Episode 50 - Michael Ian Black, Part 1

Episode 50 - Michael Ian Black, pt. 1 Hello and goddam we made it to FIFTY!

Also available on Spotify, iTunes, and pretty much everywhere pods are cast! (just search for "15 minutes jamie berger). 

Hello and goddam we made it to FIFTY!

After this year and a half of letting politics and social commentary exist on this show only as it came up within the conversations, for the first time, I’ve decided to talk for a few minutes all by myself at the top of the show, pretty much completely off topic, pretty much about my working through how to be a 53-year-old white straight male ally in these days of Trump and Weinstein and C.K.

If you can make it through that ... 

Michael Ian Black and I talk about everything from our moms (of course) and his recent memoir, “Navel Gazing,” about his mother and her illness, among other things, to his podcast, “How to Be Amazing,” to dream jobs, to his twitter activism fighting Trump and all the other horrible shit therein that’s happened this year, to his three-decade (what I’m calling) love-feud with Marc Maron. Oh, and fame. We talk about fame too. Here’s verifiable information his bio says about him:

Michael Ian Black is a multi-media talent who’s starred in numerous films and TV series, written and/or directed two films, is a prolific author and commentator, and regularly tours the country performing his ribald brand of jokes and observations. He most recently starred in TVLand's “The Jim Gaffigan Show” and Comedy Central’s “Another Period.” He also reprised one of his iconic film roles in Netflix’s “Wet Hot American Summer: Ten Years Later,” and previously in "Wet Hot American Summer: First Day of Camp." His third standup comedy special, “Noted Expert,” was released on Epix.

Black has authored 11 books, including the recently released best seller, “A Child’s First Book of Trump.” He’s written two well-received memoirs: “Navel Gazing: True Tales of Bodies, Mostly Mine (but also my mom’s, which I know sounds weird)”, and “You're Not Doing It Right: Tales of Marriage, Sex, Death and Other Humiliations.”

Eleanor Gordon-Smith’s “This American Life” piece: by turns upsetting, fascinating amusing and maybe ultimately depressing story on trying to get a few Australian men to reconsider the “harmless”ness catcalling and ass-slapping.

https://m.thisamericanlife.org/radio-archives/episode/603/once-more-with-feeling?act=1#act-1

Nicole Stamp CNN “What Decent Men Can Do” - If you listen to my intro, you’ll know I’m not satisfied with this as being enough, at least for me, but it’s a darn good start:

http://www.cnn.com/2017/10/21/opinions/what-men-can-do-me-too-stamp-opinion/index.html

Here’s the "How if You’re a Man … Trash" piece I talked about in the intro:

https://verysmartbrothas.theroot.com/how-if-you-re-a-man-to-deal-with-the-fact-that-you-re-1820410857?utm_source=theroot_facebook&utm_medium=socialflow

Here's my essay, "Peep Show":

https://psiloveyou.xyz/peep-show-9912979642cd

Want more on the awful topics of recent weeks? Try Googling: Jessica Valenti, Rebecca Traister, Bell Hooks, Barbara Erenreich

Next week: Part 2 of the M.I.B. conversation, as well as another rant, this time about the extra added power of having not just money or employment but fame as a weapon that entertainment/arts-world abusers wield; and how now do we go on being fans of the white guys we love?

There's some fun/funny stuff in there too, I hope.

Listen to part 2 of our conversation right here.

Thanks so much to Ed Patenaude, Christian Condari and Anja Schutz for invaluable help in making these first 50 happen!

Happy Thanksgiving!!!! 

-Jamie