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News Podcast

Ep. #333: Kevin McDonald

Kevin McDonald is an ingenious comedic performer and writer currently based in Winnipeg, Manitoba. Originally from Toronto, McDonald is best known as a member of the hugely influential Canadian sketch troupe, the Kids in the Hall. This August marks the first anniversary of McDonald’s inventive variety show podcast, Kevin McDonald’s Kevin McDonald Show, a mix of sketch comedy and conversations and musical performances, which has featured guest turns from Mike Myers, Wallace Shawn, Rachel Dratch, Ted Leo, Michael Showalter, Craig Finn, Susanna Hoffs, Rob Corddry, and his fellow Kids, Scott Thompson and Dave Foley, among many others. McDonald and I had a chat recently about living in Winnipeg, his idiosyncratic approach to comedy podcasts, John Lennon’s perfect rock ‘n’ roll life, the new wave of sketch comedy, news about the Kids in the Hall and their upcoming appearance at a benefit show featuring Dave Thomas, Rick Moranis, and many members of the original SCTV cast, and much more. Sponsored by Pizza Trokadero, the Bookshelf, Planet Bean Coffee, and Grandad’s Donuts.

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News Podcast

Ep. #331: Kliph Nesteroff

Kliph Nesteroff is a comedy historian and expert who currently calls Hollywood, California home. Originally from South Slocan, British Columbia, Nesteroff made a name for himself as a stand-up comedian and then a journalistic writer. In 2015, Grove Press published Nesteroff’s remarkably comprehensive book, The Comedians: Drunks, Thieves, Scoundrels and the History of American Comedy, which was lauded by critics, readers, and comedians themselves. Nesteroff’s latest project is a tv series for VICELAND called Funny How?, which examines aspects of comedy like bombing, breaking in, comedy classes, and niche comedy from the LGBTQ community and Christian comics. Funny How? is utterly fascinating and runs on VICELAND from July 10th to July 14th at 11:30 PM. Kliph and I had a chat recently about life in Slocan and loving MAD Magazine, the book he wrote about the secret, salacious oral history of Hockey Night in Canada that was ultimately blocked from being published, the importance of The Kids in the Hall to Canadian comedy, why and how he wrote The Comedians, why there might be so much general interest in how comedy works these days, the drug LSD, Funny How?, and more. Sponsored by Pizza Trokadero, the Bookshelf, and Planet Bean Coffee.

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News Podcast

Ep. #330: Do Make Say Think

Do Make Say Think is an instrumental band whose members all call Toronto, Ontario home. A functioning outfit for more than 20 years, Do Make Say Think’s core configuration consists of Justin Small, Charles Spearin, Ohad Benchetrit, David Mitchell, and James Payment, and together they’ve toured the world and released some hugely influential records. Their latest album is called Stubborn Persistent Illusions, it’s out now via Constellation Records, and will bring the band to a city, likely near you, later this year. A couple of days after their triumphant album release show at the Danforth Music Hall on June 10, 2017, I went to Charlie’s house where I met with him, Justin, and Ohad for a conversation about cinematic music and film scoring awards, the influence of the musical suite, Pictures at an Exhibition by the Russian composer Modest Mussorgsky, generic signifiers like ‘post-rock,’ how drummer Jimmy Payment almost had his foot amputated in the weeks leading up to the aforementioned Danforth Music Hall show, how Charles must balance his duties in Broken Social Scene with those in Do Make Say Think, and much, much more. Sponsored by Pizza Trokadero, the Bookshelf, and Planet Bean Coffee.