We're back! For no reason! Well, maybe because there's a writer's strike and Anthony has time. And maybe because Will figured out that if he just sent Anthony a scheduled zoom link with no warning, Anthony would accept it! But whatever the reason is, your hosts are back with another "minor obsessions" only episode. We go over apps, books, games, other podcasts and waking up early. Please enjoy this "for no reason" bonus epsiode!

We're back! For no reason! Well, maybe because there's a writer's strike and Anthony has time. And maybe because Will figured out that if he just sent Anthony a scheduled zoom link with no warning, Anthony would accept it! But whatever the reason is, your hosts are back with another "minor obsessions" only episode. We go over apps, books, games, other podcasts and waking up early. Please enjoy this "for no reason" bonus epsiode!

May 2023 Minor Obsessions

Anthony and Will resurrect the podcast for one episode because... well, just kinda because! No guests! They each describe three minor obsessions. Oddly, their first ones are almost identical. They get into: music, liquor, video games, statistics, social media, Broadway, the pandemic, 9-11 and wondering how they will let anyone know that this episode exists!  Thanks to Connor Ratliff for encouraging us to do this!

Anthony and Will resurrect the podcast for one episode because... well, just kinda because! No guests! They each describe three minor obsessions. Oddly, their first ones are almost identical. They get into: music, liquor, video games, statistics, social media, Broadway, the pandemic, 9-11 and wondering how they will let anyone know that this episode exists!  Thanks to Connor Ratliff for encouraging us to do this!

Hosts Only Reunion Special

Final episode! After almost three years, we are ending the podcast! "Why?" you ask, you DEMAND, to know? Well, we just wanted to. We've loved it every step of the way but now we can sense it becoming more of a chore than a labor of love so we're ending it before that happens. In this final episode, we talk about the reasons we started the podcast, the things we tried in our real lives, the nature of adult friendships, Seinfeld, Facebook algorithms, learning new music, Anthony's run of being artistic director of UCB, Will's method of remembering things from the media he absorbs and... that's it! Thank you to everyone who has been on our show, who has listened to it, who's supported it! Seeeee yaaaaaaaaaa!

Final episode! After almost three years, we are ending the podcast! "Why?" you ask, you DEMAND, to know? Well, we just wanted to. We've loved it every step of the way but now we can sense it becoming more of a chore than a labor of love so we're ending it before that happens. In this final episode, we talk about the reasons we started the podcast, the things we tried in our real lives, the nature of adult friendships, Seinfeld, Facebook algorithms, learning new music, Anthony's run of being artistic director of UCB, Will's method of remembering things from the media he absorbs and... that's it! Thank you to everyone who has been on our show, who has listened to it, who's supported it! Seeeee yaaaaaaaaaa!

The End

Hayes Davenport

Hayes Davenport is a co-host of the very funny podcast Hollywood Handbook, as well as being a writer for many great television comedies. We don't talk to him about any of that. We get into his obsession with CITY PLANNING. Why are cities set up the way they are? What are the issues with making them better? What's going with Los Angeles? Who made NYC have all those bike lanes? We love this episode and so will you. Also, Will discusses the cat petting/hair-pulling tool The Furminator and Anthony talks about the online service BookBub.

Hayes Davenport - City Planning

Neil Campbell

We break our "not about what you do" rule yet AGAIN to talk to television writer/former UCB Artistic Director Neil Campbell about SKETCH COMEDY. We get nerdy early and often as we go back to Neil's days at the University of Iowa, his thoughts on the early days of the UCB sketch scene, how he adjusts strategies when writing for television and way more! No minor obsessions because why follow ANY RULES?

Neil Campbell - Sketch Comedy

Jackie Johnson

We talk to Jackie Johnson, comedian actor and host of the hit podcast Natch Beaut, about her jaw-droopingly long obsessing with the SIMS. You know, the virtual family game where you set up a little community and they age and do stuff? Jackie has done this for like 15 years. Holy jeebs. Also, Will talks about the sketch comedy podcast from Austin called Victrola, and Anthony talks about Croation singing sensation Jacques Houdek.

Jackie Johnson - The Sims

Beth Appel

We talk to comedian Beth Appel about ODYSSEY OF THE MIND, the middle-and-high-school competition designed to encourage creative problem solving. What got Beth so obsessed? How is it not like a quiz bowl or a math team or other nerdy competitive things? What's with all the building things out of wood? We get into all that and MORE! Plus Will is into a teahouse he visited in Beijing and Anthony likes Malcolm Gladwell's podcast Revisionist History.

