Comedy Bang Bang: Bonus Bang – Live From The Bell House Pt 1 (Hot 4 Scott)

Comedy Bang Bang: The Podcast | Host: Scott Aukerman
Guests: Jason Mantzoukas, Adam Scott, Paul F. Tompkins (as Big Chunky Bubbles), Mike Hanford (as John Lennon), Griffin Newman (as Silver Screen Sammy)
Recorded: Bell House, Brooklyn | Released: Sept 18, 2025

Episode Overview

This special bonus episode of Comedy Bang Bang celebrates the show’s 15 years by bringing a powerhouse, live-on-stage lineup to the Bell House in Brooklyn to mark the publication of the “Comedy Bang Bang” book. Host Scott Aukerman is joined by old friends, recurring favorites, and new oddball characters—including Jason Mantzoukas, Adam Scott, Paul F. Tompkins as Big Chunky Bubbles, Mike Hanford as John Lennon, and Griffin Newman as Silver Screen Sammy. The show features uproarious inside jokes, absurd character work, games, and meta commentary, keeping in line with CBB’s tradition of spontaneous, layered, and slightly chaotic comedy.

Key Discussion Points & Memorable Segments

1. Introduction and Setup (00:00–06:25)

• Scott Aukerman introduces the episode as a special live event in celebration of the CBB book and Adam Scott’s many appearances.
• Jokes with the audience about book weight (“if you don’t like the show, feel free to throw the books at us”—[04:46]).

2. Jason Mantzoukas Joins as “Co-Host” (06:25–18:56)

• Mantzoukas’s Entrance:
  • Jason enters with swagger: “What’s up, jerks? How we doing, Brooklyn?” ([06:52])
• COVID Discussion and Local Brooklyn Jokes:
  • Jay recounts getting COVID on his live tour, despite being vigilant. Story of the anti-vax nurse. Major pop when asking, “Who here believes in vaccines?” ([09:06])
  • Local color: reminisces about neighborhood changes—Whole Foods jokes ([10:02]).
• Meta Bits & In-Jokes:
  • Banter about dirty eyeglass cloths (“These New Yorkers are trying to give me pink eye. Nice try.”—[11:06])
  • Scott and Jason joke about who actually contributed to the CBB book, Mantzoukas’ alter ego “Jeffrey Characterides,” and deep-dive into meta, referencing their own comic personas ([12:25]–[15:00]).
  • Jason describes bad improv as Ricky Martin in Cartoon Chaos, failed UCB shows, and self-deprecating comedy origin stories ([15:31]).
• Audience Q&A Banter:
  • They joke about ending the show with a Q&A and roast Scott’s "writing process" for the book ([17:11]).

3. Adam Scott’s Entrance and Group Reading (18:56–38:15)

• Adam’s Arrival:
  • Enters amid high praise, discusses his fictional Apple TV series “Spasm” and quick-witted banter about “Spaz heads” and show terminology (“90% sure we cannot say that anymore…”—[21:51]).
• Book Contribution Comedy:
  • Group meta-parody of reading Adam’s blurb from the back of the CBB book together, hyped up as a big event.
  • Over-the-top group countdown from 40 to 1, leading the crowd in performance: “Everything you want in a CBB book: Chapters, pages, words…” ([34:23])
  • “I’m gonna read it five more times, then go back to sleep.” – Adam Scott ([34:42])
  • Light mockery of publishing and comedy podcast conventions (“Should we start with trees? I’m lost already.”—[26:01])
• Physical Comedy Bit:
  • They stage a mock “attack on stage” to test how fast you can get away from the high stools common at comedy podcasts ([29:02]).

4. Paul F. Tompkins as Big Chunky Bubbles (Children’s Entertainer) (43:17–75:22)

• Character Introduction:
  • BCB is a children’s entertainer—his act involves making bubbles out of soups, stews, and chowders (“I’m a bubble artist, I create bubbles out of soups, stews, and chowders.” —[46:23])
• Soup and Chowder Breakdown:
  • Running debate with audience and cast about types of chowder, launching into “Chowder Variants,” including “blue milk from Star Wars” and fake food science ([47:47]).
• Dark Comic Origin Story:
  • BCB tells of his wife’s tragic death via a “bisque bubble” (“She got too close, and the bubble burst. It burned her skin right down to the skull.” —[58:16])
• Meta Jokes and Book Bit:
  • BCB’s “review” in the CBB book is lampooned; he’s outraged by negative press (“I was very suspicious when you asked me to write something for your book. Yeah, it seemed like a trick and a trap, not a treat or a treasure.”—[65:15])
• Movie & Titanic Side Quizzes:
  • Dive into a bizarre Titanic/insurance article rabbit hole (“I read an interesting article the other day about… the insurance… if they found it, the insurance company would have kept it.”—[66:02]), debated for several minutes for comic effect.

5. Mike Hanford as John Lennon (80:16–108:55)

• Absurd Interview with “John Lennon”:
  • John Lennon jokes about being shot (“How did you die? —Shot in the body. Directly in the body. I bled everywhere.”—[84:55]), being bored in his casket, and now avoiding “Yoko” to keep her beret.
• Beatles Lore, Snakes, and Films:
  • Hanford’s John gets meta about Beatles’ band dynamics (“Can you even be sure they put a cockroach in your bed?”—[98:56])
  • Discusses hatred of snakes—“Imagine all the snakes, slithering around, crawling into your shoes…” ([102:33]), claims this line was from an early version of “Imagine.”
  • Describes only seeing parts of Raiders of the Lost Ark (“So for you, it’s a college movie, right?”—[105:37]), and invents a wild version of the plot.

