The Skewer Podcast

It's been four years...and we still kick ass Tom Harrison - 00:00 Devon Price - 18:34 Tom McHenry - 36:16 News Quiz with Kevin Johnson - 50:19 Joe Anderson - 1:04:49 Sara McHenry - 1:18:04 THE SKEWER DEBATE: erica dreisbach vs. Josh Watkins - 1:31:44

Another amazing Skewer. Unfortunately we lost host Tom Harrison's opener because he forgot to press the "Record" button. Oh well. The rest of the lineup was pure class. Donna Das discussed the infuriatingly stupid and fake idea of "electability." Dan Lastres explained how Lovecraftian role-playing-games are the perfect way to practice navigating the eldritch shores of 2020. Alisa Rosenthal covered this month in fluff with a recap of this season of the Bachelor. And Ian Randall explained how an American expat makes do when living abroad (note: "make do" may be an overstatement). Finally, erica dreisbach takes the Skewer debate crown unopposed due to her opponent's illness, but what a victory lap she took! Folks, it's a good one. Check it! News Quiz with Kevin Johnson (Round One) - 00:00 Donna Das - 07:13 Dan Lastres - 17:30 Alisa Rosenthal - 37:00 Ian Randall - 47:53 News Quiz with Kevin Johnson (Round Two) - 59:46 THE SKEWER DEBATE: erica dreisbach vs. N/A - 1:07:00

The first Skewer of 2020 is one for the ages. erica dreisbach, the champion of goofs, hosts a lineup that cannot be defeated. Onicia Muller offers practical advice to Carribbean politicians looking to use hurricane relief to line their pockets. Sadie Lancrete does one of the funniest fucking bits I have even experienced you have to hear to believe. Tom Harrison tells you about his fun vacation in Spain. And Joe Anderson explores how this country is so obsessed with signifiers of intelligence that we all have to pretend weird idiot sex perverts like Alan Dershowitz are important people we have to respect. Finally, Justin Parlette and Carrie Cook square up to debate which long-separated 90's duo needs to reunite. This one whips, folks. Enjoy! erica dreisbach -00:55 News Quiz with Kevin Johnson, Round 1 - 6:43 Onicia Muller - 12:20 Sadie Lancrete - 19:50 Tom Harrison - 30:19 Joe Anderson - 51:25 News Quiz with Kevin Johnson, Round 2 - 1:07:30 THE SKEWER DEBATE: Justin Parlette vs. Carrie Cook - 1:14:17

The last Skewer of the 2010s was an all-timer that will forever be one of the best. Tom Harrison let loose with a virtuoso performance of saying the words "ooze" and "goo" as he hosted a truly delightful lineup. erica dreisbach philosophized about the secret sauce that makes revolutions against corrupt leaders actually work. Devin Whitlock exposed the morally bankrupt right-wing scaremongering campaigns convincing your grandparents there's a war on Christmas. Tom McHenry decoded the incomprehensible power structures that led a mega-successful author to sic 250,000 furious soldiers on some rando college student. And Josh Watkins became the Skewer's official elections correspondent as he roasted his brain to a chewy leather with a deep dive into the Buttigeig campaign. To top it off, Alex Morales and Lindsay Eanet sparred in a screamingly good debate over the best way to strike back against the billionaires who are clearly building up their defenses against an uprising while there's still time. Folks, it's very good! Check it!! Tom Harrison - 00:34 News Quiz with Kevin Johnson (Round One) - 10:36 erica dreisbach - 19:40 Devin Whitlock - 29:33 Tom McHenry - 38:38 Josh Watkins - 53:58 News Quiz with Kevin Johnson (Round Two) - 1:13:51 The Skewer Debate: Lindsay Eanet vs. Alex Morales - 1:20:30

The Skewer's fourth birthday bash was a triumph beyond triumphs. With excellent op-eds from Ken Mejia-Beal, Maya Marshall, and Arish Singh, plus a much-anticipated and deeply meta debate between Skewer co-producers Tom Harrison and erica dreisbach, it was a night whose strength and power will live on forever in our hearts. Here's to another year! Tom Harrison - 00:42 News Quiz pt. 1 - 10:55 Ken Mejia-Beal - 20:05 Maya Marshall - 31:04 Arish Singh - 44:57 News Quiz pt. 2 - 1:08:22 THE SKEWER DEBATE: Tom vs. erica - 1:15:10