Beth Appel - Odyssey of the Mind

Will McLaughlin

We talk to comedian Will McLaughlin (TBS' show "Wrecked") about the JFK ASSASSINATION. Seeing the Oliver Stone movie JFK set Will on a path of researching President Kennedy's murder to see what parts of the official story really DON'T hold up. Will has three main issues with the official story, and if you listen to the episode you will hear WHAT THOSE ARE. Also, Will (Hines) talks about the Alessi Brothers' song "Seabird" and Anthony, after trying water skiing for the first time in years, ponders about how certain learned skills remain available years after you last use them.

Will McLaughlin - The JFK Assassination

David Zwick

We talk to producer/director David Zwick about the 1924 Democratic National Convention! In what could have been a shoo-in for the Democratic party, infighting and factions led to taking almost 2 weeks to pick someone who turned out to be an incredibly weak candidate! We hear about how the party couldn't decide whether or not to condemn the KKK, and how being Catholic meant you were a political liability! Hoo boy. Plus Will discusses the idea of "competency porn" especially related to the book "The Martian" and Anthony talks about the book "Hatching Twitter" by Nick Bilton.

David Zwick - The 1924 Democratic Convention

Dominique Johnson

Comedian Dominique Johnson comes on to talk about LISTENING TO NEW MUSIC. Through Facebook, the hosts realized that Dom had an interesting set of opinions on music: he's both very opinionated but also very open. Meaning: he'll listen to new music, even music that's very outside of his tastes. Yet he doesn't blindly accept artists just because they are widely viewed as good. It turns out there's a reason Dom is so open to music. We get into his childhood, moving from town to town -- black neighborhoods to white ones, places where his friends liked nu metal to places where they liked jazz. And we play a lot of stuff Dom likes, including perhaps most surprisingly John Mayer. Will talks about the George Saunders novel Lincoln in the Bardo and Anthony updates us on his increasingly problematic dependence on the iPhone game Clash Royale.

Dominique Johnson - Listening to New Music

Co-hosted by Anthony King and Will Hines. Talking to talented people not about what they do but what they love.

I’ve listened to every episode, some of them multiple times. My favorite podcast of all time.

I miss this show

Sad to see it go, but it was beautiful while it lasted. I enjoyed every single episode.

Amazing

Don't Get Me Started

Jason Mantzoukas

Actor/comedian Jason Mantzoukas comes on our show to talk about IMPROV. Are we breaking the rules of our show not discussing a person's career? We are, and we don't care. Because we love talking about improv. We go deep. What's good about it? How do the various shows that Jason regularly plays in work? What's the best opening? How did The Sleepover (an improv show from UCB-NY in the early 2000s) work? What was Amy P. like as a teacher? ALL THIS AND MORE. We loved this talk so much we let it go way long. AN HOUR AND FORTY MINUTES, geez louise. But you improv nerds are gonna love it. Everyone else: see you next episode! Plus Will talks about the Magic Eraser and Anthony talks about seeing a punter who tried to be a hero and failed immediately.

Jason Mantzoukas - Improv

Paul Scheer

We break our format for a second time to discuss improv with Paul Scheer! One of the original students and performers of the UCB Theatre, Paul gets into the nitty gritty of improv. We get very inside and very nerdy quickly, and then stay there. What drew him to it? What defined the style of his longtime improv group Respecto Montalbon, and its successors, the shows MySpace and Facebook. What's the "right" way to break rules (answer: commit to the insanity)? What kind of improv can Paul not stand? Why is the Facebook show good for winning over audiences that are new to improv? Why is the Harold good for students but maybe not good for shows?

Paul Scheer - Improv

Katie Dippold

Kate Dippold (comedy writer - The Heat, Parks and Rec) tells us about her lifelong obsession with scaring, being scared, haunted houses, ghost tours and more. What makes a good haunted house? What's the best and most fun way to scare your live-in boyfriend? Also Anthony King talks about the Stephen Sondheim musical Assassins and Will Hines discusses the memory technique of mind palaces. Here's links to some of the things we talked about. The Exorcist When A Stranger Calls Slender Man Great Horror Campout Haunted Plays (last year's Delusion) Big Worm's Sherwood Scare And also Assassins Mind Palaces (method of loci)

Katie Dippold - Scary Haunted Things

DC Pierson (author of The Boy Who Couldn't Sleep And Didn't Have To, Crap Kingdom, co-star/writer of the film Mystery Team) tells us about Kanye West. Hosts Anthony King and Will Hines don't know much, but we cover a lot of ground, from Kanye's debut The College Dropout through his latest work Yeezus. DC also tells us when Kanye's album releases tended to coincide with huge life moments, as one's favorite artists have a way of doing. Also, Will discusses the post office and Anthony speculates if we are currently in World War III! Yeah! Songs discussed in some length: We Don't Care Through the Wire Heard 'Em Say Diamonds from Sierra Leone (remix) Can't Tell Me Nothing Runaway On Sight Bound 2

DC Pierson - Kanye West

Eugene Cordero

Comedian/actor Eugene Cordero, our guest from episode number 1, comes back to discuss his lifelong obsession/struggle with body/food/weight. We get personal on this one, talking about Eugene's childhood as a stocky kid, his self-consciousness over his body and then his journey as an adult to allow himself to think of himself as an athlete. Also, Will talks about his problems with iPhone earbuds and Anthony discusses his minor obsession with Judaism.  Yep, that's right.

