Category: Comedy (Page 1 of 2)

Dodging thunderbolts

November 26, 2023 / sludgieboy / 0 Comments

The Last Podcast On The Left review

Rating –

This is a podcast that I had talked about in the past, but never listened to. After hearing a particular episode mentioned on the Monsterfuzz podcast, I decided to check it out. What I wasn’t expecting was to find a series that dates back over 8 years, and clocking in at nearly 900 episodes!

I was expecting the rather usual fare of paranormal/true crime/gruesome history kind of podcast. To say this show caught me off guard was an understatement, but read on and I’ll explain my difficulty in rating this show.

So what’s it about?

The Last Podcast On The Left examines the dark side of life. From serial killers, war, folklore, the paranormal, pretty much any gory, scary or messed up subject has been analysed at least once over the last 8 years.

The hosts Marcus Parks, Ben Kissel and Henry Zebrowski vary in their depth of knowledge, and so each episode they get to learn about things at the same time as you do. Well, sometimes they do. They usually end up making jokes and some incredibly bad taste comments about the subject matter. This will be the dividing line for the listener. Either you will laugh along with the guys and let the last shred of humanity slough off your heart like ash, or you will turn it off and burn your headphones and electronic devices lest they have become tainted by what is quite obviously “The Devil’s Work”.

Is it any good?

Here’s where it gets difficult. In searching for the epsiode mentioned in Monsterfuzz, the first episode I listened to was about Japanese war crimes in WWII. To say that this series is in poor taste is something of an understatement. Having said that, I did find it very funny. I like dark humour, and this show has that in spades.

As they discuss the chosen topic, there are some gaps in their knowledge, and some things they just get wrong. I suspect this is more to do with misremembering rather than actual ignorance of the facts. They do have a wide range of knowledge, and I get the impression that this show is almost totally improvised. Thankfully Google is on hand to help clarify some matters.

The delivery of the episodes can only be described as “frenetic”. The hosts are so hyped up, a lot of the time there are interruptions and talking over each other. This can make things difficult to understand on occasion, but if there are any bits you miss, rest assured it will be a rather coarse joke rather than some nugget of new knowledge.

Final thoughts

It seems that most podcasts now have trigger warnings at the outset for various things that would upset people. There’s none for this show though. To list the trigger warnings would literally take up more run time than the show itself.

This show gets three brains because most people with a moral compass would feel nothing but disgust at the humour here. My god has forsaken me though, and there have been some genuinely funny moments (if you find this stuff funny).

In short, I would personally give it 5 brains, but you need to be sure you want to listen to a show like this first. It isn’t for the faint of heart.

You can get The Last Podcast On The Left here:

https://pod.link/437299706

(un)Happy Holidays

November 19, 2023 / sludgieboy / 0 Comments

‘Tis The Grinch Holiday Podcast review

Production company – Wondery

Rating –

I grew up with the stories of Theodor Giesel, a man known to most as Dr Seuss. While they have been a beloved part of my life for nearly half a century, there have been a number of releases in the media of some of his more popular characters which have left me cold.

I was sent the first two episodes of this new show by GreatPods, after I waxed lyrical about my love for Dr Seuss books. I had expressed concern over how I thought this show would turn out given my disdain for the film releases.

So how does this podcast devoted to Whoville’s most unpopular resident fair? Read on and I’ll tell you, but not in anapestic tetrameter.

So what’s it about?

Every episode after some “hijinx”, The Grinch interviews a different person in his own inimitable style. Episode one sees Olympic gymnast Shawn Johnson-East, who treats this curmudgeon with good grace. Even her charming personality can’t melt the shard of flint that resides in the Grinch’s chest though (not that you would expect it to).

And that’s as far as I got. As you’ll know doubt know by now, I can quite happily binge an entire series in one go, and I can listen to 8 hours of a show in a day. It took me two goes to make it through one episode of this. I actually had to force myself to go back and finish it just to write this review. I know, I know, I have a ten episode rule. Rules are made to be broken though. Even if there were ten episodes out, I just couldn’t do it this time.

Is it any good?

No.

