Thanks to Paul F. Tompkins, for no particular reason.

November 2, 2013 2:01 PM

The Dead Authors Podcast: Legendary time-traveling writer H.G. Wells (Paul F. Tompkins) welcomes literary giants to The Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre in Los Angeles for a lively discussion in front of a live audience. Unscripted, barely researched, all fun!

For the TL;DR crowd:

All The Dead Authors Podcast video promos on Paul F. Tompkins' Tumblr, with links to individual episodes.

Direct link to The Dead Authors Podcast on iTunes.

Direct link to The Dead Authors Podcast video promos on Paul F. Tompkins' YouTube page.

Direct link to The Dead Authors Podcast on libsyn.com.


For the linky types:

• Chapter 1: Emily Dickenson (Andy Richter) podcast
• Chapter 2: Robert Louis Stevenson (Andy Daly) podcast
• Chapter 3: Dorothy Parker (Jen Kirkman) podcast
• Chapter 4: Benjamin Franklin (Scott Auckerman) podcast
• Chapter 5: Carl Sagan (Matt Gourley) podcast / video promo
• Chapter 6: Gertrude Stein (John Ross Bowie) podcast / video promo
• Chapter 7: P.G. Wodehouse (Brian Stack) podcast / video promo
• Chapter 8: Aesop (Mark McConville) podcast / video promo
• Chapter 9: Jorge Luis Borges (Nick Kroll) podcast / video promo
• Chapter 10: Arthur Conan Doyle (Chris Tallman) podcast / video promo
• Chapter 11: J.R.R. Tolkien (Matt Walsh) podcast / video promo
• Chapter 12: Mary Shelley (Laraine Newman) podcast / video promo
• Chapter 13: The Brothers Grimm (Jeremy Carter and Matt Gourley) podcast / video promo
• Chapter 14: Abbie Hoffman (Jen Kirkman podcast / video promo
• Chapter 15: Marquis de Sade (Andy Daly) podcast / video promo
• Chapter 16: Gore Vidal (Marc Evan Jackson) podcast / video promo
• Chapter 17: Agatha Christie (Jessica Chaffin) podcast / video promo
• Chapter 18: Brendan Behan (Brian Stack) podcast / video promo
• Chapter 19: The Authors of The Gospels (Craig Cackowski, Mark Gagliardi, Hal Lubin and Matt Gourley) podcast / video promo
• Chapter 20: Ayn Rand (John Hodgman) podcast / video promo
• Chapter 21: Joseph Campbell (Jeremy Carter) podcast / video promo
• Chapter 22: Edgar Rice Burroughs (Chris Tallman) podcast / video promo
• Chapter 23: Charlotte Bronte (Jessica St. Clair) podcast / video promo

Appendix A: Charles Dickens and O. Henry (Hal Lubin Marc Evan Jackson)
podcast
Appendix B: Friederich Nietzsche and H.P. Lovecraft (James Adomian and Paul Scheer) podcast

Coming soon:
Plato (Jason Mantzoukas), Shel Silverstein (Mark McConville), William S. Burroughs (Kurt Braunohler), Tennessee Williams (Kristen Schall), and Walt Whitman (James Adomian). A new episode is uploaded every Tuesday.

posted by Room 641-A (23 comments total)

I'm pretty sure that any swears are bleeped out in the videos, but the individual episodes probably all have varying degrees of NSFW language.
posted by Room 641-A at 2:17 PM on November 2, 2013

This is one of my favorite things in the world.
posted by ColdChef at 2:47 PM on November 2, 2013 [4 favorites]

Just caught up on the last few yesterday, Joseph Campbell and Edgar Rice Burroughs got me a bunch of looks for laughing like an idiot at my desk with headphones in. So good!

Also, he's not wrong about Jules Verne.
posted by jason_steakums at 2:53 PM on November 2, 2013

I recommend the Benjamin Franklin episode if you're wondering where to start. Its exactly how I always imagined him.
posted by velebita at 2:55 PM on November 2, 2013

Kroll crushes the Jorge Luis Borges episode. So great.
posted by mintcake! at 3:04 PM on November 2, 2013 [5 favorites]

Oh god Ayn Rand, y'all. So good.
posted by Lyn Never at 3:05 PM on November 2, 2013

Wells: Have you seen any filmed adaptations of your works?

Wodehouse: I've seen, um...

Wells: There's a few out there.

Wodehouse: I've only seen the pornographic versions.

Wells: Those are rare, aren't they? They're hard to find, but they're, but if you know where to look...

Wodehouse: Yes, and I always do! Yes, they're - it's amazing, though, that they manage to keep all of my original dialogue.

