Maximum Fun Forum

NEW (TO US)
Throwing Shade
Fans of Will & Grace who wish they could listen to Jack and Karen discuss major issues as well as everyday minutiae will find much to love in Throwing Shade. If that situation sounds like one of the outer circles of hell, then this podcast is not for you. Lacking any sort of filter, UCB veterans Erin Gibson and Bryan Safi are equal-opportunity offenders, discussing current events with a politically incorrect sense of humor. The two cover a broad variety of material, and in the last month, their conversation topics have ranged from Ella Fitzgerald to gay-marriage laws. They have great banter, often taking potshots at the other’s expense, but their conversations frequently stray off topic. The best moments are when Gibson and Safi become passionate about a serious political issue, like Representative Todd Akin’s “legitimate rape” comment, which allows them to focus their shared cattiness on a single topic. Their aggressively energetic personalities give the show a bit of a morning shock-jock feel, if shock jocks spent even more time talking about genitals. [OS]

Throwing Shade is maybe my favorite MaxFuncast, but I do not want to listen to what they just described.

However, i sympathize as i have trouble figuring out how to introduce all my friends from Planned Parenthood and the Houston Area Women's Center to TSPod. My comedy friends wouldn't have any trouble getting on-board. New listeners who are activists and passionate about these issues, without previous consumption of improv, may be unable or unwilling to adapt to the sophisticated comedy Bryan and Erin bring each week. I even had one friend who's a huge fan of Community and Parks & Rec say she didn't "get" TSPod.

The codebreaker those Tweeterers were referring to was Alan Turing, an incredible man who was treated terribly by his country in return for his work against the Nazis. He also laid the foundation for computer science and built one of the first computers. Neal Stephenson's novel Cryptonomicon has a wonderful portrayal of Turing and his work; that's how I learned about him. A great read!