❉ This week: a comedy literature show here to tell you all the weird and sexy things you never knew about the books you had to read in school.
We’re big fans of podcasts here at We Are Cult, and we’re always looking for more shows to subscribe to. So if you’re looking for ear candy, we’re here to help!
This week: In Oh No! Lit Class, Megan and RJ revisit your old Required Reading list, this time with cool facts and trivia, bad impressions, some surprisingly sexy plot summaries, and plenty of jokes to make you blush.
What’s your podcast about?
We (that being Megan and RJ) are a comedy literature show here to tell you all the weird and sexy things you never knew about the books you had to read in school, mixing plot summaries, author bios, and trivia with filthy jokes, bad impressions, and worse singing.
If you had to describe your show in 10 words or less, what would you say?
Like a fun, foul-mouthed Sparknotes for your earholes.
Which episode would you recommend for a first-time listener? Do you have a favourite episode?
Any of them are fine for first-time listening, although fair warning, the audio in those first few is a little rough. I know our Frankenstein episode “It’s Alive! It’s a Lie?” was an entry point for a lot of people.
If I had to pick a personal favorite it would probably be either our Moby Dick episode, “On the Hunt for the Great White Dick,” because we were barely clinging to reality by the end of it, or our Great Expectations episode “Adjust Your Expectations Accordingly,” because Charles Dickens could be greatly improved with the addition of Vin Diesel.
What inspired you to create this podcast?
We each have a Master’s and an undergraduate degree in English because sometimes you just make bad life choices for the hell of it, so we figured we may as well put them to good use being funny on the internet.
Also, as a non-sassy answer, I wanted to demystify a lot of books that people hold up as Untouchable Literary Classics or have a hard time getting through and break them down, make them fun, take them down a peg (because really, honestly, plenty of them are Not That Great).
And RJ went along with it because the show would be unlistenable if it was just me.
Which guests have you had on your podcast so far?
At the moment just a couple fellow English grad friends of ours that we shanghaied into recording with us.
Who would be your dream guest?
Guillermo Del Toro. Hey, if it’s a dream guest, why not? I just really like Guillermo Del Toro and want to talk about books and stuff with him. I think it’d be a good time.
RJ would want Academy-Award-winning actor Mark Rylance so he could tell him in-person that he thinks the Oxfordian conspiracy theory that Shakespeare didn’t write his own plays is wrong and dumb and that Mark Rylance is wrong and dumb for believing it.
Which equipment do you use for your podcast set-up?
A laptop, a Blue Yeti mic, and a whole of lot of Gumption.
What would you say is the best length of time for a podcast episode?
That depends entirely on the podcast. It’s a wishy-washy answer but some are perfect at 20 minutes and others I could listen to for well over an hour. Any longer than 2 hours is probably pushing it, though.
Which podcasts (other than yours) would you recommend we listen to?
Oh man, that’s tough, there’s so many! Build-A-Band is an amazingly funny and adorable show where the two hosts create a Frankenstein’s Monster of a band out of spare musical parts.
Life, Death, and Taxonomy is a bite-sized podcast about crazy and bizarre animals like the Mantis Shrimp, which can kick your butt. They also do some great David Attenborough impressions.
And then there’s the whole bunch of really great shows we get to rub elbows with on The Braintrust Brothers Network that people can check out at www.braintrustbros.com
Where is your podcast available to listen to?
On iTunes, Stitcher, Android podcast apps, basically every major podcatcher or app. Everywhere, all the time, always. Hiding in your closet? Possibly. Also at ohnolitclass.com
What is the future of podcasting as a creative medium?
Who knows? It’s still kind of Wild West-ish out there, with people making all kinds of stuff about any topic you could imagine, which is so awesome! And then eventually we’ll all just be True Crime shows. (Kidding. Mostly.)
❉ Follow Oh No! Lit Class on Twitter and Facebook.
❉ Website: http://www.braintrustbros.com/shows/oh-no-lit-class/
❉ Download past episodes or subscribe to future episodes on iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/oh-no-lit-class/id1201265597?mt=2
❉ Have you got a podcast? Email wearecultcontent@gmail.com if you would like it to be featured.