Beginnings

Beginnings episode 98: Mitch Magee

Wresting Team (Wrestling Team) — Thu, 16 May 2013 04:05:32 +0000

On today’s show, we talk to writer and director Mitch Magee. With a background in visual art, Mitch makes comedic videos and short films with a very unique aesthetic. His works have been part of the New York Television Festival, Channel 101, and HBO’s Funny or Die Presents, and he’s directed videos for websites like College Humor and Funny or Die. His short film “Thank You, Cabbage” is now in pre-production.

A few weeks ago, Mitch came over to Andy's old Harlem apartment to talk about a wide range of things including: Roco and rococo, hot air balloons, New Hollywood, WTF, control issues and emotional repression, creating with constraints, privilege, as well as parents and creating your life in reaction to them.

Subscribe on iTunes and leave a review! And why not follow Andy and Mark on Twitter?

Beginnings episode 97: Katja Blichfeld and Casting

Wresting Team (Wrestling Team) — Thu, 09 May 2013 03:00:00 +0000

On this episode of Beginnings: Field Guide, we talk about casting with Katja Blichfeld. For beginning – and even seasoned – actors, the world of casting can seem incredibly random and opaque. To walk us through the ways in which casting contributes to the creative process of a project, we talked with Katja, who has cast a number of features and shows, including the The Carrie Diaries, as well as the entire run of 30 Rock.

As well as the ins and outs of casting, Katja shares with us some stories from the early days of 30 Rock, we chat about the possibility of non-cynical networking, plus there's movie talk with the gang as we hit up Rocky, The Shining and Whore's Glory; and Mark and Andy discuss their humiliating commercial auditions in the wrap-up!

Subscribe on iTunes and leave a review! And why not follow Andy and Mark on Twitter?

Beginnings episode 96: Bill Griffith

Wresting Team (Wrestling Team) — Thu, 02 May 2013 13:32:22 +0000

On today's show, we talk to cartoonist Bill Griffith. Bill began his comics career in the late 1960s in New York before eventually heading out west to San Francisco to be part of the burgeoning underground comics scene in the 1970s, where he co-founded the comics anthology Arcade with Art Spiegelman. Around this time, Griffith also created his brilliant daily strip Zippy the Pinhead, which runs today in over 100 newspapers and has been compiled in numerous collections.

Earlier this month while in town for the MoCCA indie comics festival, Bill stopped by Andy's apartment in Harlem to discuss America as a nation of losers, the guilt and paranoia of influence, the Beat poets and Greenwich Village in the '50s and '60s, growing up in Levittown, having parents that lived through the depression and WWII, and the failed Zippy film.

Also, check out our 100th episode live in May at UCB East on the 7th with Sam Seder (Majority Report, Bob's Burgers), J.J. Sedelmaier (TV Funhouse), indie rock band Parquet Courts and musical guest Dan Friel (Thrill Jockey) + more! In the meantime subscribe on iTunes and leave a review. And why not follow Andy and Mark on Twitter?

Beginnings episode 95: Live at MoCCA Fest w/ Lisa Hanawalt, Gabrielle Bell, Kate Beaton and Bill Plympton

Wresting Team (Wrestling Team) — Mon, 29 Apr 2013 04:25:22 +0000

Welcome to MoCCA Week on Beginnings! At the start of April, the Society of Illustrators helped us put together a live episode of the show at the annual Museum of Comic and Cartoon Art (MoCCA) Festival, a convention in New York dedicated to indie comics, illustration and animation. We invited some of our favorite comics people on the show, and even had some surprise drop ins, and generally had a blast. Big thanks to the Society for welcoming us into the festival!

Also, check out our 100th episode live in May at UCB East on the 7th with Sam Seder (Majority Report, Bob's Burgers), J.J. Sedelmaier (TV Funhouse), indie rock band Parquet Courts and musical guest Dan Friel (Thrill Jockey) + more! In the meantime subscribe on iTunes and leave a review. And why not follow Andy and Mark on Twitter?

Beginnings episode 94: Michael Gottwald

Wresting Team (Wrestling Team) — Thu, 25 Apr 2013 03:32:45 +0000

On today's show, we talk to filmmaker and producer Michael Gottwald. Michael graduated from Wesleyan University in 2006 and went to work on a number of film and video projects - including producing Big Freedia's video for "Y'All Get Back Now" - before beginning production on the film Beasts of the Southern Wild with writer and director Benh Zeitlin. Since it's debut last year, Beasts has racked up a number of accolades including the Caméra d'Or award at the 2012 Cannes Film Festival, the Grand Jury Prize: Dramatic at the 2012 Sundance Film Festival, and four Academy Award nominations at this year's Oscars.

A couple week's ago, Michael stopped by Andy's apartment in Harlem to chat with the lads. We eulogize Roger Ebert, talk about going back to visit your high school, learn about attending the Oscars, discuss the pathology of indecisiveness, and get a visit from Andy's weird landlord!

Check out our 100th episode live in May at UCB East on the 7th with Sam Seder (Majority Report, Bob's Burgers), indie rock band Parquet Courts and musical guest Dan Friel (Thrill Jockey) + more! In the meantime subscribe on iTunes and leave a review. And why not follow Andy and Mark on Twitter?

Beginnings episode 93: Aisha Tyler

Wresting Team (Wrestling Team) — Thu, 18 Apr 2013 04:14:00 +0000

On today's show, we talk to actress and comedian Aisha Tyler. Starting stand-up in the early 1990s in San Francisco, Aisha's first break in TV came in 2001 when she began hosting Talk Soup. Since then, she's kept incredibly busy with roles on shows like Friends and Ghost Whisperer, and as Lana Kane on FX's Archer, as well as co-hosting CBS's The Talk and hosting her own hit podcast Girl on Guy. In addition to all of this, this year her second book Self-Inflicted Wounds will be released and later this summer, she'll take over as host of Whose Line Is It Anyway?