I was tempted to turn it off after about the three minute mark, but I stuck with it for the full half hour. I had said previously that I was very fussy about these characters. Every film so far has fallen well short in my expectations, particularly The Lorax, which the mere thought of is enough to give me a stress headache.

The Grinch himself sounds like a poor impression of Terry Carnation mixed with Les Claypool. Something that almost instantly added to my dislike of the character. The tired skits before the interview and the practical jokes show there is little originality here, and leaves the interview section almost redundant because the mood shifts to a somewhat more “sensible” tone. This means that its essentially painted itself into a corner, and it does neither very well.

Yes, I am aware that this show is probably for kids. I hope it is anyway. Kids deserve more than this though. So do Dr Seuss fans.

Final thoughts

I try to limit myself to between 500 and 600 words for a review, but I’m finding it difficult to stretch that far. I just don’t like it.

That’s not to say that you won’t like it. You may well have loved the film versions of Dr Seuss’ stories. Did that sound patronising? It wasn’t meant to. But I will say this. If you want your kids to get into Dr Seuss, READ them the books. Particularly The Lorax and Oh The Places You’ll Go. Stay away from the films.

You can get The Grinch here (should you want to):

https://pod.link/1710419203

Behind the curtain

September 24, 2023 / sludgieboy / 0 Comments

True Tales Of The Illuminati review

Rating –

In the last few years, mainly since we were all locked down, people found themselves with a lot of time on their hands. Some learned new skills, some started their dream business and found themselves stress free. Others started doing “research” and discovered that the world is not as we’ve been told.

According to various basement dwelling paranoiac energy drink addicts, the world is being run by a shadowy group known as The Illuminati. This all powerful group has the ability to control global government, start wars and runs all the world’s media. Despite doing this, they are unable to make said “researchers” disappear without a trace, thus keeping their nefarious deeds secret.

So what’s it about?

This is a wry comedy tracing the history of the Illuminati, from its beginnings in ancient Egypt through to the modern day.

It follows the adventures of Ishmael, Jackie, Beck and Dal as they build occult libraries in pyramids, plot against Henry VIII, fake moon landings and buy nuclear weapons. You know, all that stuff that changes the course of history.

It’s unclear in the story whether this foursome are really immortal, or if it’s like Blackadder, where there are different members of the same bloodline doing the same things. Not that it really matters, but I didn’t think about that for a while.

Is it any good?

There were more cons than pros when I started this unfortunately. There are many good, funny, podcasts out there, some of which I absolutely love. This is not one of them though. I had made up my mind by the end of the first episode, but I ploughed on through the whole lot, just in case.

The theme song is a vaudevillian piano “chase” style song that lays the groundwork for the zany style comedy. Unfortunately, this tune is the best part of the show. The characters are irritating, especially Dal, who you get the impression is constantly peering out from a hooded cloak and who chews the scenery with gusto. The storylines are inane and yes, I understand that this is the point, but it got on my nerves almost instantly.

I would place this more in the realm of series 2 of Fear, you may remember it as the curveball story entitled “Black Friday”, rather than other mystery based comedies such as Wormwood or

Like a ten year old at a birthday party, this podcast is hyperactive and thinks it’s funnier than it actually is. Like said hyperactive ten year old, it also doesn’t seem to know what to do next and runs around without any real purpose.

Final thoughts

On paper, this should have been my ideal podcast. As I have mentioned in other podcasts though, simply having the ingredients right doesn’t guarantee a good cuppa. After the first episode I realised that I probably wouldn’t like it, and as they ticked on, my fears were proved right. In the interest of fairness though (established by me in my housekeeping post), I have listened to all ten episodes. In fact, seeing as there were only twelve, I listened to the whole thing. See what I do for you lot?

You might like this, if you do then feel free to call me an idiot/grump/philistine and enjoy the series for what it is. A very silly, rather base comedy.

You can get True Tales Of The Illuminati here:

https://pod.link/1497231229

Trip down memory lane

July 30, 2023 / sludgieboy / 0 Comments

Jools And Jim’s Joyride review

Rating –

As I prepare this post for publication (the actual day of release, as is usual). I have just returned from a family holiday in Spain. Seeing as I have a few posts ready to go, I felt that with the spirit of travel somewhat prominant in my psyche, I would share this particular podcast with you. So buckle up and lets go on a joyride with Jools and Jim.