Eugene Cordero - Body/Food/Weight

Jon Gabrus

Comedian and actor Jon Gabrus (Guy Code, Hairjacked!) talks to us about his longtime love of rugby. We get into how he discovered it, interesting things about the sport, the many and intricate post-game drinking rituals, the types of people who are drawn to it and the contrast of thuggish and gentlemanly elements within it!  Also, Will talks about bike lanes and Anthony discusses mechaphiles (people aroused by cars and machines). Yep. The Village Lions The New Zealand All-Blacks Marist Rugby Club And these minor obsessions: Mechaphile Dude Folding bike Will used to have

Jon Gabrus - Rugby

Nicole Byer

We talk to comedian Nicole Byer, star of the MTV shows "Girl Code" and her own "Loosely Exactly Nicole" about her obsessions STEALING and FAKE HAIR. It's our first two-obsession podcast, including one that is straight-up a criminal activity. First, Nicole talks about her (past) days as a shoplifter, how she got into it, how to do it right, how she eventually stopped. Then we just downshift into fake hair: we get into extensions, weaves and wigs. Anthony and I reminisce on some of Nicole's past hair styles we've seen her with over the years. Nicole is hilarious and great and we are so excited we got her on our show. Also Anthony talks about what's going on in increasingly depopulated shopping malls, and Will discusses the book "Elf Girl," a memoir of the alt-comedy scene in the Lower East Side of NYC.

Nicole Byer - Fake Hair / Stealing

Jen Krueger

Notebooks! Day planners! Journals! Though it seems like everyone puts their planning and notes on the internet, writert Jen Krueger organizes her life with good old fashioned paper and we talk with her about what makes a notebook useful and good. Also Anthony King talks about coffee ice cubes and Will Hines rambles just a bit about Albert Brooks. Jen talked about: Baum-kuchen (good store to get Midori Traveler's Notebooks/inserts, other stationary, pens, washi tape, etc.) Bullet journal Moleskines Good subreddits: on notebooks in general and Midori in particular Kinokuniya (stationary store in Little Tokyo):  Franklin Covey stuff And Anthony talked about coffee ice cubes and Will talked about Albert Brooks stand-up albums.

Jen Krueger - Notebooks

Amir Love

We talk to comedians and Headgum network founders Jake Hurwitz and Amir Blumenfeld about their obsession with DANCING. These guys get dressed up, hit the bar/clubs (but usually bars) and get into the music. We talk about what kind of bars they like, what kind of music, how the act of dancing fills you with joy, how they got into this and how they are honestly not being creepy but yes incidentally girls like it when you dance. Also Will talks about the Stephen King book "Misery" and Anthony raves about the new Broadway play "The Encounter."

Jake and Amir Love Dancing

Alex Berg

Buckle up, folks. We dive deep early and then go even deeper on the topic of PHYSICS, TIME, MULTIVERSES, and other topics of Cosmology. Alex Berg (former UCB artistic director, Convoy) briefly describes his lifelong passion for physics and then proceeds to simply discuss physics. We start with Newton, crush through Einstein and proceed into theories of alternate dimensions, pre-Big Bang history and tesseracts. Yep. Science-phobes should fear not: there is no math in this episode. Also Anthony discusses Steve Martin's late-career shift into bluegrass, and Will discusses the real-life inspiration for Professory Moriarity. Further reading / viewing: A Brief History of Time by Stephen Hawking The End of Time by Julian Barbour From Eternity to Here by Sean Carroll Ten Dimensions Explained Live footage of volcanic eruption Minor obsessions: A review of Bright Star, the new bluegrass musical by Steve Martin and Edie Brickell Adam Worth, the real-life inspiration for Professor Moriarity

Alex Berg - Physics and Cosmology

Connor Ratliff

Elvis Costello

On this episode we talk to actor and comedian Connor Ratliff about his obsession with Elvis Costello. Elvis attracts a lot of obsessed fans, but few have the depth of knowledge that Connor has. We get into little-known anecdotes and projects from EC's past, go over some classic songs and talk about how Elvis' music affected Connor personally! Also, Will talks about the first female congresswoman Jeannette Rankin who voted against entering both WWI and WWII, and Anthony discusses games in current politics, like how Republicans are suddenly saying they are really offended by income inequality. That's crazy, right?

