SeanMay

I was just so unbelievably shocked when I heard about this...and when I got to thinking about it, I probably knew more about Harris than a lot of people I work with and interact with on a daily basis. It does really feel like I've lost a personal friend despite the fact that I never met him. A couple months ago when I was really depressed, I listened to his episode of You Made It Weird from November, and it really gave me confidence to keep pushing, and to keep trying to get better. On that episode he sounded like he was finally making a full recovery, and even though that seems to not have been the case, he still was an amazing comedian and integral part of Earwolf, and he's going to be missed so much.

Umm, what do I put here?

If you want to talk about next level bonkers, you have to talk about Death Wish.

I think the only kind of game that could reasonably contain all of the great things about Earwolf would be a Super Smash Brothers-style 4 player brawler. Just think of all the amazing characters (and their round-ending super moves): Don DiMello - Bring Out The Girls (a line of Rockettes fly across the screen, kicking every other player out of the stage) Howard Kremer - Dad Said It Was Cool (Howard teams up with Lee, who unleashes a Bruce Springsteen riff that brings all other players to their knees) Jason Mantzoukas - I'm Not On Twitter (Jason reminds us once again he's not on Twitter, which causes all the characters to stop what they're doing to say "we know!") Kulap - Hermes Carpet Bomb (Hermes strafes the stage with eggs, leaving everyone gooey) Huell Howser - A Dog Eatin' A Doggone Avocado! (All other players turn into avocados, which a dog promptly eats) ...the possibilities are endless. Scott has to be the final boss, though, and he goes by a different name each time.

OK, that's it, I'm done with this show. If you guys couldn't have figured out that Luis Goosman was the perfect candidate for the lead in Neil's play, why even bother?

Wonderful, wonderful episode...Lauren Lapkus has just been amazing in her CBB and I4H episodes. So, when does Todd get to meet Wompler? That's an episode I'd pay to hear.

So, are we going to bring up how weird it is that on both CBB and Whooch this week, Scott and Harris both used flipping through a magazine as a euphemism for sex? I smell a conspiracy... ...wait, actually, that's probably not conspiracy.

I want to thank Howard for reading the Amazon ID numbers on those soundtracks, I feel like it really gave me as a listener a deeper connection with the music. Seriously, though, what an amazing episode...I'd like to see more bizarro twists on the show's format in future episodes!

I don't know if it's worse, but it's definitely bad in different ways than the Chris Gore episode was. Chris Gore was outwardly creepy and slimy, to the point where I felt really bad that Kulap had to be sleazed on by him so hard. I don't think there was anything really creepy or pervy about Steve-O, but it was more that he seemed to use the episode as his personal soapbox (where he preached about things he's allegedly passionate about but is also a total hypocrite about) and a therapy session. As other people have said, it's not that what Steve-O was saying shouldn't be said, he's a guy who has feelings and beliefs just like anyone else, but it just wasn't the right tone for the show, at all. On a show like WTF, what he was talking about would have been precisely what listeners expect for that show. Then there's the fact that Steve-O wasn't a very considerate guest. He did constantly talk over Howard and Kulap and their efforts to steer the show into more familiar (and entertaining) territory. To me, it almost seems like he came to the podcast with an agenda to get some things off his chest (he openly admitted this on Twitter), but that's not what Who Charted? is about. Some people seem to be defending the fact that Steve-O owns up to his hypocrisies, like it's an absolution. It's true, we're all hypocrites from time to time about things, but I think it's pretty clear that Steve-O actively and willingly does hypocritical things if he's motivated by something like money and fame...being a hypocrite for your own gains is the absolute worst kind of hypocrite.

I think this is exactly how I feel, honestly. I mean, I'm all for people spilling their deepest feelings and beliefs on shows like WTF or YMIW, but that's not what Who Charted? is about. I feel like if Steve-O had been reined in and pulled back, this could have been a good episode, if they were just able to curb Steve-O's natural tendencies to just keep talking. Maybe it was a comfort thing...I don't think that Howard or Kulap had a history with Steve-O before this, and while they're more than comfortable telling their other industry friends to cram it for a minute while they get to the charts, they may have been uncomfortable to do it with someone brand new. Also, I personally think every single episode of every podcast anywhere could benefit from some Jessica St. Clair. Or Marissa Wompler.

When I saw this episode come up in my feed, initially I was "Ugh...Steve-O", but I decided to give it a chance. At first, I sort of liked it...hearing someone who's not directly involved in the Earwolfiverse on an Earwolf show can be refreshing sometimes, other times it's Chris Gore. Steve-O's not a comedian, really, but I thought he had something to say. I started to see the cracks forming when he was talking about being vegan while simultaneously doing stuff to animals that even non-vegans might have a problem with. I don't really have a particularly strong stance on either side, but I do have a strong stance on hypocrites. When he started talking about how he's "not a conspiracy theory guy" then went on to describe a conspiracy theory filled with very vague statements, I was done. Sorry, guys, I know sometimes guests can't be controlled, and that lack of control can even make for some amazing comedy, but sometimes they need to be put in their place and told that they're on a comedy podcast, not a therapy/conspiracy theory podcast. I listen to Who Charted to laugh, not to hear a guy who shoots bottle rockets out of his ass on a professional level telling me how he can't maintain his morals in the face of making money and that the government is lying to me.

I've only listened to the first ten minutes or so, but I have to say, this is not only one of the best I4H episodes ever, it's one of the best podcasts I've ever heard. What would it take for Jessica and Lennon to get their own podcast?

Same re: Kulap being creeped out. It's pretty common for guests (and even Howard) to playfully hit on her during the shows, but there was just something more strange, maybe more desperate about Chris Gore's awkward passes at her. Maybe it's because they weren't jokes, they were just awkward. And, yeah, his complete lack of film knowledge was awful...he sounded like such a dilettante about movies, which would have been OK if it wasn't his apparent area of expertise. I've heard more insightful opinions on films from people who aren't paid to know about movies.

You mean all the 0 of the 5 top movies he saw? I was really, really astonished that this guy who makes his living talking about movies hasn't seen any of the 5 biggest movies out there. I felt like Howard and Kulap were sort of rushing through this one, did anyone else?