Original subtitles

[ music playing ]

♪ Thank you for the invitation ♪

♪ We'’re sure your show will be very nice ♪

♪ We'’re gonna see if we can make it ♪

♪ But, hey, maybe we can offer you some advice... ♪

Graham Elwood: What'’s a podcast?

I'’m not sure. I don'’t know.

I have no idea.

I could not tell you even a little bit.

Aisha Tyler: Podcasts are this kind of, like,

audio representation of the Internet, which is that whatever you'’re into,

there'’s probably somebody talking about it right now.

A "potcast?"

Elwood: P-O-D. Podcast.

I think it'’s kind of like an-- like an MP3.

Video on the Internet.

It'’s just sort of like a-- like an online radio show.

Man: It was like radio with the purity of stand-up.

Man #2: They'’re doing these interesting interview shows.

They'’re talking seriously. They'’re not doing their stand-up act.

Man: And that made sense why it was so much fun.

Mike Schmidt: They let people express themselves without the barrier

of having to prove to someone that they'’re good enough.

Tyler: I am always thrilled that my listeners find it delightful.

It'’s so meaningful to them,

so much more meaningful than I intended.

Man #3: You know, I get a lot of people saying, like,

"You got me through some rough times."

To me, I'’m like, "Oh, here'’s me and Dalia fuckin'’ around."

They'’re like, "I was dying, and you restarted my heart

with your conversation about vaginas."

You can'’t talk shit about anyone anymore, holy fuck.

"Thank you for waking me from the dead with vagina talk."

Jimmy Pardo: I'’m pretty sure at some point my high school golf coach

is gonna punch me in the mouth for things I'’ve said about him.

♪ Check the score, we'’re number one... ♪

Well, I started it because I was at an open mic,

and a guy talked about the platform.

Podcast? Pod-- [ laughs ]

[ speaking native language ]

What is podcast?

Woman: Several people could call in, into this web site.

They would record it for you, upload it to iTunes,

and it was called a podcast.

Woman: And I started the podcast in 2006.

I like to think that I started in 2005,

but it turns out the Internet keeps track.

Say, Mister, what is a podcast?

Can you tell me?

Narrator: Sure I can, Connor. Sure.

A podcast or netcast is a digital medium

consisting of an episodic series of audio,

video, PDF or EPUB files

subscribed to and downloaded through web syndication,

or streamed online to a computer or mobile device.

The word is a neologism and portmanteau

derived from "broadcast" and "pod,"

from the success of the iPod,

as audio podcasts are often listened to

on portable media players.

Wow, that'’s a lot of big words, huh, Connor?

Gosh, I'’ll say!

And it'’s all free.

Whoa! Free?

I like the cost of that!

Most people do like free. That'’s for sure!

In fact, they sometimes get a bit unrealistic

with their expectations of free content.

[ laughs ] But not me!

[ chuckles ] Not you, Connor. Not you.

So, I just subscribe,

and it downloads automatically?

- Yes! - Aha, wait.

I don'’t need some fancy machine?

No! And you can get anything you want.

You can listen to everything from science lessons,

political talk, "Game of Thrones" spoilers,

all the way to hearing comedians complain about their lives.

It'’s all only a download away!

Wow! It'’s so easy!

I'’m gonna listen to podcasts from now on!

Thanks, Mister!

Thank you, Connor!

♪ Han shot first

♪ Kitten Hands across the land ♪

♪ Waiting for the show with Chris and Graham ♪

♪ Comedy Film Nerds

♪ Comedy Film Nerds podcast. ♪

Hello everybody, and welcome to episode 208!

- My name is Graham Elwood. - I'’m Chris Mancini.

And this is a very special episode.

- It is. - We are filming this.

- What? - For video.

- Is that who these guys are? - Yeah, that'’s the crew.

Elwood: I started doing the "Comedy Film Nerds" podcast

with Chris Mancini in 2009.

We were both filmmakers and comedians, and we wanted to talk about movies.

When we started in a garage by plugging microphones into a computer,

I never thought we'’d be personally connecting with people all over the world.

I'’m very, very excited.

Elwood: If we wanted to find out more about podcasting,

who should we talk to first?

Mancini: Well, we should talk to two people who had been podcasting

when the whole medium was in its infancy.

[ laughing ]

Elwood: All the way back to 2005.

Mancini: The Dark Ages.

Chemda: We started podcasting in 2005

when podcasting was only known by nerds.

And so we would try to tell people what we do for a living,

and they would just think we'’re in our mother's basement,

talking to like five friends, or, you know,

20 people on their computer or something.

So, we tried saying we'’re talk show hosts.

And we tried, you know, renaming it.

But since 2005, we'’ve been doing "Keith and the Girl."

Some of our audience has been with us for the entire time, for nine years.

They'’ve listened since episode one.

Some of them have listened since episode 100, 200, whatever.

But they usually go back and listen from the beginning.

I think that they consider it a storyline.

They consider it episodes that they have to catch up with.

And they become actual friends with us.

And so a lot of times they say that

when they talk to their "IRL friends"-- [ laughs ]

they talk about us like we'’re their friends.

Keith Malley: And then it'’s so interactive.

Phone calls, feedback, message boards.

Skype, you know, any of this stuff.

And our fans, our listeners, make friends with each other.

They'’ve married each other. They'’ve had babies.

They'’ve conceived during our events. I'’m not kidding.

Malley: We'’re going on to 140 tattoos

and brandings right now.

Me, I mean, if you wanna--

About 140 listeners, yeah.

Elwood: So, now it was time to start meeting the fans face-to-face.

Mancini: We wanted to find out who was listening.

Elwood: And why.

Gary Rollin: They make themselves vulnerable, in a way,

because there is no audience

and they don'’t feel the need to perform.

And they are in their comfort zone,

usually with their friends.

Dee Simon: A lot of guys were like,

"I'’m serving in Afghanistan. Big fans of the show.

One of the ways I can really take my mind off

all the horrors that are happening here is listening to your show."

Which always kind of just surprised me because we were like,

"Really? Our show, which is about just complete horrors

that happen in everyday life?"

But it'’s the comedy of it all.

He'’s like, "It just helps us make light

of the gravity of what'’s going on."

Lucas Lunsmann: We'’d go to the field for a month.

I wouldn'’t have anything to bring with me

other than an iPod or an MP3 player.

I'’d just listen to back episodes of podcasts.

I'’d listen to podcasts when I was doing counselings.

I'’d listen to them in the gym, I'’d listen to them on runs.

I can clean my weapon while listening to a podcast.

When you e-mail somebody and a guy like Graham Elwood is like,

"Oh yeah, my buddy Lucas,"

that makes you feel like you'’re part of a community,

like there'’s somebody else out there that actually cares

that you'’re deployed, and you'’re doing something.

'’Cause I've e-mailed you with opinions on things, especially "The Hurt Locker."

You feel like you'’re a part of that show now.

You feel like somebody actually cares about your opinion,

whether they agree with it or not.

And I think that'’s the best thing about podcasting.

When it comes to the military,

you'’ve got fans all over the world,

and we all are part of that community.

If something'’s happened to one of us and you guys talk about it,

it'’s all of a sudden all of our thing.

You know, me being in Iraq

isn'’t just me and my family dealing with it.

Now all of a sudden, all the "Comedy Film Nerds" fans

can feel some relation to it.

And other guys that are listening to it that may be deployed

know that there'’s somebody else out there like them, who--

they'’re listening "to Comedy Film Nerds,"

they'’re sitting in Iraq or Afghanistan, and it sucks.

If I envisioned a deployment where I had no podcasts to listen to,

you'’d be lacking in the feel from home

of somewhat normalcy,

like having a connection

to still being a civilian in the United States.

And it was happening from Iraq to California

via a podcast with e-mail.

That'’s amazing.

Page Branson: Listening to podcasts has definitely changed my life,

because I kind of count it as part of the reason

why I'’m kind of still here.

A while back I was diagnosed with lupus.

I got to keep myself positive, that'’s part of lupus.

You got to stay as low-stress as possible.

I like definitely hearing someone else'’s stories.

I count it as the reasons that I haven'’t had

a really bad flare-up in a while now,

'’cause I listen to a lot of podcasts,

and it-- it helps. [ laughs ]

Ashley Raper: There'’s a couple people having a conversation.

Some of them play games.

Some, they talk about movies. Talk about music.

Anything you can possibly think of,

there'’s a podcast out there for it.

You kind of feel like you'’re with them.

You'’re on a personal level listening to it,

and it'’s not the same thing over and over again.

You'’re never gonna hear the same thing twice.

Ben Roberts: My job at the Capitol is to work as a decorative painter.

I'’m either on a scaffold painting,

I'’m at a computer getting prepared to do a painting,

or just doing an odd job, or something that'’s come up.

When we'’ve been listening to podcasts while working,

I have been caught a few times laughing, especially on headphones,

but most of the time, we have them on speakers

so they can hear it when they'’re coming in the room.

Branson: I feel more connected to it,

because of the community that surrounds

all the different podcasts.

It'’s really easy to, somehow in Baltimore,

to find other podcasting fans, too.

Like when I'’m at work, I see someone come in with a Marc Maron shirt,

and we immediately have a conversation about it.

Like, it'’s just really easy to meet people and talk to them.

Even though there'’s so many different diverse podcasts out there,

we can all find something similar

and something to talk about.

Podcasting has improved my life

to an immeasurable degree.

I was very closed off.

I didn'’t have a lot of friends.

And... now I do.

I'’m a part of this community of podcasters, oddly enough.

And we have fans, as well.

I mean, we have listeners all over the world.

In Canada, in Europe,

in India, in South America, in Australia.

And these people, they are interested in what I have to say.

They write to me for advice.

"Hey, there'’s a bunch of silent Hitchcock films coming to my town.

I don'’t have time to see them all. Which ones do you recommend?"

"What would you say is the best book

about Hollywood filmmaking in the 1970s?"

People that I know

don'’t ask me those questions.

But our listeners do.

And... that means a great deal to me.

- Announcer: ♪ Doug loves movies. - [ cheering ]

Doug Benson: "Doug Loves Movies"--

it'’s a comedic discussion of movies,

followed by trivia games involving movies.

And then, "Dining with Doug and Karen,"

the premise of the show is a chef just makes us food,

and we eat it and talk about it.

And it'’s a total scam.

Like, I get all this great food for free,

delivered to where we tape the podcast.

And because of "Doug Loves Movies,"

I get to get to see a lot of movies for free now.

And so that'’s my advice to any young podcaster,

is make it about something you love,

and then hopefully you'’ll get

a ton of free whatever that is.

With "Doug Loves Movies," I just said something like,

"It would be great if audience members had name tags,

'’cause then I wouldn't have to remember."

And then the next week, some people brought name tags.

Then people brought more name tags.

So, now, even when I'’m at a podcast festival

where people are coming to see all these great podcasts,

they still packed in their suitcases crazy name tags.

[ laughing ]

Yeah!

Erin Booher: I remember the first time I listened to

the "Comedy Film Nerds" podcast.

