From Max Funster AaronBurd comes Axed [iTunes link], a mining expedition into the rich vein of cancelled television shows. The primary danger posed to such a project is, of course, coming off like a copycat of those pseudo-obscurantist pop culture columns from the Onion A.V. Club. Fortunately for the listener, co-hosts and roommates Will and Aaron take a very light approach to this sort of thing, mixing one part goofy riffing to match each part semi-serious commentary and analysis. They each have a role: Will plays the dopey one who rarely prepares but stands always at the ready with a not-particularly-apropos interjection, while Aaron plays the reasonably erudite, many-accent-doing one who grumbles about having to share the podcast with such a dolt. And back and forth, and so on. They have a good time.
Upon starting college, your Podthinker cast off television and all things televisual — less an actual decision than simply forgetting to watch — and, if Will and Aaron’s description of television shows is accurate, he’s very glad indeed that he hasn’t looked back. It all sounds so terrible! And yes, Axed focuses on programs that couldn’t maintain enough of an audience to sustain themselves, but even the allegedly good shows they mention offhand, the Losts and Heroeses of the world, sound like dreck. At least some of the more short-lived failures to which they devote entire episodes sound as if they fail in interesting ways: the Bruce Campbell-starring anachronistic sci-fi western The Adventures of Brisco County, Jr. [M4A], for instance, or the ahead-of-its-time sociopathic-professional drama Profit [M4A]. (The discussions almost make your Podthinker want to watch the shows, but the descriptions are probably more entertaining than the actual produced episodes.)
Between their in-depth show breakdowns — split into a first half without spoilers and a second half with, though they’d do just as well to let the spoilers fly from minute one — Will and Aaron offer “News from the Chopping Block”, segments offering the latest news in TV cancellation. To non-U.S. Max Funsters, all this fascination with 86ed television shows may seem odd, but one must realize that, in America, there is only one way for a series to claim success: running forever.
Vital stats:
Format: TTWGBAC about TV
Running since: August 2008
Duration: 35m-1h30m
Frequency: a bit more than weekly
Archive available on iTunes: all
Alas, The Internet’s Maximum Potential is no more, but indefatigable Max Funster Semisorick, also known as Rick Katschke, has surfaced bearing a brand new podcasting venture, Host and Guest [iTunes link]. It’s an arts-and-culture interview program wherein Katschke catches up with comedians, musicians and performers of other stripes he finds around in Milwaukee, whether they’re based in the great state of Wisconsin or just passing through.
Past second-halves-of-the-title include such Max Fun favorites as Jimmy Pardo [MP3], The Sklar Brothers [MP3] and Chris “Hard” Hardwick [MP3]. Funtastic as those guys are, though, your Podthinker found himself preferring Katschke’s local guests, such as young singer-songwriter D. Kent Watson [MP3] and Patrick Schmitz, director of something called Rudolph the Pissed-Off Reindeer [MP3], because he hasn’t heard them — and probably can’t hear them — anywhere else. Also distinguishing this interview podcast from others are Katschke’s opening monologues about subjects like how he struggled to pass college math or couldn’t get John Hodgman and his tendency to ask his interviewees to provide film and music recommendations. (They often struggle to do so, but it’s a good idea nonetheless — why not solicit a book recommendation too?)
But it’s early days. If Host and Guest plays to its strengths, expands its runtime and clears up its recording issues — it’s sometimes too quiet to hear — then Katschke’ll have a pretty respectable program on his hands.
Vital stats:
Format: cultural interviews
Running since: August 2008
Duration: 10m-20m
Frequency: weekly
Archive available on iTunes: all
[Podthinker Colin Marshall is now on Twitter, for what that’s worth; get him there or at colinjmarshall at gmail. Discuss Podthoughts on the forum here or submit your own podcast for the next by-Max-Funsters column here.]