Succotash Epi291: Double Talk w/Matt Knudsen & J. Keith Van Stratten

Hello, discriminating soundcast listener! I AM Marc Hershon and this is Episode 291 of Succotash, the Comedy  Soundcast Soundcast. This installment is going to run a little longer than usual so I’m going to dispense with a lot of the blah-dee-blah-blah that I usually jabber away with at the top of the show so we can get right into the magic.

I will take a moment to ask if you happened to catch last week’s Epi290 with my enchanting co-host, the every-other-weekly-appearing Tyson Saner? He featured a triumvirate of tasty clips from the soundcasts known as Almost Viral with Simon the Magpie, Brian & Roger, and The Problem with Jon Stewart. Don’t fret if it passed you by, as you can still snag a listen via Apple or Google Podcasts, Stitcher, Soundcloud, Audible, Amazon Music, Podcast, YouTube, and our own homesite, SuccotashShow.com. (The one place you CAN’T catch it is Spotify because we’re just not doing that these days…)

This week I don’t have soundcast clips for you because I’m too busy talking to soundcasters instead. First up I have a quick chat with J. Keith Van Straaten, co-host of Go Fact Yourself, the comedy gameshow soundcast he does with comedian Helen Hong. They are rounding on their 100th episode and are teaming up to do a live streaming version of the show you can watch on your computer on February 16th. So I invited him in to talk about that, and also ask how he is able to kick my ass so soundly in Scrabble.

Then I talk with comedian, soundcaster, past guest and friend o’ the show Matt Knudsen. Although we talk about his show, Grabbing Lunch, which is on a bit of a hiatus – thanks, COVID! – the main reason for his visit is to chat about his upcoming victory lap. He is running his 10th and final Los Angeles Marathon coming up on March 4th, and he is doing it to raise money (as he has done every year) for St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital. So Matt and I talk comedy, soundcasting, running, and how YOU can help him help some deserving kiddos get better through the efforts of St. Jude’s.

This week’s episode is brought to you by a crossover sponsor: Empire State Gas, who is the regular advertiser for the Chillpak Hollywood Hour with Dean Haglund and Phil Leirness. Chillpak is starting their third season this week, which means they have moved to a new distributor, Subspace Radio, and to help them spread the word, Empire State Gas is spreading the wealth and dropping a spot on our show. Except they’re not paying for it. I still don’t get how this advertising thing works…

I hope you enjoy my double sitdown. Back in this feed next week will be Tyson and some more soundcast clips. Or maybe HE’LL have a Succotash Chat. Who knows? I may have clips the week after that but I have some more awesome convos lined up, too, so it’s hard to say exactly.

What I DO know is that I’m hoping you take good care of yourself and others, try to abide by whatever crazy COVID rules your local health officials have going on right now, and if anyone happens to pass you in the liquor store and asks if you’re listening to anything good lately, won’t you please pass the Succotash?

— Marc Hershon