Best Compos Mentis Podcasts (2024)

The 90s Are Alive and Well. Machine Bolt and Él Farto take a moment to look back on some special guests from Season 1 of KPODD 101.3Some people (Gene) say that these are some of the most brilliant people in public radio, literary culture, or TV writers and producers simply playing funny characters in a period comedy about a Los Angeles radio statio…

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Black and White Flat Screen (with Mike Sacks!) 40:39

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2y ago40:39

40:39

Él Farto and Machine Bolt have an announcement. Super Caller Mike is milking a venomous spider into thimbles and condoms after the spider was smuggled to him in a Band Aid box. The competition is out of their coma and you’ll never guess what jump-started them. Plus: Listener Review! Also: The phone line is sponsored by Fruitopia® and everyone in th…

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No More Mister Nice Hosts 36:29

2y ago36:29

36:29

Radio consultants Genevieve Haas and Andrew Walsh, hired by Gene to whip the morning show into shape, give on-air advice to Machine Bolt and Él Farto on how to get jiggy with it and bring the ratings fight to Chudd and Carl (still in comas). Get your whips and your latex, and tune in for weather, listener calls, and some deeply inside-baseball radi…

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To Kill A Rocktober 34:54

2y ago34:54

34:54

There’s never been a better time to buy a Toyota, but time is a construct. Rocktober came in without warning and is winding down with a certain flair as Machine Bolt and Él Farto wade into a swag swamp of Bacardi guitars and KPODD T-shirts! Heavy Kevy calls in! New details emerge about Chudd Cuddler and Carl Cannibal’s dirt bike crash in Elsinore! …

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It Never Rains On Your Phonebook In LA 25:30

2y ago25:30

25:30

Call 818-85-FARTO and tell us all your thoughts on ROCKTOBER! Él Farto and Machine Bolt (real names) have been accused of stealing their format from a competing morning team, and they start the broadcast getting a lot off their chests about that. The new AlternativeRockMobile™ has been christened, and is out there on the 405 this morning! If you’re…

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Try to Bite Death's Fingers 23:47

2y ago23:47

23:47

Consider that forgetting your dreams each morning may be the key to happiness. While you're doing that, Whiskey Dick is writing a hard-hitting prison memoir about his time (3 days) in prison (County lock-up), and Él Farto and Machine Bolt are giving you hacks to make people like you instantly. Plus! More unvarnished truths are spoken while Lynn is …

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The Honored Dead and The Dick in the Clink 22:00

2y ago22:00

22:00

October 1st 1998 is another day full of excitement and chill vibes for Machine Bolt and Él Farto, who are down one Morning Zoo Butt Nugget after a riot broke out at that vegan restaurant. They take a moment this episode to reflect on some of the morning FM broadcasters who blazed the trail that the third most popular morning team in LA is honored t…

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Two Sneezes and Jesus 31:55

2y ago31:55

31:55

Él Farto and Machine Bolt definitely are not aware of 17th century Dutch philosopher Baruch Spinoza. They have, however, come into a bit of a windfall and upgraded at The Oakwood. Mike’s having Black Feather meetings at the new apartment, Tim from Tower is on the line this morning, plus things go sideways at Seth’s Bar and Grill and Whiskey lands i…

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One Rung Shy of the Top of the Ladder 37:57

2y ago37:57

37:57

It’s September 17, 1998 and Machine Bolt and Él Farto are consulting crystal balls, entertainment news reports and super callers during the 8 o’clock hour of the morning show today. Tune in so you don’t miss the latest from Crazy Sign Guy, a plea for information on the whereabouts of Bloodhound, and information about the first remote the KPODD morn…

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Ixnay on the Non Compos Mentis, Hombre! 26:03

2y ago26:03

26:03

Fall takes its time finding The Southland, and Él Farto takes the high road about Machine Bolt selling his car while he was out of town. More rips in the space time continuum as the guys get to the bottom of this Wil Wheaton World Wide Web posting and a weird card from Lynn, plus: The struggle to find euphemisms! Crazy Sign Guy’s wisdom and insight…

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How to Save Yourself and Others? 25:43

2y ago25:43

25:43

It's 09/03/98! Really just music from Matthew Sweet, Super Furry Animals, Hole — maybe an ad for SeVan II ®. Oh, and Él Farto calls in from the Airfone on his Continental Airlines flight. Definitely not a recon mission into a shadowy underworld. And no food-based vandalism. Pretty basic, really. Doesn’t end on a note of ominous struggle or anything…