What with all the true crime and horror shows passing through the doors at podcastgeek central recently, I thought it would be nice to go in a different direction. This one was recommended to me ages ago, and to be honest, I put off listening to it. Once I did though, I was kicking myself for not getting to it sooner.

So what’s it about?

Each week, Jools Holland and Jim Moir (better known to many as Vic Reeves) interview a different celebrity where they discuss their love of motoring and travel in general. The conversation is as winding as a country road, and takes as many tangents as someone who can’t read a roadmap (I’m old school like that ok? You can’t really go wrong with satnavs can you?). That’s enough of the travel metaphors though, because there’s more to this show than that.

Rather than just modes of transport dear to the hearts of the guests, this show delves into everything from art to food. This really is a show of reminiscences. The interior furnishings of their fathers first car is just as likely to be discussed as the cafe in Brighton where they did the best fish and chips.

With Jools and Jim both being musicians (and indeed massive music fans), when musicians are guests, there is an awful lot of talk about related subjects. Whether that be touring in different countries, or the contents of the guests father’s 8-track collection, there is plenty to entertain. This isn’t entirely music and travel based though (despite Jools and Jim’s best attempts). The guests include sportsmen and women, actors, journalists, comedians and more. Bascially anyone the hosts find interesting.

Is it any good?

I’m almost loath to describe this show as “cosy”, but I can’t really think of a better word. Whereas Bob Mortimer has his Gone Fishing TV show with Paul Whitehouse, the other half of Reeves and Mortimer has got this show. They are both similar in feel, despite the vast difference in content (And Bob Mortimer is the first guest on the show).

It’s like Top Gear for people who don’t hold management positions in call centres. There is very little talk about modern cars. This is after all, essentially a show about memories. There is also discussion on boats, trains, buses and literally any other mode of transport you can think of.

Both Jools Holland and Jim Moir have an extensive knowledge of all things transport related and they make a great team. The sponsorship adverts are also genius, and it seems like Jim writes them without telling Jools what he’s got to say beforehand. This leads to some great bursts of laughter at the nonsense.

Final thoughts

This is a thoroughly charming podcast with two stalwarts of British entertainment. You can tell that they both clearly love what they are doing, and there’s always plenty of space for humourous digressions. I think that since Jim dropped the “Vic Reeves” name, he doesn’t seem to feel the need to be outrageously weird. Nowadays he is pleasantly eccentric and only slightly surreal. Not that I wasn’t a fan of Novelty Island, The Man With A Stick, Uncle Peter, Les, or any of the oddball characters that featured on his early TV shows.

Jools on the other hand, does what he always does. He comes across as a slightly socially awkward raconteur, with an enyclopaedic knowledge of almost anything, but particularly music and art.

If you ever feel like the current news cycle is too depressing, or the constant stream of horror, true crime and music based recommendations from this nerd are too much for your sanity, then give this a go. Seriously. You’ll love it.

You can get Jools And Jim’s Joyride here:

https://pod.link/1548022134

The Gang spill their guts

May 21, 2023 / sludgieboy / 0 Comments

The Always Sunny Podcast review

Rating –

Let’s get one thing straight. I love It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia. Actually, I love it apart from the first series, but the guys themselves will admit that that was the weakest of the lot. When I heard about this podcast I went all giggly with anticipation about what paint sniffing, rum ham, toe spoon hilarity would ensue. This opening paragraph probably has enough fanboy fawning for the whole review, but please read on, dear subscriber.

So what’s it about?

For those who don’t know, It’s Always Sunny… is a sitcom following five truly awful human beings who run an Irish pub in Philadelphia. Brother and sister Dennis and Diandra (Dee) are from a wealthy family and are shallow and arrogant. Mac is a confused macho “bro” and Charlie is an illiterate dogsbody who gets all the “Charlie work”. The fifth member of the group is Frank who appears from series 2, played by Danny DeVito, he’s Dennis and Dee’s philandering father.