A few weeks ago, while Aisha was in town for an Archer live show, we stopped by her hotel room to discuss putting your time in and doing the work, childhood knowledge of genocide, what it's like to grow up with artistic-minded parents, and of course clone sex.

Check out our 100th episode live in May at UCB East on the 7th with some of the members of indie rock group Parquet Courts and more! In the meantime subscribe on iTunes and leave a review. And why not follow Andy and Mark on Twitter and laff it up!®

Beginnings episode 92: Live with Jessi Klein, Alex Karpovsky, Jake and Amir, and Savoir Adore

Wresting Team (Wrestling Team) — Thu, 11 Apr 2013 04:03:18 +0000

I know that a large portion of the listening audience doesn’t live in New York, but holy heck are these live shows a lot of fun. And this recording still retains a guaranteed 75-85% of that fun, so please enjoy how great Jessi Klein (head writer of Inside Amy Schumer), Alex Karpovsky (Girls), Jake & Amir (College Humor) and our musical guest Savoir Adore were last Tuesday at the esteemed UCB East Theatre!

We’ll probably have a live show in May so look out for that, and in the meantime subscribe on iTunes and leave a review. And why not follow Andy and Mark on Twitter and laff it up!®

Beginnings episode 91: Nicholas Gurewitch

Wresting Team (Wrestling Team) — Thu, 04 Apr 2013 03:22:51 +0000

On today's show, we talk to writer and artist Nicholas Gurewitch. Nick began writing and drawing his comic the Perry Bible Fellowship in his college paper, and since then, the comic has appeared in a number of newspapers and magazines and was released in two anthologies by Dark Horse Comics. Nick has also won some of the top awards in comics for the Perry Bible Fellowship including the Ignatz Award, the Harvey Award and the Eisner Award.

A few weeks ago, while accidentally in town for a canceled meeting, Nick stopped by the Wrestling Team apartment to discuss Disney and classical music, memory and creativity, and transcendence and religion.

Subscribe on iTunes and follow Andy and Mark on Twitter!

Beginnings episode 90: Steve Keene

Wresting Team (Wrestling Team) — Thu, 28 Mar 2013 04:16:21 +0000

On today's show we talk to artist Steve Keene. Based in Greenpoint, Brooklyn, Steve has been called the "Assembly-Line Picasso" by Time Magazine because of his unique mass-production painting style. Steve likens this method to the way musicians work, and he's painted the album art for many indie rock bands, including Pavement, The Apples in Stereo, The Silver Jews and many others.

A few weeks ago, we met up with Steve at his studio space, and got in deep about painting as performance, the satisfaction of doing actual labor, and taking your inspiration from musicians. We also got to see his workspace up close and get a real feel for how he makes art. It was a treat!

Subscribe on iTunes and follow Andy and Mark on Twitter! See a live episode on April 2nd at UCB East at 8pm comedian Jessi Klein, Jake and Amir of College Humor, Alex Karpovsky from Girls and music from Savoir Adore!

Beginnings episode 89: Lou Sanders

Wresting Team (Wrestling Team) — Thu, 21 Mar 2013 05:14:00 +0000

On today's show, we talk to UK comedian Lou Sanders. Based in London, Lou has been performing stand-up for many years, with a number of appearances at the Edinburgh Fringe, where she had one of the top 10 jokes of the 2012 Festival. She also writes for TV and has worked on two series of C4’s Stand up for the Week, as well as BBC3’s Laughtershock & a number of pilots.

A few weeks ago, while she was in town for a few days doing shows, Lou stopped by the Wrestling Team apartment to have the most sincere recorded conversation ever. We talk about divorce, meditation, adult wants, and we debut our new CREEPIEST segment ever!

Subscribe on iTunes and follow Andy and Mark on Twitter! See a live episode on April 2nd at UCB East at 8pm comedian Jessi Klein, Jake and Amir of College Humor and more!

Beginnings episode 88: Live with Dave Hill, Broad City and Hilly Eye

Wresting Team (Wrestling Team) — Thu, 14 Mar 2013 04:04:58 +0000

Ka-zoink! My eyes just popped outta my head like a cartoon character thanks to this last live show at UCB East. We had a weird blast, and now you can join in on the fun we had with author and bon-vivant Dave Hill, Abbi and Ilana of the newly-announced Comedy Central show Broad City and Catherine and Amy of the band Hilly Eye. Not even a missing middle of the show can take away from our charming guests!

Subscribe on iTunes and follow Andy and Mark on Twitter! See a live episode on April 2nd at UCB East at 8pm comedian Jessi Klein, Jake and Amir of College Humor and more!

Beginnings episode 87: Rob Hatch Miller and Puloma Basu

Wresting Team (Wrestling Team) — Thu, 07 Mar 2013 04:54:10 +0000

On today’s show we talk to filmmakers Rob Hatch-Miller and Puloma Basu. Rob and Puloma are accomplished filmmakers and documentarians, and along with Best Show creator Tom Scharpling, they make up Production Company Productions. Over the last few years, the three have created a large number of funny and interesting music videos for acts such as The New Pornographers, Ted Leo, Ben Gibbard and Aimee Mann.

Over the weekend, Rob and Puloma came over to the Wrestling Team apartment to get in deep about music (John Vanderslice, Midlake, Bob Mould, Husker Du, Parquet Courts and Palma Violets!), and chat about how Puloma used to run with Indian street musicians, Andy's childish palette, as well as Rob and Puloma's collaborations with Tom Scharpling.

Subscribe on iTunes and follow Andy and Mark on Twitter! See a live episode on April 2nd at UCB East at 8pm with a sweet line-up TBA!

