Podcasts for guaranteed podlaughs

Podcasts are like opinions —  everyone has one. And for the most part, that’s exactly what podcasts are. Opinions.

Generally the belligerent, shameless ramblings of anyone with FinalCut Pro, there are the rare exceptions that make you wish you had more four-hour drives to while away.

You laugh, you cry, you invest pieces of your soul in so many brilliant minds that you feel like a paradoxical Voldemort, actually made stronger by the splintering of resources.

Here are a few such podcasts to refresh your mind and lungs with comedy:

If I Were You

Jake and Amir’s newest form of hilarity. Creators of College Humor’s self-titled web series, the playful pair sifts through emails from fans who find themselves in stressful situations. While mockingly deriding the questions, the boys offer pseudo advice, saying what they themselves would do in these dire moments. The suppressed giggles and evident best-friend-forever-ship plays like one large blooper reel, the comedians riffing off of each other in over-exaggerated wrongful role-playing. Nine episodes in, there are already loving references to inside jokes, and to express gratitude to listeners, the boys bookend each show with the musical introductions everyone sends in.

Nerdist

Chris Hardwick, nerd warlock, weaves magic with each episode, asking the big questions and bolstering the intelligence of comedy. The object of the podcast is good, wholesome conversation that chips away at the process of whatever artist Hardwick can hold down with his childlike buoyancy and enthusiastic curiosity. After every play of the charmingly nostalgic 8-bit theme song, the guest list has run the gamut of big names — Harry Shearer, Jon Hamm, Tina Fey, etc. Spanning decades of talent, there’s an opportunity for anyone to be a fan.

You Made It Weird

Pete Holmes has a rabid fascination with comedy, God and relationships. An admitted rip-off of “WTF with Marc Maron,” Holmes’ podcast is not as dramatic as it seems. In the same vein as Maron, but decidedly less cynical, this adorably sweet, goofy giant of a Fozzie Bear explores each subject with a series of (largely comedic) guests. Despite his hugely self-serving anecdotes and burrows of thought, Holmes’ explosive bouts of self-congratulatory guffaws and giggles are well deserved. Having attended two live tapings, I can say his interruptions are out of earnest sincerity, plainly geared toward “keeping it crispy” for his immensely dedicated fanbase of “Weirdos.” His naivety is a sheer “delight” (one of many phrases he will ingrain into your vocabulary).

Comedy Film Nerds

It’s exactly what it sounds like — movie buffs so polished, their wit and wisdom makes you yearningly salivate for the same knowledge. They relish film so delectably, you almost want to pause everything and comb through every American Film Institute list just to feel more a part of their hilarious back-and-forths with comedian guests. Host Graham Elwood also has plenty of war stories about his United Service Organizations tours for soldiers in Afghanistan so the oscillation between laughter and eye-opening revelation is endearingly blurred.

Doug Loves Movies

I cackle like a witch out loud, alone, anywhere, every time Doug Benson’s cheerily cheeky drawl fills my ears. The renowned stoner ridicules his weekly bench of varied comedic guests in live games of movie trivia, the competition prompting banter that is riotous in every sense of the word. Using Leonard Maltin reviews to hint at famous titles, the show is just as interactive for listeners who can attend tapings to receive prizes for decorative name cards.