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America’s Nautically Themed Gang Problem 27:29

2y ago27:29

27:29

It’s August 27th, 1998 and The Southland is seeing continuing showers as Él Farto continues bathing in sinks after hours at the WPODD offices and studios in Chicago. Things have gotten even stranger with Super Roommate Mike’s visit to his gang of seafaring outcasts, and Tim from Tower Sunset is in the land of the ice and snow where the midnight sun…

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It Never Rains, Man. It Pours. 32:56

2y ago32:56

32:56

Good morning from 08/20/98 where life at The Oakwood is torn asunder. Machine Bolt tries to stay anchored in Van Nuys, Él Farto continues camping in an office, and Super Roommate Mike is still M.I.A. in Clearwater, Florida at the center for nautically themed occult gangs. Plus: listener calls! Brought to you by Blockbuster Video® See “Press Hard: T…

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A Billion Years of Weather Peppers: A Very Special Episode (with Mike Sacks!) 31:18

2y ago31:18

31:18

It’s August 13, 1998. Él Farto calls in from Chicago and Super Caller Mike calls in from Clearwater while Machine Bolt watches the fort in Van Nuys because he doesn’t believe in the physics of air travel. The morning team experiments with pulling on the emotional heartstrings of each other, their former roommate, and the audience. Also, Él Farto sp…

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Whiskey Dick was Dropkicked (Special guest Alison Rosen!) 34:31

2y ago34:31

34:31

It’s August 6th, 1998! Apparently the live remote at the West Valley Taekwondo College didn't go so well, but let's not regret the past! Today, we have a special guest! Maybe you know Alison Rosen from her writing in Rolling Stone, Vibe, SPIN, Elle, and more. Or from her stint as newsgirl and co-host of "The Adam Carolla Show", or awesome shows lik…

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CanCon and Loose Canons (with Paul Myers) 35:03

2y ago35:03

35:03

It’s July 30th, 1998 and Paul Myers of the Gravelberrys is sitting in with the morning crew to discuss sobriety, Toronto and Ladies who are Bare and Naked. We also listen to a demo tape from an aspiring local radio personality. Intern Derek gets a field commission to run the carts, and everyone talks about their various regrets and whether San Fran…

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Dead Man Talking (with Colin Nissan!) 28:38

2y ago28:38

28:38

It’s July 23, 1998! In the future, Colin Nissan will go on to become a very funny writer celebrated for his work in The Onion, McSweeney’s, The New Yorker, The Paris Review, and more. But today, in 1998, he makes his living as a dead guy in the background on the hit show “E.R.” Machine Bolt and Él Farto will get the inside line on show biz from a v…

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We are #3 and Lynn is on a Death Trip 22:08

2y ago22:08

22:08

It’s July 16, 1998! Machine Bolt and Él Farto are moving on up, the cops are in Merkin’s pocket, and Gary Shadow from KHJ knows that when the police fail DJs, society’s collapse is not far behind. Your calls on the MCI Worldcom Rock Talk Line™. Also, Taekwondo remote to promote! Plus: Versace is dead, crazy sign guy is god, and a couple of big male…

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Ditching The Bummer Vortex (with Mike Sacks!) 30:55

2y ago30:55

30:55

This podcast is sponsored by Tear Bucket®. Machine Bolt and Él Farto realize the upside of feeling down is getting over things! What we’re trying to say is, ÉL Farto went on a date with Steph. Super Roommate Mike calls in, asking the guys if they could get dressed in the morning at The Galpin instead of The Oakwood. And like all philosophers have p…

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Weird Choir of Angels (with Tim from Tower!) 30:00

2y ago30:00

30:00

It's on July 2, 1998, and the guys are rolling calls starting with one disgruntled employee named Whiskey Dick. Then they spend some time shooting the breeze with Tower Records' number one salesman (of blank journals and media). All in all, regrets are out and optimism is in for the raddest morning team in the southland. Get us on!…

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Alternative Rock is Our Vietnam 23:48