This podcast however is only slightly about all that. Charlie Day (Charlie), Rob McElhenney (Mac) and Glenn Howerton (Dennis) get together to talk about every episode of the sitcom so far. Think of it like a director’s commentary on a dvd. They admit from the outset that they don’t really know what they are doing, and I don’t think there’s been an episode so far where they’ve actually followed this premise. Joined by writer Megan Ganz, who acts as an arbiter of sorts, and tries to keep them in line. They get sidetracked, go off on tangents and try to make each other laugh with outrageous and offensive comments.

Is it any good?

Amongst all this chaos, there are some very interesting little nuggets of trivia though, which makes me wonder whether the guys are truly being themselves, or being some kind of mixture of the actors and the characters and the whole thing is very carefully planned indeed. Or maybe I’m giving them too much credit and they just really are very close to the characters they created. There are a few moments that stand out to me immediately. Charlie singing a song that made everyone cry, Rob recounting how when he was a kid, his mother would coat him in vinegar before he went to the beach, and Glenn’s uncanny CCH Pounder impression. The last one is mind blowing, and should have been the exclamation when he got to live his childhood fantasy of kicking a door in.

This podcast is as much an autobiography of the actors as it is an analysis of the show. Some of the stories of their childhood could really have been written for the show, especially one about Glenn accidentally hanging himself at church camp for a joke.

The humour here is very broad, and crude. A lot of people will find it offensive. I’m a mucky pup though so I find it hilarious. It’s also a treat when guests show up. Kaitlin Olson (who plays Dee, and is also Rob’s wife) shows up for a few episodes as does Charlie Day’s wife (The Waitress) and David Hornsby (Rickety Cricket). These episodes breathe even more life into the series, as there are more options to digress into hilarity.

Final thoughts

Having waxed rather lyrically about the genuis of this podcast, this is only really recommended for fans of the TV show. I mean, it’s literally a podcast discussing the TV show, so if you’re not familiar with that then it’ll be a pointless exercise. What I would do though is recommend you go and watch the TV show first. Then listen to the podcast. That’s a two for one offer I’m sure you’ll love (unless it turns out you hate the TV show).

You can get the Always Sunny Podcast here:

https://thealwayssunnypod.com/

Or wherever you get your podcasts

Anyone for Hornimans?

March 26, 2023 / sludgieboy / 0 Comments

Brain Cigar review

Rating –

Many moons ago, when this blog was all fresh faced and smelling of SMA (other milk formula is available), I had this podcast recommended to me by someone (I thought it was my brother, but apparently not). Since then it has laid cold and lonely in my podcast list, waiting for its turn to get played. This week, I realised I had 200 unplayed episodes of various podcasts saved on my phone, so this has been picked at long last.

So what’s it about?

Brain Cigar is a comedy podcast by Peter Bayhnam and Jeremy Simmonds. There are surreal stories, interviews with weird characters and strange sponsor adverts that all coalesce into some strange alternate reality.

Pete Bayhnam has worked as a writer on many satirical comedy shows for decades. His film credits include the films of Sacha Baron Cohen, and the animated films Arthur Christmas and Hotel Transylvania. To some he will be the face of the 90s Pot Noodle adverts, but to me though he will always be the grubby, friendless basement dweller who got picked on by Richard Herring on Fist Of Fun.

I seem to recognise Simmonds’ voice, but I can’t place him. Likewise, an internet search produces many people by that name, but no exact results. I’m aware that I will no doubt be proved wrong by this statement, but I’d like to know what else he’s done apart from the NMTB writing etc.

The entire series is only six episodes and a “Christmas special”. I managed to get the whole lot finished easily in a few hours. When you look at the running time, it could obviously be done quicker than that. I had to keep rewinding certain parts though, because they were so funny.

The parts in question are the readings of John “Throat” Church’s autobiography The Architecture Of Bacon. I can’t remember the last time I laughed so loudly at a comedy show anywhere (probably series one of A Scottish Podcast). I suspect that “Throat” is voiced by Simmonds, but I’m not sure. It’s such a brilliant character that you really can’t tell.

Is it any good?

