166: The Shane Mauss Memorial Hour

[Skyler]

Originally Posted by Jo_Culprit

Danny do you need some positivity and compliments?

Let me add a few.

TTSWD is THE reason I keep my VIP active.

Danny's recommendations and songs have consistently been amazing and some of the best media I consumed over the past year or so.

Danny is one of the only regular guest on KATG I have never felt tired of.

Now let me say the only thing Danny will remember. I went to the forum for that last episode that started all of this and really expected to see a lot of negativity. Turns out it's like 4 comments, with relatively light criticisms.

Danny, we all are paying to listen to this show... we all like you...

[Sparrow]

Originally Posted by Skyler

Let me add a few.
... we all like you...

i'd like to shout this from the rooftops, please. DannyBoys 4 Lyfe, Playa. this is a really cool, safe place to try things and you have rabidly loyal followers who are willing to go there with you. don't be discouraged, not one bit. try more tings. we want more tings. 'cause what we like, as Skyler so succinctly put it, is you.

[GreeningOA]

I love the Shane's dad bit and always have. Fuck all you haters. I'm only a little bit into this episode though. I am concerned about Danny. What did Shane's dad do with him? Is he tied up in the merch room?

[Eric M]

Originally Posted by Skyler

TTSWD is THE reason I keep my VIP active.

I agree with this. Not to be down on the gang, but there's not a lot going on in VIP anymore. I miss MNIK like crazy. *cough*

Honestly I haven't listened yet. With the title, I wanted to read the forums a little to see what to expect. Seems like I'm in for a shaky hour. But I'm still in buddy.

[dannyhatch]

Aw (most of) you guys. Thanks.

[Jo_Culprit]

Originally Posted by dannyhatch

Aw (most of) you guys. Thanks.

Danny! It's time the get up out of the dirt!

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=PrHLLgOqHeU

(Just a fun song to run to when you're stressed bud)

Hit the pavement and have pedestrians and cyclists suck your dust!

[GreeningOA]

high so I need to write ...

These shows are awesome not because of the content but because where Danny and Mr. Mauss go with the content. It is actually fitting that Mr. Mauss sometimes takes over Danny's show because they both have the same comic rythym. This was the best solo TTSWD yet and I especially liked the calls from ristband, radiator, and all the other r chicks. If anyone missed it, she told him he's only good for the big loads he dumps in her that she needs to cum.

[Rosa]

Originally Posted by GreeningOA

high so I need to write ...

These shows are awesome not because of the content but because where Danny and Mr. Mauss go with the content. It is actually fitting that Mr. Mauss sometimes takes over Danny's show because they both have the same comic rythym. This was the best solo TTSWD yet and I especially liked the calls from ristband, radiator, and all the other r chicks. If anyone missed it, she told him he's only good for the big loads he dumps in her that she needs to cum.

*snaps*

I am really proud of Danny for this episode. He knew it would be a big risk. He knew some people would not respond well. But he did it in service of his genuine desire to push himself into more challenging and experimental comedic territory. After 165 episodes, Danny *could* just sit back and rest on the formula the team has perfected. But doing so would constitute a real missed opportunity to develop the skills and voice he will need to make the transition into the broader comedic scene he is interested in. Danny has always been a big fan of character work and improv. Some of his favorite podcasts and shows are Comedy Bang! Bang!, Mr. Show, Characters (Netflix), shows that rely heavily on folks developing all kinds of characters over the course of their episodes to generate the funny. This ability does not arise overnight, it requires practice and commitment. And courage. Even when executed beautifully, it is still not always appreciated or enjoyed by all fans. Here’s a quote about Paul F. Tompkins’ character work on Comedy Bang! Bang! from an AV Club review: “With a light shone on Comedy Bang! Bang! now more than ever before, it'd come as no surprise if Tompkins wound up with his own series sooner rather than later. His characters on this podcast may be the most under-appreciated aspect of today’s comedy scene.”

It’s okay if some people didn’t like the shane’s dad bit. Everyone has their own taste and historically TTSWD has not been heavy on this kind of material, so expectations are being violated. But I do think it’s worth acknowledging that what Danny is trying to do is worthwhile, that he does have fans that are willing to go along for the ride, and that his solo shows are a space where he should feel particularly encouraged to flex these character muscles. I think this was a great use of the solo show and I look forward to seeing him push the format even more in the future (maybe have some fellow improvisers on?). The purely call-in format is not working super well, and K&C’s strengths/interests do not lie in the experimental improv space Danny keeps asking them to go to. An experimental monthly show could allow him to branch out comedically AND still give us his bread and butter with K&C every other week of the month. I hope most of you feel the same.

Personally, I thought the episode was very funny. I thought it was funny that he decided to do the shane’s dad bit at all after the mixed feedback. I thought it was even funnier that he decided to dedicate an entire episode to it. That commitment was fucking ballsy. He knowingly baited the haters. He put himself on the line. He forced himself to jump in at the deep end and try to stay afloat. Danny, the boy who lives and dies by the approval of others, did something he knew some folks would not like, because he believed it was important to his comedic development and he believed in himself and the form enough to walk that plank. I thought it paid off. Plus, he got to end the bit on his own terms. I'm proud as hell.

If you didn’t bother to listen to the whole thing, you’re missing out. If you thought this episode meant danny is in a bad place, you just didn’t get what he’s trying to do (that’s okay, we are in new territory!). So to set the record straight, it means he finally has the strength and confidence to strike out on his own. Of course there will be growing pains. Of course he won’t hit his stride immediately. Of course it won’t be for everyone (KATG fans became TTSWD fans in part because they enjoy the comedy talk show format). But it will get better and it will be funny, it is Danny after all.

[Jo_Culprit]

Originally Posted by Rosa

An experimental monthly show could allow him to branch out comedically AND still give us his bread and butter with K&C every other week of the month. I hope most of you feel the same.

I thought it was funny that he decided to do the shane’s dad bit at all after the mixed feedback. That commitment was fucking ballsy.
Danny, the boy who lives and dies by the approval of others, did something he knew some folks would not like, because he believed it was important to his comedic development and he believed in himself and the form enough to walk that plank.

If you thought this episode meant danny is in a bad place, you just didn’t get what he’s trying to do (that’s okay, we are in new territory!). So to set the record straight, it means he finally has the strength and confidence to strike out on his own.

But it will get better and it will be funny, it is Danny after all.

Well this clarifies a lot.

Danny, Apologies for what I said earlier in the thread and misunderstanding.

After I saw your "12 beers comment" , plus the tone at the end of the show and how you looked in the video, I just thought you seemed down. Maybe I was projecting? sorry man, I know it feels belittling when that happens.

With regards to the Shane's dad bit, I liked it the first time it was done but hated it when it came up after then. I didn't post on the forums those times but as a fan it does feel like "Danny is better than this bit, why does he keep riding it into the ground over and over again?"