SOME-BROOKLYN-FUCKIN'-PIZZA

Seth Morris has gotten so good at playing Bob Ducca over the past few years that he basically disappears into the character. You never hear him break- it’s almost a little too real at times, despite the inherently comedic nature of the character. A lot of this comes from his usual brand of list-based works, and poems that give glimpses into his disturbed life and times with the strange people within it. This episode of Affirmation Nation shows us a more candid and darker Bob Ducca- not in the sense of emotion, but in glimpsing upon the more intensely ridiculous corners of his mind and soul. 

Bob tries to record a regular episode of his beloved, personal, faux-self help podcast, wherein he is reciting a poem that concerns famous literature trickster figures. All seems dell, minus the fact that we hear Mitchell the engineer, as played by Jason Mantzoukas, queuing up Bob for each, with each respective one becoming more curt due to interruption. It appears that Bob is starting to hear things. He starts to go manic and have an extreme psychological breakdown, as if he’s being taken over by something else. Things get violent, intense, and overall disturbing- for us, that means it’s probably one of the most fascinating, hilarious and best examples of improv comedy to be delivered in the past few years.

When things start to get aggressive and hectic, the speed of the arguing between Ducca and Mantzoukas starts to feel so good, that you question whether it’s scripted or not. The two are just such pros at improv and intensity, especially Mantzoukas, that they sell it and live it to a reality that still manages to sell absurdity. Note that this entire thing takes place in three takes, two of which involve an immense amount of comedic development amongst various ideas and games, all of which are touched upon appropriately. The jokes with which are brought up organically play well, as the format of audio allows the viewer to really imagine this craziness happening. Enough physical description is given and action occurs that it’s the perfect verbal picture painting that is equally as enjoyable and ridiculous as the concept itself. It’s a wonder of a premise that is executed by two incredibly talented, other level comedic minds. They’re guys who always go hard, but keep each other grounded… or let each other go way too far. 

On Jason’s part, he delivers upon a crazed but sane state of being, with which he is always capable of, based on his performances live and in shows like The League. Seth likes to take Bob Ducca to ridiculous places, though a lot of times, it takes a fellow character or actor to really push him and help him get there. Mantzoukas is the perfect candidate for this, as he as well likes to push things appropriately to their extremes. It pays off well here as Bob gets more and more demented, for lack of a better phrase, and as Mitchell gets more and more frustrated, yet concerned. The two let the idea run its course at a perfect rate, and reach a logical end point and goal organically and with perfect comedic prose. 

I speak for many when I say I’m sad that Affirmation Nation (which I recommend you check out ALL OF) is gone for now, and can’t wait for its triumphant return, or at least the further works of Seth Morris. The character of Bob Ducca never gets tired, as Seth Morris’ brilliant mind always finds ways to expand him and what makes him funny. His lists, his poems, and his general demeanor/character are forever fascinating and hilarious, and this “behind the scenes” episode is a great example of how far Bob can be taken. While the occurrences are almost… supernatural, occurring within Bob, this episode allows a certain intimacy to his darkest moments. As Bob says, “If you’re nice to me, I’m a teddy bear, but if you’re not nice to me, I’m a teddy bear with CLAWS.” His interaction with Mantzoukas’ engineer Mitchell makes for a truly fascinating podcast episode, and general piece of comedy. It’s an absolute classic that deserves to be praised and remembered, and used as proof for the brilliance behind both Seth Morris and Jason Mantzoukas.

Here is Seth’s Earwolf page, and Jason’s. Do yourself a favor and listen to their appearances on Comedy Bang! Bang!, and other places. 

Cyber Thug’s episodes of Comedy Bang! Bang! are a special brand of podcast. It seems like Earwolf agreed in giving him his own show with Miles Archer, even though they only had an episode or two done. It’s the underlying aggressive hip hop, Cyber Thug’s balls to the wall hosting abilities, Miles Archer’s subtly murderous tendencies, and the weird sense of seriousness underneath the vicious demeanors. This duo works especially well when there are other characters involved, and more importantly, when there’s an odd man out on the podcast panel. Normally, this comes in the form of Scott or the plain guest. In this case, we have a three-on-one, with Cyber Thug, Archer, special guest Bobby Bottleservice (Nick Kroll) interviewing Kangaroo Jack star Jerry O’Connell. 

