So, here's the thing.
For ages, I had been hearing good things about a Marvel comic book series called THE UNBELIEVABLE GWENPOOL, written by a writer named Chris Hastings.
Because I am a putz, I never took the time to actually check it out. Come to find out, I was part of the problem, because after a 25 issue run, it was cancelled at...
2019-01-24 09:32:58 +0000 UTC View Post
Heya folks!
As we ring in the New Year, I thought it might be fun to take a comprehensive look back at all of the Chats I've had over the last year, with friends old and new. If you've yet to listen to any of these episodes, give 'em a spin, and please rest assured that there will be plenty more in the year to come.
And to all of my ...
2019-01-01 02:32:14 +0000 UTC View Post
Hot on the heels of the massive critical success of SPIDER-MAN: INTO THE SPIDER-VERSE (You've seen it, right? Go see it. Then see it again. Third time's the charm.), it seemed like the right time to *finally* get around to recording a Bit Of A Chat with the co-creator of Spider-Gwen, artist Robbi Rodriguez - which we've been intending to do for ...
2018-12-29 02:59:54 +0000 UTC View Post
It seems the international incident created by our previous Chats wasn't enough to stop us, as SCTV-alum and comedy legend Dave Thomas and I decided to have another Bit Of A Chat. So, listen to us talk about that Canadian fallout, McKenzie politics, SCTV, character work, Soviet programming, departures, and more.
HEAR:
Tis the night before Christmas, so here's Stan Lee reading Twas The Night Before Christmas. When I asked him if he would record this, over a decade ago now, he was excited to preserve his reading of this classic. It's now a poignant perennial.
2018-12-24 07:56:08 +0000 UTC View Post
As this is the holiday season, I want to point you towards some of the holiday content I've put together over the years:
HERE is Stan Lee reading "Twas The Night Before Christmas":
http://asitecalledfred.com/2015/12/01/stan-lee-ken-plume-...
2018-12-11 19:50:47 +0000 UTC View Post
While I have a fondness for most and am friends with a few of the members of Monty Python, my absolute favorite Python-adjacent person is Neil Innes. Despite being Ron Nasty, he's just so gosh-darned nice.
Truly a genuinely lovely human being.
And a musical genius.
From the Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah Band to Python to The Rutles, Neil is very ...
2018-12-04 08:31:08 +0000 UTC View Post
Wait - What? A new episode? You're darned right!
And for this episode, my special guest is writer/performer Dani Fernandez, and boy howdy, do we have a dandy of A Bit Of A Chat, touching on all manner of topics - including streaming, channeling, Millennial Manors, toxicity, positivity, typecasting, name games, Harolds, Dream Daddies, and zombies....
2018-11-20 04:52:39 +0000 UTC View Post
Journalist. Podcaster. Traveler. Gent who I will one day hide in virtual bushes with.
For this episode, my guest is Dan Sinker, and you can hear us chat about burn-out, hiding in bushes, time travel shenanigans, punk politics, Twain snobbery, Presidential programming, and social disorder...
Just so I had it recorded for posterity, I once asked Stan Lee to repeat my favorite Stanecdote...
Hope you enjoy "Galloping Stan"...
I knew it was coming eventually, as it does for us all, but the news of Stan Lee's passing still hit me hard.
Certainly he has a complicated legacy, but Stan was a master showman and a magnificent booster for the medium of comics... and his writing left an indelible impression on a kid discovering the thrill of reading, delighting as he jo...
2018-11-12 19:16:44 +0000 UTC View Post
Howdy, Patrons! Attached to this post is your EXCLUSIVE file of my Bit Of A Chat with John Hodgman. PLEASE DO NOT DISTRIBUTE! And THANK YOU once again for your support...
------------------
When so many other formerly-bedrock institutions seem to be crumbling around us, it's no small comfort that my mostly-annual conversation with my friend...
2018-11-02 04:54:00 +0000 UTC View Post
When so many other formerly-bedrock institutions seem to be crumbling around us, it's no small comfort that my mostly-annual conversation with my friend John Hodgman remains intact, with a brand new edition that goes to many a weird and wonderful place.
For this conversation, we touched on a whole mess of topics, including hash ledgers, muffin sh...
2018-11-02 04:50:28 +0000 UTC View Post
Hey! It's been awhile. How have you been?
I've been fine-ish.
Guess what? I have a new Bit Of A Chat for you. Not only that, there are more new episodes coming up, as well.
About time, right?
I agree.
And speaking of "about time", for what seems like the longest time, I've been playing scheduling tag with the brilliant wri...
2018-11-02 02:15:53 +0000 UTC View Post
As soon as I dove in to the new Spider-Man game, I couldn't wait to mash it up with a tune from my favorite guilty Spider-pleasure... 1972's THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN: FROM BEYOND THE GRAVE - A ROCKCOMIC...
2018-10-15 00:16:18 +0000 UTC View Post
Howdy!
I've been digging through my various drives lately in an effort to begin sharing more material from the archives, both in general and as special exclusives for my Patrons, including past convention material and scores of interviews.
So, to kick things off, here's a fun little teaser from the vaults, going all the way back to 2013.&nb...
2018-10-14 23:09:27 +0000 UTC View Post
Ahoy hoy!
As a thank you for being a Patron, here's another EXCLUSIVE for you, recorded LIVE at this year's DragonCon.
