As the world of podcasting remains largely untrodden territory for most of humanity and is a long way from becoming one of the mainstream brands of media, it is too a very tentative and ephemeral universe to be in. Much as new podcasts continue to spring up and the old hands retain the spirit that allowed them to get old in the first place, there are many shows of equal if not more promise that have been lost to the mists of time. The very real time commitmenet required to bring together a worthwhile podcast, combined with the limited reward structure and membership of a niche medium means that it is tough for most enterprises to be successful, as busy people struggle to feel sufficient joy and reward from the medium. Thus, many shows disappear, through lack of support, interest, time or desire falling by the wayside before they can actually reach a level that would have improved it. But they still merit their place in the pantheon, so today I’m going to throw a tiny party for a couple of them!
Mike Detective!
Podcasts often function as an excuse for friends to get together in a mildly informal way and share their fun with the world, but of course, the less time you have, your time to podcast is exponentially decreased. A glorious example of the rigours of this fun/work balance would be in the fantastically stupid and rollicking semi-nonsensical noir-crime-thriller-spoof ‘Mike Detective.’ Offered up by the Earwolf network, penned by Scott Aukerman and Neil Campbell and with its titular character played by Rob Huebel, the show seemed destined for success. Beginning as a joke serial on the then titled ‘Comedy Death Ray,’ now Comedy Bang Bang podcast, it rapidly grew into a fourteen five to eight minute long episodes across the first half of 2011. Mike Detective was a fantastic version of s atraight man, spewing lines of stuff and nonsense, puns and jokes about wieners without a flicker, Huebel managing to handle maniacal plot twists with a gloriously practiced officiousness. Riddled with preposterous lines that often served only to confuse the leading man and continuously aided by guests from that week’s edition of Comedy Bang Bang who all brought their own fine hands to the effort; the show was uproariously daft and hilariously uncompromising in it’s embrace of foolishness that made it a tiny segment of delight. But, alas, it couldn’t last, the first series closing out in April of 2011, and despite Aukerman teasing a follow-up several months later, there has been neither hide nor hair of the detective since. Soon after the tease of course, the transformation of CBB into a television show became a very real part of Scott’s life, whilst Rob Huebel was taking bounding steps up too, his roles in The Descendants and What to Expect When You’re Expecting indicative of an increased repertoire. So the show fell by the wayside. An unfortunate but seemingly necessary casualty upon the altar of success.
Walking With Michelle!
Some podcasts of course, were never all that regular in the first place. One of the most distinct examples of this being ‘Walking with Michelle.’ A delicious little show, hosted by Michelle Biloon and featuring a selection of the best voices in comedy, WWM’s joy was as fantastic as it was unpredictable. In the end releasing nine episodes over four years and teasing a tenth almost eighteen months ago, this show was the very epitome of a rare treat. But with a guest roster including Jimmy Pardo, Maria Bamford (twice!) and Paul F. Tompkins, a great theme and a different kind of host, could it ever have gone wrong? The answer is obviously yes, but the point is, it never did. Ably lead by the lovely comedy of Biloon, the guests discuss the events they are being put through or indulging in, frequently go down ‘inside comedy’ tangents and, in their down time, being as infectious and naturally hilarious as you would hope for from such luminaries. And of course it was also blessed with the gorgeous hook that gave it it’s name, that the guests are ‘walking’ with Michelle. No studio for them said she, instead visiting aquariums, attempting to follow star maps around Hollywood and becoming the bane of various theme parks all in the pursuit of the joys and fun of the outdoors. And fun they have, as the guests attack their tasks with the same genuine relish as Biloon, bringing the best out of one another as much as possible. More than many, the loss of this show is a great one, as it was allied with an infinite and inventive premise, a fine host and a clear ability to pull in top quality guests. So it is sad to lose such a promising show, even if it was never all that expectable to begin with.
You can still find all the episodes of both of these podcasts on iTunes or various websites, and can bother many of the various contributors on twitter if you like, @ScottAukerman @neilerdude @robhuebel and @biloon. Hope you enjoyed my podcast ramble! Buenos dias!