Joel Radio #224: The Mexican Bookstore
Jul 24th
Comedian Bill Hildebrandt has been a frequent guest over the years on this show, and he returns to plug his upcoming shows at Mark Ridley’s Comedy Castle this weekend. Bill thinks it’s his last headlining appearance at the club, but he’s thought that before. Joel asks him about his start in comedy, his past life as a recording engineer, the future of stand-up comedy, and the rise of political correctness in comedy. Plus you’ll hear the history of the mellotron, a funny Trump joke, what it’s like to play in a band and much more. This is a good, insightful, entertaining interview with a guy who Joel considers his mentor in comedy, so give it a listen.
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Bill where he belongs – on the Comedy Castle stage. Joel took this photo!
Joel Radio #223: No Stingers
Jul 11th
Joel hasn’t always enjoyed the Marvel Cinematic Universe, but he still goes to the movies and the most recent one, Ant-Man and The Wasp, was OK. But making people wait for the post-credit sequences has become a frustrating, ridiculous ritual that should probably end. Joel and Corey Hall review the new film, discuss the “stinger” phenomenon and why the last scene in Ant-Man was an absolute waste of time for everyone. And yes, you’ll have to wait for the end of the show for this discussion – it’s better than an ant playing drums! Also, comedian Bill Bushart calls in to promote his TV project, shares tales of travelling to Amsterdam, and promotes his comedy classes. Plus, GLOW returns to Netflix and it’s a bore, Joel tells you of a fantastic “real” wrestling show that you should watch, pinball in the digital age frustrates Corey, and the comedy special that everyone’s talking about except Joel who won’t watch comedy specials. The guys also have reviews of The Staircase, Wild Wild Country and Derren Brown’s Miracles for your Netflix binging needs.
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This is the “stinger” from Ant-Man and The Wasp. It’s stupid, lame, not funny, and not worth waiting for. It’s in the trailer, too, so it’s not a spoiler! FU Marvel!
Joel Radio #222: The Green Room Story
Jun 26th
This podcast is known for going off on tangents and taking forever to get to the point, but when comedian Tom McCarthy sat in with Joel and Corey for this week’s show, he had no idea what he was in for. Tom has been a staple of the Detroit comedy scene for fifteen years or so and arrives to promote a TV pilot he’s shooting soon. It involves a lot of local comics and Joel gives his not-so-serious impressions of the talent involved (including many of his former students) — and Corey Hall. Eventually, the guys shut up long enough to let Tom tell the “green room” story which begins a tangent about how open mike shows should run, the skills needed to emcee and Joel thinks most show producers get it wrong. Tom’s a good guy, a funny comic and a great guest on this show. Also, another pro wrestling superstar dies and at least Joel had the honor of sharing the dressing room and being nearly injured by the legendary brute. Plus, reviews of Incredibles 2, Tag, and Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom. Want to find a better actor than Hannibal Buress? Simply Google any human being who has ever lived or just look in the mirror.
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Tom McCarthy is really good at comedy and Joel is quite middling at Photoshop
Joel Radio #221: KFC Diplomacy
Jun 13th
The world seems crazier than ever, as Trump meets a Korean dictator, IHOp changes its name, Anthony Bourdain dies, and the NBA is the most important thing in the world – to some people. Stuff got weird this week. Really weird. Also, Corey Hall meets a big celebrity in Detroit, but it wasn’t a great encounter – find out who he met and why he wasn’t a nice man on this show. Plus, Star Wars nerds are mean, Roseanne goes nuts, as does Lisa Lampanelli, HBO’s Barry was fantastic, and movie reviews of Deadpool 2, A Quiet Place and Herdeitary. The big takeaway from this show – Guy Fieri is an asshat who will outlive us all.
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The Joel Radio cameras were a witness to history
Joel Radio #220: The Solo: A Star Wars Story Review
May 25th
The Jedi Council re-convenes for a review of the latest Star Wars movie: Solo: A Star Wars Story. Joel, Corey Hall, Josh Bowab and new member Paul, an artist and lifelong Star Wars fan, break down the latest film which was a plagued production with a director switch and a rush to release. It’s actually pretty good, say some on the panel, with the filmmakers nailing the feel of the original trilogy with it’s style and humor. The acting is pretty good, too. It’s not all great, however, as there’s a few cringe-worthy scenes and some logical leaps which hindered some of the Council’s enjoyment. The guys also break down the Easter eggs, references and surprises – and there are plenty. There’s a lot of laughs on this show, too! And the first twenty minutes are spoiler-free! Plus, Joel watches The Last Jedi again and dislikes it even more this time. If you like Star Wars, you’ll love this show.
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Good artwork, at least!
