The Dollop – The Past Times with Brandie Posey (Ep. 173)
Date: May 8, 2026
Hosts: Dave Anthony and Gareth Reynolds
Guest: Brandie Posey
Theme: Exploring a Random 1923 Annapolis Newspaper & Comedy in Modern Times
EPISODE OVERVIEW
In this episode of The Past Times, comedians Dave Anthony and Gareth Reynolds are joined by comic and comedy label founder Brandie Posey. They riff their way through a March 13, 1923, edition of The Evening Capital from Annapolis, Maryland—coincidentally Brandie’s hometown and birthday. The trio dissects the bizarre, tragic, and occasionally absurd stories of the time, all while connecting the past’s headlines to today’s comedy ecosystem, issues of equity, and their own personal anecdotes.
KEY DISCUSSION POINTS & INSIGHTS
1. Brandie Posey’s New Comedy Special & Independent Label
- Brandie announces her new special, "Milk Job" (00:55), inspired by her father’s eccentric habit of drinking four gallons of milk weekly.
- Brandie: “He drinks 4 gallons of milk a week. He's a milk guy. It's bad. Yeah.” (01:26)
- She discusses Burn This Records, her comedy label that strives to create fair opportunities and equity for up-and-coming comics left out by industry gatekeeping.
- Brandie: “Our industry is really only messing with like, this top 1%. And we need more avenues available for comics that aren't that, to maintain a healthy ecosystem.” (02:34)
- Jokes about the ongoing struggle for comedians at the lower rungs, tongue-in-cheek socialist “word counts,” and surviving the grind:
- Gareth: “I think the lower comedians should be ground into dust.” (03:18)
- Brandie: “We're just gonna kill ourselves in more violent ways. So you just want to pay us now?” (03:53)
2. Opening the 1923 Annapolis Newspaper
- The newspaper coincidentally matches Brandie’s birthplace and birthday (07:29).
3. Tragic, Historic Funeral—Four Girls as Pallbearers (09:00)
- They discuss the sad story of a seven-year-old’s funeral where four little girls were pallbearers.
- Dave: “I'm glad we got comedy out early because now it's just about a dead child.” (11:53)
- Riff about the historic prevalence of child deaths, lax car laws, and the lack of safety around early automobiles.
- Dave: “Around this time, cars were not new, but people still didn't want laws, so kids were getting mowed over constantly.” (09:49)
4. Egg Prices & Hen Productivity (15:01)
- Lighthearted argument about egg preferences and cooking methods:
- Brandie: “Omelettes too fluffy. Don't like the fluffiness. If anything is like an over easy, I don't like it when it, when the egg has, like, a little bit of, like the liquid white.” (15:15)
- Gareth: “I carry a diner bell with me, some for my breakfast.” (15:45)
- Connection to inflation—then and now:
- Dave: “A story we'll never hear again. We'll never hear the pronouncement of cheaper things.” (16:03)
5. Army Attempts to Bomb an Ice Jam (21:05)
- The Army dropped bombs on a river ice jam, in an attempt to prevent flooding—unsuccessfully.
- Dave: “We tried to bomb ice. By the way, you take that headline today, and I'm so in. Armies bombing ice. Let's go. Love that.” (21:10)
- Gareth: “Bombing ice is such an American… Can we blow it up? Can we shoot it or fry it or blow it up?” (21:42)
- Brandie: “Some real wile e. coyote shit we’re trying.” (22:49)
- Riffing on other, less destructive possible solutions—flamethrowers, walking on the ice, or just being out of ideas.
6. Women Eligible for Sea Captain Certificates in Britain (31:10)
- The 1923 article about the possibility of British women becoming sea captains.
- Dave: “Again, it's framed as breakthroughs when they're… I think a woman could also try this job. You fool.” (32:07)
- Brandie: “My grandfather was a tugboat captain, so this is in my blood. I want to hear more.” (31:26)
- Jokes about women marrying people as ship captains, the ‘slippery slope’ of giving an inch, and the framing of female achievements in history.
7. Well-dressed Woman Jumps Niagara Falls (35:10)
- Coverage of a woman’s suicide, with the newspaper weirdly focused on her fashion.
- Dave: “Even in death, we're like, by the way, who is she wearing?... she's pretty hot.” (36:09)
- Jokes about attractiveness dictating newsworthiness in the 1920s (36:27).