Beginnings episode 86: Jonathan Mitchell

Wresting Team (Wrestling Team) — Thu, 28 Feb 2013 04:00:00 +0000

On today’s show we talk to Jonathan Mitchell. Jonathan is a radio producer, composer, and co-creator of the amazing podcast The Truth. As a producer, he's created pieces for many shows including Radiolab, Studio 360, This American Life, and All Things Considered. As a composer, he's written music for PBS' Nova and the videogame The Sims, and his radio drama podcast The Truth was named as one of the best podcasts of 2012 by iTunes.

Last week, Jonathan came over to the Wrestling Team apartment to give Andy a master class in pronunciations, as well as to reminisce about childhood tape recorders, chat about music theory and recording techniques and discuss studying with composer Alvin Curran.nes.

Subscribe on iTunes and follow Andy and Mark on Twitter! See a live episode on March 5th at UCB East at 8pm with author/performer Dave Hill, Ilana Glazer and Abbi Jacobson of Broad City, the band Hilly Eye (ex-Titus Andronicus) and more!

Beginnings episode 85: Ben Marcus

Wresting Team (Wrestling Team) — Thu, 21 Feb 2013 04:33:49 +0000

On today’s show we talk to author Ben Marcus. An Associate Professor at Columbia, Ben's work has appeared in Harper's, The New Yorker, The Paris Review, The New York Times, and many other publications, and he's won numerous awards including an NEA Fellowship. Ben's also penned four fantastic books: The Father Costume, The Age of Wire and String, Notable American Women, and his latest, The Flame Alphabet, which was just released last year by Alfred A. Knopf.

Last week, Ben was nice enough to come to the Wrestling Team apartment and have a wonderfully fun discussion about shaming yourself into making art, woodworking and parental failures. It was a delight!

Subscribe on iTunes and follow Andy and Mark on Twitter! See a live episode on March 5th at UCB East at 8pm with author/performer Dave Hill, Ilana Glazer (and maybe Abbi Jacobson) of Broad City and more!

Beginnings episode 84: Hayden

Wresting Team (Wrestling Team) — Mon, 18 Feb 2013 08:51:52 +0000

On today’s show we talk to musician Hayden Desser. Hailing from Ontario, Hayden released his first album Everything I Long For in 1995. Somewhere in-between alt-country, indie rock and any other number of genres, Hayden simply writes beautiful and emotionally-involving songs, and since 1995, has recorded six equally engaging albums. His latest, Us Alone, was just released on Arts and Crafts earlier this month.

Early last week, while in town for a show, Hayden was kind enough to sit down with Andy at the offices of his publicist for a computer-glitched conversation about parasitology, music theory, daddy issues, formaldehyde and birthday parties, as well as feeling pretentious about being interviewed about your craft. Plus, a wonderful acoustic rendition of "Rainy Saturday"!

Subscribe on iTunes and follow Andy and Mark on Twitter! See a live episode on March 5th at UCB East at 8pm! (lineup TBD!)

Beginnings episode 83: Live with Andrew W.K., Opus Moreschi, Marnie Stern, Chris Gethard and Reggie Watts

Wresting Team (Wrestling Team) — Thu, 14 Feb 2013 03:48:00 +0000

Yow! We celebrate our one year anniversary of the live show at UCB East with our most packed line-up yet including head writer of The Colbert Report, Opus Moreschi; indie rock guitarist Marnie Stern; host of The Chris Gethard Show, Chris Gethard; musician Andrew W.K. and comedian Reggie Watts. Holy heck! Here's to 1000 more years of live episodes!

Subscribe on iTunes and follow Andy and Mark on Twitter! See us live in March at UCB East! (probably!)

Beginnings episode 82: The Debate Society

Wresting Team (Wrestling Team) — Thu, 07 Feb 2013 04:17:57 +0000

On today’s show we talk to playwrights Hannah Bos, Paul Thureen and Oliver Butler, collectively known as The Debate Society. The Debate Society is a Brooklyn-based theater company that specializes in creating unexpected stories set in intricately-detailed, cinematic worlds. Named Ars Nova’s 2013 Company-in-Residence, Bos, Thureen and Butler’s latest show Blood Play will be featured at ArtsEmerson’s Next Thing Festival in Boston later this month.

Last week, Hannah, Paul and Oliver stopped by the Wrestling Team apartment for a wonderful talk in which the following topics were discussed: history, architecture, contradictions, following your instincts and zeppelins!

Subscribe on iTunes and follow Andy and Mark on Twitter! See us live in March at UCB East! (probably!)

Beginnings episode 81: Jackie Kashian

Wresting Team (Wrestling Team) — Thu, 31 Jan 2013 05:01:11 +0000

On today's show we talk to stand-up Jackie Kashian. Based in Los Angeles, Jackie has been a touring comedian for the last fifteen years. She has her own Comedy Central Presents, was a finalist on Last Comic Standing and has appeared on everything from Tough Crowd to Premium Blend and even Murphy Brown. You can also hear her weekly on her fantastic podcast The Dork Forest, where she interviews people about their obsessions.

A few weeks ago, while in town for the inaugural NYC Podfest, Jackie came over to the Wrestling Team apartment to discuss the controversy over Shakespeare, the fiscal realities of performing and her one-person show. Then Andy and Mark discuss the coming class war!

Subscribe on iTunes and see us live at UCB East on Feb. 5th at 8pm with Andrew W.K., Opus Moreschi (head writer of The Colbert Report), Chris Gethard and Marnie Stern (Kill Rock Stars)! Don't miss this one!

