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So about a week ago, friend of 9to5.cc Jimmy messaged us excitedly that “The Last Podcast on the Left” was doing a live show at this year’s Just for Laughs.

Jimmy listens to a LOT of podcasts. The amount of podcasts that I wish I could listen to. I like to think of him as a podcast connoisseur. After all, he listens to our podcast so he must have tremendous taste.

All I knew about the show was that it was funny, and that it touched on a lot of horror and sci-fi elements. 

I presume Jimmy has listened to almost every episode.

So with an open mind I sat down and got ready for the experience.

Keith: I will say that I enjoyed myself, although, the hosts did give off a “wacky morning radio” vibe that kind of rubbed me the wrong way at times. They were all funny guys, why were they yelling so much?

Jason: America, Keith. That is the answer to your question. America yells. Not just the people, not just the name, the whole country. From the cows to the Statue of Liberty. At least you can always hear them, which is important in an audio medium.

I was super excited we got to see this show and I’m really glad Keith had heard nothing from them before this. A clean slate if you will.

LPOTL is a big player in the pod-casting world, they’ve just won a fan favourite Webby award and are pulling in some major crowd funding money entirely from their fan base. The live show we saw was not as focused or as factual as the episodes. There were a lot of call backs for fans of the show as well. Someone who is new to them wouldn’t get the references.

In general I say it was an OK show, very funny for fans and mildly funny for non fans. The videos at the end were pretty extreme too. The light-bulb in the guy’s ass did make me wince quite a bit.

I recommend the podcast to anyone who is into serial killers, the macabre, ghosts, the paranormal and aliens, but also wants more than just the bald facts and appreciates gallows humour. The episodes normally stick to a single topic and Marcus does a ton of research, while Ben and Henry provide the majority of the laughs. I would recommend this the same way I recommend 9to5.cc to anyone who is into video games, wrestling or movies.

Lastly, The Last Podcast on the Left is only one of the many shows on the Cave Comedy network of podcasts. Ben and Marcus (of LPOTL) also host a political podcast called Abe Lincoln’s Top Hat. There is a video game podcast called: Wizard and the Bruiser. The guys from MST3k do one called Movie Sign with the Mads. There is even a podcast about Masturbation called Jack’n. All of these are also NOT corporately sponsored, so they really come off as creations of the artists in question, very much like 9to5.cc. 

Keith: A masturbation podcast? Do I even really want to know?

Ok, I sort of do. Like, is it about what they’re watching? About techniques? Toys and accessories?

Now, if the good reader is questioning how this article took the turn that it did (where I’m asking about masturbation) I need to draw attention to what Jay said above about the “light bulb in the guy’s ass”. Frankly, if you’ve got a problem with this line of questioning you probably won’t enjoy the work of the good people behind these podcasts. To be clear, they showed us a video of a light bulb being surgically removed from a guy’s ass that was spread open by the jaws of life. Wincing might be a touch light, a full on body shuddering cringe is a better description of the physical reaction.

So you said that the “normal” podcast is a lot more focused, and that the live show is more of a sample platter? The LPOTL live experience had them spending maybe 15-20 minutes on a cryptid (a word I had never heard before which describes animals from the pseudoscience study of cryptozoology), then aliens, then a true crime murder and finally wrapping up a conspiracy theory and then treating us to some shocking, unsettling videos from the underbelly of the internet.

But a normal episode would be more like a full hour devoted to just one topic?

Jason: Indeed, the podcast episodes will pick a theme and stick to it. Currently they are doing at least a 3 part arch of the ‘Enfield poltergeist’, which is the story that the Conjuring 2 is based on. Others they’ve done are focused on a specific conspiracy theories or specific “types” of aliens. They also did a great 4 part series on Scientology.

Sometimes the guys will read creepy pasta stories. If you’re a fan of Slenderman and the like be fore warned: they will mock you mercilessly. In general the guys mock and poke fun at people’s willingness to be ignorant; they present true facts on the show that are heavily researched.

We saw this at the live show when they shared facts to support a conspiracy theory about the death of JonBenét Ramsey. The theory goes that in 1996 infamous serial killer BTK (Dennis Lynn Rader) drove down from Wichita Kansas to Bolder Colorado and killed Ramsey. Which sounds crazy but if you look at the facts it’s no crazier than anything else about the Ramsey case. A case which the boys go in to in a 3 part series. True Crime lovers will enjoy the hell out of this show.

Oh, and the Jack’n podcast is two hosts interviewing different comedians each episode all about masturbation. It’s a pretty fascinating social experiment.

Keith: Ok, ok. I’m convinced, at least about the True Crime stuff. Not sure I’m going to check out the masturbation show just yet. I’ll check out one of their episodes and see if I get into it.

Any tips for a good jumping on point? I see they have an episode about Chris Benoit that is calling to me.

Jason: Yes! Actually I was going to mention that one. Try it out. I believe you will find it informative and “fun..?” Should I really say fun when I’m talking about a man murdering his family and then killing himself?

Anyway Ben (the tall guy) is a WWE fan and brings that insight to the episode. Marcus, as always, does great factual research. Which means the whole episode is grounded in a place of strength of knowledge. From there Henry makes light of the situation. I recommend that one.

For the truly dark, check out their series on H.H .Holmes, America’s first serial killer. And the shocking story of Albert Fish: The Werewolf of Wysteria.

Keith: Thanks for the homework assignment Jay!

Check out Last Podcast on the Left at Cave Comedy Radio.

Keith does all sorts of things here on 9to5.cc, he works with the other founders on 9to5 (illustrated), co-hosts our two podcasts: The 9to5 Entertainment System and Go Plug Yourself and blogs here as The Perspicacious Geek.