I remember strongly disagreeing

with the opinions you had of movies,

which made me not like you less,

but it kept me listening more

because I didn'’t agree with what you said,

and I wanted to respond.

And I put in the comment that I totally

disagreed with you about, I think, "WALL-E."

You wrote back, or responded back, and it was like,

"Oh, you can even communicate."

So, it was like, while I was listening,

I sort of felt like we were in a conversation, in a sense.

And I felt very engaged in it.

[ no audio ]

I had an appendectomy,

and that'’s when they discovered that there was cancer.

I didn'’t want to get emotional and depressed.

I still had to maintain

who I am as a mom and a wife

and a business owner and a coach.

So, I had to find a way to keep myself together.

And I think some people don'’t keep themselves together

because the magnitude of the news just really, like, hits hard.

But I feel like you can also keep that hit at bay

if you have something that fills you

with laughter and feeling good--

good vibes and things like that.

And that'’s what stand-up comedy did for me.

[ no audio ]

My doctor is a very far drive away from me.

It'’s an 11-hour drive.

That'’s a long way to get stuck in your head.

You know, I would always start out the drive

feeling really scared and nervous

and not knowing what was gonna happen.

And not knowing what kind of medicines I was gonna have

or if there was gonna be another surgery the next day.

Everything seemed so unknown.

Putting on a podcast,

it felt more like having people with me.

And I know none of you were literally with me,

but your voices were.

Your humor was. Your discussions were.

And they were discussions

that I felt like I could practically participate in,

because I could leave a little comment

or just even laugh out loud and respond.

That'’s what did it for me,

was being able to seek comfort in

something that felt tangible at the time.

Elwood: When we sent out the call that we wanted to interview fans,

Russell e-mailed us.

Mancini: And when we found out where he was,

we had to meet him.

We had to meet someone who was listening from that far away.

Elwood: He works on the other side of the planet,

in the Outback in Western Australia.

And quite honestly, I don'’t know that we actually believed him at first.

Mancini: No, we didn'’t. We required a picture.

Wil Anderson: He works out in the mines

and he listens to my show, "TOFOP,"

and he listens to the "Comedy Film Nerds" show,

and he'’s out in a mine in the middle of Australia.

There'’s no one around.

CJ Johnson: What I love about you guys

is that you'’re flying to Western Australia,

which is a state that very few people go to,

and you'’re not even going to the city there, which is Perth.

You'’re going to a town called Newman,

population 4,252, or thereabouts,

and interviewing one person.

You'’re basically going to one of the most remote parts

of the civilized world.

This is the sort of place that in the old days, you would have to get,

like, a donkey to bring your letters or something.

[ chuckles ] "What is the news from the rest of the world?"

It'’s basically the same as coming to Australia again

to go there from Sydney.

Russell Porter: Most often I'’m listening to podcasts

during the more sort of menial parts of my day.

So, going for a jog in the morning,

doing the dishes, driving to work.

The kind of things that you need to be halfway paying attention.

Certain parts of my job that require a lot of thought

and focus and research-type roles.

There are also parts of the job where I'’m checking lists

and Excel spreadsheets and so on.

Podcasting is a great way to break it up a bit, and split my focus,

so I can learn something while I'’m doing the more simple stuff.

Alison Thomas: When I found out that Chris and you were coming to Australia

to make this documentary of the fans here,

what surprised me the most

was how surprised youwere

by the fact that you had fans here,

because of course you have fans here.

And I find it interesting

that the creators of the content are surprised by how far it reaches,

because the world is so small now with the Internet,

you'’ve released something on Wednesday about a movie that I see on Thursday,

and then listen to about it on Friday.

We'’re quite close, really. It'’s just geographically we'’re far away.

Mancini: You know, we always said that

we'’ll go to ends of the earth to meet the podcast fans.

And look around. This is the end of the earth!

Mancini: This is it! This is the end!

- Yeah, yeah. - It ends right there.

There'’s a sign-- "Stops."

[ all laughing ]

Stephen J. Dubner: The reason I like writing books even more than journalism

is that you know that you are connecting with someone

who really chose to engage with your writing.

And because a book is longer than a newspaper article, magazine article,

you know there'’s a relationship going on between the reader and the writer.

So, as the writer, you feel you'’re really

communicating directly to one person at a time.

To me, podcasting is very similar, feels very intimate.

You'’re literally in a person'’s ear. And I love that.

It'’s a bizarre paradox of what'’s turned out to be mass media.

It doesn'’t feel "mass" at all. It feels one on one.

Chris Hardwick: Watching Maron and Pardo and Doug Benson,

and having conversations with them, and, you know, Doug would say,

"It'’s this thing that's gotten more people out to shows than anything else."

[ audience laughing ]

How are you?

- He did? - Oh, yeah? That'’s very cute.

Josh Clark: We had, I think our first live event in New York.

There was a line out the door.

And in the middle of the event,

the fire marshal showed up

and was like, "Some of these people have to leave."

And people waited in line

for like an hour for our autographs.

That was when I was just blown away.

I remember us just catching eyes across from the room.

Just looking at each other going,

"What is going on here?"

What is our life becoming all of a sudden?

Joe Rogan: Train by day, Joe Rogan Podcast by night!

I love the quality of the podcasts that are available.

I love that the comedians that are doing podcasts,

which is a big part of the podcast community,

we all support each other, we do each other'’s podcasts.

And how your eyes precipitate colors and stuff like that.

- You can actually look-- - Rogan: Precipitate? Eyes rain colors?

- Yeah. "Perceive." - "Perceive," you fuck. You'’re 40.

[ Rogan laughing ]

Tyler: This... is "Girl on Guy."

I don'’t have a machine behind my show. It'’s just me.

I don'’t have an engineer, there are no producers.

I record every show.

I cut it, I conform it,

I upload it. I maintain the web site.

After about a year and a half of booking all the shows myself,

I finally got my publicist to start helping me.

I ran out of friends I could call directly

and I started to have to approach people I didn'’t know.

This is my lumpy, poorly cooked-off ashtray.

And it'’s something that I love and resent at the same time

because it'’s an incredible amount of work.

I kind of refuse to offload any of the work to anybody else

'’cause I know what I want and I feel like it takes as much time

to explain to somebody else as to just do it myself.

There is something now, there'’s like a, kind of a cruel pride

in the fact that nobody else is really involved in making it.

Announcer: Lock the gates!

Marc Maron: I didn'’t really listen to podcasts,

but I knew guys that I respected were doing them,

and I happened to be situated in a radio environment at the time

that I had been fired from, and they didn'’t kick us out of the building,

so we just started using the studio.

If podcasters ask me what should they do--

pick a day or pick two days.

You got to pick a schedule and honor it, you know,

because you got to be there for people.

Rogan: I'’ve never had to do it for anybody else.

I'’ve just kind of done what I enjoy. Like, I talk to the people.

Like, no one pitches me a person and I go,

"Oh, man, I don'’t wanna fuckin'’ talk to that dude. Do I have to?"

And they'’re like, "The network would really like it."

No, there'’s none of that. There'’s no network.

Anderson: Even that conversation with your audience,

like learning about language that offends people

in a positive way.

Done in, like, a stand-up club where you say something

and someone, like, starts a blog and a petition.

But, like, a conversation with an audience that trusts you to say,

"Hey, you know how the other day you used the word '’tranny'?

That'’s actually quite an offensive word.

And we'’re not having a go at you.

We'’re just saying that maybe you didn'’t know that.

And like, in the future, it would be cool if you didn'’t use that word."

I love to hear that.

Did I say "Hollywood Nights," by the way?

- Doug? - I think so. I think you did.

- Where'’s your mic? What'’s going on? - I don'’t know.

Bring you up. All right. It is "Hollywood Nights."

Scott Aukerman: Dan Pasternack had developed some shows with me previously.

He was a big fan of the podcast.

I took some meetings at IFC just to say,

"Hey, you know, I could develop shows for you."

Found out that a lot of them were fans of the podcast.

Them just being fans of this show led to them saying,

"Hey, would you like to do a TV version of it?"

I never pitched it.

I never thought that that would be something we would do.

They were just fans of the show and said, "Do you want to?"

[ laughs ] And I said,

"Okay, yeah, we can try it out."

Tyler: Just right before I came here I was actually cutting a show

and I was just like, "God, I love this thing.

I love making it. I love how it makes me think about the world.

I fall in love with every single podcast guest

and I hopefully help my audience members fall in love with them,

or some aspect of who they are and what they'’ve done.

So, I just have to keep doing it. Fuck.

It'’s changed the dialogue between fans and comedians.

You can'’t do stand-up anymore. You have to be honest.

People go-- you get onstage and they go, "How'’s your dog?"

And you'’re like, "Oh, he'’s going through another surgery."

"Hey, is Isla going through her occupational therapy stuff?"

And you'’re like, "Yeah, fuck, you know that, too."

There'’s no doubt that the audience

that comes out to see you because of your podcast,

they'’re perfect!

Hardwick: The most important podcast that I'’ve ever done, without a doubt,

was the one that I did with my dad.

My dad was one of the greatest professional bowlers of all time.

He'’s a great storyteller.

When bowling was on top in the '’60s,

like, he'’s got some great stories.

So I go, "Should I pod-- oh, I'’ll podcast him, why not."

So, I set the microphone up his kitchen,

and we talked for an hour and a half.

We always had a good relationship,

but we connected on such a human level

that I was completely floored

by how much we really talked.

Like, podcasting sort of gave a structure and excuse

to have this conversation with my dad.

And so Father'’s Day was coming up and I was like,

"Oh, I'’ll just put it up for Father'’s Day."

We'’ve gotten good responses to podcasts before, but that one,

people talked to me about it for months when I would go places.

They would go-- it got people to contact their dads.

When my dad died last year really suddenly,

the support that I got because of that podcast

was unbelievable.

And I think back, like, what if I hadn'’t had a podcast?

What if I hadn'’t just all of a sudden said,

"Oh, I should just podcast my dad, he'’s interesting."

And we hadn'’t had this complete breakthrough in our relationship

that carried him through the end of his life?

I-- I mean I feel like, for that reason alone,

I feel like I owe the concept of podcasting so much,

because it changed my relationship with my dad for the better.

[ no audio ]

You know I had the laser eye surgery. You know that.

And I just had my girlfriend use the laser from her CD player.

- That'’s expensive, right? - No, no, it'’s not

'’cause we just used it right at home.

But it'’s fantastic. This eye is 20/20.

- And this eye plays Chicago. - [ laughing ]

So this eye is 20-20. This eye is 20-25 or 6 to 4.

- Schmidt: Nicely done. - Silence.

- I see-- I see coupons for that all the time. - Really? Yeah.

'’Cause that's right, you want to save as much money as possible

when you'’re dealing with your eyes.

Schmidt: I was on a podcast, what I consider to be

one of the best podcasts out there, "Never Not Funny."

I started on that show and I was on it for a year

and then I was fired.

From a podcast.

Something that makes no money, inherently,

and relies on the kindness of listeners.

I was fired.

So, I had people tell me that I should start my own podcast.

