Episode 98 — LIVE from DCM 15 Pt. 3

[JulyDiaz 2797]

Ian Roberts & Amy Poehler join Matt Besser for the 3rd & final installment of improv4humans LIVE from the 15th Annual Del Close Marathon in New York! Get ready for the most intense tickling of your life, beautiful French singing, and proof that the UCB Comedy Improv Manual is useful for any improviser. Attention humans, please go to the Earwolf forums to let us know which scenes should be in our next Best of improv4humans episode! You can now get the UCB Comedy Improv Manual at http://ucbstore.com/books/the-upright-citizens-brigade-comedy-improvisation-manual, Matt Besser’s new comedy album at mattbesser.com, and Dragoon’s new album at dragoongalaxy.bandcamp.com!

[PuncturedJesus 354]

Summer has been crazy and I fell way behind on i4h... But dear dad am I excited for this one.

[Jon Onyx 1226]

More Amy Poehler! I dont care how busy she is making an award winning television show, make her do more free podcasts!

 

 

Also, I would love to see Michael and the other Missourians come on a regular episode on I4H if they could fly out to record it

[RickSchmittJr 166]

This was an A++ episode! Amy Poehler is improv gold, and so is Ian for that matter!

[iamadjective 1]

Wish I could get it to play...

[Nicolas Rage 313]

Brilliant! Love the wife/husband dynamic throughout. This guy from Missouri was crazy! It's your third ever time on stage and you're performing with the UCB freaking four three! Have a little quaver in your voice or something! But no, it looks this UCB book works.

 

Thanks for giving this shit out for free.

[rararachel 190]

That French scene was genius.

[robinsbruce 4985]

Improv = pure gold.

 

ouhh es jonny haledahyy?!?!?!

 

Rouge on rouge on rouge yall.

[MichaelStanford 69]

You guys, this was the scariest moment of my life.

[Hot - Slunch 772]

The sausage scene was great.

 

 

Plus the first scene with Michael was pretty cool. Amy said, "We'll make you look good" and then they promptly swaddled him and enveloped him into the scene in a way where he was involved but didn't have to necessarily be hilarious.

 

Nice pick up on Ian saying "play" instead of "record".

[MichaelStanford 69]

Well at least you can't tell I'm nervous. I've got a really good poker voice.

[robinsbruce 4985]

Well at least you can't tell I'm nervous. I've got a really good poker voice.

 

You did great man, AND you got to go up with three of the best improv performers/teachers in the universe. It sounded like a lot of fun, I am jelly.

[Nicolas Rage 313]

Well at least you can't tell I'm nervous. I've got a really good poker voice.

 

Maybe you should replace Matt Walsh? It's like, we already have Louis CK, who needs another balding red head comedian?

[justinmh05 1968]

Rouge On Rouge is my favorite song.

[Kickpuncher 5012]

So close (in both ways) to my dream of a 100th episode with the UCB Four.

 

I read about Michael's group in an interview Matt did about the book, and that was really awesome that he got to perform here (in addition, if I understood correctly, to the whole group getting to perform at DCM). Not completely embarrassing yourself seems like a reasonable goal given the circumstances, so getting a few genuine laughs from the crowd was amazing.

 

LOVED the Mt. Everest scene and Amy's angel character.

[Asteck 1250]

@MichaelStanford you seem like a really swell dude and your story was legitimately heartwarming. I picture it as a 90's disney movie, like Rookie of the Year or something.

It has the humble beginnings and an all is lost moment when you're in LA realizing you may not get your one chance to see live improv, only to be saved by the very person you're there to see. Then there's the game changer, when you're given UCB manual. I'm guessing a rehearsal montage of you and your friends messing up at first, but eventually nailing finding The Game, followed shortly after. Then you're off to the big city where you get called up to the big leagues and everybody's like "is he gonna blow it or rise to the occasion?" and the orchestra swells when you get the big laugh for calling out Ian's flub.

I guess what i'm saying is I hope you win the big improv competition so you can pay for the heart surgery, or you learn the true importance of friendship after your meteoric ascension briefly alienated you from them.

[PrateekGirdhar 3]

Holy shit michael! i was pretty much having a panic attack on your behalf the whole of the last fifteen minutes. you did an absolutely stellar job though, 3 months is ridiculous for the kind of pressure you performed under.

[MichaelStanford 69]

Thanks guys, you're all very kind!

 

I picture it as a 90's disney movie, like Rookie of the Year or something.

 

There was an act of betrayal in there, too, when one of our members decided to go see Times Square and do tourist stuff while the rest of us went to watch shows, and then the reconciliation of that situation.

And we also slayed a dragon.

 

Holy shit michael! i was pretty much having a panic attack on your behalf the whole of the last fifteen minutes. you did an absolutely stellar job though, 3 months is ridiculous for the kind of pressure you performed under.

 

Really, all the credit for that should be Matt's, Ian's, and Amy's. They're absolute professionals and they made me feel comfortable.

 

Honestly, the entire weekend was amazing. We went into it expecting to be "those guys", but literally everyone we talked to made us feel welcome. Even though we were completely new to this thing that they love and have been doing for years and years, they didn't treat it like it was "their thing" and we were visiting. They made us feel like we were a part of it.

 

Improvisers are the best people on the planet.

[VampiresVampiresVampires 303]

Improvisers are the best people on the planet.

 

I hope stories like this start to happen everywhere. I would love for this to happen in Dallas. I would support it, but I'm not quick enough to start it.

 

What do you think Matt? Any ideas on how to get people together in non-coastal America?

[VinsanityV22 500]

Man, Matt - you are the coolest for doing what you did for Dave & his Friends And "Dave" was kind of genius with that line at end about liking awkward pauses - it couldn't fail! Because if it did, than it worked perfectly. Michael, if you're still checking the forums, you were brilliant there! Jeez, that manual must be something else! Ian and Amy were, as always, excellent too (and totally made Michael look great, to boot, just like she promised).

 

This just keeps on being my favorite podcast!

[jerseypin 89]

You guys, this was the scariest moment of my life.

Man, you killed it. The parents fighting scene was the best scene of the ep. And you nailed the ending with the "awkward pause" line. So great! Congratulations.

[Joe Lerini 7329]

 

Maybe you should replace Matt Walsh? It's like, we already have Louis CK, who needs another balding red head comedian?

ANTOINE. COLBY. Michael. ADAIR.

 

Seriously, though, this episode was hilarious, and Michael did a great job.

[daveB from Oakland 364]

(blood, blood, blood)

[MichaelStanford 69]

And you nailed the ending with the "awkward pause" line. So great! Congratulations.

 

Hey, thanks so much! I feel like that line undercut the scene, though. It was a cheap laugh that would have broken the reality of the scene if it had been in the middle.

 

Luckily it was at the end so we didn't have to try to recover from it.

 

That's just my harsh personal judgement. I appreciate everyone's kind words on this, and it makes me happy knowing that I could make a few people laugh. You're all great!

 

You guys, I can't tell you how much this book is worth. It's insane how much knowledge is packed into it. They did a great job in giving a holistic view of each piece of the improv puzzle, and each of those views can be broken down into pretty concise maxims.

 

Please buy it. Support seven years of hard work!

[PuncturedJesus 354]

Have spent my sick week catching up on Breaking Bad and Impov4humans. This episode was magical. UCB4 need to do an episode or four soon. A whole month with the four and a fifth guest each week? Please make this happen.