Beginnings episode 80: Tom Purcell

Wresting Team (Wrestling Team) — Thu, 24 Jan 2013 04:47:14 +0000

On today's show, we talk to Tom Purcell. Based in New York, Tom is the executive producer of The Colbert Report, and has won two Emmys for his work. Starting in Chicago with Second City, he eventually went on to write for Cosby, Bill Cosby's show from the late '90s and Grounded for Life with Donal Logue and Kevin Corrigan. In 2008, Tom joined Colbert and has been there ever since.

A few weeks ago, Tom came over to the Wrestling Team apartment while Colbert was on break for the holidays and chatted with Andy about writing as mourning, experience over intellectualization, working with Bill Cosby and juggling rusty scythes.

Subscribe on iTunes and see us live at UCB East on Feb. 5th at 8pm with musical guests The Heliotropes and some amazing special guests that we can't talk about yet! Don't miss this one!

Beginnings episode 79: Live with Au Revoir Simone, Josh Patten and Molly Crabapple

Wresting Team (Wrestling Team) — Thu, 17 Jan 2013 06:03:41 +0000

Holy mackerel! This may very well be our most fun live show yet! On January 8th, we were joined by Erika Forster and Annie Hart from one of our favorite bands Au Revoir Simone, one of our favorite performers Josh Patten (performer at UCB and a writer on SNL Weekend Update), and one of our favorite artists Molly Crabapple (the founder of Dr. Sketchy's Anti-Art School). We laughed, we loved, we heard about their earliest creative memories. And even did a little demo work for a PR firm that paid us big buck$ to poll our audience!

Subscribe on iTunes and follow Andy and Mark on Twitter! See us live in February at UCB East! (probably!)

Beginnings episode 78: Sara Benincasa

Wresting Team (Wrestling Team) — Thu, 10 Jan 2013 05:50:30 +0000

On today's show we talk to writer and performer Sara Benincasa. While now based in LA, Sara got her start in New York, where she did everything from host a show on Sirius to make videos for the Huffington Post. She writes for Jane and Vice.com, and last year, her book Agorafabulous!, based on her-one woman show about her struggles with agoraphobia, was published by William Morrow.

Right before Christmas, we sat down with Sara at The PIT, hours before her stand-up show, and talked about everything from comedy in the wake of national tragedies, to income and privilege, to the time Andy bombed opening for Jonah Ray.

Subscribe on iTunes and see us on Saturday at the NYC Podfest with Halley Feiffer (The Squid and the Whale, Bored to Death), Julieanne Smolinski (Rolling Stone's 25 Funniest People on Twitter) and musical guest Mike Pace (Oxford Collapse, Worst Gig Ever podcast)!

Beginnings Field Guide episode 27: The Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre NY

Wresting Team (Wrestling Team) — Thu, 03 Jan 2013 05:42:30 +0000

On today's show we talk to Nate Dern and John Frusciante, the Artistic and Associate Artistic Directors of the Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre NY. Founded in the late '90s by Matt Besser, Matt Walsh, Ian Roberts and Amy Poehler, the UCB Theatre has come to prominence in the last decade as one of the best comedy theaters in the country, as well as a pipeline for many into industry careers, as graduates have gone on to Saturday Night Live, The Daily Show, The Office and many other TV shows and movies.

Early in December, we sat down with Nate and John in the back of the UCB Training Center to talk about the nuts and bolts of running the Theatre and some of the difficulties they've faced.

Subscribe on iTunes and see us live at UCB East on Jan. 8th at 8pm with artist Molly Crabapple (Dr. Sketchy's Anti-Art School) and Erika and Annie of indie rock band Au Revoir Simone; and at the NYC Podfest with Halley Feiffer (The Squid and the Whale, Bored to Death), Julieanne Smolinski (Rolling Stone's 25 Funniest People on Twitter) and musical guest Mike Pace (Oxford Collapse, Worst Gig Ever podcast)!

Beginnings episode 77: Elna Baker

Wresting Team (Wrestling Team) — Thu, 27 Dec 2012 05:33:00 +0000

On today's show we talk to New York-based writer and performer Elna Baker. Raised internationally, Elna moved to New York to study performance at NYU and soon became enmeshed in the stand-up and improv scene. Since then, she's co-founded the variety show The Talent Show and become a sought-after storyteller, contributing to places like This American Life. Her first book, The New York Regional Mormon Singles Halloween Dance, which chronicles her dating life as a Mormon in New York City, was published in 2009.

A few weeks ago, Elna came over to the Wrestling Team apartment to discuss her painful childhood shyness, faith and creativity, and her father's meat-cleaver wielding attacker.

Subscribe on iTunes and see us live at UCB East on Jan. 8th at 8pm with artist Molly Crabapple (Dr. Sketchy's Anti-Art School) and more or at the NYC Podfest with Halley Feiffer (The Squid and the Whale, Bored to Death), Julieanne Smolinski (Rolling Stone's 25 Funniest People on Twitter) and musical guest Mike Pace (Oxford Collapse, Worst Gig Ever podcast)!

Beginnings episode 76: Pete Grosz

Wresting Team (Wrestling Team) — Thu, 20 Dec 2012 02:04:00 +0000

On today's show we talk to writer and performer Peter Grosz. Based in New York, Pete got his start in sketch and improv in Chicago with Second City and later in Amsterdam with Boom Chicago. Since then, he's written for Dave "Gruber" Allen and David Koechner's Naked Trucker show, wrote for The Colbert Report and most recently played reporter Sidney Purcell on HBO's Veep.

A few weeks ago, Pete stopped by the Wrestling Team apartment to talk with us about ripping off Stephen Wright, following your own path in comedy and the continual search for your voice. It's a hot one folks with an amazingly smart and funny guy, so blast those ear buds!

Subscribe on iTunes and see us live at UCB East on Jan. 8th at 8pm or at the NYC Podfest with Halley Feiffer (The Squid and the Whale, Bored to Death), Julieanne Smolinski (Rolling Stone's 25 Funniest People on Twitter) and musical guest Mike Pace (Oxford Collapse, Worst Gig Ever podcast)!