- Announcer: This is "The 40 Year Old Boy"... - [ gun cocks ]

- on the Mike Schmidt Podcasting Network. - [ gunfire ]

Schmidt: I'’m not making any money talking these days.

[ echoing ] Good Christ...

I tell the truth about everything that happens.

I don'’t do a comedy show where you'’re kind of

discussing a project or we'’re just bantering.

It is literally unfiltered me.

I will tell the truth, but I will make it

as gut-punch funny as I possibly can.

They tell me, over and over, they'’re just,

"Don'’t ever stop what you'’re doing.

Don'’t ever change what you'’re doing."

It'’s the closest, most pure form of comedy there is,

because you actually hear me creating comedy in front of you.

I don'’t sit down and write bits. I don'’t have a set list.

You actually hear me creating, out of whole cloth,

fucking comedy.

That'’s another reason why I'’m so invested in my fans

and they'’re so invested in me.

They want to see me succeed.

They understand that I am now

working at a barbecue house delivering food,

but they'’ve also heard me audition for shows and almost get it.

And they'’ve heard me be invited to the Podfest.

And they'’ve heard me start a Kickstarter, and go out and do live shows.

And they'’ve come and they've supported and they'’ve paid and they'’ve given money.

And they'’ve done everything they possibly can

because they want me to succeed

to the point where I don'’t even know

what kind of a fucking "spike the football" touchdown dance

we'’re all gonna do if I ever get anything good.

I mean literally, it'’s gonna be this weird party,

where everybody who'’s ever backed me and stood with me--

I picture them-- I picture people all over.

I want to bring good news to the podcast. I really do.

'’Cause, you know, there'’s me raging

and me being pissed at shitty things happening, and I make that funny.

But I really want something great to happen

because I want to picture people all over the fucking world

just listening and then hearing it unfold.

And they'’re just going, "Fuckin'’ yeah! So happy!"

Because they'’ve backed me, and they'’ve waited.

They fuckin'’ waited '’cause they believed in it. And they know.

And I know. I know it'’s gonna happen.

I know. And that'’s not some Zig Ziglar bullshit.

I fucking do this because people support it, and I know.

I know I'’m good, they know I'’m good.

And I wanna be good for them. And I will be.

I fucking will be.

Schmidt: We have two different shops.

We got Venice and they got Hollywood.

My preference is to work doubles in Venice every day.

I go give somebody food at the beach

and you just get to look-- if you even get to look

and just smell it and dude, it'’s just--

It shows you why you'’re doing this.

I find myself thinking more-- like riding in the car--

it is an incredible motivator, knowing that my life could change with a phone call.

And that was the thing that I used as a bulldozer

to try to keep my marriage together for the longest time.

I was like, "You know that I'’m doing this now,

but I could get a phone call.

I could-- everything could change tomorrow. I could be writing on a show.

I could get booked for anything."

I'’ll be back. [ laughs ]

$2.

On a $44 tab.

I knew that I was eventually

probably going to jump into the podcast fray.

But I wanted it to be an idea

that wasn'’t being covered.

And I went off my meds.

And thought, "Oh, I didn'’t need those. I feel great."

Not knowing that sometimes it takes about five months

for your depression to come back.

And it came back between Thanksgiving and Christmas,

which is a great time of year.

And I thought, "Oh, my life really is shit.

I really will never have energy

or passion for the rest of my life.

I need to kill myself."

And the moment that I knew something was wrong

was I was in a support group meeting,

and this guy was sharing about relapsing

and he said, "And I was in my van. And I opened my veins.

And blood was spurting. And I looked to the sky and said,

'’Father, I'm ready to come home.'’

And I was crying. And I thought,

'’I'm jealous.

I wish I had the guts to do that.'’"

And afterwards I went,

"Oh, my God, that'’s my depression.

That'’s not reality.

This is more than just the blues

between Thanksgiving and Christmas."

And I went back on my meds and within three days,

body'’s back functioning,

mood is improving, and I thought,

"I know that I had suffered from depression

for years before this,

and it fooled me that badly.

Other people who don'’t know they have depression,

they need to know all the camouflage

that mental illness walks around in."

And so that was when I knew that that'’s what I wanted to do.

And having been in support groups,

I knew that it could be done in a way

where mental illness hadn'’t been talked about before.

'’Cause it was either being talked about in a very

Sedona, New Age-y, Mother Earth,

sacred crystal kind of way,

which always just made me roll my eyes.

Or a kind of pretentious

"Dr. Phil talking down to people" way.

And I thought, "I'’m just gonna talk to people like I do

with my friends in support groups."

Having been a comedian and knowing a lot of people

that had a good sense of humor,

that would be the thing that would keep it

from just being completely dark.

There are some episodes that are not much humor.

Very, very dark.

And I think those are valid as well.

I just wanted people to know that they'’re not alone.

That it'’s a thing, it'’s a real thing.

It'’s not a weakness, it'’s not a bad attitude, you know?

I like to say that

thinking that you understand depression

because you'’ve experienced situational sadness,

is like thinking you know Italy

because you'’ve been to the Olive Garden.

Julia and I, we started our podcast right when we started our friendship.

We meet, and in the next two days

we had Graham Elwood on our show.

So, if you wanna listen to the evolution of our friendship,

- listen to episode one through whatever. - There it is.

Because we'’ve really evolved since then.

- We shoot our podcast from... - This rooftop in particular.

...this rooftop.

It'’s above the Hollywood Walk of Fame,

Beverly Hills is behind me.

And honestly, this was a place that I would come

to kind of visualize.

And I would think about

doing a podcast on this rooftop.

I moved here a couple months ago.

Almost two months ago today, actually.

- Elwood: From? - From Seattle.

And then before that, San Francisco and Cleveland.

So, I was sick of not living my life

And so I decided this is where I wanted to be.

You guys were doing all these live shows,

all these "Doug Loves Movies" tapings,

and all these great improv shows,

things we wanted to be a part of.

And I said, "That'’s where I'm going."

It wasn'’t, "I wanna start a podcast," at first,

it was, "I wanna work in podcasting."

And then it found us.

And I said, "I'’m not gonna say no."

My mom is the one who got me into movies and things at a young age.

My mom got called at school because we were singing,

you know, songs from "Monty Python,"

like "Every Sperm Is Sacred"

in school, in elementary school.

My mom told me when I was a kid she wanted me to be

a musician or an actor,

or a stand-up or something. [ cries ]

And somehow she'’s always kept supporting me,

and I don'’t know why. [ crying continues ]

But it'’s all-- it'’s all for love.

I'’m gonna go out there and get something,

and that'’s the woman

who told me to do it.

[ sniffles ]

Chemda: My parents don'’t know what I do for a living.

They'’re very conservative Middle Eastern people

and as a female, this is really outrageous,

to share personal stuff about your life and to--

There'’s cooking, cleaning, and then there'’s outrageous.

This falls into "Outrageous."

Yes, basically, there is where are your babies?

And then there'’s what I do.

When I say they don'’t know what I do for a living,

- they don'’t know the words "Keith and the Girl." - Malley: They don'’t even know.

It'’s something with the mail and the Internet.

They saw her take packages out one day.

So, it'’s something with the mail.

Before my parents moved to Israel--

Oh, there should be cameras on your eyes.

Yeah. They don'’t know, they'’re not takin' the time to know.

She'’ll try to explain. They'’re not listening.

I haven'’t talked to them since the end of September.

So, she'’s lucky there. She doesn'’t have to talk to '’em so much.

- That doesn'’t mean they stop calling. - Oh.

This is not anything new to me. It'’s not just the show.

They'’re not happy with who I'’m marrying, either.

They'’re not happy with-- legitimately every aspect of my life sucks.

My father once said, "Who'’s gonna marry you with that laugh?"

Yeah. [ laughs ]

What we expected is to make them laugh, to entertain them.

What we didn'’t expect is, "You helped me through my chemo."

"You helped me get over my child being

in the hospital for weeks."

Stopping suicide, quite frankly.

Yeah. "I would have killed myself,

but you guys were my only friends.

And I understood that things were lighter than they really were.

And thank you for making me laugh while my life was tragic."

And what I wanna do is get those e-mails

and forward them to my parents

saying, "I don'’t have babies, but I have all of this."

To me, it'’s just like having babies.

I think people have babies so that they could

affect that child'’s life.

They could help them survive. They could help them thrive.

And I feel like they should be proud of me,

but I don'’t know if they know how

to compartmentalize something so dirty.

Malley: She just would like her parents to know,

look at these letters we'’re getting.

Look at these people whose lives,

whether we meant to or not,

we'’re affecting for the better.

That would be a nice thing to know.

When I was in "Time Out New York"

and they called me Queen of Podcasting,

I would like to hit forward on that.

And they have e-mail. I can send it to them.

But I don'’t think that they would get it.

It'’s not worth it.

Malley: I think what makes our show different

than other podcasts, doing it five days a week, this is the only way

we make our money.

Comedians still have their comedy.

Authors still have their books.

I think it stands out because we take it more seriously,

because we have to.

♪ Buy us just a little more time... ♪

Mancini: Podcasting, like anything else,

is slowly becoming a business

and that means money is slowly starting

to enter the podcasting arena.

Elwood: Yay! We can finally eat.

[ Mancini laughing ]

But the good thing is different companies are coming in.

It'’s different this time,

and these companies understand it better

than traditional media ever could.

The one thing about podcasting

that'’s kind of changed everything

is, like, advertising.

♪ Living in this sorta life ♪

♪ Doesn'’t come easily... ♪

Stephanie Wilder-Taylor: Here'’s the thing. With Vistaprint,

it'’s so simple to make your own.

You can choose from Vistaprint'’s thousands

of easy to customize templates.

This is great for you personally if you don'’t have a business.

You'’re trying to get chicks? Make it rain in the club.

250 cards?

First of all, you get an ad where the hosts are behind the product.

I only use sponsors that I would actually buy something from.

Opdycke: Second of all, people don'’t fast forward through it.

They listen to it, because it'’s integrated into the show.

Leonardo Lambaren: I'’ve even gone onto web sites

and bought products that I'’ve heard from podcasting.

I set up my web site for my art with Squarespace.

Opdycke: And also, the podcast community

recognizes they'’re part of something emerging.

Hardwick: I think it was great that Legendary doubled down on us

because what it said to mainstream media,

which is what I think we all as podcasters have been saying for a long time,

is podcasting is very valuable.

Where Netflix was 10 years ago is where this could be.

When we first started, no one was interested in advertising.

We did, I think, two years

before anyone was interested in advertising.

But we believed that people would.

We saw these projections of--

it was gonna grow by 250%.

We thought, eventually they'’ll be popular enough

that advertisers will have to take note

and start thinking the way we'’re thinking.

Opdycke: When a new company comes onboard,

part of the draw is not just that they have

a good product, or a good service,

but that they'’re a company that sees something new,

and they want to be a part of it.

Ryan Stansky: We started advertising on podcasts several years ago.

Our company was a lot smaller then

and podcasting was a lot smaller then.

And we bought a couple big podcasts

that were kind of leading the industry.

Opdycke: If you advertise on a podcast,

people are gonna listen to that ad in six months,

in nine months, in 12 months.

