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  • I tell two new, unbelievable stories from my day job as a locksmith, Shawn Westfall of DC’s fantastic Unified Scene Theater returns to regale us with the aftermath of another trip to Burning Man and reveals that comedian Stavros Halkias is a former student and friend of his, and we pay homage to Beavis and Butthead. But if you listen to the episode, there's only going to be two words coming out of your mouth afterward: Eric Clapton. Listen and find out why. And then share with your friends and send us money.

    John Papageorgiou - @PapasBasement

    Shawn Westfall - @ShawnWestfall

    Shawn's Unified Scene Theater - @UnifiedSceneDC


    Click here to listen to the latest episode of Papa's Basement in your browser or here to open and listen in iTunes (you can also use the embedded player below). And, if you want to see our faces that very clearly are fit for radio, you can watch videos of our episodes on YouTube

    If you truly love the show and realize money is the only way to show that, donate on a monthly basis to the show via our Patreon. Or buy a shirt at Redbubble, and become a walking advertisement for my creative aspirations at the cost of $20.

  • Burt Reynolds passed away, prompting me to explain definitively, once and for all, where you go after you die. You're welcome, theology. And you're welcome, America. Bill Rohland guest stars.

    John Papageorgiou - @PapasBasement

    Bill Rohland - @BillRohland

    If you truly love the show and realize money is the only way to show that, donate on a monthly basis to the show via our Patreon. Or buy a shirt at Redbubble, and become a walking advertisement for my creative aspirations at the cost of $20.

    Click here to listen to the latest episode of Papa's Basement in your browser or here to open and listen in iTunes (you can also use the embedded player below). And, if you want to see our faces that very clearly are fit for radio, you can watch videos of our episodes on YouTube

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  • After a nine-month hiatus from stand-up comedy, following revelations that he jerked off near and/or via phone with several female co-workers, Louis CK returned to the stage of the Comedy Cellar to perform a 15-minute set. Was this too soon? Not soon enough? It's a complex issue, and emotions run high on both sides. That's why we saved you the difficulties of digesting and processing the matter and instead tell you what to think. YOU'RE WELCOME, AMERICA!


    Follow this episode's cast on Twitter!

    John Papageorgiou - @PapasBasement

    Howard Flood - @HowardFlood


    If you truly love the show and realize money is the only way to show that, donate on a monthly basis to the show via our Patreon. Or buy a shirt at Redbubble, and become a walking advertisement for my creative aspirations at the cost of $20.

    Click here to listen to the latest episode of Papa's Basement in your browser or here to open and listen in iTunes (you can also use the embedded player below). And, if you want to see our faces that very clearly are fit for radio, you can watch videos of our episodes on YouTube

  • I've never been to the hippie desert free-for-all Burning Man, and I don't think that will change anytime soon. While the art, attitude and copious nudity all sound fantastic, I enjoy showers and dressing my cats every morning in American Girl doll clothing too much to spend a week in the desert.

    Fortunately for us, Shawn Westfall, owner of DC's only brick-and-mortar improv theater, the Unified Scene Theater, has gone to Burning Man for ten years running, and he's here to tell us the highs and lows of his collective experiences on the eve of another trip to the desert. Enjoy your trip, Shawn, and remember to jump if the sun attacks you!

    Follow this episode's cast on Twitter!

    John Papageorgiou - @PapasBasement

    Shawn Westfall - @ShawnWestfall

    Shawn's Unified Scene Theater - @UnifiedSceneDC

    If you truly love the show and realize money is the only way to show that, donate on a monthly basis to the show via our Patreon. Or buy a shirt at Redbubble, and become a walking advertisement for my creative aspirations at the cost of $20.

