Shakeytown Radio

Kevin Pollak

Our 25th episode! Our guest? Only the best for our audience. He is in all your favorite movies. He is a veteran of stand-up comedy. He was one of Johnny Carson's favorite guests. He directed the web series "Vamped Out." He is the host of his own live chat show, as well as the upcoming Fox game show "Million Dollar Money Drop." Kevin Pollak joins Gene and Brodie on the show to discuss his career, his chat show, his adventures and run-ins with other comedy and acting greats, and a "beyond insane" gamble he took which kept him off "The Tonight Show" for a year. Also... the music of AVAIL!

Jim Vitale

Jim Vitale is a singer, songwriter, and guitarist with a new album coming out thanks to funds raised from Kickstarter. We discuss trying to make it in the music industry in L.A., how our childhood novelty gifts mall outlet has become more and more of a darkened head shop, Gene's grudge with the state of Colorado, Brodie's obscure Kill Rock Stars references, and party favors for your next nudist beach shindig. Jim also treats us to a couple of tunes, and Brodie and Gene announce next week's special guest.

Joe Wilson

Joe Wilson is a writer, filmmaker, comedian, former private investigator, and whistleblower against entertainment industry scams. His current project is Vampire Mob, a web series starring John Colella as Don Grigoni - “He’s a hitman and a vampire, and he just found out his mother-in-law is moving in, for eternity.” Brodie, Gene, and Joe discuss the Wikipedia habits of the cast of “Caddyshack,” defaming slum lords and Hollywood con artists, the challenges of independent filmmaking and fundraising, and providing alibis for mafioso. Also featuring the music of Jason Steele.

Ben Acker & Ben Blacker (Thrilling Adventure Hour)

Ben Acker (@bnacker on Twitter) and Ben Blacker (@BenBlacker on Twitter) are the co-creators of the Thrilling Adventure Hour (http://thrillingadventurehour.com), a live radio-style comedy production at The Largo in Los Angeles. They discuss their writing projects and tell stories about putting on their star-studded stage show. They also quiz Gene to see if he actually likes anything, heed Brodie's warning about the dangers of Jamba Juice machinery, and debate the age-old question - Garrison Keillor: homophobe or curmudgeon? Also, the music of Born Against.

SHAKEYTOWN SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT

A few words about our upcoming episodes and many more words about our friend Jim Vitale and how he needs your help on Kickstarter for his new album!

Nina Bargiel

Nina Bargiel (ninabargiel.com, theslackdaily.com, @slackmistress on Twitter) is a writer and "transmedia storyteller" whose work includes "Lizzie McGuire," "Woke Up Dead," "The Grim Adventures of Billy & Mandy," "Valemont," and "Savage County." We discuss alternate reality games, zombie apocalypse ethics, crafting narrative and pitching jokes, the surliness of Jim Carrey's agent's assistant, and much more. Also featuring selections from "Punk Side Story," an album by Schlong.

HALLOWEEN!!! w/ Megan Marie & Tish LeHew

The scariest Shakeytown yet! Megan Marie joins her husband Brodie and their friend Gene to talk about NoNotLiterally.com, expensive vegan weddings, and film, literature, and television from the horror genre. Gene's wife Tish joins in as the conversation turns to breastfeeding, placenta eating, vaccines, and the Buffalo Bill tuck-and-dance. THE HORROR, THE HORROR! Also, the most frightening episode music yet, from the Silver Shamrock company.

Jason Nash

Jason Nash is an actor, comedian, filmmaker, and writer. His podcast Guys With Feelings has returned after a year hiatus and his new webseries "Jason Nash Is Married," co-starring Busy Phillips, premieres November 2nd on Atom.com. Jason, Gene, and Brodie get together for some D&D, Don Draper love, complaining about our wives (and our wives' justified complaining about us), mockery of the Trader Joe's Fearless Flyer, a peek behind the reality show curtain with "Last Comic Standing" star Nash (and veteran reality show logger/transcriber Hubbard), and an impromptu segment about wedding planning and "urban radio" with Gene's wife Tish. Also featuring your daily requirement of stoner rock... the music of Sleep.

Lauren Weedman

Lauren Weedman is an author, actress, and all-around awesome person. Her first break in television was as a correspondent for "The Daily Show," an experience which she wrote about for Seattle's weekly "The Stranger" and her book "A Woman Trapped in a Woman's Body (Tales from a Life of Cringe)." Her TV and movie appearances include "Reno 911," "The United States of Tara," "Imagine That," and "Date Night," and on the Oxygen Network web series "Our Bodies, Myself." She can be seen on HBO's "Hung" as the client known as "Horny Patty." Her acclaimed one-woman plays include "Amsterdam," "Homecoming," "Wreckage," and "Bust." Her new show, "No... You Shut Up" can be seen at The Steve Allen Theater at 4773 Hollywood Blvd in Los Angeles, every Sunday night through the end of October. She joins Gene and Brodie on the podcast for a conversation touching upon Prop 19, babies, nude scenes, IQ testing, insecurity, career potential, creating work for yourself while also working in L.A., prison girls, broken hearts, taking Jon Stewart out of his comfort zone, and the improv and theatre world. Also featuring... the music of Stab City Slit Wrists.

MJ Offen

MJ Offen is an artist, comedian, and writer. She graces Gene and Brodie with her presence on this episode to discuss and debate alcoholism, circumcision, exoplanets, Flappers in Burbank, the passing of Greg Giraldo, Judaism, and the secret lives of Playboy bunnies. Gene plays the pennywhistle, then gets dissed when he exits the room and leaves Brodie and MJ alone with the microphones. A computer crashes, but MJ saves the show with her treatise on the rebirth of "cool." Also featuring the music of Alejandro Jodorowsky.