And you advertise on TV, people are gonna TiVo it.

They'’re never gonna watch it, and then it'’s gone.

You advertise on radio, you listen to it once and it'’s gone.

A lot of radio is wasted on ad time and stuff that you don'’t care about.

And a lot of repetition, a lot of station identification, stuff like that.

So, listening to a podcast was just more information and more entertainment.

A hundred thousand podcast listeners are more valuable.

It'’s a more engaged audience than a million TV viewers.

We saw kind of a lift in our business

and we heard from a lot of customers that they were

hearing us from these personalities and from these podcasts.

So, we said, "Hey, let'’s try some more."

Every show I listen to has had a discussion about their sponsor.

"You guys with Shari'’s Berries.

We tried these, they are amazing, go try it."

I wouldn'’t have ever gone to Shari'’s Berries.

But now it'’s a thing in my mind where,

I need to get something for my mom or my wife or whatever, that'’s an option.

Angelo Warner: I was wearing a "Nope" shirt on the side of the street

and somebody came up to me and was like, "I need to take a picture of you.

My friend has this podcast

and that'’s one of their shirts, and that'’s awesome."

It was just weird, this person I had never met before

was like, "I'’m gonna talk to you."

Knowing nothing about me other than the fact

that I'’m wearing this secret handshake shirt

that makes them say, "I get that."

The reason why I think that it'’s worked so well for our business

is because the personalities have such a deep connection with their audience.

And everyone knows how to use a computer.

That'’s a complicated question,

"Are we making money from this podcast?"

- Are you a cop? - Are you with the IRS?

- We are breaking even with this podcast, which is nice. - For sure.

It'’s a nice change.

But again, the podcast is really just the outcome

of the live show.

We have advertisers

that Nerdist has found for us,

but any money that'’s made for us and the cast is from the live show.

- Good riddance, creepy doll! - [ laughter and applause ]

"Deathsquad" actually doesn'’t make me any money at all,

the actual podcast part of it.

It actually burns a hole in my pocket,

like, I pretty much

lose money fast doing this.

I'’ll never change the show for advertisers.

I have that luxury, though, and I would never beat up another show

for trying to make their show more palatable to an advertiser.

But I'’m never gonna do that.

And I have told the people

that sell my advertising I'’m not interested in--

Sorry, Adam & Eve.

Gilmartin: I did not start the podcast to make money.

And then I discovered there'’s costs to doing a podcast.

You got to find a place to physically host the sound files.

You got to keep a web site up.

You got to rent a space to record, you need recording equipment.

And so I started asking for donations,

and the listeners have really stepped up.

And as the numbers have grown,

it'’s been enough that it sustains the podcast,

it gives me some spending money.

I'’ve started to get some advertisers, which has been great,

and they'’ve been really cool.

They'’re like, "Put it in your own words."

We, like, crack inappropriate jokes

during the ad sometimes.

I don'’t know what the future holds, but for right now,

it'’s right on the verge of calling it a living.

Yeah. Which blows me away,

'’cause I never imagined that would be for me.

Christine Blackburn: My show has only gone upward in trajectory.

We'’ve only gotten more fans,

more downloads, more attention.

I'’ve also really thought it out and I continue to think it out.

I continue to make mistakes, of course,

but there'’s quite a process to it.

Will I ever stop self-sabotaging? No. I won'’t.

I want to. I mean, I'’m going to therapy to find out all this stuff.

I'’m-- I'm empty. I'’m fucking empty inside.

But I'’m actually finding myself now getting filled.

You know, the show is in a good place. It'’s entering year seven.

I'’m happy, I'm in love. And I have respect of people that I respect.

You and I had an e-mail exchange yesterday, and it pissed me off.

It fucking pissed me off.

Elwood:Yeah, I'’ll forward you all those e-mails. Pissed me off, too.

Hey, I read them. [ laughs ]

I reread them after you fucking hung up on me.

- I didn'’t hang up on you, Mike. - Hmm.

Do youthink I'’ll ever stop self-sabotaging?

I think you could.

And I say that to you

not as a judgment or as a criticism,

but as a guy that'’s known you for 20 years,

and knows that you'’re capable of it.

Because you are one of the funniest people I have ever met.

You are guy who can read a newspaper...

and write 30 minutes of political comedy

in a way that I could never do.

That'’s why we put you in the "Comedy Film Nerds" book.

That'’s why we put you in the festival.

That'’s why we set up this interview, despite the fact

that you can'’t read fucking e-mails correctly.

That'’s why you're in this, '’cause you're that fucking funny,

and that passionate.

That'’s why your show is fucking great.

And that'’s why I also know you could fucking

stop shooting yourself in the foot and be a goddamn champion

and they would erect buildings in your honor.

I'’m gonna need everything from, "Let'’s start this interview."

- [ laughing ] - So, I wasn'’t paying attention

to any of that, I apologize.

It'’s nice of you to contribute a monologue to my segment, but.

[ laughter ]

Sean Marek: I have a master'’s degree in film.

And my wife and I decided, after we finished up,

we'’d move from Boston to California.

I wanted to work in development in film. She wanted to be a TV writer.

It was tough getting here, '’cause we basically came here with no jobs.

We didn'’t have full-time work,

either of us, for like the first year.

We had to be out here in L.A. That'’s where stuff happens.

I am a producer for The Sideshow Network.

The entire world can hear everything that I'’m doing in some way.

And I have my hand in so many different shows here.

We each produce like 30, 35 shows.

It happened right in the middle.

It threw me off of this groove.

The job I had before this was doing online financial aid.

And the fact that I got a job--

it'’s a fantasy job.

It'’s such a different kind of job,

where I feel that I excel at--

and I look forward to every day coming in to work.

And being sick just kind of threw that off

'’cause I'm like, you know, as a man, I got so many things I want to do.

I was diagnosed with stage two Hodgkin'’s lymphoma.

Been going through chemo treatment

and procedures, and all that shit.

I got a big cancer wad in my chest

that they'’re trying to fight.

Thankfully, the people that I work with here are stone cold awesome.

They'’ve allowed me to take care of my business, and do what I gotta do.

Coming in to work and podcasting,

and all this great stuff that we'’re doing,

it helps me out so much.

'’Cause a lot of times, people get sick

and it'’s like, "I have cancer. I could stay home and not do anything.

Go on disability or do whatever."

I can'’t be on disability. I don'’t wanna do that.

I want them to treat me as the same producer,

as the same person doing his job.

This job means everything to me.

I want to work, I want to hustle.

I want to be a part of something.

I wanna be part of the human race.

I'’m tired of wearing masks. Masks fucking smell.

I want to start a family.

You know? I got-- I got plans.

[ distorted chatter ]

Dave Anthony: Welcome to "Walking the Room." I'’m Dave Anthony.

I'’m here with my special guest, Greg Behrendt.

Greg Behrendt: It'’s good to be here, buddy. It'’s nice of you.

- Anthony: So, we took a break. - Behrendt: A breather.

Anthony: What do you have to say for yourself?

Behrendt: I mean, fuck, you know, dude, I'’m sorry

that we weren'’t here to fucking cook the man chowder.

- Elwood: You'’re a recovering alcoholic? - Yeah.

- And then about a year or so ago you had a relapse? - Yeah.

And you talked about this on the show?

We'’d been doing the podcast about two years

and I was struggling with some sort of depression and Dave--

And at that point how-- how sober, how long had you--

So, I had had 15 years. And, uh--

This is what podcasts could do to people.

[ laughs ] Yeah.

It just, if you do a podcast, just throw your sobriety right out the window.

If you'’re sober, I don'’t recommend sitting in a closet with a friend.

Because that'’s as depressing as it gets.

It was just a very bad Christmas.

I felt suicidally depressed.

And someone had noticed, one day,

that the pills that my dogs took for their--

they'’re 18, so they had pain pills--

they were like, "Oh, my God, those are crazy strong."

And then that Christmas I was like,

"Yep. That'’s what I'’m gonna do."

They were so strong that coming off of them

was so difficult, I just couldn'’t.

You know, that'’s what happens.

Dave and I are close. We'’ve been close for a long time.

We'’ve been friends since he started stand-up.

Dave was like, "God, dude, you'’re fuckin' manic!"

And I'’m like, "Oh, dude, I am awesome!" You know.

Like, there'’d be days where I'’d be like "I am awesome!"

And then there'’s days where I'’m like, "Dude, I can'’t, I'm quitting."

"What? Everything, all of it, I'’m gonna quit."

Yeah, I think we talked about it on the podcast, right?

- You can hear me go through this stuff. - I was like, you are this...

It'’s insane.

And then eventually it was like--

there was one day on the podcast

where Dave was like, "Dude, I don'’t know what to do with you."

And I was like, and it-- you know?

Behrendt: Welcome back to Walking... Walking... Walking....

Anthony: Do you want to keep doing the podcast?

And then, you know, you have your fans who will write and go,

"That episode was weird." And, "Man, Behrendt was off."

It gotten to a point where I wasn'’t able to establish boundaries.

Martin Wilhelm: Me and Greg actually became pals.

I would e-mail him now and then.

And then he'’d be like, he'’d e-mail back.

And then I was talking to him after a show.

He'’s like, "Hey, we should get some coffee."

It'’s like, "Whoa, what the fuck?" [ laughs ]

I was worried about him.

At the same time, I knew that

whatever he was going through was important enough

to, you know, to stop doing the podcast.

To stop doing whatever it was he was doing.

I couldn'’t tell the difference between what was okay

to share with the world and what wasn'’t okay

because we were sort of making our name as being open.

Wilhelm: Especially after you get drawn into their lives

and then something like that happens.

It feels like it happened to a friend or a family member.

My dad drinks to a point that I don'’t enjoy it.

And he has all my life.

So, I come loaded into this scenario.

And so, part of me wants him to get better.

And part of me is just mad.

Behrendt: Dave was pissed at me,

but he was also the best friend that I have.

When I told him what was going on, as funny as he'’s being about it now,

he was only concerned and only cool about it.

And the first thing he said on the very first phone call was,

"Well, then you start over now."

And that'’s the kind of fucking friendship that we genuinely have.

I'’ve had a couple of good friends that were

really struggling with substance abuse and depression.

which are things that I'’ve gone through before.

And the fact that Greg has gone through that stuff,

like, I'’ve recommended a bunch of episodes to them to listen to.

Elwood:

Yeah, yeah. It'’s a better addiction, I guess.

Hello. Let'’s start there. Let'’s start with a greeting.

Hi, I'’m Cecil Baldwin.

Hi, I'’m Jeffrey Cranor.

I'’m Joseph Fink.

We do "Welcome to Night Vale,"

which is a scripted fictional podcast

that takes the form of community radio from a small desert town

where things like ghosts and angels and aliens

are just day-to-day parts of life.

The idea of doing a podcast came before the content.

I knew I wanted to do one. But I didn'’t wanna do one that sounded like

any of the other ones that already existed,

'’cause they already existed.

Cranor: It was a great pilot script,

and we wanted to write that style,

wanted to write for that world.

It was a great episode

and Cecil'’s voice was perfect.