    Click here to listen to the latest episode of Papa's Basement in your browser or here to open and listen in iTunes (you can also use the embedded player below). And, if you want to see our faces that very clearly are fit for radio, you can watch videos of our episodes on YouTube

  • Fan (and free clinic) favorite Pete Maybe is back! Hear all about his adventures since he was last on the show (including not wearing a shirt since April 24th), working at some paying theater gigs (they ARE out there, acting folks) and tips for "living your best life" (his euphemism for copious, anonymous Bumble-fuelled intercourse). Our improv buddy Mike also joins the scrum, as do Howard and his audibly upset baby. Come for the reunion, stay for stories of free-flowing backstage nudity at a Frederick, MD dinner theater. This podcast has it all. Except for a cure for melanoma, so continue to use sunblock this summer.

    Follow this episode's cast on Twitter!

    John Papageorgiou - @PapasBasement

    Pete Maybe - @PeteMaybe

    Mike Taylor - @MBrooksTaylor

    Howard Flood - @HowardFlood



    If you truly love the show and realize money talks more than kind words (fine, we like kind words, too), donate on a monthly basis to the show via our Patreon. Some of the rewards aren't bad! Or buy a shirt at Redbubble so people you walk past in the mall can ask you what a Papa's Basement is.

    Click here to listen to the latest episode of Papa's Basement in your browser or here to open and listen in iTunes (you can also use the embedded player below). And, if you want to see our faces that very clearly are fit for radio, you can watch videos of our episodes on YouTube

  • Sven Lloyd, a DC-area radio personality and comedian, is kind enough to come on and share war stories from his time on Grindr, Growlr, Scruff. As a straight dude who knew of none of this stuff, I can honestly say I was traumatized and delighted in equal measure. You will be, too.

    Follow this episode's cast on Twitter!

    John Papageorgiou - @PapasBasement

    Sven Lloyd- @SvenLloyd


    If you truly love the show and realize money talks more than kind words (fine, we like kind words, too), donate on a monthly basis to the show via our Patreon. Some of the rewards aren't bad! Or buy a shirt at Redbubble so people you walk past in the mall can ask you what a Papa's Basement is.

    Click here to listen to the latest episode of Papa's Basement in your browser or here to open and listen in iTunes (you can also use the embedded player below). And, if you want to see our faces that very clearly are fit for radio, you can watch videos of our episodes on YouTube

  • I need to have sports radio legend Bill Rohland on more, because he knows how to sell an episode.

    How I described this episode? "Uh, I went to NYC to do my grad show for my latest Upright Citizens Brigade improv class."

    How Bill (accurately) described it? "We get into the life of high school drama kids (which, oddly enough, Bill was), a creepy bar owner in Baltimore who behaved like he was a pimp extra from Scarface and somehow find a way to make you feel worse about modern American politics."

    It's a good episode. A great episode. Just because you haven't heard of the show, doesn't mean you shouldn't try it. Kurt Warner was bagging groceries until the Rams took a chance on him, and look how that turned out: Yep, a lifetime of exposure for all of us to his wife's weird, shiny hair.

    Follow this episode's cast on Twitter!

    John Papageorgiou - @PapasBasement

    Bill Rohland - @BillRohland


    If you truly love the show and realize money talks more than kind words (fine, we like kind words, too), donate on a monthly basis to the show via our Patreon. Some of the rewards aren't bad! Or buy a shirt at Redbubble so people you walk past in the mall can ask you what a Papa's Basement is.

    Click here to listen to the latest episode of Papa's Basement in your browser or here to open and listen in iTunes (you can also use the embedded player below). And, if you want to see our faces that very clearly are fit for radio, you can watch videos of our episodes on YouTube

  • Forgive the delay in episodes: We honestly don't know where Travis Dorward is and if he's alive or dead. But, the show must go on. A revitalzed me, possibly the least-depressed I've been in years faces a quandry: What the hell do I do with my life now that I'm not busy self-sabotaging? There's also a homework assignment for you listeners for the next episode: Watch Nanette on Netflix so we can discuss it with you live via the phones!


    Follow this episode's cast on Twitter!

