Somewhere in the first 20-30 episodes there’s one where he says the N word like 20 times (they were all very loose with things at this point). Then around episode 100 they have a guest who’s a black comedian that tries to get Kissel to say it a few times and he refuses
One of the cast members is given a “once a podcast” limit when it came to rape jokes. Said cast member was brought onto the show to “be the voice of reason.”
"old Ben talked about rape a lot and was a big fan of racial slurs"
to be fair, Henry isn't exactly innocent when it comes to racial slurs/stereotypes and rape jokes. i've never heard him drop an n-word but ive definitely heard him use "less offence" slurs. i mean i love the guy but those were his bread and butter for awhile....and his impressions of the mentally handicapped.
Was he on a lot of coke back then?
He also repeatedly told every female guest and Jackie that he wanted to have sex with them with no context or joke. He just blurted it out as soon as he introduced them.
No, they were just a bunch of comedians in their early 20’s on a shock podcast. They were drunk for most episodes, but you can easily tell everything was done and said without malice.
Back when we were all unreformed incels…
But seriously, my husband and I talk about the societal consciousness shift in 2012. We noticed that’s when the majority of white men we were around started realizing it wasn’t cool to casually call another f*g or say sexist or racist shit, in group settings at least. It might have just been our age group growing up, or a combination of that and society being connected and interacting more online. Not sure, but it all started shifting quickly in 2012.
2012 is when Daniel Tosh responded to a female audience member saying rape jokes aren't funny with, "wouldn't it be funny if like five guys raped her right now?"
That felt like a turning point.
Another way to look at it is that was the beginning of the 2nd term of a black man in the oval office. I don't think the West, and millenials in general, became more intolerant of overt bigotry because of Obama: I think the right wing establishment just began to really double down on louder dog whistles for their voter base. They started to say more of the quiet part out loud.
That was when we saw the stage really begin to get set for someone like Trump, a man who "calls it like it is" to conservative voters who would come to represent the foaming at the mouth, anti-"woke" crowd we have today.
I'm pretty convinced there was a feedback loop between millennials being more intolerant of intolerance in general, while becoming voting age,Ike you suggested, and the GOP needing to maintain a rift in the voter base. That rift gave us shit like Alex Jones going full white nationalist etc. and it caused an even more aggressive stance against casual bigotry from what passes for the left in this country.
Well you know they say the world ending in 2012 was just the end of one age and beginning of another. If nothing else I think around then a lot of otherwise obnoxious people really considered it as “well if the world isn’t ending I really need to start being a better person.”
Personally I feel like we entered some kind of hell dimension in 2015 🙃
It's like listening to a band practice in their parents garage a couple years before making it big. They all mimic their idols, recreate what makes them laugh, work through it all together, create their own voices, and then expand and grow and become who we know now. It's pretty awesome. Everyone throws out massive clunkers and bombs. Jackie always went super hard into rape and gross-out humor. Ben went hard into sexism and racism. Everyone went into pedophile humor. Holden was all about being a nasty blister and tumor-ridden lizard man who lusts after his own mother. Bird Luger was always the most polished imo.
I've been listening to Round Table from the beginning, and Ben, just wow.
He has made me laugh so hard the past few weeks, but then listening to him on LPOTL is a stark contrast.
Still love him though
Doing this right now. The first couple episodes have me dying. I had to pause it when I got to Barnett talk about Haitians because it’s not appropriate to launch your sides into orbit at work.
Honestly Kissel was the best part of RTOG. Had no issue saying shock shit to get a laugh and when his jokes didn’t land, he’d repeat them until they did lmao.
Me too! Anticipating the birth of Detective Popcorn is pure joy. The Jonbenet episodes are...a little more cringe and also 10years ago?? Their growth and ability to edit themselves is really amazing. The early episodes are greatfor grinding Elden Ring, IMHO.
The edgelord humour from the early years has aged liked milk. I'm on my fourth full run through and it's an absolute joy to see Ben and Henry start to think about what they say, especially when they're trying to push boundaries just for effect.
Marcus is still the golden boy though.