Folks, it's one of the best editions of the Skewer ever. erica dreisbach as ever does a masterful job hosting, leading an all-star lineup of Chicago's best. Maggie Tomasek brings us up to date on the state of true crime content. Alex Borkowski correctly identifies Ross Douthat as one of the Earth's stupidest dullards. Jessie Cadle uses her own mutinous body as an example of why the country needs universal healthcare. And Sara McHenry rips sick clouds as she explores the unstable position vaping holds in the country. Finally, Tom Harrison debates himself in a truly goofy Skewer debate! His opponent was too ill to show up, so Tom argued both sides to decide what conspiracy the public should demand an answer to next: WHAT WAS THE DEAL WITH THE SCARY CLOWNS IN 2016 vs. CAN JET FUEL MELT STEEL BEAMS. It's dumb! It's fun! Check it out!!! erica dreisbach - 00:38 News Quiz round 1 - 8:17 Maggie Tomasek - 14:30 Alex Borkowski - 26:00 Jessie Cadle - 36:51 Sara McHenry - 49:22 New Quiz round 2 - 1:02:13 The Skewer Debate: Tom Harrison vs. DoppelTom - 1:06:58

The Skewer forges on! Tom Harrison hosts a lovely lineup despite his Epstein-addled brain. Roxane West delivers a blistering eulogy of cruel hell-man David Koch. Calle Hack brings us up to speed on the bedbugs in the media. erica dreisbach outlines the death rattle of a social network using Snapchat as an example. And finally, Ray Goldberg and Josephine Maria Yanasak-Leszczynski debate to decide the best way to ensure no moralizing scolds spoil our celebration when Trump eventually dies. Folks, the Skewer owns and this is no exception. Get at it!!

The Skewer's summer break is over and we're back in business doing that live lit shit you love so well. Our writers were in fine form tonight, hosted by the indomitable Devon Price, who proved that bitterness can sometimes be a powerful tonic. Devin Whitlock wished us a happy Eid, or as happy as it can be in a world gripped by Islamophobia. Alex Morales as Dr. Xavier Machina lamented his inability to end the world via evil science and having to settle for plain old climate change. Carrie Cook took Rob Thomas (not that one) to task for once again seeding his work with lazy sexist tropes. And in the Skewer debate, Kevin Fergus and Tom Harrison faced off to discover the ultimate eternal punishment for notably cancelled director Quentin Tarantino. It is a hell of a show folks, get at it!!! Devon Price - 0:19 News Quiz Round 1 - 11:47 Devin Whitlock - 19:14 Alex Morales - 28:29 Carrie Cook - 39:42 News Quiz Round 2- 48:30 THE SKEWER DEBATE: Tom Harrison vs. Kevin Fergus - 55:18

The Skewer cannot be stopped! Join host erica dresibach for a night of satirical delights, with op-eds from the illustrious Noa Heinrich, Carly Heiser, and Lily Be, capped off with a debate between Megan Henricks and Tom Harrison (as played by Kevin Johnson). Check it!! erica dreisbach - 0:34 News Quiz with Kevin Johnson - 6:40 Noa Heinrich - 13:15 Carly Heiser - 23:07 Lily Be - 32:46 SKEWER DEBATE: Megan Henricks vs. Kevin Johnson (as Tom Harrison) - 44:00

Is it possible for the Skewer not to kick ass and own? Evidence points to no. Another month in the books means another astonishing show of wit from Chicago's best writers, and what fun it was. Archy Jamjun explores complicated feelings about the ever-expanding shitshow that is the Democratic primary. Sara McHenry takes us on a tour of the fetid prison swamp of the Marvel Movie Marathon. Joe Anderson exposes the hateful sin of horny as the blight it is. And erica dreisbach and Lindsay Eanet debate the best way to legalize marijuana in honor of 4/20, the funniest day. Folks, I know I always say this month's Skewer was one of the best ever, but this one really was. Check it!! Tom Harrison: 1:13 News Quiz with Kevin Johnson: 11:57 Archy Jamjun: 19:04 Sara McHenry: 39:35 Joe Anderson: 51:53 THE SKEWER DEBATE - Lindsay Eanet vs erica dreisbach: 1:06:35