Comedy gold, Jerry!
posted by The Underpants Monster at 3:38 PM on November 2, 2013 [1 favorite]

Oh god yes, so good. Kroll is exactly as brilliant as mintcake! says, Hodgman's Rand makes up for obviously being a prepared monologue instead of improv with the wonderful metajoke of barely letting Tompkins get a word in edgewise, and Tallman's Arthur Conan Doyle is simply one of the best comedy pieces I've heard in years. Seriously, people, try this, it's wonderful.
posted by Merzbau at 3:50 PM on November 2, 2013 [1 favorite]

Every one of these is good, and should be listened to for a happier life. AESOP!
posted by Drastic at 5:54 PM on November 2, 2013 [7 favorites]

I saw the very first Dead Authors show (pre-podcast) with Eddie Pepitone and Jen Kirkman, and the concept hadn't really solidified yet, but we just saw the Kurt Braunohler taping last month, and it was awesome.
posted by anazgnos at 5:56 PM on November 2, 2013

I had to relisten to the Sagan one because I just love Gourley in that. Mmmmmichio Kaku.
posted by jason_steakums at 6:34 PM on November 2, 2013 [3 favorites]

I'd love to see this series expanded to include a whole franchise of shows featuring musicians, politicians, and other historical figures. What I'm saying is, I never want this to end.
posted by Room 641-A at 9:12 PM on November 2, 2013

Yeah, the Dead Authors Podcast is one of the greatest podcasts ever. Whenever I see that I have a new DAP and a new Night Vale downloading at the same time, I'm ecstatic but also frozen with indecision like Buridan's Ass.

My favorite episodes: Aesop, Carl Sagan, P.G. Wodehouse, the Brothers Grimm, Ayn Rand, and Charlotte Bronte. But there aren't very many clunkers. James Adomian did an outstanding Nietzsche, but that episode was ruined by Paul Scheer doing Lovecraft, who clearly knew nothing about the author and thought that being weird would be enough. The best episodes come about when you can tell that the actor really gets something about the character and isn't just riffing on a single character trait.
posted by painquale at 11:22 PM on November 2, 2013 [1 favorite]

Fantastic! I love Paul F Tompkins and been meaning to listen to DAP for ages but I didn't know where to start. This will keep me entertained for a while :)
posted by littlesq at 7:54 AM on November 3, 2013 [1 favorite]

I think I've listened to the Brendan Behan one the most, but all multiple times, with just a couple exceptions. And does anyone else think Mark McConville (Aesop) sometimes sounds exactly like Will Ferrell?

More outstanding Paul F (mentioned many times in previous threads):
Superego (he is a frequent guest, and Season 3 is free)
Beyond Belief (part of the Thrilling Adventure Hour) - also don't miss the fairly recent Sparks Nevada arc where he plays a recurring role.
posted by Glinn at 8:58 AM on November 3, 2013

"Loose lips, hard to come" - Benjamin Franklin

Omg dying. Thanks again :D

also, I'm 99% sure that's the real Benjamin Franklin
posted by littlesq at 9:47 AM on November 3, 2013 [1 favorite]

I have been laughing constantly since I discovered this thread and thereby the second best podcast in the world. (I mean, Nightvale is still the best, but damn, this is funny.) Thank you, thank you. And the Benjamin Franklin one...I startled my neighbors because I laughed so loud while I was working on the yard.
posted by dejah420 at 10:17 AM on November 3, 2013 [1 favorite]

I can never really look at Andy Daly the same way again after seeing that photo of him as de Sade.
posted by jason_steakums at 10:28 AM on November 3, 2013

Paul F Tompkins has really figured out podcasting better than almost everybody else. Not just a simple "let's sit around and talk funny stuff for an hour" with his shows.

That said, this show is even better live when you can see the costumes and mannerisms. And it benefits 826LA (or at least it used to) which really tickles me since I imagine middle schoolers being told to attend it as like an after school event or something.
posted by dogwalker at 4:34 AM on November 4, 2013

Some of Paul F's best bits are his Doug Loves Movies appearances where he plays three characters all vying against one another in a game show. His Werner Herzog kills me every time.
posted by painquale at 4:51 AM on November 4, 2013 [2 favorites]

Reminds me of Steve Allen's 'Meeting of Minds'.


....only funny.
posted by exparrot at 7:22 AM on November 4, 2013

That said, this show is even better live when you can see the costumes and mannerisms.

I am really hoping they plan to release live versions, perhaps for sale in some form, because seeing it live really is impressive. These promo videos are taped at the end of the show and should give a little insight into how much fun everyone is having.

If anyone wants a peek into what the room is like I uploaded a picture taken before a show started. I was sitting in the back (5th?) row, to give you a sense of UCB's scale and intimacy.

I really wish I'd posted this a few days earlier because I ended up with a last-minute unused ticket, but I plan on starting a proper IRL when tickets go on sale for next month's show.
posted by Room 641-A at 9:50 AM on November 4, 2013

Oh hey, the Plato episode with Jason Mantzoukas dropped Tuesday!
posted by jason_steakums at 1:09 PM on November 7, 2013