My Brother, My Brother and Me | |
---|---|
![]() The official cover art for My Brother, My Brother and Me, featuring (left to right) Justin, Travis, and Griffin | |
Presentation | |
Hosted by | |
Genre |
|
Language | English |
Updates | Weekly |
Length | approx. 60 minutes |
Production | |
Opening theme | "
Take a Chance on Me" by
ABBA (episodes 1–37) "(It's A) Departure" by The Long Winters (38–541) " Rugrats Theme" by Mark Mothersbaugh; new lyrics by Griffin McElroy (542–551) "My Life (Is Better with You!)" by Montaigne (552–present) |
Ending theme | "Root to This" by
Fear of Pop (episodes 1–28) "Play Your Part (Pt. 2)" by Girl Talk (29–124) thereafter the same as opening theme |
Audio format | MP3 |
No. of episodes | 718 |
Publication | |
Original release | April 12, 2010 |
Provider |
Maximum Fun (episodes 38–present) |
Related | |
Related shows |
|
My Brother, My Brother and Me (often abbreviated as MBMBaM, pronounced /məˈbɪmbæm/ ) is a weekly comedy advice podcast distributed by the Maximum Fun network and hosted by brothers Justin, Travis, and Griffin McElroy. Regular episodes of the podcast feature the brothers comedically providing answers to questions either submitted by listeners or found online.
The show was independently produced and released by the McElroy brothers from April 2010 until joining the Maximum Fun network of podcasts in January 2011. [a] In 2010, the show was consistently listed among the top 10 comedy podcasts on iTunes. [1] Writing for The A.V. Club, critics David Anthony and Colin Griffith both counted MBMBaM as one of their top 10 podcasts of 2012. [2] A TV series based on the podcast premiered on Seeso in February 2017 and was hosted on VRV until the service got absorbed into Crunchyroll.
MBMBAM takes the format of an advice show, where the McElroy brothers answer questions with a combination of silly and practical suggestions in the form of a rapid-fire comedy discussion. [1] Early episodes used questions from various online sources, primarily Yahoo! Answers, as the podcast did not yet have an established audience to rely on for content. [3] As the show gained popularity, the McElroy brothers were able to alternate between questions from listeners and questions from the Yahoo! Answers service. Each episode ended with Griffin reading a "Final Yahoo," which was left unanswered.
On May 4, 2021, the Yahoo! Answers service was shut down. This part of the show was replaced with content from other knowledge-exchange websites such as Quora and wikiHow, in a segment later named "Wizard of the Cloud" or "Wisdom of the Cloud." The "Final Yahoo" at the end of each episode has been replaced with a variety of different sign-offs.
For the first 37 episodes, the show's theme song was " Take a Chance on Me" by ABBA, while "Root to This" by Fear of Pop and later " Play Your Part (Pt. 2)" by Girl Talk were used as closing themes. [a] "(It's a) Departure" by John Roderick & The Long Winters (from the album Putting the Days to Bed) served as the theme song for My Brother, My Brother and Me from the January 17, 2011, episode "The Brain Wife" (the show's first with the Maximum Fun network) to the January 4, 2021, episode "The Naming of 2021." [b]
Due to Roderick's conduct surrounding the controversy over the musician's Twitter posting history, the show's official Twitter account announced that "(It's a) Departure" would no longer be used by the podcast as of January 3, 2021. From episodes 542 to 551, the show used the theme song from Rugrats, featuring lyrics sung by Griffin, as a placeholder for both the opening and ending theme. [4] This was replaced in episode 552 with "My Life Is Better with You", which was written and performed by Australian artist Montaigne for the show. [c]
In addition to the usual format of responding to questions sent in by listeners, the podcast also frequently includes recurring segments. Most live shows include at least one of these segments, such as Munch Squad or Haunted Doll Watch. Segments include:
Episodes of the show are occasionally performed and recorded in front of live audiences at venues in cities such as Los Angeles, New York City and Huntington; the format remains the same, including recurring segments such as Munch Squad, with the addition of a section where the brothers take questions from the audience. Occasionally there will be episodes titled "Bro's Better, Bro's Best", which act as highlight reels of the best and funniest moments of previous episodes. [7] A special episode called "The Adventure Zone" was released on August 18, 2014, shortly after Justin and his wife Sydnee had their first baby. It featured the brothers playing a game of Dungeons & Dragons with their father, Clint McElroy. [8] The Adventure Zone was later spun off into its own podcast on the Maximum Fun network. [9]
Over its history, the show has engaged its fans to support charities in their hometown of Huntington, West Virginia. In 2014, the show spawned a campaign among fans called MBMBaM Angels, in which fans of the show would buy requested items from the "Empty Stockings" list published by Huntington's Herald-Dispatch. [10] In 2020, the campaign raised over $23,000. [11]
In 2020, the brothers sold a sign from their short-lived television show online, raising $3,200 for the local Habitat for Humanity branch. [12] [13]