Connor Ratliff - Elvis Costello

Matt Walsh

We break our rule (talking to people not about what they do) to talk to UCB co-founder MATT WALSH about IMPROV. We also get into sketch, and live comedy, and old school UCB shows like Robot TV and Killgore, and his time at the Annoyance Theater and improvOlympic, and Will implies that Matt has never done a Harold, which is unfair and untrue. No minor obsessions this week. ALL IMPROV. If you like this, make sure to check out Matt's podcast "UCB Sports and Leisure" which features lotsa UCB stars, including WILL HINES.

Matt Walsh - Improv

Mary Holland

We talk to comedian/actor/writer Mary Holland about the reality show Survivor! We talk about why it's so compelling, how it's outlasted so many other types of shows, the human drama it displays, the smart ways to play the game and the skills of host Jeff Probst. Also, Will talks about Beethoven's 3rd symphony (The "Herorica") and Anthony talks about the book The Comedians by Kliph Nesteroff.

Mary Holland - Survivor

Anthony King

Will Hines

In this episode, co-hosts Anthony King and Will Hines are also the guests as they discuss their mutual obsession: singer-songwriter Billy Joel. We go deep -- way, way deep -- as we discuss the appeal of Billy Joel as well as reasons why he is often described as cheesy. We discuss favorite songs, and songs we don't like. Which members of his band were essential? What did producer Phil Ramone bring to the mix? What's the deal with having so many songs start with sound effects? You can hear the hosts start off as rational beings and end up as impassioned rambling fanboys as they go through every one of Billy Joel's albums as discuss what is great and what is less than great in the Piano Man's career. Also, Will Hines thought he was a big fan, and then he met Anthony King and learned what a truly obsessed fan sounds like. Enjoy!

Anthony King and Will Hines - Billy Joel

Stephen Sondheim

(re-published with a better sound mix) So many people have asked us to come on and talk about composer/lyricist Stephen Sondheim that we  are devoting two episodes to him! And we've brought on three guests: John Flynn, John Ross Bowie and Jessica McKenna (comedians, actors and writers all) -- who, along with co-host Anthony King have an insanely deep love (and knowledge) of Sondheim's works! This is in contrast to co-host Will who knows almost nothing about Sondheim! So listen as the group educates Mr. Hines on: Company, Follies, A Little Night Music, Into the Woods and much more!

Stephen Sondheim - Pt. 1 of 2 (republished)

Luke Kelly-Clyne

A very cool and interesting personal episode. We talk to comedian Luke Kelly-Clyne about Zoloft and how this anti-depressant ended up being the thing that helped him handle his clinical depression. We talk a lot about the stigmas of anti-depressants, and therapy and admitting that you're dealing with depression at all. We also get into some of the basics of medications. Please note that we are not doctors and thus much of what we say is almost definitely oversimplified and is not official advice, etc etc. We also talk about how Anthony has been watching season one of the TV show Newhart, and that Will wants LA residents to vote "NO" on Measure S come March.

Luke Kelly-Clyne - Zoloft

Jesse Fox

Vulture.com writer Jesse Fox talks to us about watching SNL as a sport. Good episode, bad episode, good season, bad season -- you keep watching at least partly because you want to see how the "team" does. We love this theory and talk forever about it. Also, Will talks about some computer programming thing (PHP framework called Laravel) and Anthony talks about the forgotten 1980 film "How To Beat The High Cost of Living."

<a href="http://Vulture.com" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Vulture.com</a> writer Jesse Fox talks to us about watching SNL as a sport. Good episode, bad episode, good season, bad season -- you keep watching at least partly because you want to see how the "team" does. We love this theory and talk forever about it. Also, Will talks about some computer programming thing (PHP framework called Laravel) and Anthony talks about the forgotten 1980 film "How To Beat The High Cost of Living."

Jesse Fox - SNL as Sport

Film and television creator Sarah-Violet Bliss talks about sociopaths! What makes one a sociopath, how should you deal with them and what's the difference between them and narcissists? Plus Will discusses the tropes of business self-help books and Anthony talks about a great video for the song "Wyclef Jean" by Young Thug.

Sarah-Violet Bliss - Sociopaths

Danielle Schneider

Improviser and comedy writer Danielle Schnider talks to us about megamusicals, meaning specifically the big Broadway productions of the 80s and early 90s.  Les Miz, Phantom, Miss Saigon, and MORE. Also Will discusses the world of travelling alone and Anthony discusses Christian pop star Carman and his hit The Champion.

Danielle Schneider - Megamusicals

The best podcast episodes about true crime. For any thrill seeking podcast listeners who just can't get enough of the captivating stories of murderers and criminals. This topic has all the best episodes from many different true crime podcasts.  Add episodes you're interested into your queue below!

Best True Crime Podcasts

The best self improvement podcast episodes. From improving productivity, to finding purpose in your life to what constitutes freedom, this topic is on anything and everything that can help people to improve their lives. Add episodes you're interested into your queue below!