Podcast
Obscure with Michael Ian Black
Hosted by Misfit Toys · EN
It's a book club, but funny!
Comedian Michael Ian Black is tackling a great work of literature: Wuthering Heights.
Join Michael's weekly book club as he reads aloud from a classic and asks people like Jen Kirkman, Mike Birbiglia, Michael Showalter, and even his teenage kids to weigh in with their perspectives.
Season 1: Thomas Hardy's Jude the Obscure. The book is bleak, but Michael does a lot of accent work.
Season 2: Mary Shelley's Frankenstein. It's alive, and it's just a big buddy. Also, more accent work.
Season 3: Wuthering Heights. It's a love story? Who knows
Season 4: American Tragedy. Also a potential title of this podcast
Support this show and access bonus content: https://www.patreon.com/michaelianblack
28episodes
Episodes
Newest firstAll episodes
S4 Episode 147 - Mythical Creatures
Yesterday00:37:16Tap to summarizeYour host has decamped to Bigfoot Country for the next few episodes as he seeks the mighty Sasquatch, along with Chris Elliott and the lovely Sarah Tomko. Yes, moviemaking is afoot (BIG foot), and while I go gallivanting all over the deep woods, poor Clyde is confined to a lousy cell in a terrible prison and it's all he can do to keep his spirits up. Can Mama Bear help? Or will she, too, fall prey to the ultimate mythical creature - JUSTICE!Support Obscure!Read Michael's substackFollow Michael on TwitterFollow Michael on InstagramSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Transcribe →S4 Episode 146 - Mama Bear is on the Way
1w ago00:29:50Tap to summarizeAs a rash plagues your very successful actor host, Clyde's poor mother has arrived in Bridgeburg to comfort her not very successful son. What will become of the two poor Griffiths, mama and son? Can a simple pious woman rescue her condemned boy from the clutches of death? Let's be honest: probably not.Support Obscure!Read Michael's substackFollow Michael on TwitterFollow Michael on InstagramSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Transcribe →S4 Episode 145 - The Sacred and Profane
2w ago00:30:06Tap to summarizeYour host opines on the nature of the tension between the American branches of the sacred and the profane in a quarter-backed notion that the book "An American Tragedy" can be viewed as a metaphor for the nation itself. Too much? Perhaps. Meanwhile Clyde waits to die.Support Obscure!Read Michael's substackFollow Michael on TwitterFollow Michael on InstagramSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Transcribe →S4 Episode 144 - Ticked Off!
3w ago00:33:02Tap to summarizeYour host opines on pathogen-bearing animals, Tony Danza, and the acting profession before delving into a brand new chapter! Clyde Griffiths is waiting to be fried up like a basket of shrimp but, hopefully, not before seeing his mama one more time.Support Obscure!Read Michael's substackFollow Michael on TwitterFollow Michael on InstagramSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Transcribe →S4 Episode 143 - The Same Greed, Avarice, and Immorality
4w ago00:40:49Tap to summarizeMaybe people suck. Hard to say, exactly, but as we plow forward from testimony to closing arguments, here we are: the same human vices that have plagued the species for millennia are on full display both in Clyde Griffith's time and our own. Such a terrible state of affairs plagues the human condition! But what're we gonna do? Cry about it? Of course not! A new chapter is at hand.Support Obscure!Read Michael's substackFollow Michael on TwitterFollow Michael on InstagramSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Transcribe →S4 Episode 142 - Sports!
Jun 1600:32:25Tap to summarizeYour host reflects on his occasional love for athletic prowess, little of which he possesses. Plus, a sneeze or two might erupt on the podcast owing to allergy season, as we FINALLY end Clyde's testimony. Lo these many pages have come and gone and still no sense of whether the fella's going fry or not! I mean, the trial has done nothing but convince me that he ought to, but will they convict?Support Obscure!Read Michael's substackFollow Michael on TwitterFollow Michael on InstagramSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Transcribe →S4 Episode 141 - Should It Be Properly Called a Fridgerator?
Jun 900:35:37Tap to summarizeMighty questions abound during this week's episode of Obscure, including Clyde's true nature, sexual hypocrisy, and whether or not the ice box is properly titled a "refrigerator." Meanwhile, we're still on the stand with our defendant. Word of warning: if you think this is the last episode of testimony from our Cylde, you are incorrect. Even so, things look increasingly dire for our young lad. Can the hangman's noose be far behind?Support Obscure!Read Michael's substackFollow Michael on TwitterFollow Michael on InstagramSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Transcribe →S4 Episode 140 - 50 Mystery Records!
Jun 200:36:08Tap to summarizeFrom the shores of Lake Como, your host recounts his time in Italy and then spends too much time extolling the virtues of a recent purchase. As for Clyde, well it's more of the same. Mason continues to hammer away at him and Clyde continues to duck and weave for all he's worth. Will Mason finally break the young murderer? Find out on today's scintillating episode!!!Support Obscure!Read Michael's substackFollow Michael on TwitterFollow Michael on InstagramSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Transcribe →S4 Episode 139 - With Bells On
May 2600:33:45Tap to summarizeA symphony of bells accompanies the beginning of this episode, which comes to you from the shores of Lake Como, Italia. The bambini are about to join your host for a few days of Roman holiday and such. A far better location than a stuffy courtroom, where Clyde continues his back-and-forth with DA Mason. And ol' Mason appears to have Kid Griffiths on the ropes. But will it be enough to convict?Support Obscure!Read Michael's substackFollow Michael on TwitterFollow Michael on InstagramSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Transcribe →S4 Episode 138 - Provincial and Foolish
May 1900:32:43Tap to summarizeAs your host completes Week 1 of his Italian sabbatical, he shares some banal observations about the Old World because his provincial and foolish brain cannot do otherwise. But "provincial and foolish" can also describe one Clyde Griffiths, now testifying for his darned life, first attempting to establish his truthiness by means of the relatively friendly interrogation of his own lawyer, Jephson. Now, however, he must face DA Mason, who has been glowering and muttering during the initial testimony; no doubt he's smacking his lips as he confronts his prey on cross-examination in today's exciting episode!Support Obscure!Read Michael's substackFollow Michael on TwitterFollow Michael on InstagramSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
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