    John Papageorgiou - @PapasBasement

    Howard Flood - @BasementHoward


    If you truly love the show and realize money talks more than kind words (fine, we like kind words, too), donate on a monthly basis to the show via our Patreon. Some of the rewards aren't bad! Or buy a shirt at Redbubble so people you walk past in the mall can ask you what a Papa's Basement is.

    Click here to listen to the latest episode of Papa's Basement in your browser or here to open and listen in iTunes (you can also use the embedded player below). And, if you want to see our faces that very clearly are fit for radio, you can watch videos of our episodes on YouTube

  • Chris Hardwick is an annoying comedian who launched a podcast empire (I'm not jealous) and also spends (well, spent) a lot of time on TV (again, "not jealous," said the man through clenched teeth). Over the weekend, he was accused of his ex, Chloe Dykstra, of some unsavory behavior in their relationship, and summarily lost pretty much every job he had.

    We dive into this case, #MeToo as a whole, and what the most delicious flavor of pie is on this latest episode of Papa's Basement. Spoiler: coconut cream pie puts up a strong finish. Also spoiler: I might be lying about the pie thing, but now I really want to do it after typing this.

    Follow this episode's cast on Twitter!

    John Papageorgiou - @PapasBasement

    Travis Dorward - @TravisDorward

    Howard Flood - @BasementHoward


    If you truly love the show and realize money talks more than kind words (fine, we like kind words, too), donate on a monthly basis to the show via our Patreon. Some of the rewards aren't bad! Or buy a shirt at Redbubble so people you walk past in the mall can ask you what a Papa's Basement is.

    Click here to listen to the latest episode of Papa's Basement in your browser or here to open and listen in iTunes (you can also use the embedded player below). And, if you want to see our faces that very clearly are fit for radio, you can watch videos of our episodes on YouTube

  • I realize the title makes it sound like Shawn Westfall was there, watching Anthony Bourdain at the end...AND THAT WAS MY INTENT (no, it wasn't). Mr. Westfall, who runs DC's Unified Scene Theater talks with me about Anthony Bourdain's suicide and why it shouldn't come as a shock that a celebrity or anyone else who seems to "have so much" would do something like this, before we both detail our own battles with the "Black Dog." (No, I'm not referring to the euphemism Winston Churchill employed to describe depression: We both do daily battle with a literal, massive Rottweiler. Juuuust kidding.)

    Follow this episode's cast on Twitter!

    John Papageorgiou - @PapasBasement

    Shawn Westfall - @ShawnWestfall


    If you truly love the show and realize money talks more than kind words (fine, we like kind words, too), donate on a monthly basis to the show via our Patreon. Some of the rewards aren't bad! Or buy a shirt at Redbubble so people you walk past in the mall can ask you what a Papa's Basement is.

    Click here to listen to the latest episode of Papa's Basement in your browser or here to open and listen in iTunes (you can also use the embedded player below). And, if you want to see our faces that very clearly are fit for radio, you can watch videos of our episodes on YouTube

  • We attempt to bring humor to the following sad topics this week:

    -Ellicott City has been destroyed by flood for the second time in two years. Yet people still want to remain. That will end well.

    -Roseanne's horrid Twitter schtick finally costs her the Roseanne reboot, getting hundreds of people associated with the show fired because she had to play Pizzagate gumshoe.

    -A DC-area comedy giant and personal hero of Travis Dorward's, Dylan Meyer, passed away this week unexpectedly.

    Follow this episode's cast on Twitter!

    John Papageorgiou - @PapasBasement

    Travis Dorward - @TravisDorward

    Alex Wasdawhl - @WizardOfWazzz


    If you truly love the show and realize money talks more than kind words (fine, we like kind words, too), donate on a monthly basis to the show via our Patreon. Some of the rewards aren't bad! Or buy a shirt at Redbubble so people you walk past in the mall can ask you what a Papa's Basement is.

