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Comedian Mike Birbiglia welcomes a different comedian or creator each week and together they work out original, untested material. And, occasionally, uncomfortable topics. Join them as they work it out.
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It's a book club, but funny! Comedian Michael Ian Black is tackling a great work of literature: Wuthering Heights. Join Michael's weekly book club as he reads aloud from a classic and asks people like Jen Kirkman, Mike Birbiglia, Michael Showalter, and even his teenage kids to weigh in with their perspectives. Season 1: Thomas Hardy's Jude the Obscure. The book is bleak, but Michael does a lot of accent work. Season 2: Mary Shelley's Frankenstein. It's alive, and it's just a big buddy. Also, ...
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Advice for New-ish Comedians (with Gary Simons and Listener Questions)
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43:22
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Mike welcomes back comedian Gary Simons, who, since his last appearance on the podcast, opened for Mike on his latest tour, had a few of his stand-up bits go viral, and has been performing at the Comedy Cellar. Now, Mike and Gary answer listener questions from people who have taken the leap into stand-up comedy and are looking for advice about how …
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S4 Episode 88 - Some Honest to God Celebrity Hot Goss
31:57
31:57
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Reporting this episode from a haunted condominium in Hollywood, California! Ok, it's not haunted and, strictly speaking it isn't in Hollywood. But here within, your host relates a VERY JUICY Colman Domingo story (it's not that juicy, or that interesting). And Clyde continues to f things up. No surprise there. Support Obscure! Read Michael's substac…
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170. Please Don't Destroy Returns: The Journey of an SNL Sketch from Pitch to Air
50:15
50:15
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This week PDD returns to the podcast a year and a half after originally coming on. Since then, Mike and the boys have started a monthly improv show called “Please Don’t Birbiglia” at UCB. The group talks about what it’s like to improvise together, the unsparing roasts PDD did of Mike when they opened for his show "The Good Life," and the creation o…
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S4 Episode 87 - The Fifth of June Arriving
32:07
32:07
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For the umpteenth episode, Clyde is torn between his former flame and the current inferno warming him from the direction of Twelfth Lake. A gravid Bob is at a critical junction, the time of decision-making is at hand. Clyde must marry her or find some other solution to the problem. The obvious solution? MURDER!!! Support Obscure! Read Michael's sub…
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169. Ira Glass Returns: Ira Tries Stand-Up Comedy (For Real)
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57:12
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Ira Glass has appeared on the Working It Out podcast three times before, and usually it’s Mike asking Ira for advice, whether it’s about podcasting or storytelling. But now the tables have turned: Ira recently listened to a stand-up set he performed years ago, he has the itch to try it again, so he’s come to Mike for comedy advice. On this episode,…
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S4 Episode 86 - It was not right. It was not fair
33:51
33:51
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Some real moments of irritation from your host this week as he loses patience with both Bob AND Ted Dreiser. Now maybe it's on account of your host's sore back or maybe it's because your host thinks he knows better than one of the nation's great writers. Who can say. Support Obscure! Read Michael's substack Follow Michael on Twitter Follow Michael …
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168. Zarna Garg Returns: One Follower at a Time, a Million Times
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52:48
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Zarna Garg first appeared on the Working It Out podcast in 2022 and since then her popularity has continued to rise. Zarna explains to Mike how she has built her comedy career like a business, and why performing for an audience of one or two is no different for her than performing for an audience of thousands. Mike and Zarna discuss free speech in …
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A couple of Bobs on the podcast this time around, one the familiar Bob of episodes past, the knocked-up one. Then there's another Bob, only mentioned once and as an aside from your narrator. But what is the nature of this second, mysterious Bob? Only a careful listen will reveal the answer!!!! Support Obscure! Read Michael's substack Follow Michael…
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After decades of being a beloved comedian’s comedian Jessica Kirson has broken out in the last few years with viral crowd work videos and a brilliant new special on Hulu called “I’m The Man.” Mike and Jessica dig deep into the nuts and bolts and emotional work of being a stand-up comic, including overcoming stage fright and dealing with hecklers. J…
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S4 Episode 84 - A Dark Cloud Which Shadowed This Other
32:48
32:48
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A sleepy host, a pregnant Bob, and a potential lover who, in the mind of your host, looks like a comic book character. Clyde and Roberta remain in their pregnancy pickle while Sondra Finchley, in the shadows, seeks out young Master Griffiths. All is both well and deeply unwell on the dark streets of Lycurgus, New York. Support Obscure! Read Michael…
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This week the legendary Ahmir Thompson (aka Questlove) sits down for his first appearance on Working It Out. Mike and Questlove discuss touring with his father’s band as a kid, every DJ’s worst nightmare, and how jealousy and self-sabotage can affect even a member of a band as iconic as The Roots. Plus, what it was like accepting an Oscar after The…
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S4 Episode 83 - On Celebrating and Not Celebrating
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33:57
