We have so many great podcasts participating in the 5th annual Philadelphia Podcast Festival, so we're highlighting some of them in this Q&A series. You can find the full schedule of live shows here, and purchase tickets for We Got This with Mark and Hal's live recording on July 21 at 8:00pm at Ruba Club here. There are also VIP tickets that include a meet and greet with Mark and Hal, and all tickets also get you entry to the live recording of Sex with Timaree at 9:30pm.
How did your show come about? How did you meet your co-hosts? When I (Hal) knew the Thrilling Adventure Hour was nearing the end of its run, I told Mark "We're doing a podcast together". I'd had an idea for a simple concept of two people taking subjective arguments and settling them objectively as a lark. I told our mutual friend Eric about it and he said "Oh, like whether you should put ketchup on a hot dog?" and we had our first episode. Mark and I met back in 2002 when we improvised together in front of three people in a small theater in L.A. We definitely knew one another over the years, but it wasn't until Thrilling Adventure Hour that we became super close.
Are there episodes you consider your “greatest hits?” Which ones are good “entry” points for new listeners? I like to think that our first episode ("Should you put Ketchup on a hot dog?") still holds up. Any episode with John Hodgman (our reigning guest-in-residence) is pretty great, especially his first episode with us. I also think that "Liquid vs Bar vs Foam soap" is a great example of our chemistry. Also, "Best Vintage Toy" with Janet Varney is great because she's such an A+ guest. Same with "Calling or Texting" with Paul F. Tompkins.
What do you appreciate most about this medium? How democratic it is. We can create a show, put it out there, and evolve it without any restrictions or interference from a higher authority. Anyone can. It may not be a level playing field, but it's an open playing field.
What do you most look forward to when doing live shows? How does the show change? Our live shows just have more energy. The live laughter is always great, but at any give moment half of the crowd is in vehement disagreement with our stance on something while the other half is in total agreement. It's the best kind of tension.
What are you hoping to do in Philly other than record a live podcast? We both have family here (I'm a hometown boy, and Mark's father is from Philly) that we're hoping to see, and I'm planning on seeing my closest and oldest friends, visiting some of my old haunts, and eating at least one ACTUAL cheesesteak while I'm in town.
Where can people find your podcast and hosts? You can find us at wegotthispodcast.com (which will take you to Maximum Fun, our home for the last two years) and on iTunes or Stitcher or whatever podcasting app you use under "We Got This with Mark and Hal". The show is @wegotthistweets on twitter and this is our Facebook group - on of my favorite places to visit online. Mark is @markgags on twitter and I'm @hallublin.