Every year, I host a few panel shows, affectionately (and accurately) titled Gonzo Quiz Shows. Aided and abetted by my able co-host Aaron Fever, they're a mix of various quiz games lovingly foisted upon a panel of de...
2018-09-13 01:16:31 +0000 UTC View Post
Ahoy hoy!
As a thank you for being a Patron, here's another EXCLUSIVE for you, recorded LIVE at this year's DragonCon.
Celebrating the release of GO TEAM VENTURE: THE ART & MAKING OF THE VENTURE BROS. and the debut of Season 7, this year's panel featured a few surprises for the audience, and a lively Q&A featuring me and stars James...
2018-09-12 21:04:41 +0000 UTC View Post
Ahoy hoy!
As a thank you for being a Patron, here's another EXCLUSIVE for you, recorded LIVE at this year's DragonCon.
For the past few years, we've been doing an improv show titled ATTACK OF THE CELEBRITY IMPROV.
It's an improv show. With incredible performers performing improv.
For this show, those performers include Hal...
2018-09-12 19:47:26 +0000 UTC View Post
Ahoy hoy!
As a thank you for being a Patron, here's another EXCLUSIVE for you, recorded LIVE at this year's DragonCon.
For this panel, we brought together a trio of stars from THE THRILLING ADVENTURE HOUR - Hal Lublin, Mark Gagliardi, & James Urbaniak - plus me, for an hour of lively Q&A.
Be aware that there are may be a few n...
2018-09-12 08:22:58 +0000 UTC View Post
Ahoy hoy!
As a thank you for being a Patron, here's another EXCLUSIVE for you, recorded LIVE at this year's DragonCon.
Every year, I host a few panel shows, affectionately (and accurately) titled Gonzo Quiz Shows. Aided and abetted by my able co-host Aaron Fever, they're a mix of various quiz games lovingly foisted upon a panel of delightfu...
2018-09-07 04:01:05 +0000 UTC View Post
Among the numerous panels I hosted during this year's DragonCon, I was delighted to be able to sit down and take a musical journey under the sea with Spongebob himself, Tom Kenny, and his collaborator, the legendary Andy Paley.
I hope you get as much of a kick listening to us riff as I had sitting down with them...
(BTW, if you haven't look...
2018-09-06 06:25:38 +0000 UTC View Post
For the 17th(!) year in a row, I will be doing a whole mess of programming at DragonCon in Atlanta. Because I'd love to see you there, I thought I'd share my schedule.
Swell, right?
And, when I'm not doing a panel or a Quiz Show or a concert, I'll be sharing a table with Aaron Fever in Artist's Alley, where you can stop by and pick up...
2018-08-28 02:14:45 +0000 UTC View Post
This is another one of those Bit Of A Chats that have been a long time in the planning before planets aligned and we were able to sit down for what turned out to be exactly what I had hoped for - a delightful Chat with a fascinating person.
And composer Eban Schletter is both delightful and fascinating, and talented, and hosts a brilliant podcast...
2018-08-19 05:30:25 +0000 UTC View Post
Ben Blacker won't talk on the phone.
Ok... Let me clarify that a bit... He DOES use a phone, and will talk on it, but he loathes doing long conversations on a phone.
So, that means recording a Bit Of A Chat with him remotely is right out.
BUT, at the tail end of my trip to San Diego and Los Angeles for Comic-Con, I was able to sit dow...
2018-08-10 01:30:46 +0000 UTC View Post
Well, that was not intentional.
It's been a bit of a break between new episodes of A Bit Of A Chat, but to be fair, I did spend the time inbetween promoting the release of my book, GO TEAM VENTURE: THE ART & MAKING OF THE VENTURE BROS. (which I hope you've already picked up) at San Diego Comic-Con and Raleigh SuperCon.
But while in San ...
2018-08-08 04:31:01 +0000 UTC View Post
Whenever Rebecca Watson and I can manage to make our ridiculous schedules align to record a podcast, the result is always a perfect encapsulation of our friendship, in all its fun, funny, and messy glory...
So here's an episode full of that, with topics including friend requests, stinging heals, corgi proposals, rusty pumps, goose rolls, ed...
2018-06-01 03:54:40 +0000 UTC View Post
I met director/performer Bex Schwartz in Queens, at our mutual friend Sara Benincasa's St. Patrick's Day show. Bex was there to perform, and I was there to watch performers perform.
We chatted a bit, and I decided that I enjoyed that bit of a chat so much that perhaps we should also do a Bit Of A Chat, and so we have. And here it is.
...
2018-05-28 02:10:41 +0000 UTC View Post
Whenever I have a Chat with comedian Joseph Scrimshaw, you can pretty much guarantee that the topics will invariably be well within the nerd sphere, and our latest Chat is no different.
So, join us as we have a spoiler-filled conversation about superhero movies, skirt the edges of going Solo, and throw the gauntlet down on milkshocktails HEAR: 2018-05-23 02:15:59 +0000 UTC View Post
I'm a sucker for history and science, and those two interests intersect within Lindsey Fitzharris' book THE BUTCHERING ART: Joseph Lister's Quest to Transform the Grisly World of Victorian Medicine.
So, I did what I love to do, which is talk about those subjects, and her book, with Lindsey in this episode.
We also talk about pie...
2018-05-22 20:21:55 +0000 UTC View Post