Put it this way, it’s my joint favourite comedy podcast. I almost wish I could forget all about it so I could rediscover it all over again. Seriously, I reckon I’ll be listening to this every year for a long time. I don’t think it will ever stop being funny.

The humour here is generally quite dark, as you’d expect from someone with Baynham’s writing pedigree. It never plumbs depths as deep as Chris Morris’ show Brass Eye for example.

Julia Davis, who you’ll no doubt recognise from many well loved comedy shows gives a great performance in episode one as the completely awful founder of loneliness charity LAUK (pronounced “lowk” apparently). In fact she plays a whole range of awful characters as the series goes on. The highlight of which must surely be the New York Times reporter who reviews a Welsh funeral.

Final thoughts

If you’re a fan of anything on TV by Armando Ianucci, Chris Morris, Sacha Baron Cohen or Steve Coogan then you’ll love this. This is one of those series that I almost wish I had an extra point to score with. I really can’t recommend this highly enough. Also, contrary to the thoughts of “Doug in Colorado”, I loved The Architecture Of Bacon readings and would quite happily own that audiobook.

Earlier I said that I would listen to this once a year, but I can’t help myself, I’ve just downloaded the whole thing again. I’ll just have to ignore the weird looks I get on the train as I burst out laughing.

As you well know by now. This is where I give a link to the website and say “you can get Brain Cigar here” etc. Unfortunately, there is no Brain Cigar website. I suspect it was lost in the same tragic server crash that lost the first six episodes of this show, and the the first 38 instalments of “H from Steps’ Guide to Affordable Laptops”. You can find it easily enough though. So find it, and listen to it.

*** EDIT***

It seems I was wrong about the website thing. I should have known there’d be some sneaky business involved. I had even seen the website in the search results, and discarded it because of the Spanish language used. So to return to a more traditional ending (because we all like familiarity don’t we, even if it does breed contempt). You can get Brain Cigar here:

https://www.braincigar.com/

or wherever you get your podcasts

Fae Dougie, Lee & John the dug

January 22, 2023 / sludgieboy / 2 Comments

A Scottish Podcast review

Rating –

This has been a long time coming. Despite winning one of my coveted (purely imaginary) podcast geek trophies in December, I have never got around to writing a review. While other, newer podcasts jumped to the front of the queue, this one has always been waiting, like me waiting to be picked for school teams in PE. Today is that day though, A Scottish Podcast gets reviewed!

The first time I heard of this podcast was an interview with the creator Matthew McLean on The Good Friends Of Jackson Elias. His self-deprecating style and sense of humour immediately impressed me. With Scott Dorward waxing lyrical about it, It struck me as something I needed to listen to forthwith, so I did.

So what’s it about?

Some might say that ex radio DJ Lee Power is unemployable. That isn’t strictly true. Lots of people have employed him, it’s keeping a job that is the problem. After his most recent sacking, Lee decides to start a paranormal podcast. After the genesis of “The Terror Files”, he decides he needs a hand to run things. He teams up with reluctant friend Dougie (Dougie would probably despute the term “friend”), a musician recently returned from London.

Soon we are introduced to a wide range of insane locals, gangsters, and all manner of Lovecraftian horrors that lurk in the forgotten catacombs and windswept remote islands of Scotland.

The storylines themselves range from impromptu urbex under the streets of Edinburgh, to derelict military facilities to… well, I’m not saying any more than that. You’ll just have to listen.

Is it any good?

This is one of the funniest podcasts I’ve ever listened to. As I type this I am listening to all the series for the fourth time. Honestly, it’s still just as funny as the first. This goes to show the talent of Matthew McLean as a writer, as well as the brilliant voice talent for bringing the characters to irreverent life.

Talking of voice talent, series one features the legendary (in my book anyway) David Ault as Councillor Byers. His deadpan delivery suits the corrupt politician perfectly. An honourable mention also needs to be given to Jim Balfour as retired footballer and crude Francis Begbie-alike George. I think he probably has more of the classic lines than any character. Even though I know what he’s going to say, I’ll still laugh out loud as he says them.

