Big Ugly 2.0, Episode VII

A subdued Fugly J. Wetzel apologizes for the recent lack of new program content and promises a “re-booted” Big Ugly Podcast in 2007.

Recently, Fugly’s been beaten down by pizza delivery obligations, car problems and unreliable production equipment. Co-host D-Evil is busy moving into a new house.

All fodder for fascinating future podcast discussion, I’m sure. I mean, why watch network television when you can listen to a couple of overeducated Midwestern low-wage-earners comment ironically on their tragically wasted potential? Continue reading

Posted in: Podcast Roundup at 7:39 pm Tue, Dec 12, 2006.

My Fat Ass Itches

I get a little Texas podcast love from Mark Ramsey of Austin, who delivers a bemused blend of audio drops, “Tasty Tunes” and “Tasty News,” all in just less than 17 minutes.

My Fat Ass Itches appears as the second audio track, sharing the playlist with a Scott Helm piano instrumental called Whale Bones and a live version of Steve Earle’s Copperhead Road. Continue reading

Posted in: Podcast Roundup at 5:53 pm Tue, Dec 12, 2006.

Brandon Higgins: Kicked In The Nuts

Higgins

Brandon Higgins slammed his wedding ring down on the Winedale Tavern bar and declared his marriage had reached an impenetrable impasse. “If you don’t leave with me now, then we’re finished,” he demanded, glaring at his wife of nearly six months through dead, drunken eyes.

Alysen, skinny, tattooed, pierced and pretty, returned her husband’s gaze with a satisfied grin. “I think you need to get back to the motel and go to sleep,” she told Brandon. “I’m not quite ready to leave yet.”

Once again, I was caught in the middle of a domestic dispute. Continue reading

Posted in: Profiles at 7:08 pm Wed, Nov 29, 2006.

Return to Big Ugly

Gradually, the myth of my start in comedy music has ripened into an epic tale. In a time of great upheaval, I overcame my natural modesty and strode forth, guitar in hand, to smite the formidable audience and affirm my pop culture relevance.

That’s the act, anyway, and I describe those events to host Fugly J. Wetzel in the latest edition of the Big Ugly Podcast. The dodgy digital anomalies of Skype occasionally play hell on the audio quality, but Wetzel’s incisive interview style and my self-effacing charm bring a redemptive sheen to the enterprise. Continue reading

Posted in: Interviews at 10:17 pm Mon, Nov 20, 2006.

Please don’t hurt the emcee

Retro hippie-trippy rock duo The Bandmates have invited me to emcee their marathon CD release party, from 4 p.m. to 1 a.m. Sunday, Nov. 12 at Lakewood Bar & Grill in Dallas, and I’ve cautiously accepted.

Expect chaos and open revolt as I attempt to stage-manage 16 guest bands and solo acts who’ve been told to limit their sets to 15 to 20 minutes each. The Bandmates will headline at 9 p.m., performing tracks from their new CD, The Buddha And The Alien. Continue reading

Posted in: Gigs at 3:28 pm Fri, Nov 10, 2006.