I cannot say Welcome to "Night Vale."

Our main goal is maybe people we don'’t know will eventually hear this.

Baldwin: The moment that we realized that

there are people drawing multiple images

of a fictional character that I get to voice,

and just seeing all this fan art continue to pop up and pop up.

For the most part, a lot of that mythology

is built by the fans themselves,

which is really fascinating to me.

You have all these people that really are invested in what you'’re making.

What was before just something that was sort of like,

"I don'’t know, what do I wanna write about this week?"

You have people being like,

"This one specific episode, it means so much to me."

Or other people being like, "This one specific episode--

I hate you, you'’re a horrible human being now."

It'’s all part of it.

Close your eyes. Let my words...

Baldwin: With the live version, you see hundreds of people

that are into the same thing that you are in,

and you see them dressing up as characters

in the same way that you are dressing up as a character.

It has that sort of cult following

that now you realize that you'’re part of a larger community

that you maybe don'’t get when you'’re at home

by yourself, or in your car,

listening to this thing that means so much to you.

Mancini: The whole time we were planning this film,

we just knew we had to go to Japan.

We had to meet the fans there.

Elwood: We wanted to know how and why we were connecting with them

in such a personal way.

Our one fan, Sanae,

who we called "Sandy Big Fan Japan,"

is a housewife and lives in Tokyo.

She started listening to our show from the start,

and we mentioned her so much, we felt she was even a part of the show.

Mancini: We had to meet her.

And also, we haven'’t been in the movie for a while.

- The director cut us out. - Elwood: What a dick.

We'’re in Japan because

we plugged a Snowball microphone into my laptop

four and a half years ago, in Chris'’ garage in Sherman Oaks.

That sentence doesn'’t even make sense.

- Nice seeing you here! - All right, man!

Man: Fans all over.

- That was crazy! - Woman: I'’m a fan.

♪ Another episode in the dark ♪

♪ Another tiny death on a date ♪

♪ Tell me what you think... ♪

I'’m like-- it's a lot of emotions right now.

Like I'’m excited. But I'’m nervous.

And it'’s a weird culmination

of everything we'’ve been doing

for the last couple of years,

and the way that we'’ve unexpectedly connected with people

literally across the globe.

So, this is kind of a big moment for us, too.

You know, Sanae has been with us from the beginning.

She started with, like, episode one or two.

Yeah, she sends us birthday presents.

Sanae Narita: Yeah, I am nervous. [ laughs ]

I'’ve been waiting for this for five years, so.

- This is so nerve-racking! Jesus! - Yeah. [ laughs ]

Narita: More nervous than excited, I think.

- Maybe we should hide. - [ laughs ]

Narita: I never thought they wouldever come to Japan.

They talked about it. But I never thought they would.

All right, don'’t fuck this up!

Don'’t you fucking do anything stupid, you idiot.

This is our oldest fan. Don'’t you fuck this up!

Elwood: Come on in.

Whoa! [ laughing ]

[ Elwood clapping ]

I can'’t go in!

- You can do it, Sanae. - One step at a time.

You'’ve come this far, you can do it.

Baby steps. Hi!

Hello! Konnichiwa!

Oh, my God. Oh, my God, I'’m gonna cry.

- You okay? - Yeah.

- Hi! - Konnichiwa!

Konnichiwa. Finally!

- Good to finally meet you. - Yes. Oh, my God.

I know, it'’s different from the words coming out of our heads

instead of like in the ear buds.

Mm-hmm. But wow, it'’s you.

Yeah, it is. It'’s us.

We made it.

I'’m just-- oh, my God.

[ laughs ] Hi.

Oh, Sanae, you'’re adorable!

We'’re so happy to see you!

You'’re adorable.

You just-- I--

You'’ve been with us from the beginning.

Narita: Well, you didn'’t really mention my name.

You mentioned that there'’s a purchase order from Japan.

So, somebody in Japan is listening.

I think I was walking the street

when I was listening.

And I screamed.

I didn'’t even write you an e-mail.

I didn'’t think it would mean anything.

But now that you mentioned me, I thought

maybe I'’ll just talk to them on Twitter.

And I did, and it got retweeted. [ laughs ]

All these other fans started talking to me.

When I was first going through all this stuff with cancer,

I did tweet about it a lot,

because, again, it was sort of like a little bit of an escape.

And it was the podcast fans that would immediately comment to me,

or write to me.

Most notably Sanae.

It'’s really hard to explain

to people who don'’t really listen to podcasts.

But there is-- how can you be friends, you know,

just on the Internet?

But you can.

You know, going through all that,

and feeling uncomfortable reaching out to my friends,

it was nice to have someone reach out in a way where

I didn'’t feel pressured to-- to share every detail.

That is a real friend. You know?

And again, that'’s all because

we shared the love of this podcast.

News Reporter: Breaking news, a violent earthquake off Japan'’s northeast coast

has rocked the nation.

Reporter #2: This is the biggest earthquake since 1995.

Reporter #3: All transportation systems in Tokyo

as well as northern Japan has been stopped.

Airports closed.

Reporter #4: Tokyo Electric called

for rolling blackouts.

Narita: The real big shake went on for five minutes.

I was alone with my son at home

and my husband was really sick in the hospital.

In a split second, I thought, "Oh, I can'’t die.

If I die, my son'’s gonna die, too."

So, I was going in and out of the house

when it shakes, you know,

'’cause we might get trapped inside.

The only thing that was working at the time was Twitter for some reason.

I couldn'’t call anybody. I couldn'’t do anything.

And I just came across Dave Anthony'’s tweet.

Anthony: It was the weirdest tsunami, '’cause you were watching it,

this slow-moving water,

just destroy this place.

And one of our fans was in Japan.

I sort of like, pulled him into it.

It was like, well, this person knows me from the podcast.

And I can help this person right now in, like, an emotional way

'’cause this person's really scared.

Oh, I'’m gonna cry.

Just really couldn'’t...

You know, the TV on, it shows...

you know, like people washed away in tsunami.

I was just saying you'’re gonna be fine whatever happens.

You'’re far enough away.

It was a sort of profound moment for me in podcasting.

He kept talking to me.

And so did Erin and Vanessa.

I felt like I couldn'’t even go on about my day.

Like I-- I was so worried for her and so scared.

And just, I knew it affected her directly.

And I just couldn'’t wait to see a tweet from her or hear from her.

Graham, were you there? Were you in on it?

Elwood: Yeah, I was on, and several other

"Comedy Film Nerd" fans were on Twitter.

'’Cause we mention her, we call her Sandy,

and we call her "Big Fan Japan" on "Comedy Film Nerds."

Okay.

And so all of the "Comedy Film Nerd" fans were like,

"Hey, is Sandy okay?"

Hearing Sanae'’s kind of reports on it and stuff

made it feel like it was happening in Illinois, you know?

It made the world that much smaller.

It was somebody who you kind of knew.

After that, I listed to the pod--

to "Comedy Film Nerds" and people are, like, donating-- [ laughs ]

for Japan and...

It sounds really weird maybe but I thought

"Oh, my God, I'’m not alone," you know?

You know, that relationship happened because of podcasting.

I would never know anybody in Japan.

Oh, my. I haven'’t cried about this.

It'’s the first time.

But, yeah.

So, I-- I have good friends.

When things like that happen,

you do realize that these friendships are real.

And that these people aren'’t just fans of something you'’re a fan of.

You'’ve shared something more than that

and you'’ve been brought closer together

maybe from the-- what you shared.

But she'’s a real friend to me.

[ sniffles ]

I think that fellow listeners of "Comedy Film Nerds"

helped me a lot more than

any other Japanese people did.

I mean, they did, but...

it means different.

I wanted to, like, leave and go be there, like right then.

Like, she meant so much to me. And I knew she did.

But in that moment, I reallyknew she did.

Andy Utech: That morning I downloaded as many episodes

of "Comedy Film Nerds" as I could,

put '’em on the iPod.

I just went to work as usual,

listening to it on the train.

I went to my office, was working on the computer.

The room started shaking, computers fell off of desks.

And it just kind of kept coming in waves.

By the time it ended, nobody was quite sure what to do.

So, I started walking home.

Put the ear buds in,

started walking along the train line.

It was nice to have friendly voices in my ears.

It was about eight and a half hours of walking.

I just kept putting one foot in front of the other,

one episode after another.

There were towns on fire.

And nobody could help those people.

I didn'’t have to think about that at the time,

and that was a good thing.

I needed to get home,

and that'’s what I did.

So, thanks.

Every day was just very depressing and devastating,

but I would listen to podcast.

Make me laugh.

I remember you saying stuff about Sanae

in the podcast during that time.

It really helped me not think about

all the disastrous situation.

That as a fan proved to me

why podcasting is the way to go.

You know, it just reinforced that a community

can come together because of that stuff.

Social media helps a lot.

Like, she could have gotten on Twitter

without having the show and been like,

"Help, we'’re in Japan, we need help."

But instead she had you and Chris to be like, "Go do this."

It gave a voice to something that wasn'’t already there.

You know, people knew about it,

but this made it personal.

It was this person who I know is a big fan of the show,

and has written in a few times.

And that proves, right there, why podcasting is amazing.

It brings people together much more than anything else has before.

It was actually really cool to see her, like,

so popular in the Internet.

I was like, "That'’s my sister."

Yeah, but it was very touching.

After three years, I'’m like really beginning to realize

what it really meant to me.

I don'’t think I could go through that without Erin and Vanessa.

Elwood: If you ever get to meet them in person,

what would you like to say to them?

I think I'’ll cry.

I think I would just hug them and cry.

- Maron: What'’s up, Todd? - Todd Glass: How you doing?

No, I just wanted to come on and promote my podcast, "The Todd Glass Show."

Maron: Oh, shit. I had no idea that'’s what we were doing.

Glass: Oh, yeah? What did you think?

Maron: Oh, I thought you were gay.

- Oh, my God, no. - I'’m sorry, I--

- Did you really think that? - Yeah.

Glass: All right, let'’s cut the shit here.

Elwood: How long did it take you to get to the decision of,

"Okay, I'’m ready to say this."

To come out on a podcast?

Yeah, it was about six months in, and I had already thought about it.

But the podcast made me go, "Okay, now you can'’t even do this good.

You'’re not gonna do what you wanna do if you'’re gonna fucking--

it'’s not what you want it to be, you know?"

All you thought was, "I wanna be like Stern, I wanna be like Stern.

I want just that raw honesty."

I knew that there were a lot of young kids that are gay,

listen to the podcast.

A lot of young kids listen,

and then some of them are gay.

I just knew that it was giving it validity

that it was worth hiding if I hid it.

My parents knew. And I knew everybody in the comedic community knew.

That was my paranoia.

I knew it, that most of my close friends,

they knew, you knew, everyone knew.

They didn'’t give a shit.

You just have to remember, you'’re open-minded,

but there'’s the real world.

And I have to perform in front of that real world.

So, that'’s what I was nervous about.

That was, like, kind of crazy that Todd Glass would do that,

would come out on a podcast.

But it makes sense because he'’s telling his fans.

