Episodios

  • PvI#96: We Allege Humor w/ Mark Schiff and Daniel Lobell
    Jul 12 2025

    Mark Schiff is a legendary stand-up who currently podcasts with friend-of-PEL and philosophy enthusiast, Daniel Lobell as We Think It's Funny.

    These gents join Mark and Bill to talk about stand-up vs. improv, comedy LPs, waterless urinals, bad press, the path to enlightenment, and how to get rid of syphilis. We run a scene on hiring entertainment for the company party, and engage in some riffs that can only be called improv.

    Hear more at philosophyimprov.com. Support the podcast and listen ad-free at philosophyimprov.com/support.

    Sponsor: Go to surfshark.com/improv or use code IMPROV at checkout to get 4 extra months of Surfshark VPN!

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    56 m
  • PvI#95: The Techucational Edge w/ Khafiz and Nicholas from Invasive Thoughts
    Jun 26 2025

    Khafiz Kerimov and Nicholas Bellinson teach at St. John's College, and they channeled the educational style of that school into a new podcast called Invasive Thoughts.

    They join Mark and Bill to talk (and act) about various educational technologies, teacher-student relations, circle-drawing competitions, the passivity of thinking, bad quotation use, and more.

    Hear more at philosophyimprov.com. Support the podcast and listen ad-free at philosophyimprov.com/support.

    Sponsors: Go to surfshark.com/improv or use code IMPROV at checkout to get 4 extra months of Surfshark VPN! Don’t wait until the next bite—protect your home with Bzigo. Go to bzigo.com/discountBUZZ10
    to save 10% off.

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    1 h y 4 m
  • PvI#94: Storifying Philosophy w/ Kolby Granville
    Jun 19 2025

    Kolby runs After Dinner Conversations, which curates short stories about philosophy. He's also been a "producer" of improv shows.

    We talk about what makes a story philosophical, Kolby tells some stories, and we run some scenes about teleporter shenanigans and guidance counseling.

    Hear more at philosophyimprov.com. Support the podcast and listen ad-free at philosophyimprov.com/support.

    Sponsor: Go to surfshark.com/improv or use code IMPROV at checkout to get 4 extra months of Surfshark VPN!

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    1 h y 1 m
  • PvI#93: Poetry Stands its Ground w/ Shannon Bass and Audrey Kohler
    Jun 4 2025

    Shannon the philosopher and Audrey the poet are Seattle improv buddies that form a duo called Closer to Clarity that uses improv to answer audience members' big life questions (BLQs).

    Hear philosophy and poetry face off and mind meld and do-si-do as we play through two wacky corporate office scenes and return once again to Empty Street™ for an attempted gas station poetry open mic.

    Hear more at philosophyimprov.com. Support the podcast and listen ad-free at philosophyimprov.com/support.

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    49 m
  • PvI#92: Postale au Naturale w/ Greg McBrayer
    May 12 2025

    Greg teaches philosophy (and is Interim Provost at Ashland, loves Xenophon, and runs a podcast. We reflect on the dangers of radon and other "natural" things. How might one of our government agencies become more natural, and would we want that? Are fart jokes the most naturally funny kind? Then, Greg the trucker visits Empty Street and embezzles dead mules.

    Bill was thrust from the final portion of the call, so Mark and Greg engage in some philosophy podcast shop talk. He returns for the Post-Game after Greg's departure to reflect on the episode and specifically identify the naturalistic fallacy.

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    1 h y 2 m
  • PvI#91: Community Breakdown (or Breakdance?) w/ Nick Armstrong
    Apr 13 2025

    Mark and Bill are joined by the actor/improviser who directs Camp Improv Utopia and is involved in managing improv spaces such as Denver's Rise Comedy. We talk about the notion of community, with a scene about the neighborhood watch and a return to Empty Street to deal seriously in a public-service-announcement/after-school special sort of way with the issue of buying liquor underage.

    Hear more at philosophyimprov.com. Support the podcast and listen ad-free at philosophyimprov.com/support. Check out other Evergreen Podcast offerings.

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    1 h y 4 m
  • PvI#90: Empty Street
    Mar 24 2025

    Mark and Bill introduce a new potential setting and some characters for ongoing use in future improvisations. We talk about techniques for doing that and wrap up by getting an update from Bill on his substitute teaching and talking about what makes for a good teacher.

    Hear more at philosophyimprov.com. Support the podcast and listen ad-free at philosophyimprov.com/support. Check out other Evergreen Podcast offerings.

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    49 m
  • PvI#89: Improv 4 Change w/ Shawn and Aaron from srsly wrong
    Feb 19 2025

    Mark and Bill are joined by two north-of-the-border podcasters, Shawn Vulliez and Aaron Moritz, who incorporate both improv and philosophy in their dirty leftist podcast.

    We simulate conversation as competing knowers-of-the-good-life and talk about using improv for political purposes. Note that this was recorded back in December when we were in the thick of Luigi Mangione fever and not yet consumed with daily Presidential antics.

    You can choose to watch this on unedited video, if you choose.

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    54 m