First Crack Podcast with Garrick Van Buren

Caleb and Katy McEwen, the artistic directors at Minneapolis’ legendary Brave New Workshop comedy theater and I discuss the challenges of running a comedy theater. The ongoing struggle to strike the balance between challenging material and filling seats. Additionally, Caleb’s definition of good improv feels an awful lot like a good podcast.

Listen to the Challenges of Comedy Theater at the Brave New Workshop [30 min]

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A conversation with the Minneapolis improv group Five Man Job on the Minneapolis improv scene and the difference between the Who’s Line is It Anyway? and Del Close’s Harold flavor of improv.

You might want to know: there is some cursing in this episode.

Listen to Improv Comedy in Minneapolis with Five Man Job [32 min]

Jen and I go pontooning on the Wisconsin River and discuss river etiquette, a floating bar, and do a little fishing.

Listen to Pontooning on the Wisconsin River [17 min]

Push the Future 2005 was held this week at the newly renovated Walker Art Center. This episodes of the First Crack podcast are bits of my conversations with Loretta Hidalgo, Push Singha, Ethan Zuckerman, Leif Utne, Tom Mandel, and Push the Future founder Cecily Sommers.

Listen to Documenting Push the Future 2005 [17 min]

Let’s Be Honest, also in the PodcastMN aggregator, covered Push the Future in their 5th episode.

Noah Lamson, New Media Director at ABC Radio in Minneapolis and I grab lunch at Diamonds Coffee Shoppe. He’s publishing feeds for 92KQRS, Drive105, and 93X and we discuss the interesting relationship between broadcast radio and podcasting.

If you stop by Diamonds, try the grilled cheese with bacon & tomato. Very tasty.

Listen to Broadcast Radio and Podcasting with Noah Lamson [15 min]

On a beautiful Minneapolis summer day, Cayenne Chris Conroy from Teknikal Diffikulties and I sit down for a backyard-cast to discuss his sketch comedy podcast, creating and keeping track of characters, sound effects, radio theater, the right length for a podcast.

Other things we touch on:
• Little Gray Book Lectures
• Sam and Jim go to Hollywood
• Negativland
• SerpentX’s Over the Edge Archive
• Lucky Bitch Radio
• Claybourne

Listen to Teknikal Diffikulties with Cayenne Chris [37 min]

David Motzenbecker, Mark Hinds, and I talk about how to get a bridge built. Specifically, a pedestrian bridge to re-connect the Bryant and Kingfield neighborhoods of south Minneapolis, two neighborhoods long separated by interstate highway 35W.

Listen to Building Community, Building Bridges [33 min]