Podcast Summary: The Dollop – The Past Times with Myles Anderson

Podcast: The Dollop with Dave Anthony and Gareth Reynolds
Episode: 156 – The Past Times with Myles Anderson
Date: January 9, 2026
Host: All Things Comedy
Guest: Myles Anderson (Bachelors of Music YouTube Channel)

Overview

This episode of "The Past Times" features comedians Dave Anthony and Gareth Reynolds alongside special guest Myles Anderson, known for his "joke explainer" character and the Bachelors of Music YouTube channel. The hosts revisit headlines and stories from a 1919 edition of the Vancouver Weekly Columbian and riff on historical oddities, cultural quirks, stand-up comedy, and national peculiarities, blending sharp satire and improvisational humor. The episode is characterized by playful banter, running gag impressions (especially of Tony Bennett and Italian-Americans), and acute commentary on both the past and present.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Myles Anderson’s Comedy and YouTube Channel (00:24–07:43)

• Introduction of Myles Anderson:
  • Gareth praises Myles and describes his YouTube persona as an "explainer of why divisive comedians are funny."
  • Myles describes his channel:

    "I started out watching comedians and explaining why their jokes are very funny because comedians that often were very divisive on the Internet, a lot of people seemingly didn't understand why they were so funny." (01:21, Myles)

• Evolving the Character:
  • Initially was "too mean” but now leans into a “purely nice” character.
  • Myles breaks down comic styles, highlighting comedians like Chris D’Elia, Jim Brewer, and Roseanne.
• Gutfeld Livestream and Comedy Bingo:
  • Myles hosts weekly livestreams watching Fox’s "Gutfeld" and playing “bingo” to anticipate predictable tropes (07:00–08:23).

  • "Every Monday, I watch the show Gutfeld, which is the number one show in late night. And I, I... try to predict, like, how we're going to get to Joy Behar through a premise." (07:07, Myles)

2. Guessing the Newspaper’s Year & Nationalities Banter (09:13–10:41)

• The hosts and Myles guess the date of an old newspaper, landing on 1919.
• Fun, competitive back-and-forth and jokes about American workplace hostility.
• Riff on the differences and “hostilities” between Americans and Canadians:

  "Boys, boys, boys. You Americans are always fighting. Just calm down." (10:32, Myles)

3. Notable Historical Newspaper Stories

The bulk of the show is the group reading and riffing on old newspaper stories:

a. Barber Shoots Rival (13:08–17:02)

• Italian-American barber shoots a fellow driver in the arm.
• Comedians speculate about highway haircuts, mobile barbers, and the "warning shot" mentality:

  "An arm shot is sort of... It's not really a gunshot. It's a warning shot. That's a warning shot. So our way of saying hey, I could get closer to the head." (13:41, Dave)

  • They riff on the immigrant status and underlying xenophobia of the reporting.

b. America’s Influence Abroad / Race & Ethnicity as Social Constructs (17:22–18:47)

• Comment on an editorial bemoaning American movie influence in England.
• Sinatra’s “PSA Against Racism”: Myles references a clip where Italian, Irish, and Polish identities become “white” (17:22–17:56).

  "Remember, kids, even if people come from all sorts of races. Irish, Polish, Italian... They're also white. A lot of these people are now white." (17:42, Myles)

  • This theme becomes a running joke, with Tony Bennett impressions:

    "Hey, I just found out women are also white." (28:15, Tony/Dave)

c. $1 for Slapping Policemen (27:05–30:21)

• Hot women in Texas get fined only $1 for slapping police officers—satirical commentary on beauty privilege:

  "So hot girls can hit cops." (27:58, Myles)

  • Running gag of “women are now white too” (28:12, Dave as Tony Bennett).

d. Bowling Alleys & Dancing in Churches (31:01–35:32)

• Early 20th-century push by a pastor for churches to feature bowling and dancing for community-building.
• The hosts riff on how churches would be more popular and joke about churches needing to be like “Dave & Buster’s.”