    Click here to listen to the latest episode of Papa's Basement in your browser or here to open and listen in iTunes (you can also use the embedded player below). And, if you want to see our faces that very clearly are fit for radio, you can watch videos of our episodes on YouTube

  • A Greek school shooter. Finally, a subject I'm qualified to discuss. I'll make this short and sweet: Being raised ethnically Greek outside of the two Greek neighborhoods still left in this country sucks. Your name is weird. Your food is weird (it's not all baklava and yogurt, you ignoramuses). Your language is weird. Your church uses more incense than a Turkish brothel. Frankly, I'm shocked this is the first time one of my people flipped. To paraphrase Chris Rock, I'm not saying he should have killed them...but I understand.

    Not only do I do the important psychological work of explaining, finally, what definitively drove a school shooter to commit his heinous act, but Tea Cup and I also clue you in on Netflix's 13 Reasons Why's second season, the most addictive show you probably still aren't watching. It all wraps up in a nice leitmotif of high schooler death. And that's why this show is, shall we say, an acquired taste.


    Follow this episode's cast on Twitter!

    John Papageorgiou - @PapasBasement

    Travis Dorward - @TravisDorward

    If you truly love the show and realize money talks more than kind words (fine, we like kind words, too), donate on a monthly basis to the show via our Patreon. Some of the rewards aren't bad! Or buy a shirt at Redbubble so people you walk past in the mall can ask you what a Papa's Basement is.

    Click here to listen to the latest episode of Papa's Basement in your browser or here to open and listen in iTunes (you can also use the embedded player below). And, if you want to see our faces that very clearly are fit for radio, you can watch videos of our episodes on YouTube

  • We talk about "incels," aka the involuntarily celibate, who have gained notoriety for producing a spate of recent murderers, among them Elliot Rodger. Is it bad for a group of guys not getting laid to rage out together as long as that rage is only turned inward? And, for those of us who have touched the genitals of another partner, we talk the perks of being a bandwagon sports fan (go Washington Capitals!...until they lose), and when it's appropriate to ask someone out in a work situation.


    Follow this episode's cast on Twitter!

    John Papageorgiou - @PapasBasement

    Howard Flood - @BasementHoward

    Travis Dorward - @TravisDorward

    If you truly love the show and realize money talks more than kind words (fine, we like kind words, too), donate on a monthly basis to the show via our Patreon. Some of the rewards aren't bad! Or buy a shirt at Redbubble so people you walk past in the mall can ask you what a Papa's Basement is.

    Click here to listen to the latest episode of Papa's Basement in your browser or here to open and listen in iTunes (you can also use the embedded player below). And, if you want to see our faces that very clearly are fit for radio, you can watch videos of our episodes on YouTube

  • Shawn Westfall, founder of the Unified Scene Theater in Washington, D.C. has taught me improv for a while now and has also come to be a friend (meaning we hang out, bitch about the injustices of life, and then part ways, somehow more bitter than we were before our conversation).

    Shawn's theater is going on year three, and he lets loose about the ups and downs of owning a comedy establishment in a city with a smaller entertainment industry like D.C., as well as why the arts are beautiful (but you should probably just go into plumbing, instead). It's a slightly different type of Papa's Basement episode, recorded on a travel kit at Shawn's house and with more of a informal vibe, but I hope you enjoy. If you want to chase your dreams or you are cursing yourself for doing exactly that, this episode has you covered.

    John Papageorgiou - @PapasBasement

    Shawn Westfall - @ShawnWestfall

    Unified Scene Theater - @UnifiedSceneDC

    If you truly love the show and realize money talks more than kind words (fine, we like kind words, too), donate on a monthly basis to the show via our Patreon. Some of the rewards aren't bad! Or buy a shirt at Redbubble so people you walk past in the mall can ask you what a Papa's Basement is.

