Pete Holmes’ podcast You Made it Weird is funny, deep and as the title suggests, weird. The greatest thing about it though is how the podcast can be so funny and so personal at the same time. Since all my favorite parts of the podcast are the little personal moments, I was a little apprehensive that the deep moments might be dropped for more humor with the live audience there.
Before the show really got started Pete Holmes came out to introduce himself to the audience. He was his usual funny and charming self and did a little bit of stand-up that sounded more like banter than an act. Then he walked off stage and stood just out of view while the You Made it Weird theme song played and the podcast recording began.
The first guest out was Chris Thayer who basically ended up being the comedic sidekick for the rest of the show. Here is where I must mention that seeing a podcast live is so much better than listening to it. This show will be funny in podcast form, but it is so much funnier when you can see everyone’s faces. Chris Thayer was the master of small comedic looks. He could kill the room with one lift of his eyebrow, so when he added words the hilarity just exploded out of him. As Pete Holmes said he is like a comedic crock pot simmering away until *bing* the joke is ready.
Next up was Sarah Benincasa who was quite charming and funny. First they talked about their SF Sketchfest provided rides to Cobb’s but it didn’t take long for the conversation to go a little deeper discussing Benincasa’s struggle with agoraphobia. It was really fun watching them jump back and forth between sincere discussion and jokes. At the end of their time Holmes said that they would need to do a full podcast sometime and Benincasa agreed. I hope they do!
Next out was Glenn Wool, who began by saying it was way too early to be performing. Now, maybe it was the early afternoon hour, but Glenn Wool ended up being the mellowest of the guest comedians. He told some great stories though about going back and staying in the hotel next door to where he used to live and about living on the road with his girlfriend.
Next out was the married duo of Kumail Nanjiani and Emily Gordon who have their own podcast The Indoor Kids. They were adorable together and really fun to watch with Pete Holmes since they seem to know each other so well. They teased Holmes about the crazy women he dates and made you feel like you were part of their friendship. Kumail and Emily were pretty forthcoming about themselves as well. They told stories of getting in fights while recording intros to their podcast and having an accident in your pants on set.
Last out was Rick Overton who started out his portion with some riffs on being the oldest one there. Of course his age didn’t matter since he is so funny! It didn’t take long for the conversation to devolve into a study of accents with Overton trying to teach Pete Holmes his Sean Connery impersonation then when that didn’t work so well they went in to many more celebrity voices. Rick Overton was really a master of imitating voices and Holmes did a decent job keeping up.
What I love about You Made it Weird and Pete Holmes himself is that, as weird and funny as it gets there is always a deeper level underneath. He is interested in people and what motivates and inspires them so the conversation always makes it to that deep introspective place. And that goes so nicely with all the laughs!
