The Dead Authors Podcast is a stage show, for which HG Wells traverses the annuls of space and time to bring to bear a decidedly dead author, who is frequently ill-prepared for either interview or examination. Wells eloquently heralds the show, displaying an emphatic English accent of which the Queen herself couldn’t boast, allied with an eclectic taste in writers from the past several hundred years, ranging from noted wit Miss Dorothy Parker to the philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche over to the science of Mr. Carl Sagan. Sadly, these guests seem to have suffered a few adverse effects from their journeys across history, with a tendency towards forgetfulness and an engine for ludicrousness, though they do retain much of their essential essence beyond this. The show is often hilarious, unusually preposterous and constantly joyous, with it’s insight into these foregone authors always a pleasure.
Mr Paul F. Tompkins
At this point I suppose I should say ‘spoiler alert’ as it turns out that all might not be quite as it seems in the world of tDAP. There are many a conspiracy theory (of which I myself am a proponent) that HG Wells may in fact neither have a time machine and that he also may well be simply being acted by that certain gentleman Paul F. Tompkins, the eternal LA comedy doyenne with a particular penchant for podcasts. Worse than this though, it turns out that these guests are too of course not the real persons! As they are variously portrayed by comedic persons such as the venerable Andy Richter, famed comedian Jen Kirkman and bubbling star Nick Kroll. This is quite the revelation, as suddenly the characters indelible energy, forgetfulness and questionable accents are at least mildly explained.
Mr Paul F. Radio
With this being the case, HG Wells makes a useful foil for Paul F. Tompkins’ brand of comedic intellectualism, bemusement and ability to enjoyably call out his guests as to the things they’ve said even a half hour prior. The character also allows him to act as something approaching a straight man, filtering his humour into a quieter, more rarified form that allows for the guests to really go all out with their very questionable creations. This they do with a heroic aplomb, frequently progressing to the utterly maniacal by the middle of the episodes, as their characters begin to really take hold of brains that were already tuned into the madness comedy. Alongside this they play against character, forcing their own inventions onto the mentalities of the authors they portray that frequently exceed the likely, using this opportunity to play at being a long dead figure to act out massively, purposefully attempting to befuddle the chumly, jolly figure of PFT as HGW. This is facilitated further by the authors frequently being persons better known for their works than their actual personalities, offering the comedians even greater license to ridiculousness. But the show remains as much about the elegance of Tompkins work, as he manages to delicately toe the line between being achingly hilarious, pushing the conversation along or poking fun at the guests he has plucked from the sands of time.
A final coup de grace is the magic it is granted through it’s format. The simple interview format is mostly as standard, but is made more emphatic by the live crowd and the essential natures of Tompkins character and his endlessly comic guests. Employing comedy veterans to act as these people from the past, rather than just employing character actors means that the authors are much closer to caricature than character, transformed into a farcical re-interpretation of themselves, tending towards a maintained insanity that only grows over the episode. Further facilitating this is the element that might well be the key to the whole delicacy of the dance, that being the live audience. The atmosphere they generate, egged on by, and encouraging of, these ever more maddening writers means that the atmosphere is forever escalating, and with Paul F Tompkins generosity in rarely stealing the limelight they are freed to think up whatever crazy thing their character might imply, and then shout it out. This was most hotly displayed in the episode with Nietzsche and Lovecraft, ridiculously played by James Adomian and Paul Scheer respectively, displaying a level of offensiveness and unhinged chaos that was every second the delight.
An often insane, near-constantly hilarious and always joyous rare treat of a show, The Dead Authors Podcast stands alone amongst it’s peers as the only podcast able to mine the dead for comedy. With so able a herald as Paul F. Tompkins, a conceit which allows for ridiculousness and a crowd that enforces it, this show is pretty much a must for the podcast fanatic, especially since it’s only out once a month. And you can pretend you’re doing something that’s intellectual.