The series really comes out swinging. Lee’s first story recounting his meeting with a werewolf to media students setting the gloriously crude style of the rest of the podcast. The first epsidoe also ingtroduces the weird meta style of McLeans writing. Lee frequently references real podcasts such as The Black Tapes, and later on Lee and Dougie reveal that they know they are only characters in someone elses podcast. Again, thats just another great detail that makes me love this show.

The later series release schedule has been “relaxed” to say the least, sometimes only a handful of episodes in a year. While the storylines may go on hiatus, there will be a few random posts of poems McLean has written. These are also very good, the one for his brother was outstanding, and really heartbreaking. These offer a great contrast to the silliness of the main story and show that he is far from a one trick pony.

Final thoughts

Most people think that anything to do with horror, and particularly the work of H.P. Lovecraft has to be serious, stuffy and usually not very scary. However, I think it lends itself more to humour. Maybe that’s just me, but podcasts like this, Wormwood, The Lovecraft Tapes, or Ain’t Slayed Nobody are much more entertaining (and yes, those last two are roleplaying podcasts, but they play how I like to, so they get a mention).

As I think I’ve made clear already, I love this podcast. The only caveat I would give any prospective listener is that the language is VERY coarse. If you have a disposition that gets upset at swear words and euphemisms of an incredibly inventive nature, then “Turn the tape off now, this is not a pop album” (as Ice T once said). I happen to think that swearing is very funny, but that’s just me…

You can get A Scottish Podcast here:

https://scottishpodcast.com/

Or wherever you get your podcasts

Give me just a little more time, time, time

January 15, 2023 / sludgieboy / 0 Comments

Athletico Mince review

Rating –

There are few things in this world I loathe as much as football. My feelings on the “beautiful game” are similar to Clarkson’s views on certain branches of the Windsor family tree. However, there are few things in the world I love more than Mr. Bob Mortimer.

Most people my age have grown up with Vic and Bob. From Big Night Out, to Shooting Stars, and now we are all old sods, Gone Fishing is must watch viewing. If you haven’t heard of this podcast, it should also be added to your list asap.

So what’s it about?

Originally conceived as a comedy podcast about football, hosted by Bob Mortimer and Andrew Dawson. Since about episode 20 though, this series has only a tenuous link to the overpaid prima donnas of the EPL and other leagues. The early episodes aren’t great. Bob and Andy even say you should probably skip the first few, and if you aren’t a football fan you can skip a few more.

The characters so brilliantly brought to life by Bob’s ramblings are football players or managers in name only. Harry Kane with his magic chin, Peter Beardsley’s joke book, Sean Dyche with his “motivational” songs and Steve McLaren and his pet snake Caspar could have any names as far as I’m concerned. They’d still be hilarious, although nowadays I can’t see pictures of Dele “Debbie” Alli without hearing Bob’s voice. It gets me in a right fluffery buffery.

Although that is not to say that the only celebrities getting rebuilt from scratch are footballers. Matt Allwright, Jeremy Corbin, Denise Welch, Sting and more all appear in increasingly surreal situations (the latter in Bob’s “crime” series Geordie Heat).

If you also add into the mix the South African gangbanger, Bob’s Crime Files (he does love his crime), the Scottish songs/stories and Barry Homeowner aka Train Guy, and you have such a varied range of hilarity that you are bound to find something that will elicit at least one laugh an episode (and probably a lot more).

Is it any good?

OF COURSE IT IS. I would go so far as to not recommend this to football fans. They get precious about people mocking the children’s game they devote vast amounts of time and money to slavishly follow. Seeing how things that originally started as throw away lines have developed into epic storylines (as the adventures of Steve McLaren and Caspar are testament to) show Bob’s skill as a comedy writer. I’m actually not sure how much of the show is written. There are stories where Andy supplies voices, so I’m sure that these are pre planned, but likewise I’m sure there’s a lot of stuff that just gets made up.

Up to this point, this has been a rather one sided review. As I said at the beginning, here are two presenters and so far I’ve only been talking about one.

Andy Dawson comes from a more sports oriented background, hosting the podcast Top Flight Time Machine (which is a football podcast, so there’s no chance of me reviewing it). He really holds his own, and whilst not having quite an equal split of the jokes, he provides plenty of laughs as well. Usually when he starts corpsing at Bob’s attempts at accents.