The brothers also host an extravaganza every year for "Candlenights," a fictional holiday, which is also a major fundraiser. Past shows have supported Recovery Point, a local recovery center for those recovering from addiction, and Big Brothers Big Sisters of South Central West Virginia. [12] The 2019 show at the Keith-Albee Theatre in Huntington raised $46,000 for Harmony House, a local organization helping the homeless in Cabell County, West Virginia. The show was originally performed live in Huntington, but due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the 2020 Candlenights show was moved from in-person to an online on-demand event, and all subsequent shows have remained online. While the executive director of Harmony House expected the online show to raise half of the 2019 total, the show raised over $200,000 for the organization. [13] Additionally, Justin McElroy's wife and mother-in-law directly volunteer with the organization. [13]
The show occasionally features guest experts (referred to as "guestsperts") who help the McElroy brothers answer questions. Notable past guests include:
Episode 400 featured a number of celebrity guests, including Miranda, Buffett, Henner, Ethan Suplee, Corey Cott, Steve Kroft, Brenda Vaccaro, and Al Roker. [an] That episode also featured Matt Doyle as part of a running joke about Justin's inability to recognize the actor, which was resurrected when he appeared onstage at the beginning of a live show in Brooklyn in 2019. [d]
A television series based on the podcast was ordered for NBC's Seeso video streaming platform. Filming took place for three weeks during September 2016 in the McElroys' hometown of Huntington, West Virginia, with most of the episodes featuring scenes with their father Clint McElroy and mayor Stephen T. Williams. "(It's a) Departure" by John Roderick and the Long Winters was retained as the theme song for the television series. The show ran for six episodes, all of which were released via Seeso on February 23, 2017. [14] [15]
In June 2017, the series was sold to Otter Media for its streaming service VRV, alongside other former Seeso programs including HarmonQuest. [16] [17]
The metal sign with the show's logo used in the primary set was auctioned off for charity in July 2020. [18]
No. | Title | Original air date | |
---|---|---|---|
1 | "Dorms & Ghoulsmashing" | February 23, 2017 | |
A viewer asks for help living with several supposedly-haunted items owned by their roommate, leading the McElroys to call on a pair of paranormal investigators and recreate the scenario by filling a dorm room with as many scary objects as possible, including a haunted clown doll purchased by Justin. Guest Stars: Jonathan Scott and Drew Scott of Property Brothers | |||
2 | "Resumes & Jamiroquai's Dad" | February 23, 2017 | |
To help a viewer looking to improve his
résumé, the McElroys take on as many jobs in a short period as possible, including a minute-long honorary mayorship and a brief period in charge of
Safety Town. To prove their methods, Griffin tries to reapply for a job he was dismissed from in his youth, with his brothers also applying for the same position. | |||
3 | "Tarantulas & Travis Did a Hit" | February 23, 2017 | |
When a viewer asks the McElroys to convince his wife to let him have a pet
tarantula, Travis must confront his
arachnophobia as the brothers attempt to improve the reputation of tarantulas via a rebranding, an improved social media presence, and a pro-spider parade. | |||
4 | "Teens & Your Least Favorite Soda" | February 23, 2017 | |
To help a teacher better determine how to maintain her students' interests in class, the McElroys attempt to understand teenagers better by giving themselves "teen names" and practicing trends like dabbing and water bottle flipping. Aided by Justin's teenage sister-in-law Rileigh and her classmates, each brother attempts a different teaching style to connect with the teens. Guest Stars: John Green and Hank Green of Vlogbrothers. | |||
5 | "Secret Societies & Apologies to Nathan" | February 23, 2017 | |
A viewer asks how to become a member of a
secret society, so the McElroys begin an investigation in the hopes of discovering a hidden organization that holds all the power in Huntington. When their search goes cold, the brothers eventually decide to start their own secret society, "The
Knights Templar 2: Wacky Wizards". | |||
6 | "Candlenights & Vape Ape" | February 23, 2017 | |
An attempt to help a viewer with their vaping problem is suddenly interrupted by the unexpected arrival of Candlenights. After telling the story of the holiday's origins, the McElroy brothers must band together to organize and prepare for a Candlenights live show in just three days. Guest Stars: Lin-Manuel Miranda and "Weird Al" Yankovic. |
My Brother, My Brother and Me | |
---|---|
![]() The official cover art for My Brother, My Brother and Me, featuring (left to right) Justin, Travis, and Griffin | |
Presentation | |
Hosted by | |
Genre |
|
Language | English |
Updates | Weekly |
Length | approx. 60 minutes |
Production | |
Opening theme | "
Take a Chance on Me" by
ABBA (episodes 1–37) "(It's A) Departure" by The Long Winters (38–541) " Rugrats Theme" by Mark Mothersbaugh; new lyrics by Griffin McElroy (542–551) "My Life (Is Better with You!)" by Montaigne (552–present) |
Ending theme | "Root to This" by
Fear of Pop (episodes 1–28) "Play Your Part (Pt. 2)" by Girl Talk (29–124) thereafter the same as opening theme |
Audio format | MP3 |
No. of episodes | 718 |
Publication | |
Original release | April 12, 2010 |
Provider |
Maximum Fun (episodes 38–present) |
Related | |
Related shows |
|
My Brother, My Brother and Me (often abbreviated as MBMBaM, pronounced /məˈbɪmbæm/ ) is a weekly comedy advice podcast distributed by the Maximum Fun network and hosted by brothers Justin, Travis, and Griffin McElroy. Regular episodes of the podcast feature the brothers comedically providing answers to questions either submitted by listeners or found online.
