InTALLerable

Ep. 93: Edward Bell & Sammy Anzer

Go buy & listen to Edward & Sammy’s debut split comedy album: Residual Income - OUT NOW

My guests are both Denver stand-up comics who several years ago dreamt of releasing their first album together, split-side style, in homage to the 90’s punk band records. Sammy is from Queens, New York & Ed hails from the holy land of nice people. That’s right, Iowa. We talked about their journey through comedy, discussed how learning stand-up comedy is like learning an instrument, and the gentlemen were kind enough to school me with a short workshop session using a short joke I recently wrote and attempted on stage. They offer some really great writing advice in this one so don’t miss out on their sage wisdom. 

It was a genuine pleasure to learn their perspective. I am grateful for their generosity in giving me their time and for breaking bread with me. 

Our bonus segment on this episode was significant and an extension of this conversation, so if you want to check that our head to: patreon.com/intallerable 

Follow Sammy —@badboyanzer

Follow Edward —@edwardbellcomedy 

Ep. 92: Broke My Own Rule (Ft. Lilah & Anders)

Nearly two years ago I established a rule for myself when booking guests to share in laughter and learning at Top Shelf Studios. The Rule: ‘No couples as guests on the pod together.’ 

Rules are meant to be broken though, especially for people who matter to you. I’m honored to welcome a happy couple, both from the midwest, both as “nice” as it gets — for a rowdy and genuine episode that I hope you all enjoy!

I was happy to learn more about Lilah’s life during this episode. She shared about her family life, what it was like growing up across from a farm in Wisconsin, and what ultimately sparked her ambitious move to Denver. She has been getting tattoos since she could, which cultivated a love for the art of tattooing, propelling her to start as an apprentice in WI under her tattoo artist. Her passion for tattooing led her to Denver, but Lilah is a talented artist across many mediums and over the last few years, has broadened her scope of working on her art. You can follow her art on instagram @lefthookdesigns (great name) — She has some insanely cool crochet pieces!

Thank goodness we have a lady on the microphone to give these young men advice on how to get: “A bad B****” (Lilah’s words). Later in the episode, we dive into the challenges of modern dating, the differences between men & women, how they have their own unique struggles, eventually working our way to the million-dollar-question: “Do you want kids?” 

A portion of this episode was so awesome that it must be vaulted for supporters only. To hear uncut episodes and Lilah’s missing story in this episode, head to Patreon.com/InTALLerable  

The ‘yugest thanks to Lilah and Anders for their time, their voice, and for being their genuine full selves to the highest degree. 

FO & BW

Ep. 91: Don’t Milk It (Ft. Alek Seballes)

Alek, the ever-helpful part-time producer on the show, has been deserving of more spotlight. Besides his love for comedy and his skills in photography, he has a deep understanding of storytelling, plays, and movies. Through  this episode, Alek teaches me about the history of plays and oratory story telling. We walk the timeline from single orators, to the mask era, to the development of “The Chorus,” as a playact tool. Something I didn’t know, but was interested to learn!

Clearly, Alek needs to continue to work his “rant” muscle, because dang this dude can GO OFF! Alek proposes some ideas for the security of the future: Domes. We discuss the security of the Vatican City, their ancient walls, and what great treasures must lie in the Vatican vault. Debate sparks over the question of if art can ever be perfect, the vast-reach techno-state we are living inside, and we dive into a discussion of the state’s role in regulating groups of people. Should a group with violent or evil ideals have their freedoms impeded for the continued freedom of the whole nation? Probs tbh. 

We don’t promise to fix it all, or find all the answers, but we try to find creative ideas (like the dome) and laugh along the way. Hope you also share in some joy or thought while listening. 

FO & BW

Ep. 90: Ephemeral Incentives (Ft. Patrick "Piss" Richardson)

The big man is back! Patrick “Piss” Richardson returns to Top Shelf Studio to talk about everything from NBA basketball to anarcho communism. He is a stand-up comedian and co-host of two podcasts: ‘Cobos Patrick Podcast’ & ‘Certified Cinephiles’ — Both hilarious, check them out! Patrick recently traveled on the road with Denver legend, Sam Tallent,  to perform and record videography. He is the editor for Sam Tallent’s recently released special: “The Toad’s Moral” — If you haven’t seen it, please do yourself a favor and watch it on Youtube. 

