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Greg Behrendt and Dave Anthony bring “podcuddle” Walking The Room to Austin
It’s not a podcast, it’s a “podcuddle.” It’s a whatever’s-on-our-minds talk between two friends. It’s a show where you’re just as likely to hear a debate on dirty slang as you are a philosophical discussion on the ever-evolving comedy industry.
But technically speaking, Walking The Room is one of iTunes’ most popular comedy podcasts, a weekly show running since May of 2010 with over 100 archived episodes.
On Friday, August 17, Behrendt and Anthony will record a live hour of Walking The Room at the 29th Street Ballroom, and on Saturday, August 18, they’ll be back with a stand-up showcase.
Behrendt is perhaps best known as the co-author of dating anti-manual He’s Just Not That Into You, which he worked on following a stint as script supervisor on Sex and the City. But Behrendt isn’t just a behind-the-scenes guy — he’s a stand-up who’s also hosted two talk shows (The Greg Behrendt Show, Greg Behrendt’s Wake Up Call) in addition to the wildly popular Walking The Room.
On Friday, August 17, Behrendt and Anthony will record a live hour of Walking The Room at the 29th Street Ballroom, and on Saturday, August 18, they’ll be back with a stand-up showcase.
Dave Anthony, also an accomplished stand-up, worked on Behrendt’s first self-hosted show, but the two have known each other for over 20 years. Their longtime friendship and easygoing rapport with one another is apparent on WTR, a podcast that would never work with two less experienced, less affable comics.
Instead of creating a feel-good, interview-focused show, Behrendt and Anthony are more concerned with exploring the immediate concerns of their own lives, and of the larger comedy landscape in general. Each catchphrase-heavy hour inevitably includes self-referential nods to podcasting and plenty of good-natured (but sometimes intense) arguments about adulthood, parenting and the reality of attempting to make a living as an artist.
While the show’s featured guests like Dana Gould, Brian Posehn, Rob Delaney, Karen Kilgariff and the pair’s old friend, Patton Oswalt, most episodes — which are recorded in an actual closet in Behrendt’s home — are free-form conversations between the two hosts. Between the bits, friendly ribbing and real talk, WTR is one of the most consistently solid comedy-focused shows out there.
Before you hit the “live cuddle,” don’t forget to check out the Walking the Room glossary to study up on the lexicon (and find some new slang to try on your own — “fart stars,” anyone?). First-time listeners might also want to check out Splitsider’s comprehensive guide to the show.
Here's an NSFW episode clip, where the two cover an "acid road trip" and ways they've messed with their sleeping friends:
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Walking The Room Live comes to Spiderhouse Ballroom August 17 and 18; tickets are available now.