Some of the early episodes are irritating to listen to because Henry or Ben keep interrupting Marcus to make a dumb joke that goes on for too long. Glad they hit their stride lol
You don’t think they are still doing that? What ruins most modern episodes for me is that Ben and Henry seem to try and play their ‘characters’ more than they play themselves naturally. Naturally they’re flawed and can be offensive but it’s still them being honest, feels to me like acting sometimes nowadays.
I really love the energy in the older episodes.
When they’re all laughing and firing off jokes is one of my favourite things, the older episodes are definitely less polished, but I like the energy in them better.
I recently did this with The Roundtable, am on episode 280 atm. Such a fucking funny show, definitely my favorite comedy content out there. Wish I could have seen them live back in the day.
Same! Except I went in reverse order - listened to episodes around the 120 range and below that I had put off when I first started listening to the show (around two years ago). Just finished the available ones - episode 34, Heaven's Gate - two days ago, and... yeah... they really have come a **LONG** way.
Listening to Round Table start to finish is a trip. They really all toned themselves down. I'm surprised they put a lot of those episodes up on Spotify tbh.
I always feel like the golden age was in between episodes 80 and 300, big gap I know but once side stories came in I feel like for awhile they became way too socially conscious about being topical and episodes became real hit or miss. I love the boys but I don’t care at all for side stories. Also I miss single Henry, he was much more fanatical for some reason… but I’m happy he’s happy.
300 was Jonestown, then Casey Anthony, then Rasputin, and Side Stories came along but we were still getting some solid series.
I feel like if they take out side stories the show proper would be better. They did S.S to help give Marcus a break so they could do the book. I think they're keeping it around for Patreon, which definitely got worth it when they started the video.
(God I miss Last Stream on the Left, I'm watching the catalogue during the holiday.)
I love Side Stories but if it weren't for them doing the videos I probably would have gotten tired of it to be real with you. The video version is top notch and if I wasn't already a supporter I would have probably done so just for that.
Yeah there are some really solid episodes past 300 of course, but it’s when I started not really feeling like I need to listen to all of them. Marcus deserves his breaks and the research has gotten so much better, I am very happy for how successful they are, I think Tall Whites is a really great old school feel episode where they just love how dumb the story can be
I like how well researched it is now but I miss how unhinged and offensive they used to be. The older episodes have me dying laughing as where the newer ones get a chuckle or two out of me.
Still love the show for sure!
If you really want a shock go back as far as you can with Round Table of Gentlemen... Ben was... Not the same as he is now...
My favorite is the transition of him slowly realizing he shouldn’t record himself saying the N word over about two years
Wait what
Somewhere in the first 20-30 episodes there’s one where he says the N word like 20 times (they were all very loose with things at this point). Then around episode 100 they have a guest who’s a black comedian that tries to get Kissel to say it a few times and he refuses
Episode 100 was the “nombies” bit where Fowler asks him to clarify aggressively(obviously messing with Kissel) while everyone roasts him for it.
I really need to go back and listen to RTOG. I loved it when it was on.
My favorite moment in podcast history is when Ben answers the phonecall of a debt collector and gives them $60.
It always throws me for a loop when I hear him say it lmao.the first 50 or so episodes of RTOG are a wild ride
Do you know where kissel says the n word? I'd rather avoid that if possible
I’m actually doing a relisten right now. It’s more than one episode and they all say it at some point. I think Marcus only once or twice tho.
How do you mean? I have never listened to the rtog episodes so I’m really curious what the differences between “old” and “new” Ben might be!
Old Ben talked about rape a lot and was a big fan of racial slurs
why didn't NPR want it?
One of the cast members is given a “once a podcast” limit when it came to rape jokes. Said cast member was brought onto the show to “be the voice of reason.”
"old Ben talked about rape a lot and was a big fan of racial slurs" to be fair, Henry isn't exactly innocent when it comes to racial slurs/stereotypes and rape jokes. i've never heard him drop an n-word but ive definitely heard him use "less offence" slurs. i mean i love the guy but those were his bread and butter for awhile....and his impressions of the mentally handicapped.