Beginnings episode 75: Live with Frank Conniff, Baratunde Thurston and Jean Grae

Wresting Team (Wrestling Team) — Thu, 13 Dec 2012 05:30:00 +0000

Holy heck. This may be one of our favorite episodes ever. Mystery Science Theater 3000's Frank Conniff, author of the NYT bestseller How to Be Black Baratunde Thurston and hip-hop superstar Jean Grae joined us on a funseasonably warm December night at UCB East for a completely amazing live show where we talked about being forced into creative activities by our parents, berating people during phone sex and a Minneapolis Arby's that's afraid of a homeless man. CHECK THIS OUT!

Subscribe in iTunes, and follow Andy on Twitter @WrestlingTeam!

Beginnings Field Guide episode 26: We Killed: The Rise of Women in American Comedy

Wresting Team (Wrestling Team) — Thu, 06 Dec 2012 03:54:02 +0000

On today's show we talk to Yael Kohen, a contributing editor to Marie Claire and author of the book We Killed: The Rise of Women in American Comedy. Starting with Phyllis Diller, Elaine May and Joan Rivers, We Killed goes back through the last 60 years of comedy history and restores the forgotten and minimized stories of women in comedy.

A few weeks ago, Yael came over to the Manhattan Wrestling Team apartment to discuss her book, as well as some larger questions dealing with gender and comedy. Also, marvel at Mark and Andy's pure male privilege-induced stupidity!

Subscribe in iTunes, and follow Andy on Twitter @WrestlingTeam!

Beginnings episode 74: Live with Ethan Berlin and Prairie Empire

Wresting Team (Wrestling Team) — Thu, 29 Nov 2012 01:31:00 +0000

Yow! We got a hot one for you this week. Due to a scheduling snafu, our monthly live episode at UCB East had to be pre-empted, so instead, we decided to put on one in Andy’s apartment with some of our favorite people: Ethan Berlin, co-creator of Bunk and writer on Billy on the Street and the new Best Week Ever, as well as neo-folk group Prairie Empire, who played two amazing tunes, and has a record out on Trailer Fire Records. It was a super fun time, and we even debut a BRAND NEW SEGMENT: From the Drawer!

Subscribe on iTunes and come see Beginnings: Live at UCB East on 12/4 at 8pm. Featuring MST3K’s Frank Conniff, author of How to Be Black Baratunde Thurston and and hip-hop superstar Jean Grae!

Beginnings episode 73: Jerrod Carmichael

Wresting Team (Wrestling Team) — Wed, 21 Nov 2012 06:09:35 +0000

On today's show, we talk to LA-based comedian Jerrod Carmichael. Jerrod started stand-up in Winston-Salem, North Carolina when he was 20, and through a great deal of hard-work has quickly become a notable stand-up, landing on Variety's Top 10 Comics to Watch list in 2011. While continuing to perform at places like Meltdown and the Laugh Factory, he's also branched out into TV, having contributed to Odd Future's Adult Swim show and landing a supporting role on the Fox sitcom The Goodwin Games.

Last week, at the tail-end of the New York Comedy Festival, Jerrod stopped by the Manhattan Wrestling Team apartment for a late-night Beginnings episode; we talked about being conscious and present in the moment, cats, car services, and Jerrod gives us one of the best answers ever for Dream Project!

Subscribe on iTunes and come see Beginnings: Live at UCB East on 12/4 at 8pm. Featuring MST3K’s Frank Conniff, author of How to Be Black Baratunde Thurston and and hip-hop superstar Jean Grae!

Beginnings episode 72: Jessie Stein/The Luyas

Wresting Team (Wrestling Team) — Mon, 19 Nov 2012 06:37:49 +0000

On today's show we talk to Jessie Stein of the Montreal-based multi-instrumental indie rock band The Luyas. Previously in the band SS Cardiacs, Jessie began playing music as a teenager, and formed the Luyas in 2006 with a number of other Canadian musicians. Since then, the band has released three albums, Faker Death, Too Beautiful to Work and their latest Animator, which was just released in October.

A few weeks ago, The Luyas were in town in the direct aftermath of Hurricane Sandy. After they performed at the Cake Shop, we met for a quick interview nearby in a Lower East Side coffeeshop and talked about Jessie's Wes Anderson-y past and inspiration-based vs. workmanlike creativity.

Subscribe on iTunes and come see Beginnings: Live at UCB East on 12/4 at 8pm. Featuring MST3K's Frank Conniff, author of How to Be Black Baratunde Thurston and and hip-hop superstar Jean Grae!

Beginnings episode 71: Sam Lipsyte

Wresting Team (Wrestling Team) — Thu, 15 Nov 2012 06:17:42 +0000

On today's show, we talk to writer Sam Lipsyte. Based in New York City, Sam has written for numerous publications including The New Yorker, Open City, The New York Times Book Review, Esquire and The Paris Review. In 2000, a book of Sam's short stories was published, and since then, he has released three novels - The Subject Steve, Home Land, and The Ask. In 2008, he was awarded a Guggenheim Fellowship and Sam's latest novel, The Fun Parts, will be released by Farrar, Straus and Giroux on March 13th of next year.

Last week during a snap blizzard, Sam was nice enough to trek over from Columbia to the Manhattan Wrestling Team apartment for an amazing conversation in which he tells us about the delayed gratification of writing and how to recognize when you are bullshitting yourself.

Subscribe on iTunes and come see Beginnings: Live at UCB East on 12/4 at 8pm. Featuring MST3K's Frank Conniff and hip-hop superstar Jean Grae (plus more!)!

