Completely Conspicuous 145: Comedy is Not Pretty

Guest Ric Dube joins me on the podcast as we conclude our discussion about comedy. Listen to the show in streaming audio or download it directly (right click and "save as").

The show notes...

Topics:

- Appearing on The Tonight Show doesn't have same impact it once did

- Three categories of comedy

- 1) Comics who came up as standups and leave it behind for acting

- 2) Comics who both act and do standup

- 3) New comics who are like indie rockers

- Comedians are getting the word out online, through podcasts, live shows

- The Dane Cook conundrum: his fans aren't necessarily comedy fans

- Howard Stern: Going to satellite meant too much of the dwarves and strippers

- YouTube is a goldmine for comedy fans

- The Onion News Network keeps National Lampoon aesthetic alive

- Ric liked The Onion Movie

- Comedy album is not what it once was

- Dube just bought new Doug Benson album directly from his site

- Adam Carolla does free podcast, sells downloadable live shows

- Sponsored podcasts are similar to 1950s television

- Comedians use online marketing to build their audiences

- Dube: Comedy is still very healthy

- Check out Dube's special comedy episode of More Lost Time

- Bonehead of the Week

Music:

Eternal Summers - A Salty Salute

Johnny Foreigner - The Most Beautiful Widow

The Thermals - Never Listen to Me

Teenage Fanclub - What You Do to Me

Completely Conspicuous is available through the iTunes podcast directory. Subscribe and write a review!

The show is sponsored by Eastbay/Footlocker.com. Use the following codes to get athletic gear from Nike, Adidas, Asics and more. AFCOMP15 will get you 10% off any order of $50 at Eastbay.com, AFCOMP20 will get you 15% off any order of $75 at Eastbay.com and AFCOMPFL will get you 10% off any order of $50 or more at Footlocker.com.

The Eternal Summers song is on the band's new album Silver on Kanine Records. Download the song for free at RCRDLBL.

The Johnny Foreigner song is a Sparklehorse cover the band's label Alcopop! is giving away at Clicky Clicky.

The Thermals song is on the album Personal Life on Kill Rock Stars. Download the song for free at Pitchfork.

The Teenage Fanclub song is on the album Bandwagonesque and the compilation Four Thousand Seven Hundred and Sixty-Six Seconds. Download the song for free at Insound.

The opening and closing theme of Completely Conspicuous is "Theme to Big F'in Pants" by Jay Breitling. Find out more about Senor Breitling at his fine music blogs Clicky Clicky and Keeping Some Dark Secrets. Additional music used in the show is by Me and Boris the Bull, which is the brainchild of the mighty Mark Campbell; find out more at . Thanks to Bob Durling for the album art; find out more about his photography at his blog.

Completely Conspicuous is a Tan God Production. Word.

Completely Conspicuous 144: Keep 'em Laughing

Special guest Ric Dube joins me on the podcast for part 2 of our conversation about comedy. Listen to the show in streaming audio or download it directly (right click and "save as").

The show notes...

Topics:

- Ric don't need no Instant Google

- Corporate websites still suck

- As a kid, Dube had a book that reprinted comedy bits

- Early SNL had no respect for structure

- ABC Dunhill released a Gabe Kaplan album after "Welcome Back, Kotter" was a hit

- Making fun of Chinese people was no big deal in the '70s

- Jerry Lewis' terrible comeback flick Hardly Working

- Leno made a crappy buddy cop comedy with Pat Morita

- Dube saw Joe Piscopo and Treat Williams in "Dead Heat" in the theater

- SNL in the '80s was a mixed bag

- Dick Ebersol brought a sports philosophy to SNL

- Lorne Michaels returned in '85-'86 with new blood

- Eddie Murphy's "Comedian" album was one of first comedy albums Kumar bought

- Dube didn't have a problem with the PMRC

- Kumar knew most of the routines on Murphy's album before he actually heard them

- Murphy's more homophobic routines haven't aged well

- Kumar: Didn't enjoy watching raunchy shows on TV with parents

- Dube's dad took 6-year-old Ric to see Jack Lemmon's "Save the Tiger"

- Kumar was able to see Mel Brooks movies as a young kid thanks to lax Canadian movie ratings

- Ric's mom didn't see the psychological impact of "Dumbo" on kids of divorce

- Eddie Murphy's ice cream man bit came true with Ric's son

- Murphy was never the same after he started making music

- More comedic actors nowadays did not get start as standups

- Zach Galifanakis is great standup, good in movies

- Bonehead of the Week

Music:

The Black Angels - Telephone

The Henry Clay People - Switch Kids

Deer Tick - Piece by Piece, Frame by Frame

Completely Conspicuous is available through the iTunes podcast directory. Subscribe and write a review!

The show is sponsored by Budget, the country's premier car rental service with 900 locations. Go to Budget.com/CompCon and save 10% off any reservation or $30 off a weekly rental.

The Black Angels song is on the band's new album Phosphene Dream on Blue Horizon Records. Download the song for free at the Daily Rind.

The Henry Clay People song is an unreleased track the band is giving away for free.

The Deer Tick song is on the album The Black Dirt Sessions on Partisan Records. Download the song for free at Force Field PR.

The opening and closing theme of Completely Conspicuous is "Theme to Big F'in Pants" by Jay Breitling. Find out more about Senor Breitling at his fine music blogs Clicky Clicky and Keeping Some Dark Secrets. Additional music used in the show is by Me and Boris the Bull, which is the brainchild of the mighty Mark Campbell. Thanks to Bob Durling for the album art; find out more about his photography at his blog.

