Tell 'Em!

As I've mentioned before, I've become something of a podcast fanatic. Since I'm in the car for around two hours every day, and I work out in the mornings and/or evenings, I have plenty of time to listen to as many podcasts as I can find during a given week.

My podcast exploration has taken me from some downright terrible wastes of time to shows that I listen to on a regular basis. But, recently, I started listening to one that's quickly become my favorite digital broadcast out there.

And, yes, "digital broadcast" is the new term for podcast. Look it up.

If you're a fan of writer/director Kevin Smith, as I am, then you're utterly familiar with a great many of his characters. Even the ancillary ones.

As it happens more often than not, it's those smaller parts that tend to stick with people, for one reason or another. Such is the case with Smith's infamous Fanboy and Steve-Dave, two rabid comics fans who just seem...angry.

They appear in several of Smith's New Jersey films, and most prominently in Mallrats, where Fanboy (Walt Flanagan) yells, "Tell 'em, Steve-Dave!" to his comics fan/rabble-rouser buddy, Steve-Dave (Bryan Johnson).

And now, from their humble beginnings as bit players in a cult classic film, Flanagan and Johnson get to shine on their own in the 15-week-old digital broadcast, "Tell 'Em Steve-Dave!"
I'm a fan of Kevin Smith and (Clerks, 'Rats, Dogma, Jay and Bob Strike Back producer) Scott Mosier's "Smodcast" podcast, and I check that show out every week, as well.

But I found myself much more interested in "Smodcast" when Smith and Mosier would have longtime friends Johnson and Flanagan on the show. I think these two guys are really interesting, incredibly funny, and Johnson especially has a satiric, acidic tongue.

Joining Fanboy and Steve-Dave is "tech guy" Brian Quinn, who, while he doesn't say much, always brings the funny and is a great addition to the crew.

The show, which typically runs just under two hours each Friday, is lewd and inappropriate, and the topics discussed range from current events to strange encounters from the hosts' pasts.

There was even a two-part episode in which the guys ventured out to a flea market in New Jersey and interviewed some of the retailers there. If that doesn't sound interesting on the surface, just check out the show. Somehow, those two episodes featured captivating discussions with some very interesting people.

You can check out episodes of "Steve-Dave!" here, and on iTunes, and I have to say.

If you're looking for a laugh, do check it out.

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Oh, and as a nice aside to this post, Exfanding Friend Gary has posted up a review of Kevin Smith's New Jersey comic shop (which is managed by the Fanboy himself, Walt Flanagan), complete with photos. Check it out!