Podcasts – Page 2 – Squirrel Comedy

Interview with Steele Saunders as his podcast ‘I Love Green Guide Letters’ celebrates its first birthday

By Lisa Clark

Melbourne comedian Steele Saunders is having a very busy and productive time. Not only does he take part in running the successful venue Spleen on Bourke Street Monday nights but he also puts together a popular weekly comedy podcast. I Love Green Guide Letters consists of Steele and a couple of comedy guests getting laughs out of the letters in The Age newspaper’s TV magazine The Green Guide. It’s not that hard, as its often enraged letter writers are currently obsessed with the Green Guide not being as green as it should be and The Age saving money by no longer stapling the pages together, amongst other non TV related things. Also the letters are pretty much an excuse for comedians to get together and be funny.

There are rules at I Love Green Guide Letters; 1 As in Star Trek’s Primary Directive of no interference, the Podcasters will not send letters into the Green Guide, 2. Steele will read the letters out in a high pitched silly voice and 3. There is no talking during the letter reading until he has finished reading the entire letter out.

I Love Green Guide Letters recently celebrated one year of podcasts with a live recording that included special guests outstanding comedian Tom Gleeson and amazingly radio legend Derryn Hinch. I was amazed and pleased that Steele found time to answer these questions.

Where did the idea for your podcast come from?

I was in a really ghetto food court reading the Green Guide Letters which were particularly amazing that day. I actually looked around to see if anyone else was reading them so I could vent about them… but sadly no one was. Instantly I decided to invite friends around each week to ensure someone would chat to me about them.

Did anyone help you start it up / teach you how to do it?

Unsurprisingly there is a podcast about making podcasts; “The Podcast Answer Man”. I purchased some of his tutorials and they run through all the steps and equipment you need. I have no idea what all the knobs I now own do; I just know where to set them. Admittedly, that last sentence out of context could come back to haunt me.

Where do you generally record the podcast?

In my lounge room in South Yarra is the normal spot. It makes for a much more relaxed atmosphere than in a studio where people are used to watching what they say. Plus I don’t have to go anywhere and my neighbours are constantly stunned by the celebrities that pop in to visit me.

Has the podcast moved beyond its original scope?

I actually think it’s pretty much the same format as when I started. Maybe the main difference is we go for a while longer just chatting and riffing about before we get to the letters.

Have you thought about the difference between performing comedy on stage & this being recorded for posterity?

I trip out that 1000’s of people downloaded a show, just you imagine how big a venue that would be. I kinda get paranoid about what they all think of it. At a stand up show you can hear their reaction. I just have to hope someone tweets me after each episode.

How much work goes into preparing the show every week?

The pre show prep is simply me circling the best half dozen of so letters and making sure two people show up at the same time to talk about them. Afterwards is far more time consuming; editing, formatting, uploading, then begging the Internet to listen.
PLEASE GO LISTEN, I’M TYPING THIS SENTENCE ON MY KNEES PEOPLE! WIL ANDERSON IS ON THE LATEST EPISODE… WHAT MORE DO YOU WANT?!

I get the impression that The Green Guide is OK with your podcast and the editor has been your guest, are you relieved and were you surprised at their interest?

I was relieved that a letter I received from Fairfax was about a surprise subscription from my girlfriend rather than legal documents. Initially I think they were a bit stand offish about it, but now they really enjoy it. I guess it would be cool if you had a podcast mocking annoying customers at your work. They did an awesome article about the podcast, which was very surreal.
Newspaper writes story about a podcast that reviews it’s letters… take that MC Escher.

Who have been your favourite guests?

That’s obviously a tough one. 16 year old me thinks having Tony Martin on my podcast is a miracle… but 16 year old me also wants to know what a podcast is.

Do you have a dream guest?

I’ve had quite a few already on, so I’m getting a lot more adventurous with my guest dreaming. I have a list of ones within reality that I’ll keep to myself, the unrealistic list has Jerry Seinfeld at the top.

Have any guests let you down?

I’m too busy judging myself on the podcast to worry about the others. The Tim and Eric one didn’t exactly go to plan… but it features me almost passing out trying not to laugh over them hassling a caller to their office.

Do you have a favourite of the podcasts so far?

My favourite was probably the first live show. To have all these people attend and know all the running jokes from prior shows; just really cool. Plus on that show I managed to get Andy Kindler, one of my comedy heroes and he loved it. I remember looking over at him and literally just thinking, “Andy Kindler is on my podcast”.

Is it hard getting a live show with an audience together?

