EPISODE 24 - Sports Club/Live at Largo

[JulyDiaz 2797]

Paul F. Tompkins once again welcomes the beautiful people of Los Angeles AND the internet to a LIVE episode of Spontaneanation recorded at the world-famous Largo at The Coronet! This week, Paul’s special guest is Kumail Nanjiani of The Meltdown with Jonah and Kumail and HBO’s Silicon Valley! They chat about his childhood scuffles with his younger brother, his recent sleepwalking incident, and the three scariest dreams he’s had in his life. Paul is then joined by Steve Agee, Sarah Burns, and Jean Villepique to improvise a story set at a Sport Club. And as always, Eban Schletter (only the best) scores it all on piano!

 

NOTE: There are some sound issues! Sorry so sloppy!

 

Attention Worldwide Web! On SATURDAY 19 SEPTEMBER 2015 SPONTANEANATION streams LIVE from The Los Angeles Podcast Festival! With improvisers CRAIG CACKOWSKI, MATT GOURLEY and JANET VARNEY, accompanist EBAN SCHLETTER, and special guest ANDY DALY! Go to www.lapodfest.com and use the code PFT to get a li’l discount!

[Jug Bandit 133]

Put an extra sheet down!

[KatherineIsOdd 486]

Wow, this might be the best episode yet. Every part of it was so great, best monologue ever, I died laughing so many times! Especially Kumail's dreams, and everybody murdering each other! So fun!

 

When Paul warned us about the sound quality, I was preparing myself for some William Faulkner level stuff, but it was totally fine! I had no trouble hearing anything. Classic performer being overly self-critical.

 

I also want to say how much I am enjoying the question from the previous guest as a format for the interview segment. Because the person asking doesn't know who's answering, we bypass the standard questions that every well-known person gets asked a million times, and develops practiced answers to. These questions, because they have to apply to anyone, really allow the guest's personality and life events to shine through. In the rare case the question doesn't apply, like the cousin one, Paul smoothly transitions from the question to a topic the guest can talk about. This great format idea combines with Paul's impeccable interview/conversation style, in which he brings out the best in his guests, and reacts to things in entertaining ways, and adds his own opinions and anecdotes without monopolizing the conversation. And it doesn't depend on the guest's level of fame or whether I'm familiar with their work, because the fact that they're answering a universal question which is unrelated to their work means I enjoy episodes with guests I've never heard of just as much as those I am a big fan of.

[ApathyMonger 309]

Yeah, I had no problem with the sound. No worse than a regular live episode of HDTGM.

[Kickpuncher 5012]

Wonderful! Agee was great for a first-timer (and non-regular improviser) and Sarah and Jean (TWO WOMEN ON THE SAME SHOW?!) crushed it as usual.

 

I have a growing sensation that Chip Orzabal sounds painfully familiar, but I can't quite pinpoint it.

[Lukas Holmes 2287]

I fucking love how professional PFT is. Warned us up front and I had no problems at all with the sound. Actually, something about it seemed more...real? More live? I don't know how to explain it but I felt more there than I ever have with a live show.

[IanR 153]

I got the feeling that Roland Orzabal truly wanted to rule the world

[wiscomedy 212]

Sound was great, I would say it was better than the usual CBB or HDTGM live show. I wish Spontaneanation could be live every time; from the monologue on the show is that much better when it's feeding off audience energy. My favorite PFT stream-of-consciousness monologues have been when you can hear the contributors (usually Janet Varney?) laughing off-mic...

[HunterJE 618]

Relevant to the discussion of electoral "rules of thumb" in the opening conversation

 

(It's not too surprising that these things show up and get given overblown significance given a very high stakes event with a two-digit sample size...)

 

Also I really need to see an artist's impression of Kumail's "giant" tennis scorpion...

[DanEngler 5249]

Also I really need to see an artist's impression of Kumail's "giant" tennis scorpion...

Paul tweeted this image earlier today.

 

Edit: And now this and this.

[Bumpy 1674]

Yeah, I had no problem with the sound. No worse than a regular live episode of HDTGM.

 

Faint praise? Really, I love the energy from the live shows from both podcasts.

[FisterRoboto 7499]

I agree with the other comments about the sound quality. I'm guessing he probably said something about it because A) Paul's a perfectionist and B ) there were two recent HDTGM episodes with really bad sound quality that was outside of their control, and a bunch of people bitched about it.