If you’re in Denver, Patrick co-hosts a weekly showcase show of the best local & national touring comics at Ratio Beerworks every Wednesday at 8 pm. It never disappoints, so don’t miss out!

In this episode we discussed writing new jokes and how Patrick approaches finding new material through an ephemeral connection with the spirit of comedy in the ether. Later in the episode, we take a turn towards current events and the structures of the world. From incentives to capitalism, we walk through a thought experiment to discuss trade, implicit benefit, and market competition in the context of the social media age. We end on a hypothetical about the loss of electricity and how long it would take for things to take a turn for chaos. 

I’m thankful for Patrick’s perspective, his kindness towards how he views other humans, and his hopefulness for the future. He is down to Earth in a way that many people lack, as seen through his belief that “Business isn’t life.” 

May we all touch grass and share some laughs.  

FO & BW

Ep. 89: Noah Reynolds & Jacob Rupp

“We are the captain now!” Noah proclaimed out in glory, as the once mighty ship that was Top Shelf Studios fell at the hands of Nugget-loving comics, Noah Reynolds & Jacob Rupp. Their riffs as sharp as ever, Sean surrendered, giving up the bridge for what became a fun journey. 

From the high skies of pilots, to the legality surrounding their every move, we get down to the real “rub” of it all. We discuss the difference between ghosts & the dark, how Jacob’s college experience at CU Boulder was the beginning of his stand up career, and Noah grills Sean mercilessly about his show not having a format. A good ‘ole satirical, joke and character-heavy episode so there’s your disclaimer of humor. Consider yourself disclaimed. 

Noah & Jacob reviewed Top Shelf’s smoked wings, something Sean had been dreading, since Noah & Jacob had high standing in the chicken community, which meant a great review could change Sean’s whole life. 

Thanks to them both for coming on. They are hilarious people with unique styles. I hope they blow all the way up, so I can cheer them on every step of the way. 

 

Find them on social: 

@officialnoahreynolds - instagram 

@ruppjacob - instagram 

 

Their Podcast: Chicken & the Nuggets - on TikTok

 

FO & BW

Ep. 88: Spaghetti Jake

A former door guy at Comedy Works, Spaghetti Jake has been performing stand-up comedy for over three years. A laid back Colorado native with a unique style, Jake has become known for his roasting ability & skilled beat-boxing in between his jokes. He recently debuted a new podcast called: “The Rat Bastard & Spaghetti Jake Bongcast.” Be sure to check it out!

We spent a good portion of the episode discussing Jake’s path in comedy. He tells us about working one night as a pizza delivery guy — he was asked by the owner while eating in the same pizza place earlier that day— needless to say, he never got paid. Spaghetti Jake describes how stand-up comedy is similar to highschool with each city each being their own little high school community. Of course, we talk about Jake’s involvement in Roast Battle League, how his comedy has grown through being in Roast Battle and getting the chance to travel to other cities to compete against the country's best roast comics. 

If you want to hear bonus content, head to — patreon.com/intallerable — Spaghetti Jake is the debut guest for our new EATIN’ tier. Support the show and access uncut recordings featuring various smoked meats!

FO & BW

Ep. 87: Think About Thinking About It (Ft. Lucas Mederos)

A recurring theme of the show has formed recently, where Lucas Mederos joins the show and Sean tries his best not to piss his pants laughing. On this episode, we discuss which international body will be first to condemn Shaq for refusing to play an encore set during Decadence as Shaq Diesel (his EDM alter-ego), we ponder whether Stephen Hawking’s breakthrough scientific findings will be taken away from him after being named in the newly released Epstein depositions, and we discover that there might not be a worse time in history to choose “laser-eyes” as your preferred superpower. 

We also travel deep into Lucas’ psyche as he details a lifelong recurring dream, tries to convince Sean that space is “clean,” and makes an argument for at the very least, thinking about thinking about it. Gritty things make people more interesting, so Lucas must’ve been a big fan of sandpaper growing up. He’s like nobody else and that’s exactly what he’s supposed to be. Oh, I almost forgot! You’ll want to stick around until the end for this episode, we have a surprise guest who shares a first-hand story of a Skinwalker interaction high in the mountains of Colorado. Spooky to say the least. 

FO & BW

Ep. 86: Comedy, it Works. (Ft. James Jensen & Anders)

James Jensen is a bartender at Comedy Works with a passion for photography. He has been working at Comedy Works since 2016, when he entered as a door staff. Shortly after being promoted to bartender, the pandemic hit and the club was temporarily closed. Luckily, James’ impact on the team was clear and he was asked back  when the club re-opened. Anders joins Sean for the episode, in hopes that together they can peel back the layers of the onion that is James Jensen. 