O’Connell has often been known to play somewhat bombastic “douchebag” characters in his films, to which the reception of such has been somewhat… divisive. Suffice it to say, he’s known to have a certain level of energy to him. The smart move on his behalf in this episode is playing the extreme polar opposite to the three hosts. While it’s acknowledgeable that O’Connell actually does live a somewhat standard life, he plays to his bland realness to the best of his abilities, and to the strength of the bit that’s going on, which is that he is essentially a rag doll to the trio’s insane logic and personalities. It’s like a talk show discussion panel with one sane person. In directly opposing every idea presented, O’Connell essentially goads on the three to heighten the ridiculousness even more, but entering topics like justified pedophilia or having MORE violence in hip hop, among other weird subjects.

As a group, Jerry Minor, Miles Archer, and Nick Kroll absolutely kill it with their hardcore chemistry. It works well especially in banding together against O’Connell, in bringing up the weirder moments of his career, questioning his own morals and ideals, and even his manhood. O’Connell plays along like a champ, in expecting a much more serious conversation (specifically with Paul F. Tompkins), but still continuing discussion. Bobby Bottleservice has always been a great, funny character, and it’s insanely satisfying fitting him into a group of characters/personas that fits his attitude perfectly. Nick Kroll becomes even stronger with his character with Cyber Thug and Archer backing him up. Jerry Minor’s character is an absolute classic, especially when paired with Miles Archer. The two of which trade exchanges while maintaining bombastic wit and character throughout, impressive and rapid conversation. It’s also especially great when they try talking about serious subjects, namely because they still maintain the same candor, like pros. It’s a tornado of professional character work and an divided bit ratio, with both ends really holding up their side of the spectrum.

This is a delightful episode that hits the ground running with its character and premise, and doesn’t stop. Its short run time is almost perfect, as the episode almost gets exhaustingly hilarious at a point. It’s a perfectly curt but ridiculously strong piece of comedy, that almost leaves a desire for more. These are honestly my favorite kinds of episodes, because you can really hear the excitement and glee within the actors/characters involved. When new, insane ideas are tossed out or played with, and things absolutely work, they only get better in group mind decisions of keeping things going. I highly recommend checking out the rest of Cyber Thug’s episodes, as they have the same amount of ridiculousness and fun in hardcore character comedy. While this doesn’t have Scott at the helm, it’s just a great example of the possibilities of great character comedy to be found in the podcast format, here on Comedy Bang! Bang! or elsewhere.

The line between a host steamrolling a guest and the reverse occurrence in a podcast/interview is a tricky one to toe. Shows like You Made it Weird and WTF w/ Marc Maron being driven by such thorough personalities like Pete Holmes and Marc Maron make standard interviews turn into what feels more like a conversation, with either person talking a lot at certain points feeling more natural and organic, even if it’s awkward. One person I feel would benefit from hosting their own show, based on their guest appearance on WTF, is comedian and actor JB Smoove. The charismatic man with a machine-gun mouth has got quite a personality, and entirely conversational, to an almost humbling degree.

In talking with Marc about women, comedic careers, and life, JB eventually ends up at a story he wants to tell. The episode up to this point has been fascinating and chummy, with JB and Marc really getting along on the various topics of discussion. A lot of the time, JB tells small stories and gives little tidbits of wisdom through bit-filled analogy, and Marc willingly listens and responds in kind.  Though this story that JB tells in what I would consider the third act of the episode is an especially memorable one. The story concerns various moments in Smoove’s life, mainly concerning his wanting to be on the show Curb Your Enthusiasm, and a long time musician friend of his passing away. I won’t spoil the specifics, but what counts is the sweetness and intrigue found in the various plot beats. It’s a story about set up and rightful pay off, and it’s told in an energetic fashion that sells the heft of it.

