Comedy Bang Bang: "Can A Bird Do A Foxtrot?"

Release Date: October 20, 2025
Host: Scott Aukerman
Guests: Martin Starr, Erin Keif, Jon Mackey (as “Dr. Reginald Barbary”), Louis Pantano (seagull character)

Episode Overview

In this character-filled episode, Scott Aukerman welcomes back the actor Martin Starr (“Freaks and Geeks,” “Silicon Valley,” “Tulsa King”) for his eighth appearance after a seven-year break. Scott and Martin discuss Starr’s latest projects, especially the Hulu remake of “The Hand That Rocks the Cradle,” his new candy company Sweet Stash Jams, and much more. Mid-episode, Louis Pantano (as a seagull character) returns, lamenting his Hollywood struggles. In the last segment, Jon Mackey appears as Dr. Reginald Barbary, an eccentric medieval physician with questionable diagnostic practices. The conversation ricochets between genuine industry insight, wild comedic tangents, and meta-character gags.

Main Themes

• Martin Starr’s Career Comeback: Discussion of Starr’s roles, especially in “The Hand That Rocks the Cradle” and “Tulsa King.”
• The Sweet Stash Candy Venture: Martin’s post-acting business making “Jams” (musical note-shaped gummies).
• Hollywood and Showbiz Satire: Through both earnest conversation and absurd character interjections.
• Scott’s Comic Banter: Riffs on podcasting, streaming services, and cultural references.
• Absurdist Character Comedy: Especially through the arrival of Louis Pantano (a talking, showbiz-craving seagull) and Dr. Barbary (a "medieval" immortal doctor).

Episode Breakdown & Highlights

1. Martin Starr Returns: Candy, TV Shows & Hulu Thriller

(01:25 – 18:00)

• Scott and Martin joke about comedy catchphrases for 2025 and “Comedy Bang Bang. We Care.”

  • “It used to be humanity’s podcast.” (Scott, 02:30)
  • “I’m the guy that does that [changes podcast headings]” (Martin, 02:44)

• Run-down of Martin’s career:

  • “Freaks and Geeks,” “Silicon Valley,” “Tulsa King,” movie credits, and cameo guest roles.
  • Discussion on “Hand That Rocks the Cradle”:
    • It’s a Hulu remake, with Scott ribbing Martin about the plot and his character:
    • “Some would be surprised. You do not play the baby in the titular cradle.” (Scott, 17:44)
    • “Dude, come on. Spoiler alert.” (Martin, 17:50)

Sweet Stash Jams:

(05:29 – 09:49)

• Starr’s edible business—musical note-shaped gummies “Jams,” made in Omaha, shipped online (copacker in Chicago).
• Emphasizes all-natural ingredients, no artificial coloring.
  • “We don’t use any of this stuff that we—that are knowingly, you know, carcinogenic or cancerous.” (Martin, 09:39)
• Playful product placement and banter about candy & legal disclaimers.

Story Tangents:

• NFL rivalry story in Chicago’s train station (mix-up and classic CBB riffing).
• Making movies, screeners, security hoops (13:12 – 14:47)
  • “Had to pee in a cup and then they really get you with the Authenticator app.” (Martin, 13:47)

Podcast-Within-A-Podcast Jokes:

• Scott’s imaginary podcast “Scott Hasn’t Seen” (14:43)
  • “We talk before we watch the movie... then we talk about that movie.” (Scott, 15:10)
  • “Cultural Osmosis” as a running joke title.

2. Hollywood, Reunions & Absurdist Riffs

(18:00 – 30:00)

On Acting, Friendship, and Haircuts:

• Martin’s Tulsa King “Prince”/ “Jester” role, beard maintenance as character continuity joke.
  • “I am slowly cutting my hair through the season… by the end of the season, my hair is like 4 inches shorter than it was.” (Martin, 16:33)
• Discussion of “Freaks and Geeks” reunion possibilities:
  • “Probably making candy. Is it the most autobiographical role you ever had?” (Scott, 26:19)

On Candy Entrepreneurship:

• Will Sweet Stash make a peanut butter cup?
  • “That’s kind of trademarked and would be really frowned upon... We’d get sued, like, pretty bad.” (Martin, 27:34)
• Bags can be ordered in multiples of five, in theory up to infinity.
• Tangent about auctions and bidding (28:40)

3. Character Invasion: Louis Pantano the Seagull Returns

(39:12 – 56:41)

Introduction to Louis:

• Recurring CBB bit—Louis Pantano, a talking seagull, aspiring actor, and current houseguest of Scott.
• Louis has been sleeping in Scott’s car and yearning for showbiz success.
  • “Every time I walk into a room, I can hear Martin kill it in an audition. He’s so funny. And then I go in and it’s just crickets.” (Louis, 44:29)
• Ongoing foil to Martin:
  • “Judd looked me in the eye one time and said, everything you can do, Martin can do better. That was sobering and a lie, because you can’t fly, right Martin?” (Louis, 43:34)
• Talks about painful auditions (bloody nose from a seagull attack), lack of acting roles, desire for a comeback via “Dancing with the Stars.”