    Click here to listen to the latest episode of Papa's Basement in your browser or here to open and listen in iTunes (you can also use the embedded player below). And, if you want to see our faces that very clearly are fit for radio, you can watch videos of our episodes on YouTube

  • Marvel's Infinity War is soon to be the highest-grossing film of all time (and probably will be by the time you read this). And, if there's one refrain I've heard online, it's this: "Please don't spoil the film for me." The problem is, Infinity War is the least-spoilable movie that has maybe ever been made. I'm not saying that for comedic effect, either: It really can't be spoiled. Now, to explain that, would require mild spoilers...but then, once you heard those spoilers, you'd realize why the movie can't be spoiled. If you're confused by my logic on this one, just listen to this latest episode, which also covers the NFL draft, and it will all make sense. (Please note: The episode has spoilers. Also note: This episode was conceived of simply so I could type the words "spoil/spoiled/spoiler" eight times.)

    John Papageorgiou - @PapasBasement

    Travis Dorward - @TravisDorward

    If you truly love the show and realize money talks more than kind words (fine, we like kind words, too), donate on a monthly basis to the show via our Patreon. Some of the rewards aren't bad! Or buy a shirt at Redbubble so people you walk past in the mall can ask you what a Papa's Basement is.

    Click here to listen to the latest episode of Papa's Basement in your browser or here to open and listen in iTunes (you can also use the embedded player below). And, if you want to see our faces that very clearly are fit for radio, you can watch videos of our episodes on YouTube

  • A Quiet Place is a fantastic film that most of the show's cast, by this point, has seen. Those same members of the cast are also huge fans of The Office and, for those of us that are, it's impossible to see John Krasinski on screen and not be reminded of his Office character, Jim Halpert. Which got our minds to thinking: Which Office characters would be able to hack it in the quiet world of A Quiet Place? Which would die quickly? Dwight? Stanley Hudson? MOES?! It goes on and on. So, if you're curious about the film, a fan of the show, both, neither, a duck, whatever, listen.

    Follow this episode's cast on Twitter!

    John Papageorgiou - @PapasBasement

    Howard Flood - @BasementHoward

    Travis Dorward - @TravisDorward

    If you truly love the show and realize money talks more than kind words (fine, we like kind words, too), donate on a monthly basis to the show via our Patreon. Some of the rewards aren't bad! Or buy a shirt at Redbubble so people you walk past in the mall can ask you what a Papa's Basement is.

    Click here to listen to the latest episode of Papa's Basement in your browser or here to open and listen in iTunes (you can also use the embedded player below). And, if you want to see our faces that very clearly are fit for radio, you can watch videos of our episodes on YouTube

  • This episode is about two things: 1. my new favorite website, Reddit's Dead Bedrooms, where anyone that has been or is currently in a relationship where there is zero sex can gripe to a friendly audience, and 2. my favorite, unintentionally hilarious sound clip, which I play roughly 50 times throughout this episode because screw you, that's why.

    Follow this episode's cast on Twitter!

    John Papageorgiou - @PapasBasement

    Howard Flood - @BasementHoward

    Travis Dorward - @TravisDorward

    If you truly love the show and realize money talks more than kind words (fine, we like kind words, too), donate on a monthly basis to the show via our Patreon. Some of the rewards aren't bad! Or buy a shirt at Redbubble so people you walk past in the mall can ask you what a Papa's Basement is.

    Click here to listen to the latest episode of Papa's Basement in your browser or here to open and listen in iTunes (you can also use the embedded player below). And, if you want to see our faces that very clearly are fit for radio, you can watch videos of our episodes on YouTube

  • Comedians Travis Dorward and Jesse Robinson are in studio and talking about the biggest lies they've ever busted out on their Tinder matches. Mind you, these aren't lies to get them laid: No, Travis apparently is doing so well with the ladies, that he can piss all over every connection he's made via the app, convincing one woman that he's a Mensa-level genius and another that he's Ray Charles-level blind. The conversations with these two are people are incredible, and we read them on-air, with Jesse playing the part of the women involved.