JB’s stand up and storytelling abilities are firing on all cylinders, and make you not want to stop listening all the way through. He gets quiet and slows down during intense moments, and gets loud when discussing the unbelievable occurrences. It’s so exciting and interesting to hear, and has great pay off. It has some great morals to take note of, and culminates to an enjoyably unbelievable climax and closure. How JB tells it helps heighten and appropriate the energy and craziness of the tale. You Made it Weird host Pete Holmes would be bouncing off the goddamned walls with this story, as it deals with coincidences and the greatness of being good to people in life. It’s a story that deals with karma and pay-off for good deeds and positive energy, and whether or not you base your life on or believe in this stuff, the way in which these ideas are delivered are nothing short of fascinating to hear, at least. Smoove expertly connects various details and plot points throughout the story he tells in a way that when they’re all connected in the end, it hits as hard as it hit him in experiencing it. His tale is beautiful, and he tells it beautifully.

JB Smoove’s episode of WTF isn’t necessarily balanced in terms of conversation, and almost serves as a platform for JB to tell some crazy stories. Marc Maron’s welcoming host and conversational abilities play well in serving the story, and even helping it feel more alive. I’d honestly like to not spoil it for you, in case you haven’t heard it, but sadly, it’s now a Premium only episode. If you haven’t subscribed to WTF or even listened to it, I recommend checking out a few of the free episodes to see if it’s your cup of tea. Hopefuly if you’re reading this, it should be your kind of show, to the point where you’d willingly pay to subscribe. Trust me, it’s well worth it, with so many quality episodes to check out, this one being one of them. This is a memorable story/conversation that I think everyone should hear, not only because it’s fun and funny, but because it’s gleefully unbelievable and has great excitement and passion within the heart and mind at its core, much like its protagonist and storyteller JB Smoove. That motor-mouthed ball of energy and charisma definitely does not disappoint. This is how he does it (you’ll get it when you hear it.)

When Comedy Bang! Bang! gets into some weird world-creating mode, I get very excited, because those involved normally really get into it and don’t back down. Be it Alan Rickman taking over the studio, or the show’s return to Suicide House every Halloween, I’m absolutely amused when the program turns into something very unique. A fine example of this character driven, situational insanity comes from an early episode staring Marc Maron and the sketch-comedy group The Birthday Boys. With the group having about 7 or so members, one could easily assume that there’s a lot to play with in guesting on CB!B!; boy do they deliver. 

After some fun riffing and banter between Scott and Marc, and a fascinating bit of storytelling from Marc about halfway through the episode, several of angry young men charge into the room, screaming of this becoming a hostage situation. Their agenda is eventually revealed to more or less be the plot of Airheads- they’re a rock band (a comedy rock band named “The Wacky Ding Dongs” in this case), and since they’re sick and tired of Scott not playing the tapes they send him, they decided to take the studio over and play their music.

Gleefully, their music is shitty, consisting of very bad parodies of well known rock songs, such as “Lazy Train” (a reggae cover of Ozzy Osbourne’s Crazy Train), or even their own original songs like “You, Me, and Dupree”, based on a trailer they made out of .JPEG images for the already existing comedy film. Marc and Scott don’t give them the light of day, and neither do their fans, apparently, who begin to rally around the station, cheering them on. In a tragic turn of events, it seems the Ding Dongs have garnered this sort of “The Room”-esque love, wherein their supporters only support because they are in fact so awful that they’re good. Among these antics include some more “fans” calling in, the group receiving a call from a big record producer, and tensions rising between captor and hostage, all while the band just tries to stay in control until a big time executive can make it to the studio with a contract. A lot of preparation in production really impresses throughout, especially with each and every bit being executed quite well up until the show runs out of time. The chemistry and teamwork amidst The Birthday Boys was key in this episode working out, and their commitment really entertains and pays off throughout.

Things take even weirder turns when everyone starts to marvel at the newly installed all-Shasta vending machine in the building, and SWAT officers break into the building and basically kill everyone in the band. In settling the dust, it turns out that Marc and Scott passed out as soon as The Birthday Boys entered the studio, causing them to delve into a deep sleep, wherein they both apparently dream the same dream. It’s similar to an episode of Superego, with sound effects and fake drama and all, and the execution of the ridiculousness is quite beautiful, even with Marc and Scott’s 4th wall breaking commentary throughout. Marc hilariously quips that he didn’t realize that he’d have to dust off his improv skills for this episode, and when the two have their “arms tied behind their backs”, they can’t help but laugh at the fact that they’re pantomiming these actions appropriately. While it isn’t entirely playing with the bit overall, it’s still some hilarious commentary scattered throughout, and doesn’t take away from the magic absurdity going on.

