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.
Joel Radio #214: You Can’t Choose Your Fans
Mar 6th
Joel and Corey Hall discuss the funniest comics off-stage, which is not something a lot of people consider when it comes to comedy success. The guys talk the best “hangs” in comedy and the superstar they’d rather see interviewed than actually performing stand-up. This also plays in to a recent high-profile fight a recent friend of the show was in and why being funny off-stage will always give you an edge. Back onstage, Joel confesses to using notesfor a recent set, while Corey went and rocked a small town bowling alley – it’s a living. Also, The Oscars have happened as predicted. The guys rundown the show, why it’s not as popular as it used to be, how Jimmy Kimmel fared as host, and why the red carpet really isn’t relevant anymore. Plus, Corey sees Black Panther and says more minority super heroes are inbound, both guys liked Game Night, and Derren Brown debuts on Netflix in spectacular fashion with The Push.
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Joel poses before the show, sitting where his notes would soon rest
Joel Radio #213: Movie Mania 2018
Feb 20th
It’s the annual rundown of the best and worst films of 2017 on the annual Joel Radio Movie Mania extravaganza. Joel and Corey Hall have made their lists of the top fifteen films they liked the most from 2017 – and there’s some obscure ones in there, too – so if you’re looking for something to watch, you’re covered. The guys also handicap the Oscars, as Joel saw every nominated film in the major categories, and you’ll get a rundown of the very worst films of the year, too. Hey, one of Corey’s best is on Joel’s worst – fight! Plus, the best documentaries of the year, Corey steps on Joel’s joke, and peanut butter Ho-Hos – the perfect baked treat or a useless re-invention?
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Some of the best shots from the best movies of the year – and one of Baby Driver
Joel Radio #212: No Halftime Show
Feb 7th
Another Super Bowl has come and gone, and while neither Joel nor Corey Hall really cared who won, the game was entertaining and what happened afterwards in Philadelphia was insane. The fans partied, rioted and acted exactly as you would have expected considering Philly’s reputation. Hear the undoubtedly incomplete list of crazy shit the fans did in celebration the team’s victory on this show. The guys also talk about the lukewarm halftime show, the commercials, (including a new Star Wars trailer), what the guys ate during the game, and how TV’s biggest goat on Sunday will now be the head coach of the Detroit Lions. Also, Quentin Tarantino is starting to look really bad in regards to how he treated Uma Thurman, Molly’s Game gets reviewed, more on The Shape of Water, Columbus and The Florida Project, Joel sees some Oscar-worthy, but surprising documentaries, and how to learn everything you ever wanted to know about Star Wars toys. Plus, Mark E. Smith of The Fall has died and Joel has a tribute to great music made a legendarily cantankerous asshole.
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Eagles fans being eagles fans
Joel Radio #211: Kung Fu Fighting
Jan 25th
A crazy fight between a comic an an audience member was all over the news this week. On this show reminisces about the near-fights and audience flare-ups he’s been a part of in his comedy career. This includes a giant Asian man jumping on a bar, and actually being spit on by a lady (maybe “lady” is more appropriate). He’s joined this week by veteran funnyman Kevin Kramis who shares what he’s seen, and the guys why these things happen at clubs and how, as a comedian, to avoid them. Corey Hall phones the show to talk about how he had to become “security” one night recently with a drunken lady at the Comedy Castle – no mike stands, stools, or furry middle-aged comics got hurt in that one. Also, Joel attempts storytelling to a live audience with mixed results. Find out his approach, and why a comedian must fight his own instincts to thing he’s being successful in that format. Plus, The Oscar nominations come out and Joel discusses the nominees, the snubs and tells good movies to see like The Florida Project, Columbus, and Lady Bird – you can skip Call Me Be Your Name. On the TV front, Crashing returns to HBO, Star Wars toys on Netflix and neither Kevin nor Joel has much interest in the NFL anymore.
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This fight was worse than anything the guys have ever seen at club. And they’re happy about that
Joel Radio #210: Sweetening The Laughter
Jan 9th
Don’t watch comedy specials says Joel. They’re all fake! Or enough parts of them to make it an unrealistic representation of what a live stand-up comedy show is really like. This observation comes as the worldwide media reacts to the new Dave Chappelle specials on Netflix. Joel and Corey Hall can’t seem to figure out why comedy is now treated as political speech when it’s goal is to make people laugh. Joel explains how lots of tricks like editing together multiple shows and adding laughs to the soundtrack make the shows more “fake” then they should be, and therefore he doesn’t watch – and frankly doesn’t care. Joel also returned to the road this week and has a recap of four shows he’s done since the last podcast. Find out if Joel is thirsty for the high of live performing or if he’s seen enough. Also, a full Golden Globes review including why the somber tone made the show a bummer, how the presenters made the same mistake over and over, and why Kirk Douglas was out there – actually there’s no explanation for that. Plus, reviews of I, Tonya, the excellent LA 92 documentary, and hear if Lana Del Ray ripped off Radiohead – who ripped off The Hollies.
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Margot Robbie plays Tonya Harding. Yep, that’s Hollywood!
Joel Radio # 209: Three Arguments Outside Savannah, Georgia
Dec 22nd
The last show of 2017 sees lots of holiday spirit as Joel and Corey Hall fight over a movie that critics loved and the audience liked far less – no, not Star Wars (but they get to that), instead it’s Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri. Joel found the characters unlikable and the film boring, while Corey thinks the allegorical message and fine performances made it stand out. It’s a classic argument, but one to consider if you’re into seeing the Oscar-bait movies that come out this time of year. Also, Joel sees Bruce Springsteen’s Broadway show with some A-list company but braved a terrorist attack and snowstorm to do so. Plus, a road update from Ted Moss on his tour through the south, including Joel embarrassing him and Bill Reno in Savannah, Georgia, The Disaster Artist gets reviewed, and more Star Wars coverage at the end of the show. Hear how the guys nailed all the controversies before they even started and how those controversies will impact the future of the franchise.
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This image is more entertaining than the film, says Joel anyway
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