Beginnings Field Guide episode 25: UCB and Game

Wresting Team (Wrestling Team) — Thu, 08 Nov 2012 03:00:37 +0000

On today's episode we talk to Gavin Spieller and Geoff Garlock about the concept of game and the way the Upright Citizens Brigade school teaches it. Two of the best improv and sketch teachers at the UCB, Geoff wrote for years on the house sketch teams iBadger, The Skuntz and Slow Burn, and Gavin has been a long-standing member of the improv team Death by Roo Roo, which performs at the theatre every Saturday night.

Subscribe on iTunes and come see Beginnings: Live on December 4th at UCB East!

Beginnings episode 70: Greg Barris

Wresting Team (Wrestling Team) — Thu, 01 Nov 2012 08:53:29 +0000

On today's show, we talk to Greg Barris. Greg is a stand-up, musician and artist based in New York City. For the last eleven years, Greg has been performing and for the last two, he has helmed a bicoastal comedy event called Heart of Darkness, a communal show featuring music, stand-up and more. Recently, he released his first comedy album Shame Wave on AST Records. A few weeks ago, Greg came over to the Manhattan Wrestling Team apartment for an amazing talk about consensual creepiness, experimenting with your life, and transitional periods. This is one for the ages, friends!

Subscribe on iTunes and follow Andy on Twitter!

Beginnings episode 69: Ben Acker and Ben Blacker

Wresting Team (Wrestling Team) — Mon, 29 Oct 2012 07:34:25 +0000

On today's show, we talk to Ben Blacker and Ben Acker of The Thrilling Adventure Hour, a podcast and staged show in the style of old time radio that frequently stars comedians and actors like Paul F. Tompkins, Paget Brewster and James Urbaniak. Acker and Blacker are also TV writers and have written for shows like the WB's Supernatural and networks like Fox, Nickelodeon and USA. They also work in comics and recently wrote a Wolverine graphic novel for Marvel and are working on a Kickstarter campaign for a Thrilling Adventure Hour book. At the beginning of October, the two Bens were in town to do some Thrilling Adventure Hour shows in Brooklyn were nice enough to take the time out of a meeting-filled day to sit down with us at a studio in midtown for an atypical but fun episode!

Subscribe on iTunes and follow Andy on Twitter!

Beginnings Field Guide episode 24: Sex House

Wresting Team (Wrestling Team) — Thu, 25 Oct 2012 04:14:59 +0000

On today's show we talk to Geoff Haggerty and Sam West, two of the creators behind The Onion's YouTube webseries Sex House. Before becoming a writer on VH1's Big Morning Buzz Live, Geoff was the Creative Director for Onion Digital Studios and Sam is currently Head Writer. The remaining presence of The Onion in New York, Onion Digital Studios is responsible for producing videos for YouTube, which include a new series of TED-like talks, an incredibly dark food travelogue called Porkin' Across America and of course, one of the best series - web or TV - to come out this year, Sex House, a bleak and hilarious Real World-esque satire. A few weeks ago, Geoff and Sam stopped by the Manhattan Wrestling Team apartment to chat about the origins of the show and spit some Kool Keith lines. It was fun!

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Beginnings episode 68: Thu Tran

Wresting Team (Wrestling Team) — Thu, 18 Oct 2012 05:06:50 +0000

On today's show we talk to Thu Tran. Thu is an artist and entertainer based in New York City. Growing up in Cleveland, she graduated with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Glass from the Cleveland Institute of Art. Since then, she's been a frequent collaborator with mash-up musician Girl Talk, and in 2009, she created the show Food Party for IFC, which ran for two seasons. Part cooking show and part puppet show, Food Party was surreal and wonderful. A few weeks ago, Thu stopped by the Manhattan Wrestling Team apartment for a fun and weird chat about creativity and fine art!

Subscribe on iTunes and come see the next Beginnings: Live at UCB East on November 6th at 8pm! We'll have the Beginnings Election Night Spectacular with Ethan Berlin (creator of IFC's Bunk) and more! Fun!™

Beginnings episode 67: Live with Nate Bargatze, Sara Schaefer and Cymbals Eat Guitars

Wresting Team (Wrestling Team) — Thu, 11 Oct 2012 04:50:20 +0000

Yowza! This last Tuesday, on a rainy and cool night, we had some of our favorite comedians and one of our favorite bands sit down with us at UCB East for a delightful chat about the X-Men's Gambit, $10 words, the Lego stock exchange and everybody's favorite Christian rock band Switchfoot. Nate Bargatze (Comedy Central Presents, his new AST album Yelled at by a Clown) and Sara Schaefer (You Had to Be There podcast, the forthcoming The Nikki and Sara Show on MTV) made us laugh and Cymbals Eat Guitars (Barsuk records) played some songs and chatted about home made psychedelic high school videos. It was a fun, weird time! Weird!

Subscribe on iTunes and come see the next Beginnings: Live at UCB East on November 6th at 8pm! Fun!™

Beginnings episode 66: Matt Oberg

Wresting Team (Wrestling Team) — Thu, 04 Oct 2012 03:58:27 +0000

On today's show we talk with writer and actor Matt Oberg. With a background in theater, Matt moved to New York to pursue acting professionally and eventually made his way into the comedy world through the People's Improv Theater. He's had parts in many shows including 30 Rock and Delocated, and had major roles in two Onion productions, as the anchor in Sports Dome and as one of the many Tucker Hopes on IFC's ONN. He also voiced Mark Lily, the main character on the incredible cartoon Ugly Americans. A few weeks ago Matt came over to the Manhattan Wrestling Team apartment and discussed his impending move to LA, faking it at your day job and the time he was Al Pacino's assistant's assistant.