Completely Conspicuous is a Tan God Production. Word.

Completely Conspicuous 143: Hardy Har Har

Special guest Ric Dube joins me on the podcast as we discuss our comedy influences. Listen to the show in streaming audio or download it directly (right click and "save as").

The show notes...

Topics:

- Dube got into standup comedy through listening to albums with his dad

- Johnny Carson's Tonight Show was huge for comedians

- Only three main channels in the '60s and '70s

- Audience is diluted now by cable, DVRs, Internet

- Kumar: Listened to sketch comedy on radio from National Lampoon, Firesign Theater

- Watched SNL, Fridays, SCTV

- Stereos used to be furniture

- Dube's uncle would invite friends over to listen to new comedy LPs

- Kumar: Watched reruns of "Bob Newhart Show" with dad

- Comedy in the '70s went from a social to a solitary experience

- Differing opinions on SCTV

- Kids in the Hall was a brilliant show

- Letterman's 12:30 a.m. NBC show was amazing

- Kumar went to one of the last Letterman shows on NBC; Leno was guest

- Leno was hilarious back in the day

- Marc Maron's podcast features great interview with Judd Apatow

- As 16-year-old, Apatow interviewed Seinfeld, Leno, Shandling about comedy

- Steve Martin's autobiography focuses on standup days

- Martin got a job at Disneyland to get into showbiz

- Apatow started as a busboy in a comedy club

- Bonehead of the Week

Music:

Japandroids - Heavenward Grand Prix

Marnie Stern - Transparency is the New Mystery

Grinderman - Heathen Child

Completely Conspicuous is available through the iTunes podcast directory. Subscribe and write a review!

The show is sponsored by Eastbay/Footlocker.com, a leading supplier of athletic footwear, apparel and sports equipment. Use promo code AFCOMP15 to get 10% off any order of $50 or more at Eastbay.com, AFCOMP20 to get 15% off any order of $75 or more at Eastbay.com, and AFCOMPFL to get 10% off any order of $50 or more at Footlocker.com.

The Japandroids song is part of the band's ongoing 7-inch single series. Download the song for free at Pitchfork.

The Marnie Stern song is from her eponymous forthcoming album on Kill Rock Stars Records. Download the song for free at Stereogum.

The Grinderman song is on the Grinderman 2 album on ANTI Records. Download the song for free at Chromewaves.

The opening and closing theme of Completely Conspicuous is "Theme to Big F'in Pants" by Jay Breitling. Find out more about Senor Breitling at his fine music blogs Clicky Clicky and Keeping Some Dark Secrets. Additional music used in the show is by Me and Boris the Bull, which is the brainchild of the mighty Mark Campbell. Thanks to Bob Durling for the album art; find out more about his photography at his blog.

Completely Conspicuous is a Tan God Production. Word.

Completely Conspicuous 142: Back to Work

This week on the podcast, it's another installment of Driving with Kumar as I discuss the daily commute. Listen to the show in streaming audio or download it directly (right click and "save as").

The show notes...

Topics:

- We spend a good chunk of our lives commuting

- I've got a 25-minute commute now

- First job out of college was in Peabody, Mass.

- Commute shortened from 45 to 20 to 5 minutes

- Longest commute was to Cambridge, nearly 90 minutes

- Salem is super-busy in fall with tourists

- My commute's about to change for the better

- Plenty of folks who commute for hours each day

- More people are willing to travel farther

- I like working closer to home

- Telecommuters can work from anywhere

- People do many other things while driving

- Bumpy streets brought to you by town of Marblehead

- Cue old guy cell phone rant

- People get a lot braver behind the wheel

- Stereo helps make commute more bearable

- When I was a reporter, I was driving out to stories all day

- Commute's a good time to clear your head or do some thinking

- Ran to work a few times

- Bonehead of the Week

Music:

The 20/20 Project - Back to Work

Cee Lo Green - Georgia

The Knux - Floozy

Del the Funkee Homosapien - Phoney Phranchise

Completely Conspicuous is available through the iTunes podcast directory. Subscribe and write a review!

The show is sponsored by Budget, the country's premier car rental service. Go to Budget.com/CompCon and save 10% off any reservation or $30 off a weekly rental.

The 20/20 Project song is on the self-released EP Employees of the Year. Download the song and EP for free at Bandcamp.com.

The Cee Lo Green song is from his forthcoming album The Lady Killer on Warner Bros. Records. Find out more and download the song for free at his site.

The Knux song is on the self-released EP F*ck You, which is available for free download via RCRDLBL.

The Del the Funkee Homosapien song is on the album Both Sides of the Brain on Hieroglyphics Imperium Records. The song is available through IODA Promonet:

Del the Funky Homosapien
"Phoney Phranchise" (mp3)
from "Both Sides Of The Brain"
(Hieroglyphics Imperium)
Buy at Napster
Buy at iTunes Music Store
Buy at eMusic
Buy at Rhapsody
Stream from Rhapsody
Buy at Amazon MP3
Buy at appliedSB / MCNE (Groupietunes)
Buy at mTraks
More On This Album

The opening and closing theme of Completely Conspicuous is "Theme to Big F'in Pants" by Jay Breitling. Find out more about Senor Breitling at his fine music blogs Clicky Clicky and Keeping Some Dark Secrets. Additional music used in the show is by Me and Boris the Bull, which is the brainchild of the mighty Mark Campbell. Thanks to Bob Durling for the album art; find out more about his photography at his blog.

Completely Conspicuous is a Tan God Production. Word.