The sound quality is always a huge concern when you’re doing the live shows I still don’t have it perfect, you want the audience mic’ed up to give the listener the live show feel but it’s a hard balance. So far getting the audience hasn’t been that hard but I’m careful not to burn the concept out. I’d love to do every episode live but I think this will be the last live Melbourne show until the Comedy Festival.

Was it weird recording the podcast in Sydney – a city that does not have The Age let alone the Green Guide?

Yeah that’s kinda odd isn’t it? The fact is doing a podcast about the Green Guide Letters helps listenership in Melbourne but it puts people off elsewhere. But a grip of the podcast reviews on iTunes say along the lines of “have no idea what the Green Guide is or what the shows you are talking about are, but I love the show”. To be honest, most of the shows people write in about… I have no idea what they are. You guys were there at the previous live show when after 10 months we finally found out what “Time Team” was. It was way more fun when we would make up what it was. It’s not about the shows… it’s about the letters.

How long is the usual amount of time between recording and getting it up on line.

The Green Guide comes out on a Thursday, I try to record by Saturday then have the episode up by Tuesday. That way people can listen to the podcast before the next issue of the Green Guide comes out.

Have you had any interesting feedback about the podcast?

A lot of homesick Melbournites living overseas really enjoy it. Maybe it helps them stay away?

Some other podcasts have dropped out over the year, since the boom began, can you see this one continuing?

Of course. But that’s everything, TV shows get cancelled, bands break up. I know two that I listened to every week stopped, but that seemed to be because of people’s paid comedy work getting in the way, which you can’t begrudge… well, as an underemployed comedian I can, but not as a listener.

Do you have any advice to keen wannabe podcasters?

Try to commit yourself to a schedule and make sure that the schedule is manageable. Doing it by myself weekly… it’s a lot of late nights. Make sure, regardless of how many people are downloading, that it’s fun and that you’re learning from it.

Tell us about the Birthday show you recorded in front of an audience on Saturday.

A few months ago I shot Derryn Hinch an email asking him to come on the podcast. I’m a huge fan of his radio show and I had a feeling that he would be a hilarious guest that would be too thick skinned to not be a good sport. The same day he replied yes. I actually remember getting the email after a gig and just being… whoa. It was just weird to see an email from Derryn Hinch in my inbox.

Of course I wanted him for a live show and with the first birthday not too far off it seemed perfect. It was super hard not telling EVERYONE though, but I really wanted to have nice surprise or shock when he was introduced.

Then I needed someone that is hilarious and wouldn’t be intimidated by him, who better than Tom Gleeson?

Thankfully without anyone advertised we sold out our cozy little venue and the show was just so fun. I think Hinch really surprised a lot of people. Both Derryn and Tom were killing and the crowd was the best. Just so much fun.

Thanks you guys for the support of the show, and to all the amazing talent that have come on to muck about with me and to the Letter Lovers that listen every week; my sincerest appreciation.

You can download and find out more about I love Green Guide Letters at their website http://ilovegreenguideletters.com/

Justin Hamilton somehow finds time to explain The Shelf Podcast

By Lisa Clark

The Shelf Podcast accompanies a comedy room curated by yourself and Adam Richard, was there always going to be a companion podcast?

That was always the plan. We originally wanted to record the game show and put that up as a podcast but it would have cost way too much to put together. We may do something like that in the future but for now it will be Adam and I with the occasional guest.

Was the podcast always planned to keep going at times when the show itself was not on?

Definitely. Since we decided that The Shelf would be produced season to season the idea of a podcast that bridged the gap was always the plan.

You are both workaholics from what I can gather and have discussed on The Shelf the stress this can create.

Apart from preparing for upcoming festival shows Adam Richard has recently hosted the Showdown on Sunday afternoons and Justin Hamilton has been in Adelaide for The Fringe Festival.

Justin Hamilton – The blog and Podcasts Can You Take this Photo Please? And Dig Flicks

Adam Richard, – The radio gig/s, online blogs, promoting Outland and looking after Fab’s online presence as well as podcast The Poofcast.

Have I missed anything?

The work Adam does every day for radio is out of control. I think he works three different markets every morning all over Australia so it isn’t just Fox FM in Melbourne. I am staggered at the amount of work that goes into what appears to be a breezy grab each day.

I have also been producing a late night show in Adelaide for the Fringe Festival while working for the Talk Fringe website interviewing performers and audience. While in Adelaide I also hosted the Adelaide Comedy Gala, performed in the Adelaide Debate and hosted the South Australian final of Raw Comedy. I produce and host a show out in Berwick that happens once a month. I also have a weekly movie and TV review spot for Botica’s Bunch in Perth, their number one breakfast radio show that I’ve been lucky to be a part of for the last five years. In my spare time I am finishing up the latest draft of my first manuscript that will hopefully see the light of the day at the end of the year.