2+ y ago23:48

23:48

It’s a heavy morning commute as the guys dive into Crazy Sign Guy's latest maxim, Él Farto debuts his new segment, and Machine Bolt drives halfway to hell and ends up nearly diabetic just to listen in on rival broadcaster Kurt Merkin on San Bernardino’s KDNG 107.7 FM. Producer Lynn thinks we’re culturally illiterate apparently. Plus, your calls, an…

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When There Was One Set of Footprints, I Was at 7-Eleven (with Lauren Weedman!) 34:06

2+ y ago34:06

34:06

It’s June 18, 1998 and famed psychiatrist Dr. Lauren Weedman (not a psychiatrist) returns to the show promoting a new book, and she’ll attempt to settle a few bets between Machine Bolt and Él Farto about whether or not the behavior in their friendship is appropriate. Crazy Sign Guy has a real gem, and the guys get sideswiped by a bunch of 4th grade…

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The Glamorous Aspect of The Dream (with Josh Gondelman!) 30:35

2+ y ago30:35

30:35

It’s June 11, 1998 and Josh Gondelman (HBO's "Last Week Tonight with John Oliver", Showtime's "Desus & Mero", and author of the book "Nice Try") drops into the studio to give the guys a peek into the world of gonzo rock journalism and the degenerate desperadoes (pop stars) he embeds himself with. Machine Bolt and El Farto are here to chase your blu…

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The Savage Journey, The Hot War 23:23

2+ y ago23:23

23:23

It’s the 4th of June 1998, and the gloom is trying to set in, but Machine Bolt and Él Farto refuse to let anything sour their mood! A brief detente between Él Farto and radio legend Kurt Merkin has collapsed back into active vitriol, meanwhile Machine Bolt has leaked a track from the new Beastie Boys album, tempting the fates of rock radio. This br…

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Twin Zombies and Sugar Gliders (with Mike Sacks!) 28:02

2+ y ago28:02

28:02

It’s May 28, 1998, and how you think things are going for you is none of your business. Machine Bolt and El Farto continue their savage journey toward better living, legendary Kurt Merkin wants to grab lunch in San Berdoo, and Super Caller Mike is really up against it after crashing his invention plus losing one of his hedgehogs last month (and als…

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Set Up For Success? 24:56

2+ y ago24:56

24:56

It's May 21, 1998! Because the annual FM/AM Personality Conference and Tradeshow is happening in Tempe, AZ this year, Él Farto is broadcasting remote. The guys take a call from Whiskey Dick, run down some of the fallout from last week’s remote at the Rainbow Aquarium and Pond, read some sports scores and an obituary, but mostly just play some aweso…

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The Tender Meat of the Monkey (with Jessica Lee Williamson!) 28:04

2+ y ago28:04

28:04

It’s May 14, 1998, and because of a health kick, Machine Bolt is eating from ramekins, which dovetails nicely with a call from a local Olive Garden server who wants to jump into Wanda’s old job. The hosts get pretty fixated on behind the scenes Olive Garden intel. That plus weather, news, and info about the next live remote which Lynn is pretty sur…

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Can You Insist You're a Celebrity? (with Laurie Kilmartin!) 25:20

2+ y ago25:20

25:20

It's May 7th, 1998! Laurie Kilmartin (Conan, Dead People Suck, Corset) drops by to interview for Wanda's position and suggests we fire Lynn (She's joking, so just relax, Lynn). El Farto kicks us off into the morning drive as the nation faces the grim reality of Seinfeld ending its run on NBC. A new segment "Riddle Me This with Machine Bolt Kennedy"…

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Richard from San Pedro 25:37

2+ y ago25:37

25:37

It's April 30th, 1998! After last week’s defeat at the Pacoima Branch of the Los Angeles Library, Machine Bolt and Él Farto are still reeling, but one thing is for sure: the on-air names of the Morning Zoo Butt Nugget Dream Team are locked in. The guys field a listener phone call, get a visit from Doctor Farto, and promote a live remote that might …

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Rude Canadians and Prison Misunderstanding 23:48

2+ y ago23:48

23:48

It’s April 23, 1998! Why does empathy and understanding feel like death? Who cares, keep the positivity and volume high. The control room window is shattered again so it sounds weird when we laugh. Machine Bolt attends Stephanie’s Prison Party, El Farto reads your Apple FM Broadcast Listener Cards, Whisky Dick and Monster Mike are growing as people…

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Compos Mentis Podcasts

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