Subscribe on iTunes and come see Beginnings: Live at UCB East on October 9th at 8pm with stand-ups Nate Bargatze and Sara Schaefer and musical guest Cymbals Eat Guitars! Fun!™

Beginnings episode 65: John Darnielle

Wresting Team (Wrestling Team) — Thu, 27 Sep 2012 01:41:22 +0000

On today's show we talk to the primary member of the band The Mountain Goats, John Darnielle. John first started The Mountain Goats in college, originally as a lo-fi solo act, but since 2002 has recorded with a full band, which often includes Jon Wurster of Superchunk. Highly literate, emotionally intelligent and with a background in poetry, Darnielle has been referred to by New Yorker critic Sasha Frere-Jones as "America's best lyricist." A few weeks ago, I left work for a "doctor's appointment" to meet John in a studio in midtown to talk about day jobs, Marxism, acolytic thought and then we get in deep about the act of creating!

Subscribe on iTunes and come see Beginnings: Live at UCB East on October 9th at 8pm with musical guests Cymbals Eat Guitars + more! Fun!™

Beginnings Field Guide episode 23: The Chris Gethard Show

Wresting Team (Wrestling Team) — Thu, 20 Sep 2012 03:43:58 +0000

On today's show we talk to writer and performer Chris Gethard about The Chris Gethard Show. Starting as a stage show at the UCB Theatre in 2009, The Chris Gethard Show was a showcase for Gethard's love of akwardness, sadness and strange stunts. In 2011, Gethard took the show to it's bizarrely logical next step and debuted it on the Manhattan Neighborhood Network public access channel, where it's since gained a national cult following, and is every bit the visual equivalent of Tom Scharpling's The Best Show. A few weeks ago, we met up with Chris in the back hallways of the UCB Chelsea Theatre to discuss his past (See Beginnings ep.63), and on Field Guide, we talk about the show he created!

Subscribe on iTunes and come see Beginnings: Live at UCB East on October 9th at 8pm! Fun!™

Beginnings episode 64: Live with Lizz Winstead, David Rees and Carl Newman

Wresting Team (Wrestling Team) — Thu, 13 Sep 2012 05:38:53 +0000

Yams! This last Tuesday, Lizz Winstead, creator of The Daily Show, founder of Air America Radio and author of Lizz Free or Die; David Rees, author of Get Your War On and How to Sharpen Pencils; and Carl Newman of The New Pornographers joined us for a fantastically fun episode taped live at UCB East. Beginnzers, buckle your hearing-enjoyment nodules to your skull 'cause this a real barn-burner as we get in deep about The Shaggs, Paul McCartney and vaginal teeth. Hakuna dentata, friends! (also, next live episode is October 9th, 8pm, UCB East - we'd love to see you there!)

Beginnings episode 63: Chris Gethard

Wresting Team (Wrestling Team) — Thu, 06 Sep 2012 04:17:00 +0000

On today's show, we talk to Chris Gethard. Chris is a writer and prformer based in New York City, who started with the UCB Theatre over a decade ago and currently performs on their house improv team The Stepfathers. UCB is also where he incubated The Chris Gethard Show, a Best Show-like program which can be found weekly on the Manhattan Neighborhood Network. On addition to this, Chris has also penned a book of autobiographical tales entitled A Bad Idea I'm About to Do and was recently adopted by IFC as part of their Adopt-A-Comic program. A few weeks ago, we sat down with Chris in the halls behind the UCB Chelsea Theatre and debated singing to a girlfriend's mother, discussed the lawlessness of West Orange and dwelled on our collective shame.

ALSO! Don’t forget the next Beginnings: Live at UCB East. It’s going to be incredible with Lizz Winstead (co-creator of The Daily Show and Air America Radio), David Rees (Get Your War On, How to Sharpen Pencils), and musical guest A.C. Newman (The New Pornographers)! Sept. 11th at 8pm!

Beginnings episode 62: Gabrielle Bell

Wresting Team (Wrestling Team) — Thu, 30 Aug 2012 03:18:18 +0000

On today's show we talk to Gabrielle Bell. Gabrielle is a comics artist based in Brooklyn, whose books and short stories have been published on a number of indie presses, from Drawn and Quarterly to Fantagraphics, and in anthologies like Mome and Kramer's Ergot. She also collaborated with filmmaker Michel Gondry on an adaptation of her story "Cecil and Jordan in New York" for the film anthology Tokyo. A few weeks ago, Gabrielle came over to the Manhattan Wrestling Team apartment and got in deep with us about what it means to be creative and interact with your audience, characters as representatives of your sweet id, and creative high school friendships.

On next week's episode, we talk to performer and author Chris Gethard, but ALSO! Don't forget the next Beginnings Live at UCB East. It's going to be incredible with Lizz Winstead (co-creator of The Daily Show and Air America Radio), David Rees (Get Your War On, How to Sharpen Pencils), and musical guest A.C. Newman (The New Pornographers)! Sept. 11th at 8pm!

Beginnings episode 61: Live with Thu Tran, James Adomian, Nikki Glaser and Swearin'

Wresting Team (Wrestling Team) — Thu, 23 Aug 2012 04:06:58 +0000

Beginnzers! This episode was totes fun, hun! Last Tuesday, we were joined live at UCB East with some of our favorite comedians (and people! all nice and friendly!) including Thu Tran, creator of IFC's Food Party; James Adomian, stand-up and Comedy Bang! Bang! favorite; Nikki Glaser, stand-up and co-host of the great podcast You Had to Be There and my new favorite band Swearin'. This is a super-fun episode, so break out your Enjoyment Slacks and dig in!

Also! Don't forget the next live episode on September 11th at 8pm at UCB East - Lizz Winstead, creator of The Daily Show and Air America, and David Rees, cartoonist and author of Get Your War On and How to Sharpen Pencils plus more!

