Wikipedia

Superego (podcast)

Superego is an improvised sketch comedy podcast by American comedians Jeremy Carter, Matt Gourley, Mark McConville, and Paul F. Tompkins.

Superego
Profiles In Self-Obsession
Presentation
Hosted byJeremy Carter
Matt Gourley
Mark McConville
Paul F. Tompkins
GenreComedy, Improv
LanguageEnglish
UpdatesMonthly
Length30-60 minutes
Production
ProductionMatt Gourley
Opening theme"The Man with the Golden Gun" by John Barry
Audio formatPodcast (via streaming or downloadable M4A or MP3)
No. of episodes79 episodes (as of March 4, 2016)
Publication
Original releaseMarch 1, 2006

Concept

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Superego is an improvised, absurdist sketch comedy podcast[1] presented as a collection of case studies prefaced by "doctors" as a primary example of a particular disorder.[2] Nearly all the sketches are completely improvised in each recording session, typically with one or two characters at the center and the rest of the cast reacting to that set-up.[3] The segments generally run 5–10 minutes unedited and Gourley edits them down to a 3-5 minute show length.[4]

The podcast is presented in an enhanced format that allows listeners to pick a chapter and provides additional visual content.[5]

History

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Superego was developed by Jeremy Carter and Matt Gourley, who met at a ComedySportz tournament in the mid-1990s[6] and were founding contributors to Channel 101 where their show, Ultraforce, was a number one series. After finding the video production process to be a burden, they hit upon the idea of audio sketches as a less production-intensive medium.[7] At a bar on the day after Christmas in 2005, Carter and Gourley first came up with the idea of a "Godcast"; the idea then transformed into a clinic for personality disorders in order to grant more improvisational freedom.[8][9]

The podcast debuted in 2006.[10] Mark McConville joined the podcast permanently in season 2 after having guested during the show's first season.[11] Jeff Crocker also joined and brought his skills as a video producer.[12] Most of the podcast's music is produced by James Bladon.[13]

On July 17, 2014 Superego announced the addition of Paul F. Tompkins as an official member and the departure of Crocker.[10]

Originally developed as an audio podcast, Superego has also occasionally released video 'Supershorts' that are animated and produced by Crocker.[2] Superego's first live show, Superego Live!, was performed in Long Beach, California on December 10, 2008 and then again in Hollywood, California on March 11, 2009. The early live shows were in the style of a rehearsed sketch comedy revue.[14] The group now performs a live version of the show regularly at venues like San Francisco Sketchfest,[15] the Kansas City Improv Festival,[3] the Bell House,[16] Theatre 99,[17] and the Solid Sound Festival.[18] The live performances now generally take the form of the group and its guests wearing lab coats and improvising with the aid of sound effects and music.[16]

Season 4 began on September 1, 2014 after a 15-month hiatus.[10]

On August 17, 2015 it was announced that Superego would be doing a show titled Superego: Forgotten Classics that would be part of the premium subscription to the new Earwolf Howl app.[19] On March 2, 2016, Howl.fm posted the first three Superego seasons and extra material including commentary and live performances, with copyrighted music edited out and replaced by new tracks composed by James Bladon. The website stated that the enhanced episodes would be posted later.[20]

Superego formally ended on March 4, 2016 with episode 4:6,[21] though according to the group special episodes will continue to be released in the future.[22] The group held a 10th Anniversary show on March 5, 2016 at Largo at the Coronet to celebrate the show's history and ending.

In July 2018, it was announced that Superego would return for a season 5.[23]

In 2018 and 2019, two short, 4 episode seasons were released. The podcast, as of 2024, remains inactive.

The Journeymen

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The Journeymen, made up of Carter, Gourley, McConville, and James Bladon released an album in July 2013 titled Mount Us More.[6] The album consists primarily of country western/rock performed by the group's alter egos named Shunt McGuppin, Mutt Taylor, Cubby Lauderbourne, and Jimmy Blades.[24][25] Carter and Gourley split the writing for the tracks.[26]

Shunt McGuppin released a follow-up solo EP titled Bad Honky in June 2015.[27] The album features guests including Erinn Hayes and Tompkins.

Cast

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Current members

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Former members

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  • Jeff Crocker, Resident Specialist Emeritus [32]

Recurring Guests

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Recurring Characters/Sketches

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Season 1

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  • Shunt McGuppin
  • Imogene Kanouse
  • Mutt Taylor
  • Bruce 'The Throat' Hume and Ed 'The Inflection' Olivas
  • Milton and Dupree
  • Trevor Lundgren
  • The Reverends Allard H. Mundy Jr. and Merlin Escondante Daniels
  • Dwight Loomis
  • Grandma Queen Bee
  • Grandma Jonesy

Season 2

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Season 3

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Season 4

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  • God's Crazy Monsters
  • Leroy Jenkins
  • Janice Caaf
  • The American English Dictionary

Other podcast appearances

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Awards

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  • 1st Place - Viral Video Night, Improv Olympic West, November 2008
  • The first double 5 star rating on Edgy Podcast Reviews[5]
  • Best First-Wave Podcast That's Better Than Ever, Splitsider, 2011[41]