I chose a podcast to do it. And I chose Marc Maron'’s for a specific reason.

'’Cause there were some people that thought,

"Oh, why didn'’t you do it on this podcast

or that podcast?"

I didn'’t do it on mypodcast!

So, the reason I did it on a podcast overall

was because I had a lot of bottled up thoughts,

lot of bottled up thoughts.

Things that, you know, I would try to give my opinion

if I was doing morning radio and they were talking about gay marriage.

Oh, I would pipe in like a straight guy who'’s open-minded.

But when someone knows why you have these thoughts,

then maybe they'’ll forgive a little anger,

because they know where that anger'’s coming from.

And Marc Maron, it was an obvious answer

because he had been doing so many of those interviews

that were heartfelt, dug a little deeper.

And I don'’t know what the fuck he does, but I will tell you this.

When I was done, it-- I felt good.

I felt heard.

And he made it reallyeasy.

He was able to let something out

that was killing him for a long time.

And there'’s a human connection there

that I felt good about.

Glass: Gay? I always felt like going,

"Fuck that! I'’m not gay!

What the fuck do I got to tell people I'’m gay for?

I'’m not fucking gay! I'’m fucking Todd Glass!" You know?

It'’s like, I'm not like, you know what I mean by-- by flaming.

Maron: Yean, yeah, yeah.

Glass: I got to go up to people and tell them I'’m gay?

It'’s a fucking lie. But it'’s not, you know.

[ Maron laughing ]

That was like, "Oh, Jesus Christ!" I cannot believe

that I feel good about that.

And that could have never happened but anywhere else but a podcast.

Zaragoza: Then it becomes that much more personal,

somebody that I'’ve been listening to for years,

that now he'’s gay.

And how am I going to deal with that?

I mean listening to podcasts, how open they are,

and how personal a podcast just can be,

it'’s almost like my friend just came out of the closet

and now I have to explain that to my other friends, you know?

Elwood: As a born-again Christian, what was your opinion

of someone who was gay?

Oh, well, I didn'’t have much negative feeling about it.

But I didn'’t really know anybody who was gay,

so that was kind of like, it made it that much closer to me.

After Todd came out, if someone

from your congregation said,

"Oh, I don'’t think gays should be allowed to be married,"

what would you say to them?

I'’d try to explain it to them on legal level.

I mean, they'’re all just on the wrong side.

It'’s about equality.

It'’s kind of like a difficult issue to explain to--

to somebody who'’s a Christian

who just believes it as a morally wrong thing.

Elwood: Do you think them listening

to Todd Glass coming out on "The Marc Maron Show"

would help them understand it?

I think it would help them understand it a little bit better.

Just because it'’s-- I don'’t think it's as personal to them.

It'’s just, it seems like, "Those guys are different than me."

And, I mean, I think that that'’s what's great about podcasts

is that it does become personal.

It'’s like your friend'’s coming out.

What would I have wanted to hear when I was 16? When I was 17?

And yes, it'’s cathartic to be able to go--

to know that somebody'’s got those things in their ears,

and that'’s an, that's-- would you say a privilege?

A privilege to fucking just go, you, this-- lemme tell you something.

And I remember some of the things I said, you know?

I would say, "Let me tell you something, I--

I don'’t wanna say anything that'’s not gonna make you feel better right now.

This sucks right now. Because even-- you know,

you'’re gonna have some people might accept you.

Some people won'’t.

Hopefully you'’re listening

and your family'’s gonna be all right with it.

But no matter what, know this, and I want you to listen to this."

'’Cause I would-- I think I even made a joke. Like I tapped the mic.

I go, "I know I'’m right in your ear.

Through it all, and you'’re gonna have days that suck, and they blow,

and no matter what I say it'’s not gonna change it.

If you'’ve got a friend that'’s freaking out about this,

or your parents, nothin'’s gonna fucking change that.

That just fucking blows.

But know this, you'’re fucking fine.

You are fine.

You'’ve got to know that at some level.

You'’ve got to know that you are fine. You are healthy.

This is just one more thing that the world got fucked up.

Do some research.

When you'’re starting to think maybe you'’re not worthy,

look at the other mistakes that this world has made.

Egregious mistakes.

You know, interracial marriaging or women'’s rights."

Or, you know, so many things that we look back and go,

"What the fuck?"

It'’s another one of those things.

But just know in your gut, you are fucking okay.

Jason Christian: When Jimmy Pardo went through the issue

with his brother-in-law,

I mean, that was really touching.

And I really felt like, a friend of mine is really hurting right now.

Pardo: We had been doing the show

for like, four years

when, you know, tragedy struck.

Our video producer, my brother-in-law, Andrew Koenig,

was in the room every week with us,

and part of the show

and was a really unique voice for us.

I'’m a clown that talks about

being angry at the guy parking in the wrong spot in front of my house.

And he'’s bringing in this political stuff,

that while it pissed off a lot of our fans, I loved it.

I loved that we had this social-- this conscience,

that I didn'’t have, because I don'’t-- I'm talking about blue jeans, you know?

I'’m talking-- I don't-- people always go,

"You guys are getting too political." And Matt and I, were like,

"Really? We'’re talking about Obama'’s tie," you know?

But then Andrew would give some great insight.

It was devastating, you know? Because here'’s this guy that we were--

you know, you'’re a tight-knit---

and in my case, legitimately family.

And we had to make an announcement on the show,

'’cause we were trying to get out everywhere.

And my wife went on CNN, the family went on CNN,

I did, and then, you know, using social media

to try to get the word out that Andrew was missing.

We did a special episode of "Never Not Funny" to reach our fan--

doing anything we can, you know, "We'’re looking for Andrew."

[ Pardo over podcast ] Hi everybody, it'’s Jimmy.

It is Sunday night, February 21st.

Matt and I thought we would take some time

to come down to the studio here and address

what is happening with Andrew Koenig.

If you have not seen the news reports on television

or the Internet or Twitter, Andrew Koenig, our own AK-47

has been missing for more than a week.

The response was just so overwhelming.

These fans that, they too feel like they'’re part of the family.

We knew Andrew was in Vancouver.

Some fans from Seattle went up to Vancouver.

They'’re looking for him.

[ stuttering ] I mean--

at risk of sounding like a child, is there anything cooler than that?

I mean it really is-- that speaks to how strong this fan base can be.

Like I said, they'’re right there. You are right in their ears.

They know you. They know you better than-- than you know yourself.

[ Pardo over podcast ] A little over a week ago at this time,

Matt and I came to the studio to announce

that Andrew was missing, and obviously everybody

has seen the news by now, but maybe not.

But we sadly got the news on Thursday of last week

that Andrew had died.

And I... [ voice breaking ]

I don'’t know if I'’ve said that sentence out loud before.

Pardo: When Andrew went missing

and then eventually was found dead,

we had to put out an episode celebrating his life,

and celebrating his time with "Never Not Funny."

[ Pardo over broadcast ] Wasn'’t the easiest laugh.

- Matt Belknap: That'’s true. - He would sit there stone-faced a lot.

And Andrew, I'’ve said it a thousand times on this show,

he was handsome and talented,

and being able to spend the last two years

involved on this show with him is just terrific.

Hansen: Their first podcast back after Andrew'’s death,

it was a breath of fresh air,

because they had dealt with it.

It was really nice to have them back,

because, you know, they were gone for a month.

And just having that spirit of,

"This is what'’s going on in our life,

we'’re gonna talk about it, we'’re gonna joke about it.

You know, some people might not like the jokes we'’re making,

but we'’re gonna be back at it."

And I thought it was really one of their best episodes,

you know, talking about Paul Gilmartin

being a jackass at the reception at the funeral,

and things like that, you know, were really cool to hear.

We miss him every show.

I end every show saying, "AK-47 gone, not forgotten."

Mancini: One of the things as we were shooting

that we'’ve discovered was a lot of themes of depression

and having podcasting help people get through a tough time.

And on the surface that was surprising,

but as you start to think about it, you realize

it isn'’t that surprising because a lot of times,

depression is something you go through on your own.

Podcasting is something that you do on your own, too.

You listen on your own.

It'’s so much more personal than music,

than movies, TV.

And because a lot of the shows I listen to,

some of them, at least, have had some similar issues

dealing with depression, anxiety,

and how they worked through it.

It just almost felt like it was talking to me a little bit.

Like, "You'’re gonna be all right. We'’ve all been there.

And we'’ll help you get through this."

So, it-- it felt very personal.

Raper: At 21, I was hospitalized for the first time

from self harming, from overdosing

and diagnosed bipolar.

It was something I really struggled with for years.

And not knowing and being misdiagnosed for so long,

and not understanding why I felt so alone.

Why I was acting out the way I was acting out.

Why I constantly was harming myself, and not knowing why.

And having to move back home numerous times,

and just not being able to support yourself

because you can'’t control what you'’re doing,

it really hit hard.

When I'’m racing, or when I'’m upset,

I get very on edge, and for me,

listening to something fun going on,

it'’s just a way for me to block out my thoughts,

and if people around me are upsetting me,

or pushing me over the edge.

I personally decided to come out with my struggle

because I was sick and tired of hiding it.

I figured out hiding it--

you can only do it for so long before,

A, you lose yourself-- [ chuckles ]

B, you have no idea what'’s going on anymore

and you'’re not gonna get anywhere.

Gilmartin: I'’m Paul Gilmartin, this is "The Mental Illness Happy Hour,"

two hours of honesty about all the battles in our heads,

from medically diagnosed conditions,

past traumas, and sexual abuse

to everyday compulsive negative thinking.

Elwood: How important is comedy to your show?

It'’s not the most important thing,

but it'’s probably the second most important thing.

I think vulnerability and compassion

are probably the two most important things.

'’Cause it needs to be a safe place, you know.

If somebody'’s gonna be talking about incest or something, like,

that'’s really hard to talk about,

they need to feel safe.

[ Gilmartin over podcast ] I'’m here with Christina Jasberg.

Raper: With episode 135, I made the personal connection

with the concept of self harm.

When I was first hospitalized, and when I would overdose,

it was never with the intent of suicide.

For me, it was an escape.

For me, it was something to feel.

There was so much mental pain going on,

that I needed to escape for a minute,

whether it was go to sleep for a little bit to stop the racing.

Dave: My brother has mental illness.

You know, just, you know,

baseline depression since high school.

And having a podcast like Paul Gilmartin'’s "Mental Illness Happy Hour,"

you had somebody who'’s been through it,

talking about it, making it okay.

I went back on medication after hearing that podcast.

'’Cause, you know, he often talks about,

"Well, those pills didn'’t work for me, so...

try another one, try another one.

Keep trying, keep trying."

And that really resonated with me.

And I was like, "Yeah, okay.

I'’m gonna find a new therapist. I'’m gonna do that."

And, you know, it helps.

When I was 27,

I lived in a pretty horrific domestic violence arrangement,

where my ex-husband

crushed nearly every aspect of my personality

and I was significantly physically abused

until the point where I did a cliché

run away in the middle of the night with no shoes on.

I had to be rebuilt from scratch.

I was brainwashed.

I had a lot of my vibrant, enthusiastic,

happy, comedy-loving personality crushed.