Beginnings episode 60: Skinny Bitch Jesus Meeting

Wresting Team (Wrestling Team) — Thu, 16 Aug 2012 03:22:32 +0000

On today's episode, we talk to Katie Hartman and Leah Rudick AKA Skinny Bitch Jesus Meeting. As one of the best sketch groups in New York City, Katie and Leah have garnered many accolades since their formation, and have performed all around the country at everything from the Los Angeles Comedy Festival to the Ladies Are Funny Festival and internationally at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, where The Guardian named them the “Biggest Revelation”. Currently, their show The Underdeveloped and Overexposed Life and Death of Deena Domino is running at the New York Fringe Festival. A few weeks ago, Katie and Leah dropped by to the Manhattan Wrestling Team apartment to record a very silly and interesting episode about absurdity, internationalism and friendship. Beep beep!

And hey, why not check Andy out on Twitter! @wrestlingteam

Beginnings episode 59: Girl Talk

Wresting Team (Wrestling Team) — Thu, 09 Aug 2012 05:07:04 +0000

On today's show we talk to Gregg Gillis AKA Girl Talk. Gregg is a musician based in Pittsburgh, PA, and in 2000, he began recording as Girl Talk, a mash-up project that's as much pop culture criticism as it is a dance party. After picking up momentum in 2006, Gregg's been selling out festivals all over the world, was on Time Magazine and Rolling Stone's top music lists and has even had a day named in his honor by Pittsburgh. A few weeks ago, we met up with Gregg in his hotel lobby while he was in town for a festival and reminisced about our time in the Pittsburgh music scene, and how a pamphlet at Lollapalooza '95 was a flashpoint for Pittsburgh indie rock.

Beginnings Field Guide episode 22: Bunk

Wresting Team (Wrestling Team) — Thu, 02 Aug 2012 04:32:08 +0000

On today's show, we talk to Ethan Berlin about IFC's Bunk, the surreal gameshow he co-created with Eric Bryant. Hosted by Kurt Brauhohler (who was just named one of Variety's comics to watch), playing a smarmy, high-status goof, Bunk takes the format of a typical gameshow and punches it in the spine, challengeing contestants like Thomas Lennon and Eugene Mirman to absurd games that yield nonsensical prizes. Bunk is a delight and one of the best shows that's been on this summer!

Beginnings episode 58: Ian Roberts

Wresting Team (Wrestling Team) — Thu, 26 Jul 2012 03:35:37 +0000

On today's episode, we talk to Ian Roberts. As one of the founding members of the Upright Citizens Brigade, Ian has been a strong comedic force for over two decades. Beyond the sketch show and the three theatres that bear the UCB name, Ian has been a part of many fantastic films and shows. He co-wrote and starred in the film Martin and Orloff, he was featured in the final season of Reno 911!, and he currently executive produces and writes on the Comedy Central show Key and Peele. At the end of July, we sat down with Ian in the Hot Chicks Room (the bar attached to UCB East) during the Del Close Marathon, and basically took a master class in comedy. In this episode, learn how Ian began doing improv, how anger and acting connect and about doing what you love and committing earnestly to it.

Plus! Beginnings: Live at UCB East on 8/14 at 11pm! James Adomian, musical guest Swearin' and more!

Beginnings episode 57: Ethan Berlin

Wresting Team (Wrestling Team) — Thu, 19 Jul 2012 03:49:47 +0000

On today's episode we talk to Ethan Berlin. Ethan is a writer and performer based in New York City. Starting on the show Crank Yankers in the early 2000s, he's since written for Sasha Baron Cohen on Da Ali G Show, Lopez Tonight and Billy on the Street among many other shows. Currently he is the co-creator and executive producer of the absurd game show Bunk on the Independent Film Channel. A few weeks ago, Ethan came over to the Manhattan Wrestling Team apartment and talked to us about what it's like writing for other people and his love of early David Letterman and real-world comedy bits. Plus we debut two - Count 'em! TWO! - new segments!

Plus! Come to Beginnings: Live on 8/14 at 8pm with James Adomian, musical guest Swearin' and more!

Beginnings episode 56: Live with Dapwell, Lakutis, Nick Vatterott and Ali Wong

Wresting Team (Wrestling Team) — Thu, 12 Jul 2012 04:43:00 +0000

Wowzers! On Tuesday, July 10th we hosted another patented™ Beginnings: Live at UCB East, and what a doozy it was! We had Dapwell, hypeman for the hip hop group Das Racist as well as Das Racist labelmate Lakutis. Nick Vatterott, a stand-up who's been on Conan and Jimmy Fallon (as well as his own Comedy Central Half Hour) joined us as well, but that's not all! Ali Wong - from Chelsea Lately, The Tonight Show, Are You There, Chelsea? and the new Oliver Stone film Savages - told some fantastic stories about childhood painting and figure skating. The show was weird, odd and delightful! Join us!

Beginnings episode 55: Live from the Del Close Marathon with Matt Walsh

Wresting Team (Wrestling Team) — Thu, 05 Jul 2012 01:41:56 +0000

Live at the Del Close Marathon, which took place over the last weekend here in New York City, we had the pleasure of talking to one of our comedic idols: Matt Walsh! One of the founding members of the Upright Citizens Brigade, Matt has been in a ton of films from Old School to The Hangover, he's helmed a number of series on Comedy Central and FX, and he's currently one of the leads in Armando Iannucci's HBO series, Veep. During a late night slot at UCB East, we talked with Matt about his childhood on the southside of Chicago and about his slew of terrible post-college jobs. It was a delight!

And if you live in New York, come on out to the next Beginnings: Live at UCB East on Tuesday July 10th at 8pm. Our guests are Dapwell and Heems from Das Racist and stand-up Nick Vatterott (and a musical guest)!