Oh…and I’m directing Tegan Higginbotham’s first solo MICF show.

You’re only here for a short time, no point in lounging around. People are quite surprised to know I’m usually working anywhere between 9am to midnight most days. I know people don’t believe me when I tell them that I’m busy but this is what my life has been like for at least the last five years.

How does the Shelf podcast fit in with the other podcasts you both do?

This is 100% what Adam and I sound like when the mics aren’t on. That is one of the things we love about the podcast and I think it has worked even better while I’m in Adelaide. We really are just catching up. If you listen to our latest podcast you will hear us talk about everything from Yumi Stynes to The Dark Knight Rises to my disdain for bread that won’t toast properly. “Can You Take This Photo Please?” is more about interviewing comedians and the like about their process and history in regards to their craft with anecdotes to pepper the tales while “Helliar and Hammo Dig Flicks!” is really just two movie buffs getting extremely nerdy with each other and our guests.

Do you see this as an avenue to explore different topics to your other podcasts?

We literally do no preparation for the Shelfcast. Invariably when the show starts is exactly when we’ve begun talking to each other. I love the spontaneity of it. I’m as surprised as anyone to hear what we’ve talked about when I listen back to the show.

Has the podcast has morphed into something beyond its original scope?

The great thing about podcasts is that is there is no governing regulation stating what makes a good show and what makes a bad show. Therefore it is completely creative and isn’t trapped by a set of didactic guidelines that try to dictate how a podcast should work. I would hope that all the podcasts I’m involved with are slowly morphing over time. My prediction is once they introduce podcasts awards; if they haven’t already; we’ll see a conservatism begin to sneak in as people chase the “prize”.

You often talk about how you love to get together and chat at your favourite café. I think you’ve captured that well on the podcast. Listening in to your conversations is like sitting at a nearby table and listening in to your private conversations. Do you sometimes forget that there is an Audience listening?

Without a doubt.

Have you thought about the difference between performing this sort of chat live & it being recorded for posterity?

When you’re performing live there is a sense of responsibility to go for the laughs more but since people are listening to podcasts driving or going for a jog etc I think there is an easy going nature to just recording your conversations and letting the jokes flow a bit more naturally. It is good to think about what you’re saying though. I was quoted from one podcast recently in regards to the Jim Schembri scandal. You never know who is listening out there.

Are the recordings edited afterwards?

Adam and I don’t but we’ve had guests on who like to change something a little bit later.

In the first series, last year I noticed that you had some Shelf regulars as guests, such as Tegan Higginbotham and Gatesy and Not as many guests in 2^nd series of podcasts.

That is purely down to time and distance. I’m still in Adelaide and Adam can call me first thing in the morning to record. Have you ever attempted to organise a gaggle of comics? It can be a nightmare!

Can we expect that the live Shelf shows during Melbourne International Comedy Festival will be like the previous versions of the show?

I think there will be elements that will be similar, there will be the chat with Adam and I, possibly even some guests for that part. I remember the night we flew Wil Anderson down just for the chat was a highlight. I also enjoyed performing an old Bunta Boys song with Gatesy a lot. I hadn’t warbled in public in over 12 years! The singing might have needed some work but it was gratifying to see a 15-year-old comedy song still get big laughs. We’re re-introducing the game show for the MICF. We will also have a few new regulars and special guests. We’ll always keep you guessing. The idea behind the show was never to reinvent comedy. The idea was to provide a show that was exactly that: a show. That way we could intertwine skits, character comedy, stand up, musical comedy and games. I’m very proud of everyone who was involved in the first two seasons, I think it inspired them to some of their best work yet. This was the kind of room I would have loved to have seen when I was a young man.

Monday nights are becoming increasingly popular for performers. Please give our readers 5 reasons to choose to come and see The Shelf during The Melbourne International Comedy Festival.

1. We have some very special guests who are going to make cameos every night alongside our regular crew.
2. For a measly $25 you will be treated to a two-hour show that is unlike any comedy show in Australia.
3. You will see some of your favourite acts in a way that you’re not used to seeing them eg Gatesy performing stand up, Wil not performing stand up, Tegan Higginbotham and Adam Rozenbachs nailing the news etc
4. You won’t see this show on TV because we want this show to be naughty, dangerous and exciting…something that TV executives just don’t understand. This is what a comedy night should be.
5. European Man.

