Tank Top Talks w/ Matt Braunger

Grace Helbig is a hilarious online icon, full stop. She’s got millions of followers, untold hours of online content, and never (to my mind) came off like a person who NEEDS attention. When people started vlogging, I couldn’t find many that I liked, arguing that you couldn’t pump out interesting stuff that often. Grace proved me wrong. She’s always interesting and funny, whether it’s her long-running show The Daily Grace (RIP) or her podcast “This Might Get Weird.” I somehow forgot to talk about how she was at my wedding, but we covered everything else, I think. Give yourself some Grace (LOLLL) and listen in!Chapters0:00 - Intro1:00 - Big Bear Eagle4:00 - Love Island6:00 - Reality TV10:00 - Authenticity Online14:00 - Phone Addiction18:00 - World Cup28:00 - Podcast Culture34:00 - Unplugging36:00 - Competitive Table Setting47:00 - Peter Thiel List54:00 - Groupchats57:00 - Cheesecake Factory

Folks, I'll be honest...we've been working our way up to Gabrus for a while now. In addition to being comedy podcast royalty (Action Boyz, Doughboys, High and Mighty, Comedy Bang! Bang!) at this point, he's also basically the king of tank tops. As he says himself, he feels most comfortable without sleeves, and that made this chat a real delight. We cover a lot of ground – the Key West lifestyle, tropical vacation shenanigans, acting class horror stories, improv and stand-up culture finally coexisting peacefully, and everything in between. Roll up your sleeves and take a listen – this is a fun one.

Gareth may not have come with his own tank top in tow but he made sure to bring his sparkling wit and signature charm! You may know Gareth from his various podcasts - The Dollop makes me cry laughing - or from his hilarious stand-up act. It was a real treat to have him join us in the tank top treefort to discuss cocaine, vasectomies, and also cocaine. Plus, Gareth has the pleasure of explaining the Costco Guys to Matt in full detail! Strap on your skimpiest tank and tune in!

Will Pepper has a joke about visiting Vietnam and “feeling white” that made me immediately follow him online. His outlook and perspective are hilarious on stage, and he’s got a great family story as well. In fact, his dad is low-key famous from Will’s videos (check them out— his dad‘s laugh is infectious). My only requirement for a guest is that they be either funny or interesting and Will is both. Enjoy! 

Hilarious on stage, Vine (RIP), and a writer (currently on “Ms. Pat” on BET), Patrick Walsh is one of those guys who is reliably funny AND prolific. Not a huge tank top guy (those are, admittedly, rare on the show (irony!), Patrick nonetheless joined with a banger of a tank. We talked writing for TV, comedy, movies, and he even shared some savage tea about a famous Brit he worked with. Want the hot goss? Throw on a tank and tune in! 

You might recognize Melissa from her appearances on Californication, New Girl, Key and Peele, or Black Monday. She’s also an old stand-up pal of mine who used to produce a legendary show downtown called Holy Fuck (Great name, no?). She’s got a new stand-up special coming out soon called “Sparkle” about all the bad jobs she’s worked along the way (which, come on, amazing idea). We had a hilarious convo and you should throw this ep on immediately. Tanks! 

If you haven’t watched Luke Mones’ “Woke Trump” bit from his Don’t Tell Comedy set, go watch it on YouTube now. I’ll wait. Hilarious, right? Luke is one of my favorite comics out there and not just because he’s from my hometown of Portland. He wore a Trailblazer jersey to the taping and we got into some really, really interesting/funny stuff. Do you need an hour of laughs in these trying times? Throw on this episode and enjoy some Luke. Tanks!

Drew Landry writes jokes so good it makes me mad. I’d met him a while back, but we rarely see each other outside of random LA shows, but I follow him online. If you like to laugh, you should also follow Drew online. One of those guys who kind of fly under the radar, yet is always throwing hilarious stuff out there. I loved getting his story, his perspective, and also finding out he spent over a year wearing only tank tops lol. Listen now!