It’s a marvel of an episode full of playful bits and a good amount of comedic dedication that is nothing short of fascinating, even when Marc and Scott pull the curtain back once in a while. They still hold their own when it comes to participating, and helping make such a weird concept of a situation come to life in unique ways. I really wish The Birthday Boys would make another appearance on Comedy Bang! Bang!, as they always bring something crazy to the table, and utilize their somewhat large body count to the fullest of their abilities. In a later episode, they do some more fun, nonsensical character work with Paul Feig, living up to the world-creating ridiculousness that they impressed upon early on. This also brings to mind an older episode with the Superego fellows, hosted by Paul F. Tompkins. It’s a short one, but the character work is top-notch and is nothing short of brilliant.

Every episode of Comedy Bang! Bang! is generally entertaining in their own ways. But when things get as crazy as they do here? Even if they’re a little weird and not entirely successful, they’re still admirable and fun to some degree. In this case, we’ve got a heck of a success that I really implore you to check out, if you haven’t already. Hell, even if you’ve heard it before, listen again! It’s still fun another time around.

One of my favorite episodes of Comedy Bang! Bang! from this past year is the episode starring all three members of the weirdo power-pop piano-bitch trio Don’t Stop or We’ll Die, namely Paul Rust, Harris Wittels, and Michael Cassady. For one, it’s the episode that introduced me to their music, of which I am a massive fan of now. They only have two EPs, but dammit, both of them are absolutely brilliant, in terms of being hilarious, but also genuinely good musically. I really hope to see a full album from them in the future, because they’re super talented, and I’d hate to see that go to waste.

Aside from being musically blessed, the three are also some of the funniest dudes I’ve ever heard of, especially when they’re all together. My favorite thing about music and even comedy is the band dynamic. I played jazz drums during high school, and I absolutely loved the chemistry I shared rhythmically, and even personally with the rest of the rhythm section. We all helped each other out and made great (eh) music because we connected. I’m not good at Improv, but when I do it with good friends I trust with humor, it’s the best feeling. Paul, Harris, and Michael have such a strong connection comedically that it’s almost unbelievable. Sometimes, these CB!B! episodes take some time to get going, mainly because Scott has to really slick the gears with the guests- it always helps when the guests are willing to play and have fun.

These three are just so in sync on a comedic level that they broke the show from the get-go. Bit and riff levels went through the roof immediately and doesn’t stop at any point, maybe except for when they stop to play a song, when even then they still hold strong in their group-mind. On their own, these guys are all naturals, and some of the funniest guys you’ll ever come across. Possibly when such strong minds group together, things could possibly get selfish, but it’s the exact opposite with these guys- things only get better and better. When someone says something goofy or dumb, the others jump in, willing to be goofy and dumb as well, constantly heightening the topic and going for the more ridiculous. You can tell Scott really had fun with them as well, because he easily welcomed their energy and got on board. They try their hardest to not break, but when they do, it makes the episode even more fun. It makes it clear that they’re without a doubt having fun, and are only willing to go for the more absurd as they progress. No one backs down, and no one ruins the fun. It’s perfect in its chaotic demeanor, and when characters are introduced, it just feels like the strongest little improv jam that you could imagine. All the way to the end, the episode is exhaustingly chummy and hilarious, and the only disappointment is that it eventually ends.

As cheesy as it is to say, I think the name for their group is perfect. Whenever I hear these three all together, they just can’t stop. They never turn it off and are always willing to get silly, because they’re good at it, and only make each other better as they go onward. I am almost convinced that if they stop, they may literally die. So I hope they never do. Their music is brilliant, and I hope they keep going with it. Trust me, look up their music videos- pure insanity. And in terms of their comedy, I think you should just listen to the episode, as well as episode 62 with Andy Richter, Paul F. Tompkins, and Matt Besser, wherein they play the musical guest, but also get to mess around, which they do with pleasure. Another great example of the fun these guys are capable of having, which I wish would never end.

Check out the episode, check out episode 62, check out their music, and get into these guys. They’re the best.