An exceptional Skewer, folks, as hero Devon Price guest hosts a lineup of true stars to put the dumb news of March 2019 to rest. Jax Barker kicks us off with a story of grappling with Irish pride and identity even as the community rallies around extremely wrong and racist tropes. Calle Hack breaks down Elizabeth Holmes's mega-confident scammery into a blueprint we can all follow. Bill Bullock pitched a Jussie Smollet redemption vehicle Hollywood would be foolish to turn down. And Arish Singh gives us some context about incoming Chicago alderman Andre Vasquez's past as a batle rapper by revealing some of his opponent's most damning bars. Topping it all off is a blazing hot Skewer debate with Kelsey Buckley vs. Tom Harrison to determine which dead person Trump should feud with next--the australopithecus skeleton Lucy or Walt Disney's (allegedly) frozen head? Look, friends, this is one you will not want to miss. Check it!

The Skewer features our first ever guest host, Skewer veteran Roxane West, hosting a delightful evening full of extremely dope writers! Ken Mejia-Beal schooled us on the truth about treason. Allison Shackelford showed us how to cut through the noise around the Jussie Smollett story. Maria Konopken explained how personally gratifying it can be to see true representation in the seats of power. And Tom Harrison yammered about how sumo wrestling is cool. Topped off with a debate between Ale Domeier and Anna Gilchrist, this is a Skewer that is not to be missed. Check it!

The Skewer returns to howl and wail in 2019! Tom, like a true dungus, forgot to turn the mic on for his opener, which is now lost to time, but the rest of the show is intact and pristine. Em Haverty takes on Woke Brands for failing to responsibly engage in the issues they're trying to make money on. Elaine Orion gives an incredibly thoroughly-researched rundown of the Covington Catholic racist teens. Josh Watkins, election reporter, takes us on a tour of the burbling ghouls grasping at the mayor's office. And Stephanie Weber takes notable Italian Ariana Grande to task for her serial cultural appropriations. Finally, Oz Elgun and Noa Heinrich engage in a thrilling debate to decide how the United States should up its coup game after resting on its laurels with Venezuela. Folks....it owns. Check it!

We close out 2018 with a Skewer for the ages. Host and co-producer erica dreisbach takes the stage for the last time as a non-baby-haver, and she makes it a barn-burner worthy of the occasion. Allie Reid kicks off the show with a proposal to use cults to solve our political woes. Maggie Tomasek gets personal in her takedown of the American medical system and the loathsome DeVos family. Kyna Lenhof refuses to let misogynist coverage of women in politics go unskewered. And Tom Harrison shares the mystical key to all wise genius political insight: Posting. Finally, an unusually well-tempered debate between Dan Lastres and Alex Morales decides once and for all how to defuse Europe's burgeoning fascist movement. ALSO: the first-ever controversy-free TOTAL VICTORY in Kevin Johnson's fake news quiz! Folks, it's good! The Skewer whips ass! erica dreisbach: 0:36 Fake News Quiz Round 1: 6:00 Allie Reid: 13:08 Maggie Tomasek: 22:00 Kyna Lenhof: 31:33 Tom Harrison: 43:17 Fake News Quiz Round 2: 1:13:01 THE SKEWER DEBATE - Dan Lastres vs. Alex Morales: 1:19:40

It's the Skewer's third birthday and we're back to deliver a dose of much-needed post-election aftercare. Tom Harrison hosts as Jillian Ebanks, Sadie Lancrete, Will Sonheim, and Ada Cheng each deliver extremely good op-eds and Matthew Marquez debates Lindsay Eanet to decide the next step to fix our ailing country. It's the kind of truly dope-as-hell experience you have come to expect from three years of Skewering, and we're proud to keep it coming. Thanks for all your support from 2015 to now!