6. Griffin Newman as Silver Screen Sammy (Eight-Year-Old Film Critic) (114:22–133:19)

• Character Intro & Bit Premise:
  • “Katona’s Cutest Cinema Critic” (abbreviated to KKKK)—jokes about his childish misunderstanding, states he is 8 years old.
  • Runs through wild, naive capsule reviews of Best Picture winners:
    • Kramer vs. Kramer (“Wacky sci-fi! …A mommy and daddy would not stay together forever”—[122:56])
    • Terms of Endearment: Confused the mother’s “nap” for a cliffhanger—“movie ends before she ever wakes up.”—[124:12])
    • Platoon: “The weirdest summer camp. All they do is play paintball.”—[125:34]
    • French Connection: “So mean. I hate that you’re taking my baking powder…”—[126:09]
    • Schindler’s List, ends with a shocking, intentionally misguided (and satirical) “Holocaust denial” punchline.
• Meta Commentary & Audience Reactions:
  • Panel tries, often uncomfortably, to explain sex and death to Sammy—all while maintaining in-character discomfort and comic tension ([129:05]).

7. Finale: Ranking & Disneyland Dance (133:29–138:40)

• Performer “Ranking”:
  • Audience cheers to rate each guest; Silver Screen Sammy wins ([135:09]).
• Scott Aukerman’s Infamous “Disneyland Dance”:
  • Group insists Scott reenact his old Disneyland audition dance, culminating with Paul F. Tompkins leading the crowd in a bastardized, sing-along version of “Bibbidi-Bobbidi-Boo” ([137:19]).
  • “I almost broke my ankle again. Those are not the shoes for that dance.” – Scott Aukerman ([137:57])

Notable Quotes & Moments

• Mantzoukas on COVID precautions:
  “After years spent hiding in my house. …Nurse came to give me the test …and was like, ‘I don’t really believe in vaccines.’—Madam, you are a medical professional!” ([09:11])
• Adam Scott reads blurb group chant:
  “Everything you want in a CBB book: Chapters, pages, words, letters, pictures, syllables, winks, gravy, live E’s, and of course, Scott’s signature dance.” ([34:23])
• Big Chunky Bubbles’ tragic villain arc:
  “She got too close, and the bubble burst. It burned her skin right down to the skull.” ([58:16])
• John Lennon on his own death:
  “Shot in the body. Directly in the body. I bled everywhere.” ([84:55])
• Silver Screen Sammy’s review of Kramer vs. Kramer:
  “This premise is so unreasonable that a mommy and daddy would not stay together forever.” ([123:05])
• Sammy’s final (deliberately offensive) misunderstanding:
  “Okay, we all know the Holocaust didn’t happen. What is this?” ([132:50])
• On soup bubbles:
  “Why not use bubbles to feed people?” – Jason
  “I think feeding people with bubbles is like a slap in the face to someone who is hungry.” – BCB ([112:03])

Running Gags & Meta-Jokes

• Hilarious, layered riffing about writing for the CBB book; multiple fake or elaborate group readings.
• Debates about the nature of “chowder,” “bisque,” and obscure soup trivia, enhanced by live Google lookups.
• Recurring meta-bits about local Brooklyn references, podcast audience demographics, and other podcast plugs.
• Silver Screen Sammy’s intentionally off-base movie reviews, continually blurred line between naivety and satire.

Structured Timestamps of Memorable Segments

| Timestamp | Segment Description | |--------------:|-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 06:52 | Jason Mantzoukas’ live entrance, “What’s up, jerks? How we doing, Brooklyn?” | | 09:11 | COVID nurse anti-vax joke, audience voting on vaccine beliefs | | 34:23 | Dramatic, chorus reading of Adam Scott’s book blurb | | 46:23 | Big Chunky Bubbles’ introduction and “soup bubble” explanation | | 58:16 | BCB’s tragic bisque bubble accident story | | 84:55 | John Lennon: “Shot in the body. Directly in the body. I bled everywhere.” | |123:05 | Silver Screen Sammy’s review of Kramer vs. Kramer | |132:50 | Silver Screen Sammy’s Holocaust line, cutoff by cast* | |135:09 | Audience “ranking” segment; Silver Screen Sammy wins | |137:19 | Scott Aukerman coerced to perform reenactment of Disneyland audition dance |

(*Deliberately dark punchline in character; audience and cast react quickly)

Tone & Takeaways

• Language and Humor: The episode is fast-paced, packed with in-jokes, meta-references, absurdism, and gleeful deconstruction of podcasting and pop culture tropes. The tone ranges from silly to slyly subversive, with a warm sense of “in-group” familiarity—the cast subverts expectations, often breaking character for an extra layer of hilarity.
• CBB Signature Style: Expect deadpan characters, long-running bits (chowders, books, family tragedy), parody “serious” panel moments, and self-aware, sometimes anarchic, audience engagement.

In Summary

Bonus Bang: Live From The Bell House Pt 1 (Hot 4 Scott) is a showcase of Comedy Bang Bang’s irreverent, self-referential humor. Through a blend of real-life comic camaraderie and invented character crises, the ensemble lampoons podcasting, fame, book publishing, childhood trauma, pop culture, and the very act of making comedy. With sections ranging from live group readings to soup debates and tragic comic backstories, this live episode is both a love letter and a send-up of everything CBB holds dear.

Perfect for both die-hard CBB listeners and newcomers wanting an immersive, offbeat comedy experience.

End of Summary