Having enjoyed writing my previous blog post on reviewing educational podcasts, I decided I would continue the theme of reviewing podcasts and post a review of some of my favourite comedy podcasts. I picked up a copy of the student newspaper today, with my review of Trends Like These, and felt an inordinate sense of pride at seeing my work in print alongside so many other student writers. If you’re interested in educational podcasts, you can check out my review & recommend of my favourites. Otherwise, let’s take a look at some of the comedy podcasts that really stand out to me.
Dear Hank and John
Dear Hank and John, hosted by Hank and John Green, is styled by the hosts as a ‘comedy podcast about death’. The brothers usually start off with a short poem read by John, and then dive in to taking audience questions. Their trademark is providing dubious advice, and they do indeed live up to this claim. Highlights of the podcast have included the Secret Snake and the Secret Flute Playing, as well as arguments between the brothers centering around topics such as mustard, and cereal water. Additionally, not to brag, but episode 12 features a question about the multiverse submitted by myself and I personally think that’s the highlight of the entire show. There are also occasional guest hosts standing in for either Hank or John, but this rarely impacts the chemistry between the hosts, who are all usually friends or family of Hank and John. Episodes featuring Kathrine Green, Hank’s wife, are particularly hilarious. Episodes end with Hank’s special segment, News From Mars in which he delivers the most recent Mars-related news, and John’s special segment, News From AFC Wimbledon in which he delivers the most recent news from third tier English soccer club AFC Wimbledon.
Episodes of Dear Hank and John are released weekly, usually on a Monday, and are usually about an hour long.
You can listen to Dear Hank and John on iTunes, or support the podcast and receive the weekly mini-podcast ‘This Week in Ryans’ via Patreon.
Hank Green can be found on Twitter @HankGreen.
John Green can be found on Twitter @JohnGreen, or @SportsWithJohn.
My Brother, My Brother and Me
Hosted by the McElroy brothers Justin, Travis and Griffin, My Brother, My Brother and Me is one of the most successful and long-running comedy podcasts available. One of Travis’ other shows, Trends Like These, was mentioned in my previous post about educational podcasts, though My Brother, My Brother and Me has a very different tone to Trends Like These. Similarly to Dear Hank and John, the brothers take audience questions and come up with often ridiculous answers for scenarios submitted. The brothers also provide answers to questions found on the Yahoo Answers service, to hilarious effect, as these questions are submitted by listeners, and are some of the most bizarre questions to have been asked on the internet. Earlier episodes of My Brother, My Brother and Me can be problematic, but over the last several years the brothers have changed their approach to the podcast and apologised for previous behaviours, and have now created a much more open, accepting environment for listeners. Recently, My Brother, My Brother and Me was also made into a TV series by Seeso.
Episodes of My Brother, My Brother and Me are released on Mondays, and are generally around an hour long.
My Brother, My Brother and Me can be found on Twitter @MBMBaM and can be found on iTunes or on Maximum Fun. The TV show can also be found on iTunes.
Justin McElroy can be found on Twitter @JustinMcElroy.
Travis McElroy can be found on Twitter @travismcelroy.
Griffin McElroy can be found on Twitter @griffinmcelroy.
Delete This
Delete This is a new podcast from Hank and Katherine Green. Hank and Katherine go back through Hank’s tweets from the week, commenting on the quality of the tweet, the amount of interactions, and whether or not it should have been tweeted in the first place. Hank reveals the motivations behind his tweets and provides more context for his more mysterious posts. This podcast is quite niche, and it’s understandable if people who are unaware of Hank Green’s online presence and multitude of other projects find it inordinately boring. As someone familiar with Hank’s work, however, I find it extremely humourous and entertaining. At the end of each episode, Hank and Katherine look at Katherine’s tweets, or tweet, of the week.
Delete This is released weekly, on Tuesdays, and episodes usually last for about an hour.
Listen to Delete This on iTunes or SoundCloud.
Find Hank Green on Twitter @HankGreen.
Find Katherine on Twitter @realkgreen.
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