We discuss changes in Colorado, mainly the influx from other states, and if these “newbies” have tainted the state’s ideals. Anders shares his experience of people moving to the “Big” city of Milwaukee and we wonder how to recognize when you are in a “bubble.” James tells us the story of how his family became Chicago Cubs fans, seeing his first stand-up show, and how a high school elective photography class lit a creative flame within him. Inspiration can come from anywhere, even old, mangled athletic tape on a basketball court. There’s a lesson there. 

Much of our episode we talked about perspective, meaning, and self-confidence. At what age should we “know” ourselves? Do we expect “the self” to change as we continue through life? We might not find all the answers, but damn if we don’t ask the questions. Of course our guests reviewed Top Shelf’s smoked wings, before an after-hours segment where we talked about our experiences with online dating, how to consume news, and Anders stumbled on a revolutionary idea for fixing the problems of a single-member-district-plurality system of voting. 

Cheers to all the laughter shared with these gentlemen. I hope this won’t be James’ last appearance at Top Shelf — now that his pod-cherry is popped, he can pop back in anytime. 

FO & BW

Ep. 85: Georgia Comstock

I am thrilled to welcome Georgia Comstock to Top Shelf Studios for an extra-special, extra-recessively-gened, New Years Eve episode. Georgia is a Comedy Works professional stand-up comedian and has been prominently featured on the High Plains Comedy Festival. She started stand-up in Omaha, Nebraska, but soon moved to Denver, where she has been performing for over 10 years. 

I look up to Georgia, not necessarily physically, but aspirationally as she continues to carve a path of success in her stand-up career. She’s a smiley-faced killer on stage, who will leave you slumped over in laughter before you even know what happened. If you haven’t seen her act around Denver, buy a ticket — you will not regret spending an evening hearing her material. She hosts a riff-showcase show called: “Catfish Comedy,” where comics draw topics at random from a bucket and try to make something funny out of it, LIVE! Check out her set at one of the following dates in January:

January 18th - Comedy Works Downtown - Catfish Comedy

January 24th - Comedy Works South

We spent this episode talking about comedy, originality & authenticity in the age of social media, family, growing up, the holidays, and her perspective on mindset. Is an escape room a good first date? Was Georgia funny as a kid? Has Georgia always held an even-keeled mindset? Break out the popcorn or your favorite bath bomb, sit back and join us for the ride.

Huge thank you to Georgia for being so generous with her time & for believing in me enough to come on my silly little show. 

FO & BW

Ep. 84: Ho-Ho-Homies Jingle-Jokes Spectacular

In a studio decked with holly, the Christmas Spectacular unwraps,

With Lucas, Alek, and James, avoiding all Yuletide traps.

Alek, the teacher, muses on life's class,

While James ponders a world viewed through math's glass.

 

“Like Arrival’s plot twist, communication's key,”

They jest about Hellen Keller and her mystery.

Creativity and code, a duo so tight,

James envisions a limerick future, oh so bright.

 

With AI and TikTok, a thousand verses they'll weave,

Into a book of top picks, Amazon's sleigh to receive.

Life’s goal, they agree, is to live off creative flair,

While James eyes a million words, a journaling dare.

 

Talk shifts to thought's foundations, diverse and deep,

In workplaces, in movies, and in dreams we keep.

Lucas recalls Ben & Jerry’s, a scoop of misdeed,

"Free ice cream for all!" was his fired-up creed.

 

Road trips transform with friends in the car,

From family snoozes to homie superstars.

Amid intermittent roasts, Dr. Doofenshmirtz gets a nod,

Parody’s potential pondered, a creative squad.

 

Screen-time stats shock, a digital devour,

As they debate IQ tests’ dubious power.

Slang and language, America's vast verbal sea,

Lucas muses on caste systems in the land of the free.

 

Lounge luxuries, holiday travels, the festive season's joy,

Recalling childhood Yuletides, Sean's memories deploy.

Divorced parents, house hopping, a Christmas tale true,

In this episode, mirth and musings are the crew's brew.

 

So, gather 'round the fire, or wherever you hear,

For a Christmas special that brings much cheer.

Tune in, laugh along, and join our jolly band,

In this holiday episode that's oh-so-grand.

 

FO & BW