Josh Gondelman
Photo courtesy of Mindy Tucker
Josh Gondelman is the host of Make My Day. Follow him on Twitter here.
Kindly introduce yourself and tell us about the show! Convince us to subscribe right now!
I'm Josh Gondelman, a writer (Last Week Tonight With John Oliver, Desus & Mero) and comedian. My new podcast is called Make My Day. It's a game show where contestants compete to cheer me up! Originally it was going to be a panel show recorded in a studio, while we're social distancing, it's a one-on-one game show where the contestant is guaranteed to win!
You just had your podcast launch day, congratulations. What was it like? Was it as exciting as your book pub day?
It was really exciting but in a different way! With a book launch it's like: "Here it is! The thing I worked for years on! I hope you enjoy it because I worked hard on it!" But with a podcast it's like: "I hope you enjoy it so I can work on it for years in the future!"
You cheer everyone up but who cheers YOU up?
I have a really lovely support system from my brilliant wife Maris to my parents, to my comedy friends and friends from before comedy. I'm really lucky that way. But honestly doing the show has been so much fun. The premise is a little tongue in cheek, but it does actually make me feel great to record.
You are famous for giving Twitter peptalks. (I have been lucky enough to receive one!) How did that start? Will you give pep talks on your podcast?
I've been doing it for a long time! It started several years back when I felt like I could use a kind word, but instead of asking everyone on my social media feed for one, I figured I could offer the same thing to other people and feel the benefits still. The podcast has a BIG pep talk component! I think we found a fun way to make it translate!
We need your positivity and optimism right now. Did you start the show because everyone is so depressed or is this mere coincidence?
We've been developing this show for a while, and we were getting ready to launch, but as coronavirus made the original iteration much trickier to execute, we shuffled things around pretty quickly to a format that feels relevant to the current moment.
Maris (your wife) is a podcaster (I love her show.) Did she give you tips?
I haven't asked yet! Her show (The Maris Review) is so good that I wanted to get a little rhythm before I asked her expert advice!
If you could get any guest, who would it be? Maybe they read Podcast The Newsletter!
There are so many comedy people I can't wait to have on the show, but I think as a dream guest, maybe...Method Man. Is that ridiculous? His work was so formative for me, and I would love to see what's making him feel good and hopeful. So...Method Man. Or Mel Brooks!! Just putting that out into the world!
Why are you the perfect host for this show? (I say that because you are!)
The host is kind of built around my strengths which are self-aware optimism, and an excitement to talk to other people about their enthusiasms. I want the show to feel really breezy, but not ignorant of the state of the world. I want it to consciously be upbeat in spite of that, but still sharp and funny, is the goal.
What other ideas did you have for a show, that didn't get made? (YET...)
A while back I recorded a pilot for an interview show called I Mean To Brag, I Mean To Boast where each guest bragged about things they think they're really good at from cooking a perfect grilled cheese to winning major awards. I thought it would be a fun lens to talk to people through, just the stuff they feel really good about.
What do you do besides hosting? Do you outline game ideas? Do you look for guests yourself? What does your team look like?
I've been fleshing out the games/questions and booking guests so far! The team at Radio Point has been really great at helping to develop the show and figuring out how to give it a fun and satisfying shape. I've been working super closely with Rich Korson and Naomi Steinberg, who have been wonderful. And Houston Snyder at Great City Productions has edited the show really nicely! I'm very ramble and he's so good at tightening up some of my goofy nonsense.
What's Bizzy's involvement? Did SHE give you tips?
I’ll never forget the advice my pug Bizzy had for me: “Give me lots of treats so I stay quiet while you’re recording.”
Do you believe in ghosts? I am just curious.
I don’t, but I would love to be wrong! If there were ghosts, I’d be like: “Whoa! Cool! Boy is my face red. Not to brag about how fleshy and alive my face is while there are ghosts around.”
Fill in the blank: If you like ______ you will like Make My Day. (Doesn't have to be a podcast, can be a person, place, food, etc.)
”Meeting your very nice friend’s much cooler friends.”
How would you describe your voice? What is your relationship to your voice?
I’ve never thought about how to describe it, but I think I would call my voice “almost gentle.” When I was younger I didn’t like it, but from performing so much I have made an uneasy peace with it. It’s not that I think that. have a beautiful voice, but it’s mine, and it’s specific, and I have figured out how to use it.
What was the last podcast episode you listened to, and would you recommend it?
I've been listening to a lot of Doughboys and Good One (Jesse David Fox's podcast about jokes) lately! I look forward to new episodes every week! Also, Rebecca Carroll's new podcast Come Through, which is really thoughtful and fascinating and sincere! Also My Brother's Sneaker, Yassir and Isaiah Lester's show!
Thanks, Josh!