Dancing with the Stars:

• Louis claims he’s on the show, details about swooping on Andy Richter and Robert Irwin.
• Seagull tap dance with bottle caps, injury, and existential doubt:
  • “Who am I kidding? Dancing with the Stars is about having a comeback, and I’ve never even arrived in the first place.” (Louis, 50:06)

4. Dr. Reginald Barbary: The Medieval Immortal Physician

(61:02 – 88:01)

• Outlandish physician character introduced as a “medieval” doctor using ancient, often gross, diagnostic methods (“butt huffing,” mouth sampling, etc.).
  • “I believe that things have gotten a bit too complicated in the health space… I just want to make sure you’re all healthy.” (Dr. Barbary, 63:39)
  • “Butt huffing… you take the gases released by a person, whether it’s mouth or any other orifice…” (Dr. Barbary, 65:50)
• Claims to have lived since the age of King Arthur, can’t die, “no return business.”
• Easily drawn into gross-out and body humor, blurring the line between medical practice and perverse behavior.
• Ongoing plugs for his “Reginald Barbary's Medieval Medicine Factory.”
  • “You can Google it…” (Dr. Barbary, 63:32)

Immortality, Presidents, and Bodily Jokery:

• Running gags about U.S. presidents’ anatomy, infamous incidents (George H.W. Bush vomiting in Japan), dick size chat.
• Meta-commentary on podcast tropes and Howard Stern.
  • “I knew if a bunch of guys were on a podcast together, we would start talking about dick size. I mean, WTF with Obama?” (Scott, 76:48)

Memorable Quotes & Moments

• Martin and Scott on Branding:

  • “You’re so busy and yet you’re doing all of this podcast work on the side.” (Scott, 02:47)
  • “Surprisingly not that busy because I’ve got a lot of time to do this.” (Martin, 02:51)

• On the Hulu Movie:

  • “You do not play the baby in the titular cradle.” (Scott, 17:44)
  • “Dude, come on. Spoiler alert.” (Martin, 17:50)

• On Auditions & Acting:

  • “What percentage of your jobs did people feel bad for you and just gave you the part?” (Scott, 43:25)
  • “If I’m being totally honest, I think all of them. 100%.” (Martin, 43:28)

• Louis Pantano’s Bitterness:

  • “Judd looked me in the eye and said, everything you can do, Martin can do better. And that was sobering and a lie, because you can’t fly, right Martin?” (Louis, 43:34)
  • “Every time I walk into a room, I can hear Martin kill it in an audition… and then I go in and it’s just crickets.” (Louis, 44:29)

• Dr. Barbary’s Methods:

  • “It’s nature’s bag. Why would you need any other utensils?” (Dr. Barbary, 62:10)
  • “Classic butt huffing, which is, of course, where you take the gases released by a person, whether it’s from mouth or any other orifice…” (Dr. Barbary, 65:49)
  • “I would say it’s about 90% diagnosing through butt huffing, then 10% clerical work.” (Dr. Barbary, 68:28)

• On Immortality:

  • “It is your dream to die.” (Scott, 80:27)
  • “I hope that you’ll get there someday. I really do. I hope that for everyone.” (Scott, 80:28)

Notable Timestamps

• Martin’s intro & banter: 01:25 – 03:00
• Sweet Stash Jams & candy business: 05:29 – 09:49
• Movie screeners & industry annoyances: 13:12 – 14:47
• Tulsa King, beards & episodic TV jokes: 15:46 – 16:55
• Candy entrepreneurship / legal fears: 27:02 – 27:44
• Louis Pantano (Seagull) returns: 39:12
• Dancing with the Stars talk: 41:13 – 46:09
• Tap dance attempt: 48:18 – 49:02
• Immortal Doctor Barbary (Jon Mackey) enters: 61:02
• Barbary’s bizarre diagnosis methods: 65:49 – 68:00
• Dick jokes / president anatomy: 76:28 – 78:15
• Plugs: 83:17 – 91:20

Final Plugs

• Martin Starr:

  • Sweet Stash Jams – Musical note-shaped gummies. sweetstash.com
  • The Hand That Rocks the Cradle – Hulu, drops Wednesday.
  • Tulsa King – Currently airing, Paramount+.

• Louis Pantano (Seagull/E. Keif):

  • Hey Riddle Riddle podcast tour info.
  • Donate text code to vote for Louis on “Dancing with the Stars.”

• Dr. Reginald Barbary (Jon Mackey):

  • Reginald Barbary's Medieval Medicine Factory – Google it (location “secret”).
  • Brett DeMott Show podcast; Big Grande production plug.

• Scott Aukerman:

  • Comedy Bang Bang throwback shirts on podswag.com.
  • Comedy Bang Bang action figures at figurecollections.com.

Tone, Structure, and Takeaways

This episode is an emblematic Comedy Bang Bang experience:

• Freewheeling, meta, character-heavy, and unafraid of body humor.
• Genuine conversation about the business side of acting is quickly derailed by playful absurdism.
• Quotes and callbacks reinforce the show’s distinct world of recurring jokes and surreal guest “experts.”
• For new listeners, this episode is a perfect introduction to how Comedy Bang Bang blends showbiz talk, deadpan parody, and outlandish improv into something unique.

Additional Quotes

• “I’m just a seagull with a colon porn addiction, who lives with his best friend, Scott.” (Louis, 55:41)
• “I would say it’s about 90% diagnosing through [butt huffing], then 10% clerical work.” (Dr. Barbary, 68:28)
• “My neck. My neck. Respect my neck.” (Plug Bag Song, 90:32)

In Summary:
This episode is a rich mix of showbiz insiderism, entrepreneurial hustling, and surreal character comedy—highlighted by Martin Starr’s dry wit, the sad-sack ambitions of an anthropomorphic seagull, and the outrageous anachronisms of a medieval immortal diagnostician. Plenty of quotable lines, callbacks, and the classic CBB rhythm of earnestness pummeled by irreverence make it an essential listen for fans old and new.