The show was independently produced and released by the McElroy brothers from April 2010 until joining the Maximum Fun network of podcasts in January 2011. [a] In 2010, the show was consistently listed among the top 10 comedy podcasts on iTunes. [1] Writing for The A.V. Club, critics David Anthony and Colin Griffith both counted MBMBaM as one of their top 10 podcasts of 2012. [2] A TV series based on the podcast premiered on Seeso in February 2017 and was hosted on VRV until the service got absorbed into Crunchyroll.
MBMBAM takes the format of an advice show, where the McElroy brothers answer questions with a combination of silly and practical suggestions in the form of a rapid-fire comedy discussion. [1] Early episodes used questions from various online sources, primarily Yahoo! Answers, as the podcast did not yet have an established audience to rely on for content. [3] As the show gained popularity, the McElroy brothers were able to alternate between questions from listeners and questions from the Yahoo! Answers service. Each episode ended with Griffin reading a "Final Yahoo," which was left unanswered.
On May 4, 2021, the Yahoo! Answers service was shut down. This part of the show was replaced with content from other knowledge-exchange websites such as Quora and wikiHow, in a segment later named "Wizard of the Cloud" or "Wisdom of the Cloud." The "Final Yahoo" at the end of each episode has been replaced with a variety of different sign-offs.
For the first 37 episodes, the show's theme song was " Take a Chance on Me" by ABBA, while "Root to This" by Fear of Pop and later " Play Your Part (Pt. 2)" by Girl Talk were used as closing themes. [a] "(It's a) Departure" by John Roderick & The Long Winters (from the album Putting the Days to Bed) served as the theme song for My Brother, My Brother and Me from the January 17, 2011, episode "The Brain Wife" (the show's first with the Maximum Fun network) to the January 4, 2021, episode "The Naming of 2021." [b]
Due to Roderick's conduct surrounding the controversy over the musician's Twitter posting history, the show's official Twitter account announced that "(It's a) Departure" would no longer be used by the podcast as of January 3, 2021. From episodes 542 to 551, the show used the theme song from Rugrats, featuring lyrics sung by Griffin, as a placeholder for both the opening and ending theme. [4] This was replaced in episode 552 with "My Life Is Better with You", which was written and performed by Australian artist Montaigne for the show. [c]
In addition to the usual format of responding to questions sent in by listeners, the podcast also frequently includes recurring segments. Most live shows include at least one of these segments, such as Munch Squad or Haunted Doll Watch. Segments include:
Episodes of the show are occasionally performed and recorded in front of live audiences at venues in cities such as Los Angeles, New York City and Huntington; the format remains the same, including recurring segments such as Munch Squad, with the addition of a section where the brothers take questions from the audience. Occasionally there will be episodes titled "Bro's Better, Bro's Best", which act as highlight reels of the best and funniest moments of previous episodes. [7] A special episode called "The Adventure Zone" was released on August 18, 2014, shortly after Justin and his wife Sydnee had their first baby. It featured the brothers playing a game of Dungeons & Dragons with their father, Clint McElroy. [8] The Adventure Zone was later spun off into its own podcast on the Maximum Fun network. [9]
Over its history, the show has engaged its fans to support charities in their hometown of Huntington, West Virginia. In 2014, the show spawned a campaign among fans called MBMBaM Angels, in which fans of the show would buy requested items from the "Empty Stockings" list published by Huntington's Herald-Dispatch. [10] In 2020, the campaign raised over $23,000. [11]
In 2020, the brothers sold a sign from their short-lived television show online, raising $3,200 for the local Habitat for Humanity branch. [12] [13]
