Maximum Fun

Maximum Fun is an independent podcast and radio show production organization founded and run by Jesse Thorn. The organization originated with Thorn's college radio show The Sound of Young America which continued in an adapted format and with a new name, Bullseye with Jesse Thorn. Maximum Fun has since grown to include several other programs.

Programs

Bullseye

Bullseye, begun as a combination interview/talk/sketch comedy college radio show, now follows an interview-only format and is available both as a podcast and, via Public Radio International, on XM satellite radio and numerous public radio stations across the United States.

Coyle and Sharpe: The Imposters

Rebroadcasts of audio comedy pranks and put-ons performed and recorded by comedy duo Jim Coyle and Mal Sharpe in the 1960s.

The segments were originally recorded for KGO radio and Warner Brothers Records and preserved by Mal's daughter, Jennifer Sharpe.^[1]

Dave Hill's Podcasting Incident

From the Maximum Fun website: "This incredible podcast features comedian/musician/writer/actor/artist/man-about-town/thinking man Dave Hill sitting down and having a delightful conversation with various notable people, including but not limited to fellow comedians, musicians, actors, authors, supermodels, convicts and whoever else he can talk into it."^[2]

International Waters

A comedy quiz show hosted by Dave Holmes (formerly hosted by Jesse Thorn). The show features world-famous comedians from the US and the UK answering questions about pop culture. Points are awarded for correct answers as well as for funny incorrect answers. ^[3]

Jordan, Jesse, Go!

A talk podcast where hosts Jesse Thorn and Jordan Morris and usually a guest provide a comedic take on a variety of topics. All time number one guest by appearances is "Big Time" Gene O'Neill.

Notable Past Jordan, Jesse, Go! Guests

Judge John Hodgman

Stemming from a popular segment on Jordan, Jesse, Go!, Judge John Hodgman debuted as a standalone Maximum Fun podcast in November 2010.^[4] Hodgman serves as judge and jury, hearing cases brought by listeners on topics ranging from which kind of soap goes in the dispenser on the sink to whether a high schooler is responsible for the theft of a life-sized Ernie doll that he had previously stolen. Jesse Thorn serves as the "bailiff," though this role is occasionally filled by guest bailiffs when Jesse is preoccupied.

The Kasper Hauser Podcast

Selections of sketch comedy performed by the Kasper Hauser comedy group.

The Memory Palace

The historical podcast The Memory Palace, hosted by Nate DiMeo, was added to the Maximum Fun network in July 2012.^[5]

My Brother, My Brother, and Me

On January 17, 2011, Jesse Thorn announced the addition of My Brother, My Brother, and Me to the Maximum Fun family. The show is a comedy program that poses as an advice podcast, hosted by real-life brothers Justin, Travis, and Griffin McElroy. Over the course of the show, the brothers answer two types of questions: the real questions, in which listeners of the show write in, asking the brothers for their advice on a certain situation; and the more humorous, ridiculous questions from Yahoo! Answers. The brothers often refer to the latter as "Yahoos."^[6]

Risk!

RISK! is a weekly podcast and live storytelling show hosted by writer and actor Kevin Allison. The show's official website describes RISK! as a place "where people tell true stories they never thought they’d dare to share in public".^[7] RISK! started as a weekly live storytelling series in August 2009.

The Sound of Young America: The College Years

Rebroadcasts of episodes of The Sound of Young America from its early days as a college radio show.

Stop Podcasting Yourself

Stop Podcasting Yourself is a weekly comedy podcast hosted by Graham Clark and Dave Shumka. Each week the comedy duo invites a guest onto the program for a conversational interview. It is sometimes referred to by its acronym—pronounced "spy"—and its listeners are referred to as "bumpers" after Dave mistakenly referred to the audience that way in episode 1.

Stop Podcasting Yourself started independently on March 2, 2008, being distributed through iTunes and its blog. On March 22, 2010, it was announced that the Vancouver-based podcast would join Maximum Fun.^[8]

Notable Past Stop Podcasting Yourself guests

Throwing Shade

Throwing Shade is a weekly comedy podcast centered around discussions of pop culture, politics, gay rights, and issues important to women, hosted by Erin Gibson (a.k.a. "Feminasty") and Bryan Safi (a.k.a. "Homosensual").^[9][10] Gibson and Safi are "equal-opportunity offenders," and their comedic repartee frequently features adult topics and a politically incorrect sense of humor, even as they explore serious cultural and political issues.^[11] The podcast launched on November 9, 2011 and on March 5, 2012 it was announced that Throwing Shade was joining the Maximum Fun podcast network.^[12]

Other projects

MaxFunCon

Begun in 2009, an annual weekend convention where fans of Maximum Fun can spend time with Maximum Fun hosts and other celebrities held in Lake Arrowhead, CA. In fall 2012 MaxFunCon East was offered in the Poconos.^[13] The Atlantic Ocean Comedy and Music Festival (also known as boatparty.biz) was held in summer 2013 in lieu of Max Fun Con East.^[14]

MaxFunStore

An online store for Maximum Fun-related merchandise.^[15]

References

External links

• Official website
• MaxFunCon