  "Imagine if church was a Dave and Buster's. Do you have Dave and Buster's there, Miles?" (31:23, Dave)

e. Comedy, YouTube Growth & Rogan Specials (35:53–41:21)

• Myles discusses growth of his character/channel, especially reacting to major comedian scandals (Riyadh Comedy Festival, Tony Hinchcliffe, Joe Rogan).
• Hot take on commodification and monetization in high-level comedy:

  "In the old days, you know, comedians would often try to get laughs, but you got to get bags now. You got to get the bag." (42:55, Myles)

f. Dental Lawsuits, Health Care, US vs Canada (46:13–50:54)

• Story of a man suing his dentist for ongoing tooth pain.
• Launches a riff on US/Canadian differences in dental and health coverage:

  "We actually just got dental care passed. Big, big, big flex on you guys." (47:13, Myles) "Teeth and eyes not part of the body." (47:51, Dave)

• Satirical banter about the US lacking basic health care.

g. Scams & Odd Jobs (53:40–61:01)

• Old stories about buying “110 cases of river water,” and people hiring out-of-work cops for bizarre tasks like cranking cars or killing mice.
• Riff about a naive shopkeeper being swindled by a pair of women who offered to “bless” his money.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Joke Explaining:
  "It's helpful, it's a helpful guide. Sometimes you'll walk people through a comedian's special or a longer clip." (01:41, Dave)

• On American Late Night:
  "It's enjoyable because I go, wow, this is... we're really at the bottom of everything here." (07:46, Dave on watching Gutfeld)

• On Historical News Reporting:
  "How do you not put why? ... Why would be helpful." (16:07, Gareth)

• On Ethnicity Becoming “White”:
  "Treat them nicely. They're also white. A lot of these people are now white." (17:49, Myles as Frank Sinatra)

• On Comedy as Big Business:
  "If Kevin Hart doesn't make a certain amount of money, he'll be acquired by Gabriel Iglesias and absorbed into his... Like they're like businesses." (42:15, Myles on modern comedy empire)

• On Canadian Smugness:
  "Canadians are very... we're very smug about our health care, and I don't want to impose that on you guys." (49:22, Myles)

• Running Gag – Tony Bennett as Ambassador of Whiteness:
  "Hey, I just found out women are also white." (28:15, Dave as Tony Bennett) "Zombie Tony. Because it seems more like you're one of the guys in the background of the Sopranos." (33:30, Gareth)

Timestamps for Important Segments

• 00:24–07:43 – Myles discusses the origins, nature, and evolution of his "joke explainer" character.
• 09:13–10:41 – Guessing the year of the historical paper turns into riffs about hostility between Americans and Canadians.
• 13:08–17:02 – Barber shooting story, immigrant stereotypes, and gun culture satire.
• 17:22–18:47 – Discussions of Americanization, racial categories, and Sinatra’s “anti-racism” PSA.
• 27:05–30:21 – Funny fines and women slapping police officers for $1.
• 31:01–35:32 – Discussion on modernizing churches with bowling and dance.
• 35:53–41:21 – Myles discusses YouTube, explaining specials, and the business of comedy.
• 46:13–50:54 – Dental lawsuit, riff on US-Canada health care.
• 53:40–61:01 – Old scams, shopkeeper blesses (and loses) his cash.

Conclusion

The episode is a freewheeling mix of historical commentary, sharp satire about modern comedy/entertainment culture, and improvisational running gags riffing on American idiosyncrasies, ethnicity, and health care. Myles Anderson is a standout guest, demonstrating his quick wit, satirical meta-commentary, and inside knowledge of stand-up. The classic Dollop dynamic is on full display, with Dave and Gareth weaving together present-day snark and historical absurdity.

Recommended if you enjoy:

• Off-the-cuff, meta-improv about comedy and history
• Social commentary disguised as running gags
• Absurd explorations of North American quirks and deep-dives into the culture of stand-up comedy

Further Info

• Bachelors of Music (Myles Anderson's YouTube): Comedy channel that breaks down stand-up specials and comedian performances with a unique, deadpan “explainer” persona.
• Referenced Personas: Tony Bennett, Frank Sinatra, American/Italian/Canadian stereotypes.
• Themes: The mutability of racial categories, the commercialization of comedy, American vs. Canadian banter, and the timeless stupidity of old newspaper stories.