EPISODE 14 - An Urban Spelunkers Meeting

[JulyDiaz 2797]

Paul F. Tompkins welcomes weary travelers, refreshed travelers, and sleepy travelers back to Spontaneanation! This week Paul’s special guest is author/star of stage and screen John Hodgman! They chat about naming cars, newspapers, Gasoline Alley, car culture, and his great grandmother. Paul is then joined by Shulie Cowen, Colleen Smith, and Chris Tallman to improvise a story set in an Urban Spelunkers Meeting in an Abandoned Subway Station. As always, the unbelievable Eban Schletter scores it all on piano!

[Jon Onyx 1226]

Yes! Finally!

 

 

oh man i really wanted to hear that story about Mrs. Hodheman's Jetta....guess i'll have to buy all of his book now...

[JoshuaTeixeira 34]

"I wanna be the Commissioner Gordon... of your genitals." Ah, love. Ain't it grand?

 

Seriously ace cast today. Colleen always leaves me in stitches, Shulie's Denancy was an absolute treat, and what can I say about Chris "Fear" Tallman that hasn't already been said? He looks like he could drink the moon. There. No one has ever said that about him.

 

Fuck. This is my favorite show. Keep it up Paul, Eban, and family.

[FisterRoboto 7499]

"I don't know what those are called - those little harps that angels in cartoons play. Harplets?"

 

It's called a lyre:

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lyre

[ApathyMonger 309]

Both this and today's Players Club episode of Never Not Funny talk about the awfulness of having to move your car for Street Cleaning. This is something I've never heard of before today; I guess it's a US thing?

[The Burning Gentleman 67]

The moment that broke me: Eban playing the Danny Elfman Batman theme at 1:18 (shortly after "I'd like to be the Commissioner Gordon of your genitals"). Truly he is only the best.

[sauze 111]

Both this and today's Players Club episode of Never Not Funny talk about the awfulness of having to move your car for Street Cleaning. This is something I've never heard of before today; I guess it's a US thing?

 

I also noticed this! I'm in Canada and have never experienced this phenomena but that being said we do have snow clearing parking bans so I imagine it's ... similar.

[HunterJE 618]

Both this and today's Players Club episode of Never Not Funny talk about the awfulness of having to move your car for Street Cleaning. This is something I've never heard of before today; I guess it's a US thing?

 

It's a specific cities thing, just happens that a CERTAIN few big cities dominate culture to such a great extent that they might as well be the whole country...

[Joe Lerini 7329]

The movie being described at roughly the hour mark is the 1972 Tales from the Crypt anthology movie. Just in case that was bugging anyone.

[Kickpuncher 5012]

"I'll tell you in one fucking second, goddammit."

 

Great episode in spite of the regrettable absence of Mitch & Dolores.

[souprman 10477]

rocky horror picture show Paul!! ROCKY HORROR!!!

 

(he can't hear me.)

[doggans 126]

Colleen Smith characters going off on tangents about pop culture trivia may be one of my favorite recurring things.

[KevinDontWave 51]

I laughed so hard when Paul said he threw a Dean Koontz book across a yard.

[FisterRoboto 7499]

I laughed so hard when Paul said he threw a Dean Koontz book across a yard.

So did I. I think everyone has had that book or movie where they just kept holding out thinking it would redeem itself and then realized, like Paul, that you could have stopped reading/watching at any time and you really have no one to blame but yourself.

[Bumpy 1674]

When Paul said they had secured the location from John Hodgman I momentarily thought he meant they had locked the door to keep him out.

[DanielJohnson 94]

Colleen's gruff, simple woman character reminds me so much of Calamity Jane from Deadwood. This is good.

[VinsanityV22 500]

Man, how am I gonna remember that this was the one with "I wanna be the Comissioner Gordon of your Genitals"-line when it comes time to vote for the inevitable Best Of's at the end of the year?

 

Man, that line may be favorite thing said on this show so far! Wonderful!

[SuperAlbino 1]

Listened to this earlier this morning really loved Hodgeman's attempts to improv. Also, I can't be the only one who was kind of hoping that the troll Tallman was playing was actually Nick Nolte.