 

On a different note, I seem to remember hearing on a recent podcast someone that I swear was Paul talking about how the conventional idea is that you shouldn't talk about your dreams, but the real problem is actually that people don't know WHICH dreams they should share. Was that a SPONT episode (I'm about 90% sure it was Paul, but he's all over the place podcast-wise, so I can't be sure it was this show)? Anyway, that's what I was thinking about during Kumail's dream talk. All of his dreams were fascinating and hilarious, and I could have listened to him talk about them for hours.

 

I think the only letdown of this show was that Sarah Burns didn't "Sarah Burns!" after Paul said her name.

[VajayjayLeno 336]

Yeah, I had no problem with the sound. No worse than a regular live episode of HDTGM.

 

Agreed. Paul's disclaimer got me all braced like I was in for something like HDTGM's Theodore Rex and Top Dog episodes, but it was fine. Honestly, I wouldn't have thought about it at all if he didn't say anything. But he's probably right to have disclaimed- SOMEONE would've complained, that theoretical asshole.

[TyresOFlaherty 214]

Is it ok to both love Cards Against Humanity and also love how clearly annoyed PFT is at being forced to read their cards?

[KatherineIsOdd 486]

Is it ok to both love Cards Against Humanity and also love how clearly annoyed PFT is at being forced to read their cards?

 

Or is he pretending for comedy? Somebody asked in the Ask Paul thread and that's when he decided he didn't want to discuss the ads anymore. So we'll never know. It's a mystery! I simultaneously like CAH, dislike CAH, love the ads for CAH, like the idea he is really annoyed but able to channel that annoyance into a great ad, and like the idea he is not really annoyed but puts it on so well.

[VajayjayLeno 336]

The CAH ads remain an unending source of mystery for me and I was so hoping Paul would clarify. Because the hosts have complete control over which ads they do- Earwolf doesn't make anyone hawk something they don't want to. And yet, it feels like there's genuine concept and confusion in doing these ads! I keep wondering if CAH submitted these things to be used in the improv or just mentioned in the show, and he thought it would be fun to completely subvert that intention and just read them out with contempt or what the hell is going on.

[Bumpy 1674]

Whenever there was a pause in the show and the audience aplauded I kept expecting the Thrilling Adventure Hour end theme to start. I made myself sad. I'm going to have to listen to the April Fools show again.

[LizBradley 144]

On a different note, I seem to remember hearing on a recent podcast someone that I swear was Paul talking about how the conventional idea is that you shouldn't talk about your dreams, but the real problem is actually that people don't know WHICH dreams they should share. Was that a SPONT episode (I'm about 90% sure it was Paul, but he's all over the place podcast-wise, so I can't be sure it was this show)? Anyway, that's what I was thinking about during Kumail's dream talk. All of his dreams were fascinating and hilarious, and I could have listened to him talk about them for hours.

 

I believe that was on the recent Alison Rosen is Your New Best Friend. Great interview.

[Darbler Cheesegarbler 1110]

Was that a SPONT episode?

 

It's from "A UFC Weigh-In" when he introduces Mark McConville.

 

Also, since I've been a fan of PFT he has said and done many things that make me feel like we are kindred spirits in some way. This episode gave my delusion more fodder, because I have recurring zombie dreams that are exactly how he described: never nightmares, always awesome, always feeling triumphant and badass.

 

Oh shit, I really hope a guest gives them a location along the lines of "A Mall During A Zombie Apocalypse" in some future episode. I'd give them that one for sure.

 

If it means anything to Paul: I think you'd do great in a zombie apocalypse. People in TV shows and movies are always wearing tank tops / short sleeves and shorts during zombie attacks, while a more dapper gentleman usually has much more skin covered.

[HotSaucerman 2051]

Andy Daly as the Spont Podfest Interview guest?! I can only assume he'll be improvising with them. Because, ya know... he's the best.

[FisterRoboto 7499]

 

It's from "A UFC Weigh-In" when he introduces Mark McConville.

Thank you! That's exactly what I was thinking of.

 

Also, it's a testament to how great this show is that just the phrase "Sport Club" made me laugh every time someone said it.

[klemjohansen 748]

"What a drama! What a fetish!"

 

"Does someone who hugs have rage? DOES SOMEONE WHO HUG HAVE RAGE?"

 

Everything she said was certified gold on this one.

[KatherineIsOdd 486]

Today I learned (from the Big Fat Quiz of the Year) that Roland Orzabal is a real music person! I don't know anything about music, but I remembered what I thought was a randomly named one-off podcast character from four months ago, so that tells you everything about my priorities!