Over time, in the seven years since then,

I'’ve grown back different parts of my life.

The PTSD would come along.

It would tell me that I wasn'’t interesting.

Or I wasn'’t funny.

Or my friends were not really my friends.

And physically it was hard

to get out and do stuff,

because that'’s what PTSD does.

It tells you that everything'’s scary.

Sometimes, when he was at his worst,

I didn'’t know what I would ever come back to.

It was always in the back of my mind,

"He might not be there."

When he was at his worst.

And, you know, just feeling that,

you can only do so much.

You can be there.

You can, you know,

give as much of a shoulder as you can.

But you know, you--

if somebody is dead set,

you can'’t do anything.

I found that podcasting meant

that I could have someone at home to listen to

having a normal conversation

when I felt like I couldn'’t leave the house.

I'’ve had something interesting to talk about,

because I wouldn'’t watch TV.

I wouldn'’t do anything.

And yet there were these people talking about current events

and I could feel engaged in what was happening in the world.

With the comedy, it gave me confidence

because I got to laugh and laughing makes you happy.

And then if you hear a joke on a podcast

and you repeat it to your friends and then they laugh,

it just reminds you what living is like

and what it'’s meant to be like.

And now I feel like I'’ve got a bunch of friends

that are all different types of people

around the world that I listen to.

And I'’m engaged with their lives.

And if I choose to, I can interact with other fans.

One of my Twitter followers,

he had a lot of troubles at home.

He liked to play guitar, so he'’d go play guitar in public

and try to overcome his anxiety issues.

And I told him, shortly after I discovered

"Mental Illness Happy Hour," to go and listen to it.

And the next day, he said,

"Thank you so much for telling me about this.

You really do realize there'’s somebody out there

that actually understands what you'’re going through."

Elwood: And this is all someone you had not met?

No, never met. Just met him through podcasting.

Thomas: It reiterates a lot of what my therapist

tells me to do that I don'’t wanna do.

Paul Gilmartin does a lot of the talk,

the therapy talk, through his guests.

His guests aren'’t all famous people.

They'’re people he meets in group.

And hearing a bunch of different stories

from many different people going through

all sorts of types of torment--

and their growth reinvigorates my own strength.

A lot of the time it'’s entertaining,

even though it'’s quite serious

and that'’s what I love about it the most.

When you'’re in with the therapist'’s office, they'’re up here.

They'’re the therapist, they'’re talking to you.

They'’re telling you what you ought to do.

Or they'’re just listening and nodding.

This was a connection to people going through the same kind of stuff.

They'’re not this impenetrable person

that you have no idea what'’s going on in their life.

You have no idea what'’s going on in the life

of the therapist I was going to.

I have no idea what she'’s connecting to,

what she'’s not.

But these people were living it.

As he says a lot, "This isn'’t a doctor'’s office.

It'’s a waiting room that doesn'’t suck."

And it really is. I mean, that'’s what it feels like.

These are peers.

[ Gilmartin over Podcast ] Thank you guys for helping me do this show,

letting me get to know you, and reminding me that I'’m not alone.

'’Cause I need to be reminded of that every day. Every fucking day.

'’Cause you know what happens if I don'’t?

I punch guys in the face,

whether they'’re on my team or not.

And that'’s no way to live.

Mancini: One of the things we'’ve always said about podcasting

is that it'’s a community.

It'’s a community of podcasters.

It'’s a community of fans together.

And the Podcast Festival is that one place

where we can all kind of get together and meet face-to-face.

♪ Check the score, we'’re number one ♪

♪ Turn around now, back where you'’re from ♪

♪ Wrote this tune, soon everyone'’s ♪

♪ Gonna check the score

♪ See that we'’re number one, yeah ♪

♪ Check the score, we'’re number one ♪

♪ Turn around now, back where you'’re from ♪

♪ Wrote this tune, soon everybody'’s ♪

♪ Gonna check the score

♪ See that we'’re number one ♪

♪ Check the score, we'’re number one ♪

♪ Turn around now, back where you'’re from ♪

♪ Check the score, we'’re number one... ♪

Mancini:

Mancini:

[ whispering ] I'’m nervous.

I'’m not supposed to move.

[ laughs ]

Here'’s the thing, she flew to New York.

What?

No, no. She'’s-- we're very close.

I'’m getting super excited.

- You'’re excited? - Yes.

Oh, my God. [ laughs ]

[ gasps ] Oh, my God.

Hi!

Hi!

Oh, my God.

[ sniffles ] Oh, my God.

I'’m crying already.

Hi.

Oh, it'’s so nice to see you finally.

It'’s nice to see you, too.

Narita: I just really wanted to be there for you.

- You know-- - Booher: You were.

not just on this side of the ocean.

I just, I wanted to be there.

You were.

- And you were, too. - I know.

Yeah, you always were.

Yeah.

Thank you.

- This is for you. - Oh, thank you.

[ no audio ]

[ Booher screams ]

[ muffled chatter ]

- Group hug. - Group hug!

[ laughter ]

- You did it! You made it! - I know!

- It was such a-- - Yeah. I'’m happy.

I'’m so glad it all worked out.

We weren'’t gonna let you not come.

You know, I was really teetering.

And then a couple episodes back,

Graham was like, "Oh, Vanessa'’s coming."

And it was like, on the podcast. And I'’m like...

- That makes it final. Graham said. - It'’s like--

I'’m really overwhelmed and tired.

I don'’t know what to do right now.

That'’s what got me going. That was the day of the earthquake.

And that'’s what got me going.

Or else I would be devastated.

- Yeah. - And I was alone at home with my son, so I had to--

- Yeah. - I had to be there for him, you know?

Didn'’t think I'd be able to go through that without you guys.

Yeah, it'’s like, I saw you were

talking with Dave Anthony a lot.

So, I jumped in, and just started talking to you. And tweeting with you.

It was like, you know, I'’m right here. Just keep talking.

These guys were there for me for 12 hours, so.

- That, that meant a lot to me, really. - Yeah.

Booher: That was definitely just terrifying.

Oh, there he is. Crazy person.

No!

Oh! No!

[ laughing ]

- Hi, Sanae. - Hi. Oh, my God.

- Hi! It'’s nice to meet you. - Hi!

It'’s nice to meet you.

And I'’m hugging you.

Yeah. How are you?

Oh, my God, it'’s your voice.

- [ laughing ] - It is my voice.

And my face! It'’s all together.

Wow, finally.

What'’s going on under there? You crying?

What'’s happening? You crying?

Aw.

- Aw. - Narita: That'’s so sweet.

[ crying ]

Aw.

Anthony: It'’s-- it's really weird to be,

to be on the other side of the ocean

and telling someone else what'’s going on.

- Right. - It was a really

bizarre experience to be sitting there going,

"Okay, well, this is what I'’m watching on TV."

And you'’re getting scared.

I'’m like, "No, it seems okay."

And like, and like, "It'’s not gonna come near you."

And it was very-- I don'’t know.

It'’s like the world has just gotten so small.

I was just listening to "The Dollop" this morning

and now I'’m talking to you.

Narita: You realize, "Oh, my God.

These are, like, three people I have never met before."

And they were there for me for a very long time.

Booher: The podcast community, when you do start to realize

that there'’s other people

that are listening specifically

to the same thing you'’re listening to,

sometimes even at the same time.

Like, a lot of us would just

wait for that tweet, that, "Oh, it'’s up!"

And I know a lot of us would see that tweet and then download it right then.

And I would know that we'’re all listening to it.

When you realize that you'’re a part of that, it is pretty cool.

I think that when I first knew

I was a part of that,

I was still of the mind-set that the Internet,

they'’re axe murderers.

Don'’t talk to people online, and whatever.

And I quickly let that go

because as soon as I spoke to people online

that were a part of that community,

especially with "Comedy Film Nerds,"

it was immediate connections.

Schmidt: If you need something to do,

hold them up, but I don'’t give a fuck.

And I mean, I will-- I'’ll be done

when I'’m done, kind of.

So, I mean, I'’m anticipating giving--

Give him the time every 10 minutes.

Don'’t let him talk you out of managing the show.

She'’s the boss, I...

[ audience applause ]

Announcer: Hello, ladies and gentlemen.

Please welcome to the stage, "The 40 Year Old Boy"...

- [ applause continues ] - Mike Schmidt!

[ cheering ]

- That was it? - [ laughing ]

I'’m not kidding, I'’m in the back and I'’m fucking

playing do-si-do with the goddamn cameraman

and I'’m waiting for some long, eloquent speech.

That'’s why I asked you to bring me up. You'’ve know me years!

I'’m from Philadelphia, and I'’ve seen Mike perform twice in Philadelphia.

And I flew down here specifically to see him

and his mastering of the craft of storytelling.

And stand-up. He'’ll always be one of my favorites.

You ever see "Natural Born Killers"?

In the movie "Natural Born Killers," there'’s a scene where

Robert Downey, Jr. starts yelling

at Woody Harrelson'’s character.

And it'’s just basically to make the thing about him.

He'’s just like, "Oh, I been there!

I was there when the ship went down in Grenada!"

And he'’s, like, yelling and screaming,

and his producer goes like this,

like, "Hey, dude, you know, you'’re fucking up

and you'’re making this about you."

Well, at one point I was bitching about something.

Surprise!

And Graham just goes, "You don'’t understand the world

that you'’ve got in front of you!

And you got a doorway to people all over

the United States and the world

and they love you, and you need

to fucking calm down and realize

that you shouldn'’t be so hard on yourself!"

And he'’s just fucking screaming at me. I'’m like...

"What the fuck are you doing?"

That'’s a good shot, that'’s my dimple, that'’s good.

I, uh...

Today was perfect.

I-- dude, I cannot tell you how fucking

vibrating I am right now.

Because today was really great.

It was a perfect example of what I do.

It was 45 minutes of just nonsense,

talking downhill, and then a 45-minute story.

And I married it together in the perfect fucking ad for my show.

So if anybody on the live stream sees it who just goes,

"Well, who'’s this guy and what'’s he all about?"

They'’re gonna see a fucking funny guy destroy it

in front of a roomful of people who love him.

I mean, how can you not want that?

I would do it all the goddamn time.

All the time.

I started listening to Mike on "Never Not Funny" with Jimmy Pardo.

And then when he left that show,

as soon as I heard he was coming back, I'’m like, "I got to follow that guy."

I saw him live in Boston.

And I was used to hearing him on his podcast.

But live took on a whole new dimension.

And you could see the process.

It started out casual, and he just talked.

And he'’s so funny and quick.

But then he went into a story that just blew me away.

And I just wanted to see it again.

Yeah, he remembers you by name.

He thanks you for listening.

He cares.

Marek: Well, this year is fantastic. We had a show last night.

We do a panel today. It'’s my first panel, too, that I'’m doing.

So, I'’m very excited about that.

Host: There were no jobs in podcasting about five, 10 years ago.

So, we are really happy to have this panel here.

We had a benefit a couple months ago.

And the majority of the people

that performed were podcasters.

It was really humbling,

as of somebody that'’s going through what I'’m going through.