- Connection to tragic celebrity myths—Amelia Earhart as “the feminist Bigfoot” (33:47).
8. Comics on Modern Comedy, Politics, and Right-Wing Trends
- Reflection on the boom of right-wing comedians, Internet outrage, and toxic “alpha” personas.
- Brandie: “These are the kind of people that the industry is promoting… there is a middle way in comedy. It's not sexy to the industry and I am trying to help those people…” (05:23)
- Later, they lampoon Internet comedians’ crowdwork and engagement-chasing, especially divisive, misogynistic bits.
- Dave: “That idiot was wearing just a Hanes T-shirt. You're on stage, put on a nice shirt!” (56:46)
- Plan for Dave to attend right-wing shows in a mask just to troll comics from the audience.
- Brandie: “That's how you cobble together a special. You put together all the clips of you being… It's called Dave Anthony crowd work, but I'm the crowd.” (57:40)
9. Eternal Life, Diet Fads, and Ridiculous Pseudoscience (40:07)
- Satirical coverage of a preacher who claims the perfect diet will grant immortality.
- Gareth: “This is about the Salisbury steak.” (44:55)
- Dave: “The Lord will reveal the perfect food within the next four years. He will show man that when he eats grapefruit and oatmeal together, these two ferment and make beer in his stomach in three minutes.” (54:35)
- Jokes about Brian Johnson (longevity obsessive), the futility and misery of chasing eternal life, and the stupidity of diet fads.
10. Bootlegger Shootings & Family History (62:50)
- Discuss a 1923 bootlegger shooting and how it eerily mirrors both Brandie’s and Dave’s family histories.
- Brandie: “My great grandmother's first husband was murdered for being a rum runner in Maryland.” (64:13)
- Dave: “My grandfather and his three brothers were moonshine runners out of Canada…” (64:33)
NOTABLE QUOTES & MEMORABLE MOMENTS
- Brandie (on her dad’s milk habit): “He drinks 4 gallons of milk a week. Four. Sixteen gallons of milk a month. It's a lot.” (01:32)
- Gareth (on bombing the ice): “Army air bombs fail to budge ice jam in Delaware… So the only thing that happened is casualties. We accidentally double tapped a little girl's school while trying to get the blockade out.” (29:55)
- Dave (on tragic news coverage): “I'm glad we got comedy out early because now it's just about a dead child.” (11:53)
- Brandie (on right-wing comics): “These are the kind of people that the industry is promoting ... there is a middle way in comedy. It’s not sexy ... and I am trying to help those people.” (05:23)
- Dave (on eternal-life fads): “Who would want to live that long if the whole purpose, all day, every day is just trying to prolong life?” (41:03)
- Brandie (on U.S. work culture): “It's always fun when we have a minute. We've realized the abuse that we've lived in for so long.” (53:59)
TIMESTAMPS FOR IMPORTANT SEGMENTS
- 00:51 – Introduction of guest Brandie Posey, special “Milk Job,” and indie comedy issues
- 06:34 – Start of newspaper segment; the uncanny Annapolis/birthday connection
- 09:00 – Funeral with child pallbearers, car safety and historic context
- 15:01 – Egg prices, hen productivity, and comic egg preferences
- 21:05 – Army bombs ice jam: American problem-solving at its finest
- 31:10 – Women eligible for sea captain certificates in Britain
- 35:10 – Well-dressed woman’s Niagara suicide; gender and media portrayal
- 40:07 – Eternal Life/immortality preacher, dietary pseudoscience
- 62:50 – Bootleggers, shootings, and comic family history tied to Prohibition
OVERALL TONE & FLOW
The conversation is rapid-fire, irreverent, darkly comic, and historically literate, balancing bleak news stories with quick-witted retorts and modern parallels in comedy, media, and politics. The genuine camaraderie between the hosts and guest allows for both sharp satire and moments of self-aware silliness (“egg job,” “crowd jerk,” pallbearers as children, etc.).
USEFUL FOR NEW LISTENERS?
Absolutely. Even without having listened, this summary provides a robust sense of the energy, insights, and running jokes that make The Dollop (and The Past Times) a unique podcast—equal parts history lesson, critical comedy conversation, and absurdist riff-fest.
Where to find Brandie Posey’s special:
YouTube.com/BurnThisRecords
Instagram: @brandazzle and @burnthisrecords