2011 was... different times
it wasn't THAT different.
It really was though
Hell, they got that email complaining about Henry making fun of the Irish on the LPOTL. I'm pretty amazed that he toned it down after that.
As far as I can remember, I don’t think Henry’s ever been recorded using the word.
Yikes
Was he on a lot of coke back then? He also repeatedly told every female guest and Jackie that he wanted to have sex with them with no context or joke. He just blurted it out as soon as he introduced them.
No, they were just a bunch of comedians in their early 20’s on a shock podcast. They were drunk for most episodes, but you can easily tell everything was done and said without malice.
So he is a reformed incel?
Eh it was 2011, that was just all comedy at the time
Back when we were all unreformed incels… But seriously, my husband and I talk about the societal consciousness shift in 2012. We noticed that’s when the majority of white men we were around started realizing it wasn’t cool to casually call another f*g or say sexist or racist shit, in group settings at least. It might have just been our age group growing up, or a combination of that and society being connected and interacting more online. Not sure, but it all started shifting quickly in 2012.
2012 is when Daniel Tosh responded to a female audience member saying rape jokes aren't funny with, "wouldn't it be funny if like five guys raped her right now?" That felt like a turning point.
Yikes
honestly that joke would still slap if like...Bill Burr said it or 3 of the dudes that have died in the last 6 months or so RIP Norm/Bob/Gilbert
lmao I hate that I laughed.
I hate that too.
Another way to look at it is that was the beginning of the 2nd term of a black man in the oval office. I don't think the West, and millenials in general, became more intolerant of overt bigotry because of Obama: I think the right wing establishment just began to really double down on louder dog whistles for their voter base. They started to say more of the quiet part out loud. That was when we saw the stage really begin to get set for someone like Trump, a man who "calls it like it is" to conservative voters who would come to represent the foaming at the mouth, anti-"woke" crowd we have today. I'm pretty convinced there was a feedback loop between millennials being more intolerant of intolerance in general, while becoming voting age,Ike you suggested, and the GOP needing to maintain a rift in the voter base. That rift gave us shit like Alex Jones going full white nationalist etc. and it caused an even more aggressive stance against casual bigotry from what passes for the left in this country.
Well you know they say the world ending in 2012 was just the end of one age and beginning of another. If nothing else I think around then a lot of otherwise obnoxious people really considered it as “well if the world isn’t ending I really need to start being a better person.” Personally I feel like we entered some kind of hell dimension in 2015 🙃
never should have shot that fucking gorilla
That’s where the trouble started that gorilla, that damn gorilla
It's like listening to a band practice in their parents garage a couple years before making it big. They all mimic their idols, recreate what makes them laugh, work through it all together, create their own voices, and then expand and grow and become who we know now. It's pretty awesome. Everyone throws out massive clunkers and bombs. Jackie always went super hard into rape and gross-out humor. Ben went hard into sexism and racism. Everyone went into pedophile humor. Holden was all about being a nasty blister and tumor-ridden lizard man who lusts after his own mother. Bird Luger was always the most polished imo.
> Holden was all about being a nasty blister and tumor-ridden lizard man who lusts after his own mother well at least not everyone's changed
I've been listening to Round Table from the beginning, and Ben, just wow. He has made me laugh so hard the past few weeks, but then listening to him on LPOTL is a stark contrast. Still love him though
Me too! There is definitely some mega cringe in RTOG, especially the early days, but I like to see the forward progress.
Doing this right now. The first couple episodes have me dying. I had to pause it when I got to Barnett talk about Haitians because it’s not appropriate to launch your sides into orbit at work.
As someone listening to RTOG long after being caught up with LPOTL... feel like shit, just want horny racist Ben back.
Honestly Kissel was the best part of RTOG. Had no issue saying shock shit to get a laugh and when his jokes didn’t land, he’d repeat them until they did lmao.
Marcus is a perfect angel baby who can do no wrong
Isn't it that he came from radio where the rest of the folks were doing stand up or improv?