You can listen to the podcast from The Shelf website http://shelvers.com.au/

You can get tickets or a season pass to see the naughty, dangerous and exciting The Shelf live during the Melbourne International Comedy Festival here

The Little Dum Dum Club – Tommy Dassalo & Karl Chandler

By Jayden Edwards.

The Little Dum Dum Club has risen above a sea of local podcasts to become one of the most downloaded shows out there. It’s nothing fancy, just two blokes having a yarn, plus a special guest. It’s the shows simplicity and gosh darn likeable and self deprecating hosts Tommy Dassalo and Karl Chandler that keeps the listeners and guests coming.

With big success over in the U.S with the Will Ferrell backed “Earwolf Challenge” and the boys about to embark on a run of shows recorded live from the Melbourne International Comedy Festival, the show just keeps going from strength to strength. Karl was kind enough to let me pick his brains to find out a bit more about the show.

How did this beautiful partnership begin, how did you guys meet?
We met whilst working on Channel 31’s Studio A. We didn’t really know each other through standup, and it didn’t take long until Tommy fell for my irresistible charm, Hollywood looks and pleasant odor.

So, the podcast, how did the whole Sha-bang start?
Well, we seemed to enjoy mucking around backstage at Studio A more than actually doing the on-air stuff. We’d make each other laugh a lot before and after gigs, and thought that it was sometimes a lot funnier than what was happening on stage. And we thought a podcast would finally legitimise all the time wasted, hanging out and acting as stupidly as we possibly could.

So what’s the routine? How do you guys prepare every week? Straight into it?
We have a guest every week, so we’ll think about what we want to talk about with them, whether it’s questions about what they’re up to, or subject matter about our own lives that we think they’ll be able to riff on. We do feel the radio host grind a little.. we’re constantly looking around during the week for things to do that we can talk about on the podcast. Real life chews up a lot of content. I find myself praying that my girlfriend does something stupid.

Has your show changed/Evolved away from your original vision of it?
I don’t think the initial idea of the show has changed much. We always wanted a guest in every week, and to simply be as funny as we possibly can. I didn’t forsee us talking as much about our personal life as we have, and getting so many listeners, to be honest. It is that weird thing where you meet people who listen and they know everything about you. That’s when I remember that I’m not just in a little room, talking to a mate. I’m spewing the minutae of my stupid little life onto the internet for thousands of people to listen to instead of doing something productive.

You’ve managed to grab some pretty high profile guests, like Weird Al Yankoic and Marc Maron, how do you go about getting them.
Sometimes we know people, sometimes we know people who know people. Marc Maron was very kind to come and talk to us, and given that’s really how he’s made his name, maybe he felt like he should come and help out another podcast. Or maybe it was because we told him we were Hamish and Andy.

Last year you guys came 2nd in a reality podcast competition ran by U.S digital comedy site “Earwolf” . That must of been exciting?
It was! Tommy organised our entry to start with, and we really didn’t know what was going on.. but it quickly exposed us to thousands more American listeners, and ended up with us in Los Angeles and New York, performing on bills with Azis Ansari and Sarah Silverman.

So you’ve been going for a bit over a year now, who have been some of your favourite guests?
We loved having Shaun Micallef on the show, given than we love him and we were just really keen to try to get a laugh out of him. And we loved having American comedian Paul F. Tompkins on twice. He’s just a lovely, giving man and extremely funny. I think his episodes might be our best ones.

How about shockers? Any guests that just haven’t been into it?
Not really. Everyone who’s done the show has done us a big favour, and even if someone isn’t that into it, we feel it’s our job to cover for that, and be extra funny to make up for it. Having said that, Bob Hope will never be on the show again.

Do you have a dream guest?
We’ve been trying to get Tony Martin since we started, but we think someone must have told him that Mick Molloy is a Dum Dum Club cast member. Either that, or he has a life.

The live shows! Every Monday night during the festival, what have you got in store?
We have three special guests every show, and we’re currently booking big name, surprise guests now. We’re definitely having famous people that we’ve never had on before, and we’re working on some surprises that aren’t usually part of the normal podcast. We really love performing to a live audience, and we’re looking forward to meeting people that come to the show, even if it’s only out the front after the show, giving refunds.

Click here to grab the show from Itunes
Or Non itunes: http://dumdumclub.libsyn.com/
Grab tickets for Little Dum Dum Club: Live Podcast with Karl Chandler and Tommy Dassalo, every Monday night of the Melbourne International Comedy Festival here: http://www.comedyfestival.com.au/2012/season/shows/little-dum-dum-club-live-podcast-with-karl-chandler-and-tommy-dassalo/