether or not the moon is going to untether from the Earth. It's a fun time. We also drank/discussed Canadian Mist.

Holy crap! We are at our tenth episode! We interviewed Tina Shen, technically our first repeat guest (listen closely to the first episode). She has an amazing idea for a new Quentin Tarantino movie, as well as a job at a literay journal. We also talk about goofily optimistic guys that buy balloons every day, masturbating onto swastikas, our upcoming debate, Stryker Spurlock's jokes, Eunuchs vs Unix, snake blood, and much more! If Jeremy seems to be laughing too much, it's because this was recorded at the end of a long day and the beginning of a long weekend, and he was in a weird mood.  Anyway, leave a comment on iTunes, if you want, and like us on Facebook.

Scott James has a problem with the hill next to his house. He is also a very funny comedian. We talk about names, bad shows, finding time to work on comedy when you have a job and a family, and also a recent controversy in the STL comedians community. This is our longest episode, but it's a really good one. Be sure to leave a review on iTunes if you like the show.

Amy and Jeremy interview the extremely talented Charlie Brumley (The Educated Guess, Chrono Man, other bands and projects) in the nursery of an old church. There is a lot of talk about music, bad puns, history, and of course weird China news stories. 

After a week away, we're back with another thing that is a podcast. Ryan Ries joins us to talk about his family, his time in jail, and times when maybe he partied a little too hard. It's a funny hour full of great stories. Thanks to Brandon and Allen for the sound mixing and themesong.

Eric Christensen and Jake Sellers of STL Up Late join us in Amy's kitchen to talk about their new awesome late night talk show/ sketch show. We also talk about Halloween and suicides gone wrong. Happy Halloween everybody! Go check out STL Up Late on November 2nd, or any of the next 6 Saturdays. Like us on facebook and email us things at ComedyVsEverything@gmail.com

16 year old comedy prodigy Stryker Spurlock joins us in Jeremy's dining room to talk about the pedophile older women he chats with online, his could have been career as a child novelist, the fact that he only has 4 shirts, and more! This is seriously the funniest episode yet. I (Jeremy) laughed out loud while listening to it, and I was also laughing in the recording so it sounded like I was laughing in creepy stereo.  Check out Stryker's showcase here.Jeremy is doing this show on Halloween. 

The very talented Frankie Chubb joins us. Charlie Winfrey, his ride/comedy partner/(insert lame joke about butt-sex here) somehow worms his way into also being a guest. This is easily the craziest episode yet. We talk about religion, Amy's weird redneck childhood, a wedding Frankie attended, Arizona Coors, and The Brooklyn Guys. Jeremy had a cold, so that is why he sounds so weird and keeps coughing.

REDACTED stops by for an early afternoon chat about awkwardness, roommates, and other things. REDACTED and Amy both talk about their weird childhoods. Amy drinks a smoothie. Jeremy talks about breaking his nose and face. It's a good time all around.

We talk with comedy urban legend Jon Venegoni about the secrets of his success, including pranks, lies, and bad Eastern European accents.  

This is the first episode of Comedy vs Everything, featuring the always curmudgeonly and hilarious Kenney Kinds (@Steelyken).  We thought it went terribly, partly because of our idiotic seating arrangement but mostly because our guest kept insisting how bad it was. Turns out, it's pretty funny.   Topics include: movies; old people falling off ladders.   Shout out to @JMooreComic and @EricBrownSucks for submitting bad jokes for Guess the Punchline. If you want to drink along, drink on: Us saying we are doing poorly. Mention of people you don't know. Ladder. Any other suggested rules for the drinking game? Tell @CvEpodcast