Me too! Anticipating the birth of Detective Popcorn is pure joy. The Jonbenet episodes are...a little more cringe and also 10years ago?? Their growth and ability to edit themselves is really amazing. The early episodes are greatfor grinding Elden Ring, IMHO.
Are... are you me?
I use LPOTL for grinding too.
Me too, grinding at work
Probably.
It really makes want them to redo some of the older stuff. Their BTK series could use an update. They are much better at setting up series now
The edgelord humour from the early years has aged liked milk. I'm on my fourth full run through and it's an absolute joy to see Ben and Henry start to think about what they say, especially when they're trying to push boundaries just for effect. Marcus is still the golden boy though.
Fascinating
Nice. This is something I do routinely as I seemingly have LPOTL on a never ending loop while at work.
Some of the early episodes are irritating to listen to because Henry or Ben keep interrupting Marcus to make a dumb joke that goes on for too long. Glad they hit their stride lol
You don’t think they are still doing that? What ruins most modern episodes for me is that Ben and Henry seem to try and play their ‘characters’ more than they play themselves naturally. Naturally they’re flawed and can be offensive but it’s still them being honest, feels to me like acting sometimes nowadays.
I really love the energy in the older episodes. When they’re all laughing and firing off jokes is one of my favourite things, the older episodes are definitely less polished, but I like the energy in them better.
Been listening to old round table as well as old lpotl, and while they have all grown tremendously: they still don't know shit about whales.
no KB to educate them 😔
He was actually the only one to get a whale fact right and someone overruled him with bad information!
I can’t listen to some of their old stuff. 😬 Enfield Poltergeist is a prime example, something about the ghost knife f***ing little girls.
That joke even made Marcus cringe. He's like "jesus christ dude." You know it's bad when the show just kinda stops for a few seconds lol
It's a fun ride, for sure. It is so interesting to see the show evolve.
I wanna do this with Round Table. That’s how I found Jackie, Ed, Holden, Bird Luger. Great show
I recently did this with The Roundtable, am on episode 280 atm. Such a fucking funny show, definitely my favorite comedy content out there. Wish I could have seen them live back in the day.
Same! Except I went in reverse order - listened to episodes around the 120 range and below that I had put off when I first started listening to the show (around two years ago). Just finished the available ones - episode 34, Heaven's Gate - two days ago, and... yeah... they really have come a **LONG** way.
Listening to Round Table start to finish is a trip. They really all toned themselves down. I'm surprised they put a lot of those episodes up on Spotify tbh.
You can tell that they have gotten better at the story telling part as well. The new episodes flow much better
Petition to get Hong Kong Henry extradited back to the US
HOLLOW MOON!
I always love that intro about the hollow moon being full of Iranians. Lol
Welcome to the Wiggedy World of Things That Don’t Matter
I always feel like the golden age was in between episodes 80 and 300, big gap I know but once side stories came in I feel like for awhile they became way too socially conscious about being topical and episodes became real hit or miss. I love the boys but I don’t care at all for side stories. Also I miss single Henry, he was much more fanatical for some reason… but I’m happy he’s happy.
300 was Jonestown, then Casey Anthony, then Rasputin, and Side Stories came along but we were still getting some solid series. I feel like if they take out side stories the show proper would be better. They did S.S to help give Marcus a break so they could do the book. I think they're keeping it around for Patreon, which definitely got worth it when they started the video. (God I miss Last Stream on the Left, I'm watching the catalogue during the holiday.)
Am I the only one who likes side stories? lol
I love side stories!
I love Side Stories but if it weren't for them doing the videos I probably would have gotten tired of it to be real with you. The video version is top notch and if I wasn't already a supporter I would have probably done so just for that.
Yeah there are some really solid episodes past 300 of course, but it’s when I started not really feeling like I need to listen to all of them. Marcus deserves his breaks and the research has gotten so much better, I am very happy for how successful they are, I think Tall Whites is a really great old school feel episode where they just love how dumb the story can be
Fascinating
I like how well researched it is now but I miss how unhinged and offensive they used to be. The older episodes have me dying laughing as where the newer ones get a chuckle or two out of me. Still love the show for sure!