Final thoughts

If you like football then have a listen. If you don’t like football, but like Bob Mortimer then have a listen. If you don’t like Bob, or football then I suggest you listen anyway, because it is one of the best comedy podcasts out there. The only “downside” is that when Bob is filming then they release compilation episodes. So there’ll be a whole episode of Peter Beardsley, or Scottish tales or some such. Due to the quality of the writing they do hold up to repeated listening (hence my use of inverted commas around downside).

Wow, 684 words fell out of my head in about 2 hours. Just goes to show how much I love this show.

You can get Athletico Mince here:

https://athleticomince.com/

Or wherever you get your podcasts

Enter the echo chamber

August 21, 2022 / sludgieboy / 2 Comments

Two Flat Earthers Kidnap A Freemason review

Production Company – Good Pointe

Rating –

Due to my recent acknowledgement that I really need to be on Twitter more to try and build some semblance of an audience, I have been on a real voyage of discovery with regards to new shows. I had got to the end of a rather mediocre series, when the first episode of this was previewed. Mainly due to the cast (who I shall get into later) I subscribed and started on this strange and hilarious journey.

So what’s it about?

Two Flat Earthers Kidnap A Freemason is a comedy show dealing with conspiracy theories and social media. It follows the adventure of two struggling flat earth YouTubers named Dunning and Kruger (yeah, yeah, I know), who decide that in order to stand out from the other flat earth YouTubers (who are gaining more views than them) they need to do something dramatic. Cue the premise of the show’s title.

Whilst I’m sure that certain sections of the conspiracy world are as silly and misguided as this series portrays, I’m not so sure if the Freemasons are. Although maybe they are. They wouldn’t say so either way would they?

The disappearance of one of their own throws the Freemasons into a panic, and the game is afoot to try to figure out just who would be audacious enough to do this, and recover their brother.

Is it any good?

Absolutely. The story is very well written, and silly without being inane. The production values are high, and the characters are (mostly) all well acted. Speaking of the cast, there is some stellar talent here:

David Ault needs no introduction on this blog. If you’ve read my previous reviews then you’ll know I have immense admiration for his work, and his mere inclusion in a podcast is usually enough to get me onboard.

Graham Rowat is brilliant as the Alex Jones-alike radio host Newsham. I recognised his voice instantly from his other work. He also played my all time favourite podcast character, Sir Henry Blackwood (a.k.a. SCP 1867. I highly suggest you search for this particular episode and give it a listen. You wont be disappointed)*.

Josh Rubino also deserves an honourable mention for turning Isaac Newton into Steven Toast. Whether intentional or not, it makes for a very entertaining interpretation.

The only real criticisms I have are that there are times when the background music is too intrusive. This is usually when the characters are listening to The Newsham Hour. I may be missing a joke here, I mean I am at work when I listen to this, so maybe I’ll go back through one more time. Also, there are a few of the voice actors who aren’t quite up to the level of the main characters.

These are really pretty criticisms really, and they are the only downsides to an otherwise perfect series. I think it shows the quality of the podcast that I’m really struggling to find fault with it.

Final thoughts

This is a great, genuinely funny show. It’s one that makes a refreshing change from the horror and drama, both fictional and real, that fills my ears for 8 hours a day. I think you’ll love this show, unless the characters are a bit too close to home. In that case I advise you to adjust your tinfoil hat and follow this podcast’s advice for negative reviews.

As I was searching for a copy of the logo to use, I see that this show has also been made into a TV show. This seems to be something of a trend nowadays, and I can’t wait to see if it’s as good as the original. Truth be told, I was disappointed with the adaptation of Limetown.

I would also like to point out that whilst I am a fan of long titles (My old band had one of the longest album titles since Marc Bolan released his first album), this podcast has played havoc with my SEO settings. Do I use an acronym or not? I vote not. To hell with Google’s algorithms this time!