References

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  1. ^ Taylor, Leah (30 July 2009). "Daily Dose Pick: Superego". Flavorwire.com. Retrieved 4 August 2015.
  2. ^ a b Elliott, Farley (22 May 2009). "SuperEgo Interview: Inside the Mind of the Podcast". LAist.com. Archived from the original on 8 August 2015. Retrieved 4 August 2015.
  3. ^ a b Spacek, Nick (13 September 2011). "Superego's Jeremy Carter and Matt Gourley talk improvisation". Retrieved 4 August 2015.
  4. ^ "The Podiwan Review 22 - Superego Podcast". 11 May 2012.
  5. ^ a b "Edgy Podcast Reviews 80: Dogear Nation-The Jane Ellen-Superego Podcast". Edgy Podcast Reviews. Retrieved 4 August 2015.
  6. ^ a b Evans, Bradford (2 July 2013). "Talking to the Guys Behind the Podcast 'Superego' About Their New Country-Rock Album". SplitSider.com. Archived from the original on 28 September 2015. Retrieved 3 August 2015.
  7. ^ Carter, Jeremy (17 May 2015). "The Story of Superego, Pt. 1 — A Weed-Infused Origin Story". KQED. Retrieved 4 August 2015.
  8. ^ Clements, Miles (18 March 2009). "The Doctors Are In". TheDistrictWeekly.com. Archived from the original on May 4, 2010.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  9. ^ Oyama, Jonathan (24 June 2009). "Four comedians hang on to their egos with popular podcast". Daily 49er. Retrieved 22 August 2015.
  10. ^ a b c Evans, Bradford (18 July 2014). "'Superego' Season 4 Is Coming; Paul F. Tompkins to Join Group Full-Time". SplitSider.com. Archived from the original on 6 September 2015. Retrieved 4 August 2015.
  11. ^ a b "Beginnings episode 128: Superego Podcast". 14 November 2013. Retrieved 6 August 2015.
  12. ^ Full interview with co-creator of Superego comedy podcast (Youtube) (Video interview). Video 49er. 24 September 2009. Archived from the original on 2021-12-20. Retrieved 22 August 2015.
  13. ^ "Episode 141 – James Bladon and Jeremy Guskin on Monty Python – The Holy Grail Soundtrack". 17 June 2015. Retrieved 4 August 2014.
  14. ^ Kozell, Isaac (15 August 2014). "The Superego Superinterview".
  15. ^ "SF Sketchfest: Superego with Jeremy Carter, Matt Gourley, Mark McConville and Paul F. Tompkins". SF Sketchfest. Retrieved 4 August 2015.
  16. ^ a b Biese, Alex (16 June 2015). "'Superego' makes its New York City debut". Asbury Park Press. Retrieved 4 August 2015.
  17. ^ "Paul F. Tompkins to Perform at Theatre 99 for 7 Straight Days". HolyCitySinner.com. 12 June 2014. Retrieved 4 August 2015.
  18. ^ Bauer, Ian (5 June 2015). "The Absurd Comedy of "Superego" Comes to Solid Sound Festival". Paradise City Press. Retrieved 4 August 2015.
  19. ^ Nagy, Evie (17 August 2015). "Is Howl the "Netflix of Podcasts" We've Been Waiting For". FastCompany.
  20. ^ "Superego - Howl". Howl. Retrieved 2016-03-02.
  21. ^ Kozell, Isaac (4 March 2016). "Celebrating Ten Years with 'Superego'". Splitsider. Retrieved 7 March 2016.
  22. ^ "Superego Cinema: Alien". Retrieved 8 March 2016.
  23. ^ "IT'S TRUE". Superego on Twitter. 2018-07-05. Retrieved 2018-12-06.
  24. ^ "Super Ego's Comedy Western Music Album 'Mount Us More by The Journeymen' Is Out Now". The Comedy Bureau. Retrieved 4 August 2015.
  25. ^ "The Journeymen: Mount Us More". GoSuperego.com. Retrieved 4 August 2015.
  26. ^ Madrid, Monique (19 June 2015). "Behind Shunt McGuppin with Superego's Jeremy Carter". Retrieved 4 August 2015.
  27. ^ "Bad Honky". Bandcamp.com. 16 June 2015. Retrieved 4 August 2015.
  28. ^ "Dr. Jeremy Carter". Superego.
  29. ^ "Dr. Matt Gourley". Superego.
  30. ^ "Dr. Mark McConville". Superego.
  31. ^ "Dr. Paul F. Tompkins". Superego.
  32. ^ "Resident Specialist Emeritus Jeff Crocker". Superego.
  33. ^ @ThrillingAdv (27 February 2012). "Pod #60!" (Tweet). Retrieved 4 August 2015 – via Twitter.
  34. ^ "Superego: Loose Beginnings, Tight Ends". Retrieved 3 August 2015.
  35. ^ "Nerdist Podcast: Superego". Retrieved 3 August 2015.
  36. ^ "Walking the Room: #125 - Superego". 15 October 2012. Retrieved 6 August 2015.
  37. ^ "Kevin Gregg - Podcast". Retrieved 4 August 2015.
  38. ^ "Search For Treasure With Superego: Podcast Episode 132". 16 November 2009. Retrieved 6 August 2015.
  39. ^ "PMC 52: Superego". 1 September 2011.
  40. ^ "This American Wife". 11 March 2011.
  41. ^ Fox, Jesse David (29 December 2011). "The Year in Comedy Podcasts". Splitsider.
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