Joel Radio #219: This One Was Tough
May 24th
It’s so sad to say goodbye to friend and comedian Mike Lundy, a frequent guest on this podcast, who passed away recently. Joel and Corey share their memories of Mike, play some clips of Mike from the show and remember the great talent he was. Joel tried to assemble the best of his previous appearances on the show but ultimately didn’t do the best job, so a further tribute is in order. You will hear a crossdresser try to get Mike to take his shirt off at Pridefest though, so there’s that. The guys saved the eulogy for the end of the show, however, and there’s a ton of “regular” content before that, like another audience/comedian fight, Joel’s trip to Toronto where he tried an escape room for the first time, Barry on HBO was really great, another Pro Wrestling Crate unboxing, and find out what new movie has a-list actresses doing it.
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Some photos from Mike Lundy’s appearances on the podcast. We will miss you, Mike
Joel Radio #218: Throwing Kanye At The Comic
May 8th
Kanye West went crazy this past week, but Joel think that’s another day for him. Corey Hall disagrees and solicits the aid of comedian Jeff Horste, who calls in to tell us what he thinks as he grew up in Southfield, an ethnically mixed neighborhood, with a bad mustache. Jeff shares his thoughts on the hip-hop legend and shares stories of his newfound success working with Kevin Hart and filming a Comedy Central special in Los Angeles. Also, Jeff tells us about having a sex toy thrown at him onstage last week – you’ve made it now, Jeff! Plus, Mitzi Shore’s belated obituary, Avengers: Infinity War gets reviewed and find out which Marvel films you should really see first, Joel reviews Blockers and The Greatest Showman, Conan goes to thirty minutes, and the White House Correspondents Dinner should probably go away for good.
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Photo was embellished for comedic effect, but you get the idea
Joel Radio #217: The Hat of Death
Apr 25th
So many celebrities died in the last two weeks that it inspired Joel to come up with a new game to cover all the obituaries – The Hat of Death. Joel Corey Hall, and comedian Sal Demilio pull names of dead celebrities out of a hat and give instant, improvised, non-researched eulogies to the likes of R. Lee Ermy, Barbara Bush and Harry Anderson. And not to give him short-shrift, Mini-Me Verne Troyer died, too, giving delight to this podcast’s hosts and listeners alike. The guys also mourn the loss of Bruno Sammartino, try to figure out who Avicii was, and wonder who was the most bangable First Lady in US history. Also, the Elvis Presley documentary on HBO is good, but seems incomplete, Andre the Giant’s documentary is also fun and you’ll hear Joel’s memory of seeing Andre wrestle live. Plus the classic episode of the week takes us back to November 2006, for no good reason whatsoever.
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Verne Troyer pictured (with some small additions)
Joel Radio #216: The Smelt Are Running
Apr 11th
Joel Radio welcomes back comedian Derek Richards who was recently mentioned by Joel as one of the funniest comedians offstage. He lives up to that billing on this show, sharing hilarious road stories, tales of really bad gigs, descriptions of life in Florida and Las Vegas and much more. Corey Hall had some bad gigs too, including some small-town excuses for low turnout that you won’t believe. It’s been almost thirteen years since Derek joined us on the show, and it was long overdue! Also, the guys review The Zen Diaries of Garry Shandling on HBO, a overly-long, but wonderful portrait of a comedic genius. Plus, HBO’s Barry is worth a look, Joel and Corey drop some quarters into Ready Player One, Corey goes to the Isle of Dogs and much more stupidity.
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This a composite photo, as Derek may not be that happy to see the smelt
Joel Radio #215: We Can Only Imagine
Mar 21st
It’s a grab bag of topics from various Monkees line-ups to comedy shows gone wrong on this week’s Joel Radio. Corey Hall and Joel review Richard Pryor’s son Mason’s attempt at comedy on TV and why it went wrong. Was it the material, the legacy, or just a bad impression of his dad that sunk him? Another comic who had trouble this week was Hannibal Buress, who was kicked off-stage at a Catholic university. The guys discuss their experiences with censorship in comedy, why colleges aren’t a great place for comedians, and who is really at fault in this situation. Also, Christian movies are all the rage in Hollywood, and since they hadn’t heard of their latest hit, Joel and Corey listen to the song that inspired it and wonder why anyone of any faith could have such bad taste in music. Plus, Beyonce and Jay-Z charge $2000 for tickets, Joel gets a Pro Wrestling Crate, another look at Black Panther, Coco and why Pixar is overrated, the making of the Last Jedi shows it going horribly wrong, and Annihilation is smart, good sci-fi that needs an audience.
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Mason Pryor. He looks like his Dad, anyway.
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