*The character of Sir Henry Blackwood was so beloved to me that I actually named one of my Call Of Cthulhu investigators after him. Although I brought him forward to the 1920s and made him a bit more “Terry Thomas”, the DNA was there though, and I’ll love the mad old sod forever.

You can get Two Flat Earthers Kidnap A Freemason here:

https://pod.link/1582700456

Or wherever you get your podcasts.

This seems to be another one of those podcasts that doesnt have a proper website. The above link is to listen, the production company and podcast site is here:

https://goodpointepodcasts.com/

Church of the PENNtecost

July 10, 2022 / sludgieboy / 1 Comment

Penn’s Sunday School review

Rating –

I heard about this podcast somewhere very recently (I can’t remember where) and instantly subscribed. I’ve been a fan of Penn and Teller since they were first shown on British TV at the end of the 80’s, so it was a no brainer for me. Teller (obviously) isn’t a character that lends himself to the audio format, but Penn certainly is. So without further ado, let’s head off to Penn’s Sunday School and preach some peace and love.

So what’s it about?

Penn’s Sunday school seems to be an excuse for Mr. Jillette and his friends to just sit around and “shoot the shit”. There are reminiscences of past lovers, starting out in the industry, and some “current” topics (current at the time anyway). Don’t let this fool you though. While I use the rather flippant term, there is much to enjoy here, and it is far from some droning ramblings to fill the silence, or gaps in Penn’s ego.

Each week he’s joined by regular guest hosts Michael Goudeau and Matt Donnelly. Occasionally special guests sit in (Piff The Magic Dragon was a particular highlight). There are also a few interviews thrown in too, just in case you should get bored of the regular format (you shouldn’t). These are usually people from or adjacent to Penn’s line of work, but there is very little “shop talk” here. That wouldn’t necessarily be a bad thing, but as it goes they just talk about “stuff”. Shows they’ve seen, places they’ve been. As I said, “shooting the shit”.

Is it any good?

Of course it is. If there’s one thing that Penn can do (apart from magic, juggling, and playing bass), it’s talking. He’s a phenomenal raconteur and all his stories are brilliant. This isn’t to say that the other guys just put a penny in the slot and watch him go, they are all very witty and entertaining, and are more than capable of holding court with Mr. Jillette.

One of my favourite episodes came very early on. It was the “McDracula” episode, when one of them had been to Romania and the whole hour was spent making various vampire jokes and arguing about why Americans would “do Transylvania better”.

I really don’t think there is anything better than genuinely witty people firing off each other and making each other laugh (and not in that irritating, smug way that “comedians” on Mock The Week or other panel shows do either). I guess that comes from being magicians or clowns. You need to engage the audience more than other professions.

This series has drawn more than one weird glance my way as I snort out loud at something when I’m on the train, or as I walk through town and a massive smile stretches across my face for no apparent reason. A particular example of this was when they Google translated a Japanese review of Penn’s album. That is something I don’t think will ever not be funny.

Final thoughts

You don’t have to be a magic fan to like this podcast, there’s plenty to enjoy here. Actually, if you are a magic fan then you probably won’t like it, if that’s all you’re after. They are less likely to discuss the “reverse faro shuffle” as they are to talk about books, or offering car rental companies money to trash a car.

I appreciate that I’m very late to the table here. I’ve got hundreds of episodes to catch up on, and this review is entirely based on the first 20 or so. There may be some format changes I don’t yet know about, or some groundbreaking new development. I really try to avoid skipping too far forward, so forgive me for maybe missing out on something important.

And remember, “we spinning dick, swinging play”.

You can get Penn’s Sunday School here:

https://pennsundayschool.com/

Or wherever you get your podcasts

So what’s it about?

Is it any good?

Final thoughts

So what’s it about?

Is it any good?

Final thoughts

So what’s it about?

Is it any good?

Final thoughts

So what’s it about?

Is it any good?

Final thoughts

So what’s it about?

Is it any good?

Final thoughts

So what’s it about?

Is it any good?

Final thoughts

So what’s it about?

Is it any good?

Final thoughts

So what’s it about?

Is it any good?

Final thoughts

So what’s it about?

Is it any good?

Final thoughts

So what’s it about?

Is it any good?

Final thoughts

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