I’ve run across this show far too often over the years listening to NPR. And I just…don’t…get it.
I mean, as far as I can tell, it’s a comedy show. The host and his emcee compadre come off as light-hearted, jovial guys. But I’ll listen for five or ten minutes, and all of the jokes seem to fall flat. Even the audience appears to be barely find the conversation humorous based on the amount of laughter I can hear. And I find that I’m compelled to change the station fairly quickly.
So I guess I’m asking for someone who enjoys this program to explain the appeal to me as best as they can. Assuming there’s someone out there who likes it. What am I missing?
I think it’s funny in a low-key, almost snarky way, especially when Feldman gets a guest who tries to be funny, or a guest who is funnier than Feldman. He can get kinda pissy!
Wait, Wait . . . Don’t Tell Me! is funnier, probably because they have professional comedians.
I will often listen to NPR when driving. Usually I’ll first listen to Car Talk then whatever follows. In our area it is MFWYK. I almost always wonder who thinks this is funny. I will listen for a little while, but usually turn it off or put on music.
I love the show. It’s not super funny, but it’s fun to play the quiz. It’s also fun to listen to him give the contestants very strong hints as to what the answers are. The interviews are nice too.
I attended a live broadcast this spring - a sold out theatre of middle aged, NPR-listening white people (I fit right in, except for the age part, of course). It was fun but the quality of the show is very dependent on the guests that are booked. The callers can often make or break the segment, as well.
I often refer to NPR as “National White Boy Radio.”
To the OP: He is mildly amusing, especially his hints as someone else mentioned. We travel for an hour every first Saturday to the elephant sanctuary and listen on the way. I don’t at home on other Saturdays.
I used to listen when it was on here. I was never a big fan but I enjoyed it for the most part. Then they replaced it with Wait,wait…which I agree is much funnier. I occasionally stumble over Feldman while travelling and it’s kind of fun to hear again.
Feldman’s inability to make the audience laugh during his monolog is legendary. To be fair, getting a radio audience in Madison, Wisconsin to laugh at 10 a.m. on a Saturday would be a challenge for the world’s greatest comedian. (Feldman’s chronic complaint when he asks the audience a question: “No, don’t raise your hands. This is RADIO!”)
His interplay with the guests and contestants is much better. Overall, I don’t think of the show as “funny” but “genial.” More of a throwback to the old morning radio shows of Arthur Godfrey and Don McNeil.
I saw the show live a few years ago. Unless you’re able to get outstanding tickets, don’t bother. I couldn’t hear anything clearly and had to listen to the show on the air the following Sunday to get the jokes I missed the first time.
I like WYK. It’s not wet-my-pants funny like Wait Wait, but it’s funny in that sort of gentle elbow-to-the-ribs way. YMMV.
I like the show but agree it isn’t all that funny. Sometimes the city of the week segment is amusing. I like the quiz.
I don’t listen if I’m not in the car, so not really a “can’t miss” show.
I really like the show, but I can never catch it. It used to be on in the mornings before, I think around the time of Whad’Ya Know but they’ve since shuffled it around and I have no idea when it’s on in Chicago. (Yeah, I could look up it. I think it’s Saturday evenings, and I work.)
The show is funny in a very polite, Midwestern sort of way. I kind of place it on the same humor scale as a show like Prairie Home Companion. Inoffensive, sometimes slightly corny humor. It’s not a show like Wait…Wait which is more improvisational, laugh-out-loud comedy. (I went to a Wait…Wait taping once, and I’m in awe of Peter Segal’s comedic presence, off-the-cuff wit, and relaxed demeanor. He is such a natural at it, as is most of the panel.)
I listened to a lot of the show on my cross country road trip. At first, it took a lot to get used to the format and the pace of the show. But, once I got used to it I really got into the show and loved it. He has had some really fun interesting guests.
KneadToKnow:
You can get the podcasts at this address Enjoy!
I appreciate the suggestions, but the two options (“All the News that Isn’t” and the first hour) are less than satisfying. I enjoy the entire show: Michael’s monologues, the interviews, the music, and the quiz. It’s a complete package to me, and I’d chafe every week only getting to hear half of it.
(Trust me, I know: it’s been almost two years since my local NPR affiliate switched from a two-hour version of World Cafe to a three-hour version, and I’m still p.o.ed that I don’t get to hear the listener five any more.)
It’s funny to me. I think it helps to grow up in the midwest. I agree with **pulyakamel ** that it has a very midwestern sensibility. Like any culture, you’d need to live there for a while before you got the local humor.