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The episode begins with a reflection on St. Patrick's Day in Savannah, which - your host is told - is the nation's 3rd largest St. Patty's Day celebration. So while revelers drink themselves into a stupor down south, up north in Lycurgus, NY, our friends Clyde and Roberta struggle with the continually growing problem of Bob's pregnancy. But now, wi…
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165: Rachel Feinstein Returns: Everything She Says Could Be a Bit
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Rachel Feinstein recently appeared as a surprise guest on one of Mike’s shows at the Beacon Theatre, where Mike observed after the show that everything Rachel said in the green room could be a bit. Now, on the heels of her Netflix special Big Guy, and in her third appearance on Working It Out, Rachel spills all the details about living with other c…
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When you think about it, isn't all art about horny young people? Sure it is. And where does it all lead? No place good. Which is how you end up with a couple poor saps out there in Lycurgus, NY trying to extract themselves from a situation in which they placed themselves by virtue of their own damned horniness. And that's where we pick up this week…
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This week Andrew Schulz comes on the podcast and Mike and Andrew break apart why the two of them are unlikely work friends. They discuss Andrew having Donald Trump on his podcast, Andrew’s new deeply personal Netflix special, “Life,” and the politics of free speech in comedy. Plus, Andrew reveals the guest he regrets having on his podcast, “Flagran…
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As your host's moderate smartness is slowly replaced with moderate dumbness, he contemplates the obvious etymology of a certain, common phrase in the English language as well as expresses some antipathy for the toaster. As for Clyde and Roberta, their best-laid plans also appear to be toast. What shall become of these two star (and Sondra) crossed …
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163. Josh Johnson: Reinventing the Modern Comedy Special
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Comedian Josh Johnson is a writer and correspondent for The Daily Show and his stand-up sets have millions of views on YouTube. Josh talks with Mike about cultivating a fan base via the YouTube videos, why he thinks chasing success in the comedy industry is sometimes antithetical to the art form, and shares the advice he got from Trevor Noah. Plus,…
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S4 Episode 80 - How Do You Like Dem Apples?
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Recounting two apple-themed cities in my travels this episode. You might even learn some trivia about one of our foremost planters of apple trees. New York state, too, home of Lycurgus, is also an apple-growing state. In fact, according to the New York Apple Association (real), NY grows more apple varieties than any other state! Support Obscure! Re…
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BEST OF WIO: Mike Reads a New Piece of Writing, Plus Elizabeth Gilbert Re-Air
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At the top of this Best of WIO episode featuring Elizabeth Gilbert, Mike reads a new piece that he wrote for Elizabeth's Letters From Love Substack. (Recorded November 2024) Author Elizabeth Gilbert wrote one of Mike’s favorite books about creativity, Big Magic. She also wrote a book that, to her surprise, become a cultural phenomenon: Eat, Pray, L…
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Timely as always, your host contemplates the difference between two war movies, neither of which came out in the last 10 years. Plus, some culinary conversation AND our protagonist/antagonist Clyde Griffiths might have a bead on an abortionist. Support Obscure! Read Michael's substack Follow Michael on Twitter Follow Michael on Instagram See Privac…
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Q&A: Mike Answers Voicemails About Comedy Advice and Crying Babies at Shows
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34:19
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For this all-new Working It Out Q&A, Mike fields listener questions about people fainting at his shows, how to write comedy about topics that are painful to you, and balancing a day job and creative life when starting out. If your question didn’t get answered on this week’s Q&A, stay tuned for another one soon where Mike answers the rest! Got a new…
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Now ensconced back on American soil, your mansplainer-in-chief processes his return to his native land as he contemplates ice cream sandwiches, the troubled political landscape, and the fortunes of a certain young creep named Clyde who would have voted Trump. Support Obscure! Read Michael's substack Follow Michael on Twitter Follow Michael on Insta…
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162. Pete Holmes Returns: Comedy That’s Clean, Dirty, or PG-13
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Pete Holmes returns to help Mike punch up some last minute jokes before the premiere of Mike’s show The Good Life at the Beacon Theatre in New York. What follows is a heated debate about puns, an attempt to define and dissect the nature of “clean” comedy, and, yes, a nuts and bolts joke writing session. Plus, Pete psychoanalyzes the state of Massac…
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The audio, as promised, is terrible again. And yes, it's entirely my fault. Good audio resumes next episode. As for this episode, you know, it's just more problems. Roberta's knocked-up and Clyde is doing his level best to make everything worse. Will he continue to succeed? I think you can all guess the answer. Support Obscure! Read Michael's subst…
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161. Nathan Lane Returns: The Safest Thing You Can Do Is Take a Risk
1:07:47
1:07:47
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This week, the great Nathan Lane returns to Working it Out. Nathan recounts moments from his legendary career — discussing what it was like to work with Mike Nichols, Elaine May, and Robin Williams. He shares what he likes most in a director, who he’s jealous of, and what he remembers of twenty-something year old Mike. Plus, an incredible story abo…
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