The brothers also host an extravaganza every year for "Candlenights," a fictional holiday, which is also a major fundraiser. Past shows have supported Recovery Point, a local recovery center for those recovering from addiction, and Big Brothers Big Sisters of South Central West Virginia. [12] The 2019 show at the Keith-Albee Theatre in Huntington raised $46,000 for Harmony House, a local organization helping the homeless in Cabell County, West Virginia. The show was originally performed live in Huntington, but due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the 2020 Candlenights show was moved from in-person to an online on-demand event, and all subsequent shows have remained online. While the executive director of Harmony House expected the online show to raise half of the 2019 total, the show raised over $200,000 for the organization. [13] Additionally, Justin McElroy's wife and mother-in-law directly volunteer with the organization. [13]
The show occasionally features guest experts (referred to as "guestsperts") who help the McElroy brothers answer questions. Notable past guests include:
Episode 400 featured a number of celebrity guests, including Miranda, Buffett, Henner, Ethan Suplee, Corey Cott, Steve Kroft, Brenda Vaccaro, and Al Roker. [an] That episode also featured Matt Doyle as part of a running joke about Justin's inability to recognize the actor, which was resurrected when he appeared onstage at the beginning of a live show in Brooklyn in 2019. [d]
A television series based on the podcast was ordered for NBC's Seeso video streaming platform. Filming took place for three weeks during September 2016 in the McElroys' hometown of Huntington, West Virginia, with most of the episodes featuring scenes with their father Clint McElroy and mayor Stephen T. Williams. "(It's a) Departure" by John Roderick and the Long Winters was retained as the theme song for the television series. The show ran for six episodes, all of which were released via Seeso on February 23, 2017. [14] [15]
In June 2017, the series was sold to Otter Media for its streaming service VRV, alongside other former Seeso programs including HarmonQuest. [16] [17]
The metal sign with the show's logo used in the primary set was auctioned off for charity in July 2020. [18]
No. | Title | Original air date | |
---|---|---|---|
1 | "Dorms & Ghoulsmashing" | February 23, 2017 | |
A viewer asks for help living with several supposedly-haunted items owned by their roommate, leading the McElroys to call on a pair of paranormal investigators and recreate the scenario by filling a dorm room with as many scary objects as possible, including a haunted clown doll purchased by Justin. Guest Stars: Jonathan Scott and Drew Scott of Property Brothers | |||
2 | "Resumes & Jamiroquai's Dad" | February 23, 2017 | |
To help a viewer looking to improve his
résumé, the McElroys take on as many jobs in a short period as possible, including a minute-long honorary mayorship and a brief period in charge of
Safety Town. To prove their methods, Griffin tries to reapply for a job he was dismissed from in his youth, with his brothers also applying for the same position. | |||
3 | "Tarantulas & Travis Did a Hit" | February 23, 2017 | |
When a viewer asks the McElroys to convince his wife to let him have a pet
tarantula, Travis must confront his
arachnophobia as the brothers attempt to improve the reputation of tarantulas via a rebranding, an improved social media presence, and a pro-spider parade. | |||
4 | "Teens & Your Least Favorite Soda" | February 23, 2017 | |
To help a teacher better determine how to maintain her students' interests in class, the McElroys attempt to understand teenagers better by giving themselves "teen names" and practicing trends like dabbing and water bottle flipping. Aided by Justin's teenage sister-in-law Rileigh and her classmates, each brother attempts a different teaching style to connect with the teens. Guest Stars: John Green and Hank Green of Vlogbrothers. | |||
5 | "Secret Societies & Apologies to Nathan" | February 23, 2017 | |
A viewer asks how to become a member of a
secret society, so the McElroys begin an investigation in the hopes of discovering a hidden organization that holds all the power in Huntington. When their search goes cold, the brothers eventually decide to start their own secret society, "The
Knights Templar 2: Wacky Wizards". | |||
6 | "Candlenights & Vape Ape" | February 23, 2017 | |
An attempt to help a viewer with their vaping problem is suddenly interrupted by the unexpected arrival of Candlenights. After telling the story of the holiday's origins, the McElroy brothers must band together to organize and prepare for a Candlenights live show in just three days. Guest Stars: Lin-Manuel Miranda and "Weird Al" Yankovic. |