This October, Tom was stricken by the goddamn flu and could not host the show, nor could he bring the mic with which the show is usually recorded--but that will not stop THE SKEWER! Intrepid co-producer erica dreisbach took over hosting duties and recorded the show with her phone. The quality isn't great, we admit, but if you are willing to slog through, there are numerous goodies waiting for you within, with op-eds from Sonal Aggarwal, Nora Regis, Adam Lawson, and Jasmine Davila, and a spinge-tingling debate between erica driesbach and Eric Ruelle (ably moderated by news quiz czar Kevin Johnson). Thanks for listening!

Reporting from a packed room at the Hopleaf at Lit Crawl 2018, it's THE SKEWER bringing you that hot hot news satire now in mini-show form! Join us as we represent the best of Chicago's live lit scene with Erika Price's meme anthropology, Archy Arch J explains the fucked-up state of the Thai royal family, and Ian Rigg and Alisa Rosenthal engage in a truly astounding debate to decide who should play Superman in the next big screen adaptation. This was one for the books. Many thanks to Gwynn Fulcher, Jessica Anne, and Lindsay Muscato for having us at Lit Crawl! Erika Price- 2:10 Archy Arch J- 14:15 DEBATE: Ian Rigg vs. Alisa Rosenthal- 26:03

It's another great great edition of THE SKEWER! Behold the first month in which Tom had no hand in the production or performance of the show, and what a great one it was! erica driesbach continues to be a peerless and incandescent host, as Jeff Phillips shares his plans as the new official Federal Wildfire Czar, Malic White takes the loathsome Louis C.K. to task as Pumpkin the Dog, Josh Watkins exposes the hopeless nightmare charade that are Illinois elections, and Megan Henricks faces down against Carly Oishi to determine the best way to deal with the rapidly worsening air conditions in our hell country! It's fun, it's good, it's the Skewer! ENJOY! erica dreisbach - 0:32 Kevin Johnson's News Quiz Round 1 - 8:43 Jeff Phillips - 17:20 Malic White - 31:47 Josh Watkins - 41:22 Kevin Johnson's News Quiz Round 2 - 56:40 The Skewer Debate: Megan Henricks vs. Carly Oishi - 1:04:03

Another amazing edition of the Skewer is in the books! Tom Harrison hosted a truly incredible lineup of writers as they delivered incredible pieces on the news of July 2018. Calle Hack brought a middle child's perspective on the death of the Middle Child. Devin Whitlock looked back at the comically corrupt reign of Scott Pruitt. Rosamund Lannin shared a story of how not even the world of the sciences is free from the stranglehold of misogyny. And Joe Anderson talked about how Elon Musk can't log off. Topping it off, Noah Heinrich and erica dreisbach faced off in an all-timer debate to decide the fate of Horny in America forever. ALSO featuring the first-ever TOTAL VICTORY in the Skewer News Quiz (though I will put a big asterisk on it, mostly out of spite but still)! It's good! It's grand! Enjoy! Tom Harrison - 1:34 Kevin Johnson's News Quiz: Round One - 13:17 Calle Hack - 19:22 Devin Whitlock - 27:19 erica dreisbach's Voicemail Op-Ed - 36:10 Rosamund Lannin - 39:16 Joe Anderson - 49:24 News Quiz Round Two - 1:02:17 THE SKEWER DEBATE: erica vs. Noah - 1:10:42

Another unmitigated triumph from the hallowed halls of the Skewer. Truly, the Skewer is the Good Time that will never fail and this statement is 100% not hubris AT ALL! The show shuddered with intense goodness! Tom Harrison started the show with a condemnation of weak-ass libs! Cameron Davis pulled out an intensely well-timed sketch as the concierge who brings peace and sensuality to the Korean peninsula. Carrie Cook took a look at Roseanne and the nature of problematic art. Mike Haverty cast a vicious eye to that hell cult, masculinity. And Julia Weiss yelled at cruel, hard-hearted Christians--as they deserve! We cap the show off with a truly uproarious debate to decide the best way to get rich by ignoring our conscience & going full stupid evil. It's a good one!! Enjoy! Tom Harrison - 2:02 News Quiz Round One - 15:30 Cameron Davis - 21:34 Carrie Cook - 29:13 Mike Haverty - 40:16 Julia Weiss - 52:05 News Quiz Round Two - 1:01:13 THE SKEWER DEBATE: erica dreisbach vs. Kevin Johnson - 1:07:12