Artists and Comedians
Superego
Los Angeles, California
Our little podcast was conceived in much the same way as an illegitimate child; someone scribbled something to someone on a cocktail napkin and a few months later a baby was born. We named it Superego, and though it’s a little deformed and walks with a limp, we love it very much. More than just a fledgling show, Superego became a chance for us to work together again after our Channel 101 collaboration, Ultraforce. It was a return to form in the sense that, growing up, we never had any fancy video cameras or schmancy home studios and could only record our ramblings on a cheap tape deck. The limitations of audio recording can be a tremendous asset; It allows one to create ridiculous characters and multiple locations while the listener’s brain-cave provides the blockbuster production values. — But you don’t care, you’re still thinking about the deformed child.
The making of episode 1 of Superego wasn’t too far off from the old days. It was recorded and edited on a Roland 8 track and uploaded in full analog glory. After we settled on the name Superego and the format of psychological case studies, we began pressing the little red button and improvising stupid characters. With the exception of some of the music segments, all of the Superego sessions are improvised and edited down to a tidy 3-5 minutes. — He’s not totally deformed, he just kinda has a walnut face.
When Mark McConville coincidentally wound up on the first few episodes, we made it a rule to include him on every show. Since then, he hasn’t missed an episode and joined us as a permanent member of the group for season 2. In 2008, we also started dabbling in video ‘Supershorts.’ Jeff Crocker came on board as our video genius and we decided to keep him. — Maybe not a walnut exactly, but like one of those dolls that’s made from women’s nylons and stuffed with cotton. Forget it, it’s not important.
Season 3 was an outright audio adventure, allowing us to work with way too many guests that we admire. It also saw the introduction of some of our most popular case studies, such as The Family Feud, H.R. Giger, Brown X-Wing Squadron, M, Buffum’s Fragrance Counter, God’s Crazy Monsters, and more. Toward the end of Season 3, Jeff Crocker married the lovely Andy Goldblatt and took his leave of Superego. But we still see him all the time. — Now I’m thinking about the walnut kid. Let’s call him Levi.
It is now July of 2014 and Season 4 is coming for you. Paul F. Tompkins has joined us as a regular doctor of The Superego Clinic For Analytical Pscience™ and we couldn’t be happier. We’ve been featured on the iTunes main podcast page, performed at numerous festivals across the country, partnered with AdultSwim.com, Nerdist.com, and garnered over two million downloads. — What if he himself eats walnuts? That would make me uneasy.
Superego boasts an impressive roster of guest specialists, including Patton Oswalt (Big Fan, Ratatouille), Neko Case (Musician Extraordinaire), Jason Sudeikis (SNL, 30 Rock), Andy Daly (Review, Eastbound and Down), Jen Kirkman (Chelsea Lately, I Can Barely take Care Of Myself), and John Hodgman (The Daily Show). Since 2006, The Superego Clinic For Analytical Pscience™ has been helping scores of unfortunate case studies get the exploitation they desperately deserve. — We need to let it go, he has his scarab beetles to play with and is very happy.