    I'm also obsessed with deceased (white) rapper Lil Peep lately, because it's normal for a 37-year-old man to relate to the music of a 21-year-old that overdosed on pills last year, and ask the millennial posse that I have in my studio: Have the kids accepted white rappers as the equals of black rappers? Have black folks lost any music that is theirs and theirs alone? Being the cultural ambassadors that they are, we get to the bottom of the matter, and the answer will shock you. Or not. Depends. It's a great episode with Jesse working his usual impression magic. Enjoy!

    Follow this episode's cast on Twitter!

    John Papageorgiou - @PapasBasement

    Travis Dorward - @TravisDorward

    Jesse Robinson - @JesseRobinson94

    If you truly love the show and realize money talks more than kind words (fine, we like kind words, too), donate on a monthly basis to the show via our Patreon. Some of the rewards aren't bad! Or buy a shirt at Redbubble so people you walk past in the mall can ask you what a Papa's Basement is.

    Click here to listen to the latest episode of Papa's Basement in your browser or here to open and listen in iTunes (you can also use the embedded player below). And, if you want to see our faces that very clearly are fit for radio, you can watch videos of our episodes on YouTube

  • First, the good: There are still helpful people in this world, and veteran and DC-area comedian Dan Kaufman is one of them. He's come in studio to promote a stand-up show he's hosting April 21st at Summers in Arlington, VA to benefit his charity, Vets Float, as well as a sister show April 19th in San Diego.

    Now, the bad: The reaction to Tuesday's Roseanne reboot was fantastically fractured on Twitter, with liberals and conservatives in turn celebrating and decrying the show. I go through some of the more idiotic tweets I saw while watching the premiere, and also give my thoughts on what the show did right and wrong.

    And, finally, the idiotic: Most episodes of this show revolve around finding a funny moment or two and then riding them into the ground so hard they emerge in China. This week is no different, and we roll with the concept of our beloved studio bear, Travis Dorward, selling his body for soup. It sounds stupid and I feel like an idiot typing it and attempting to explain it, but it's funny if you hear it in the context of the episode. Funny the first 20 times, at least. Enjoy. Or, as Travis would say after selling himself for his most recent warm bowl, "bon appétit."

    Follow this episode's cast on Twitter!

    John Papageorgiou - @PapasBasement

    Travis Dorward - @TravisDorward

    Dan Kaufman - @DannyJayRico

    Dan's Vets Float Charity - @VetsFloat

    If you truly love the show and realize money talks more than kind words (fine, we like kind words, too), donate on a monthly basis to the show via our Patreon. Some of the rewards aren't bad! Or buy a shirt at Redbubble so people you walk past in the mall can ask you what a Papa's Basement is.

    Click here to listen to the latest episode of Papa's Basement in your browser or here to open and listen in iTunes (you can also use the embedded player below). And, if you want to see our faces that very clearly are fit for radio, you can watch videos of our episodes on YouTube

  • We were treated this week to a visit in studio from Howard's awesome infant daughter, Josie. And I love that kid...but after she spent most of her time behind the mic sleeping, crying and taking dumps (like father, like daughter), I wondered: Are kids worth it? (Actually, it's a question I've pondered for a while, but baby shit wafting through the studio triggered me to discuss it then and there.) Listen to the fight for the lives of my unborn children, as well as the definitive answer to whether or not Bruno Mars is a cultural appropriator, on the latest episode of Papa's Basement.

    Follow this episode's cast on Twitter!

    John Papageorgiou - @PapasBasement

    Howard Flood - @BasementHoward

    Ajay Atayee - @AjayAtayee

    If you truly love the show and realize money talks more than kind words (fine, we like kind words, too), donate on a monthly basis to the show via our Patreon. Some of the rewards aren't bad! Or buy a shirt at Redbubble so people you walk past in the mall can ask you what a Papa's Basement is.

    Click here to listen to the latest episode of Papa's Basement in your browser or here to open and listen in iTunes (you can also use the embedded player below the ad). And, if you want to see our faces that very clearly are fit for radio, you can watch videos of our episodes on YouTube