Shawn, if you'’d have told me you had cancer sooner I'’d have wrote some shit.

- [ audience laughter ] - I don'’t have this,

I don'’t have any fucking Hodgkin'’s jokes just ready to go.

Nah, we'’re all here for you man.

Marek: I just recently had a scan.

I am about six months out of my last treatment.

And I am free and clear. So, everything is looking pretty good.

Host: We have Keith Malley from "Keith and the Girl" will be moderating.

Woo-hoo!

Shawn Marek from Sideshow Network.

Katie Levine from "Nerdist."

And Matt Belknap from "Never Not Funny."

Marek: That panel was fantastic.

I felt very at home

talking to people about what I do

and having the opportunity to do that.

That makes me think that I can step it up,

and I can learn from those guys,

but also be on the same level as them as well.

When it was darkest it was tough to even think where I would end up.

But I-- I made it. And I'’m here.

And I get to spend it with some

of my favorite people in the world.

I recently went through an illness.

I was getting treatment.

And I would answer e-mails while getting chemo.

Because, why not?

This is-- this is the greatest job in the world

and I love every minute of it.

I would like you all to know that if you have, or are going through chemo,

you could say you'’re not available, and--

You could.

There'’s a true heart to the podcast community.

You know, just being here, and you get to see it.

This is the pulse. This is where everybody is happy.

They care about one another. And it just feels genuine.

Harrison: I want to try and do something on my own here.

And nothing has-- everything that stopped me,

I went, "Well, new route."

"Oop! Learned something, new route."

You adapt and keep moving.

Addie had to do her own thing.

She'’s making a lot of money freelancing.

And all I want to do is support that.

And so I'’ve learned a lot from doing "2 Dope Girls." And I loved it.

And I hope that every time she comes to town, we record something.

Elwood: So, now we'’ve learned a lot about what podcasting can do.

Mancini: But where do we go from here?

I really feel like when every car is a hotspot,

then it will really, really start to go mainstream.

'’Cause there's still people now-- we think of podcasting

as this big thing that'’s tipped.

And it hasn'’t yet.

A lot of people do know about it.

But I still feel like there are people who go,

"Podcasting? What is that? How do I get that?"

And it wasn'’t until technology made it easier that it

kind of tipped the first time.

Like, when iTunes made it as part

of their basic platform on iTunes.

"Oh, oh, a podcast."

The easier it becomes, the more it'’s gonna explode.

And as soon as hitting a podcast app in your car,

even without having to transfer it

with your phone or stream it,

or it just streams right into your car,

then it'’ll really start to hit mainstream.

You know, I do think a lot of it is just,

it'’s gonna stay small-scale and personal.

It'’s always gonna be, like, a labor of love for somebody to some degree.

I don'’t think media companies,

for instance, are gonna fall in love with podcasts again.

You know, they'’re already on to the next thing.

I think it'’s where it belongs right now.

Announcer: Lock the gates!

Maron: All right, let'’s do this. How are you, folks?

It'’s me, Marc Maron. This is "WTF."

I'’m excited, I'’m nervous,

because the President of the United States is on the show today.

President Obama: This is pretty cool.

Maron: This is the place. This is where it happens.

- I like this, man. I do. - You do?

Maron: This is my whole life, everything.

Obama: But you'’re like a big cheese now, man.

You'’re now big time.

Maron: I think you'’re right about most Americans

are decent people with these core values.

Obama: If I'’m going to my kids'’ soccer game,

and I'’m just with a bunch of dads.

And we'’re just talking about how we'’re living our lives,

then everybody'’s finding all kinds of commonalities.

And yet the minute you introduce "Republican," "Democrat," "Obama,"

suddenly people start breaking apart.

The question then becomes, how do you break out of that pattern?

And that'’s something I'’ve spent

a lot of time with over the last six and a half years.

I'’ve spent a lot of time just on policy

and trying to get stuff right.

Maron: I was panicking all morning.

You know, I don'’t imagine you were flying in here

on the chopper thinking, like, you know,

"I am nervous about Marc."

- No, I wasn'’t. - [ laughs ]

- '’Cause that would be a problem. - It would be a problem.

Obama: If they president was feeling stressed about...

Maron: Coming into my garage.

...coming into your garage.

Elwood: I don'’t think podcasting is gonna stay small,

because there'’s this podcast in Sweden

called "The Filip & Fredrik Show."

Mancini: Oh, the one that had 16,000 people

in the Stockholm Globe Arena in June of 2014?

Elwood: Yeah. And they broke the record previously held by...

- Metallica? - [ chuckles ]

[ crowd cheering ]

Rogan: The Internet is inescapable now.

We'’re never gonna go back to writing letters.

We would have to have a catastrophic failure of civilization

for all this to somehow or another slip back.

Steve Agee: I honestly don'’t know where podcasting can go.

I would love to see my podcast end.

[ laughing ] I'’m so-- I'm so fucking tired of like,

"When'’s the new episode coming out?

It'’s been two and half months."

I'’ll just be like, "Fucking fine! Ugh!"

And then I'’ll ask somebody to do my podcast.

I just don'’t want it to change what it is.

I often think when money comes into any industry,

you know, it happened with punk rock.

And it happened with grunge.

Like there'’s eventually a point

where everyone'’s getting pay grab money and then it ruins the thing.

So, I hope somewhere between I can podcast from a jet.

But before it ruins it.

I hope to eventually start a religious cult

and get all these people to kill themselves.

[ music playing ]

Mancini: You know, they say technology

has made the world smaller and ultimately flat,

but really, podcasting has brought us closer together.

Anderson: This is our generation'’s punk rock.

This is our Radio Free Europe.

This is our time that we'’re living in

where we could say whatever we wanted.

[ no audio ]

Porter: I have thought, "Well, this is a podcast for crazy people."

[ laughing ] And now I realize no, it-- they'’re just a community.

You can be a guy in his fuckin'’ basement in Nebraska,

and you decide

I am going to start talking about the world from my basement.

Just talk.

Porter: I guess knowing that

there'’s fans of the same podcast as me

all around the world

just makes the world feel a bit smaller.

Makes me feel like although the Japanese don'’t speak our language, for example,

we'’re clearly into the same things.

So, can'’t be that different.

Mancini: It doesn'’t matter about language.

We all have the same hopes, desires, fears.

And podcasting, we'’ve found, is a bridge to that.

Anderson: If you think about it, you'’re in people's ears

when they'’re having their great adventures.

Like, you'’re part of that.

When they remember that story,

you'’re part of that story.

Harrison: That'’s a podcast community.

It'’s a small group, but it'’s a mighty group.

This is why people love podcasting. Because it'’s family.

Thomas: I don'’t think anyone'’s making a podcast that they don'’t want to make.

And I don'’t think anyone'’s listening

to a podcast that they don'’t want to hear.

We don'’t just have fans.

We have friends that we kind of know

all over the world from the podcast.

Sanae, right here. Stand up Sanae! Come on now!

Harrison: It'’s the Film Nerds singing to Sanae on her birthday.

- ♪ Happy birthday to you... - Harrison: She'’s weirdly a character,

part of the Film Nerds community.

- [ crowd cheering ] - Whoo!

Harrison: It'’s Sandy Big Fan Japan.

I'’ve connected with someone from Japan.

Dave: You hear people'’s names getting mentioned on podcasts.

It'’s like, "Oh, I know that guy."

It'’s like, "No you don'’t, you'’ve never met."

Until you go to Podfest. You say, "Oh, that'’s you!"

Elwood: We literally went all over the entire planet

and met so many different podcasters and fans.

And you see them and think there'’s nothing they would have in common.

And yet we all have the commonality of podcasting.

Mancini: The things that make us all similar

and make us all just people,

they'’re the same in every country.

Elwood: You see faces on the other end

- of this microphone now. - Mancini: Yes.

Elwood: You know that there'’s people in Japan

and Australia and all over the U.S. and Canada,

and all over the world listening to everything that we'’re saying.

And it'’s pretty cool.

[ no audio ]

Elwood: Because of podcasting,

I don'’t look at the world in a big abstract way anymore.

I just see it as a community of people

who have more in common than they think.

And I love being a part of that community.

When you make a connection with someone,

either in person or through a microphone,

that connection has two sides.

It defines you and in many ways tells you who you are.

Sometimes it'’s like looking into a mirror

on the other side of the world.

I look forward to every podcast.

And I can'’t wait to see who I'’ll meet next.

[ music playing ]

♪ Buy us just a little more time ♪

♪ We don'’t wanna leave ♪

♪ Living in this sort of life ♪

♪ Doesn'’t come easily ♪

Elwood: All right. Let'’s say there's a show called "Shoe Captain."

- "Shoe Captain." - What would the podcast be about?

"Shoe Captain" is about a guy who breaks into people'’s homes

and masturbates into one of their shoes,

but he doesn'’t tell you which one.

It'’s the Captain from "Captain & Tennille"

and Elisabeth Shue.

And they would just have conversations

about their respective careers, you know.

She'’d ask what Tennille was like

and he'’d ask, you know, what it was like to be

in "Adventures in Babysitting."

It would be about all the different kinds of shoes

that people in the airline industry wear.

Like, next week she'’d ask what Tennille was like.

It'’ll be about Daniel Day Lewis'’s

adventures in Italy as a cobbler.

What was it like to be Andrew Shue'’s sister?

The podcast called "Shoe Captain"

would be about finding the best steak in New York City.

"Shoe Captain" happened to be

the only domain name available.

Has nothing to do with shoes.

Was Melrose Place a fun set to be around?

Well, that would be about a ship lost at sea filled with shoes.

But it was supposed to be-- being delivered to a Thom McAn,

which I think is closed.

But there'’s one. The Captain knows it.

Carrie Bradshaw from "Sex and the City."

Everything that has to do about shoes and fashion and all that.

- "Shoe Captain." - A woman can'’t be a captain.

[ man laughs ]

- Ugh. - What are you thinking?

I would hope it was about a dude who deals Blackjack,

and he tells all these great stories

about gamblers and idiots and losers

who come to-- out to his table and tell the same joke.

And they'’re totally hammered. Big tip, whatever.

'’Cause you know he's got some excellent stories.

Anyhow they deal out of a shoe.

Get it? Ha ha.

The captain shoe salesperson would be at Nordstrom'’s

with the piano player in the background.

I would totally listen to that podcast.

Open-toe shoes for men.

Now, you'’re not gonna believe these.

They have the three-inch heel.

Yeah.

You wear them with a business suit.

Can you believe it?

This week on the "Shoe Captain."

The podcast about "Shoe Captain" would be dismissed and die.

But anyway, yeah. We went out to lunch at the Tam O'’Shanter.

You know Tam O'’Shanter?

You can get a prime rib there

any time of the day or night.

Yeah, what are we doin'’? Fuckin'’ wordplay?

I don'’t. "Shoe Captain"?

What the fuck? It'’s a quiz now?

Elwood: Would you buy a Shoe Captain t-shirt?

- Again? - [ laughs ]

Huntsberger: Yeah, of course.

♪ ...this sort of life

♪ Doesn'’t come easily. ♪