Episodes

Today, after a digression about the hotel Ali is staying in for his comedy tour, Asif asks Ali about diversity in comedy (2:07). Specifically, Asif asks Ali about the diversity and comedy course he is teaching at Queen’s University. They discuss what compelled Ali to “pitch” the course to his department. Ali discusses how he discusses in the course how the origins of stand up comedy are racist. Asif asks Ali about how he evaluates the students in his course as well as what HE learned from his st...

We had so much listener interest in a Justin Bieber and Ramsay Hunt syndrome episode that we decided to release this episode early. Our next regular episode will come out on July 1. Pop superstar Justin Bieber recently was diagnosed with Ramsay Hunt syndrome. Today the guys chat about Justin Bieber and then later discuss what exactly is Ramsay Hunt Syndrome. Ali starts us by regaling us with the tales of his visit to the Justin Bieber museum in Stratford, Ontario (1:08). The guys then discuss h...

Today, Asif and Ali discuss the new Disney Plus / Marvel TV show Ms. Marvel (0:53).. The guys start off by discussing the pronunciation of ‘Kamala’ in the show and highlight how she is the first South Asian and Muslim hero to headline her own show. They discuss the history of the character and the key individuals involved in her creation, G. Willow Wilson and Sana Sana Amanat. They discuss the muslim showrunners and directors of the show, the terrific cast and how Asif thinks Ali should have bee...

Today, Ali and Asif discuss the life and career of the legendary comedian George Carlin and the recent HBO documentary on his life ‘American Dream’ (0:56). They discuss the importance of George Carlin, his background and his early influences. They also discuss how George Carlin re-invented himself several times in his career and his “7 words you can’t say on television” bit. They then give their thoughts on the documentary ‘American Dream’. Given Carlin’s history of marijuana use (and as a follo...

On this episode, the guys discuss the classic Canadian comedy crew, the Kids in the Hall (1:19). They discuss the origins of the group and how Lorne Michaels gave them their big break with their show on HBO and CBC. Ali then discusses his interactions with each member of the troupe (he has met them all!). They discuss the success of the ‘Kids in the Hall’ show as well as some of their less successful ventures (‘Brain Candy’, ‘When Death Comes to Town’). They discuss the legacy of the group as we...

On this episode, the guys discuss the new television show Star Trek: Strange New Worlds (1:17). They start off by discussing their memories of watching Star Trek: The Original Series and list their favourite episodes. Then Asif let’s the cat out of the bag and announces that Ali has an upcoming role in Star Trek: Strange New Worlds. Ali talks about how he got the role and his experience on set. Then they discuss the premise of the show and give their thoughts on it (hint: they liked it). Then Al...

(Our apologies about the quality of the sound on Asif’s track). Today, Ai and Asif discuss the history of comic book superhero Batman (0:55). They reminisce about the Batman TV show from the 1960’s and then speak about Tim Burton’s reimagining of the character in 1989 and the influence of Frank Miller’s ‘The Dark Knight Returns”. They discuss the casting of Michael Keaton and the follow up movie ‘Batman Returns’. They then discuss the diminishing returns of the Schumacher movies (although they d...

Today Ali and Asif discuss the celebrated and award winning movie, Jane Campion’s ‘The Power of the Dog’ (1:12). They discuss the amazing cinematography and the performances by Benedict Cumberbatch, Jesse Plemons, Kirsten Dunst and Kodi Smit-McPhee. At 16:32, spoilers for the movie and Asif’s opinions on the movie follow. In brief, Asif liked ¾ of the movie and ¾ of the actors and had problems with the rest. Then Ali asks Asif about Anthrax, how you get it, who is at risk and the symptoms (21:50...

Today on a special episode the guys interview superstar comedian Maz Jobrani. Maz discusses his early life, how he became interested in performing, and how he went to university originally to study political science. He then discusses being ‘political’ in comedy and how being Persian influences his comedy. The guys then discuss Maz’s ‘Tai Chi’ approach to hecklers and compare him to Canadian New Democratic Party leader Jagmeet Singh. The guys then ask Maz about the genesis of his podcast ‘Back t...

Today on a special episode the guys interview the El-Salomons – Jess Salomon and Eman El-Husseini. They discuss how they developed their joint comedy act (via a New Yorker style comic) and whether they prefer performing solo or together. Asif then asks Eman and Jess about performing with Patton Oswalt. Then they get into how the pair became involved with the BBC World Service and ‘Comedians Vs the News’. They discuss some of their favourite guests and headlines from the show. Then everyone discu...

The guys start off the episode by discussing the career of Gilbert Gottfried and the recent documentary ‘Gilbert’ (00:51). They discuss how he often kept his private life out of the public eye, prior to the documentary. They discuss some things they did not know about him including his relationship with his wife and kids and his reputation amongst comedians as being frugal. They also chat about his roles in ‘Beverly Hills Cop 2’ and as Iago in ‘Aladdin’, as well as the duck from Aflac. They chat...

It's Doctor Vs Comedian Vs Dave Merheje (also a comedian)! On a special episode the guys interview actor and comedian Dave Merheje, star of the critically acclaimed Hulu series ‘Ramy’. They discuss Dave growing up in Windsor, Ontario and the influence of different cities on his comedy. Then they discuss how Dave developed his unique stand-up style of riffing and crowd work. Dave then discusses winning the Juno Award in 2019 for best comedy album for ‘Good Friend Bad Grammar’. They then discuss D...

Given his recent aphasia diagnosis, the guys reflect on the career of actor Bruce Willis (1:19). The guys talk about his career highlights including ‘Moonlighting’, ‘Die Hard’, ‘12 Monkeys’ and ‘The 6th Sense’. Then Ali asks Asif about aphasia (10:59). Asif reviews the main different types (Broca’s, Wernicke’s, conduction and global), the areas of the brain involved and how it is diagnosed. He talks about how strokes are the most common cause of aphasia, but also discusses the different types of...

Due to the events occurring at the Oscars, Ali and Asif decided to record an emergency podcast. The guys recap the joke told by Chris Rock and the ensuing slap from Will Smith. Then Ali discusses various ‘defenses’ that have been given for Will Smith’s actions. Asif then takes a digression to discuss alopecia areata (16:11), the disease which Will Smith’s wife, Jada Pinkett Smith, suffers from. Asif talks about how it is an autoimmune disease, goes over the presenting symptoms and discusses its ...

In this special episode, the guys preview the 95th Annual Academy Awards Preview, taking place on March 27, 2022 (no medical topic this episode). The guys start off by discussing the major controversy this year about the Academy leaving off certain categories on the televised show. They then talk about the minor controversy regarding how the earworm ‘We Don’t Talk About Bruno’ ended up NOT being nominated for best song. Then Asif gives his pics in 8 major Oscar categories. The opinions expresse...

Today Asif asks Ali about his involvement with Canada Reads, which returns on March 28, 2022 (4:43). After a brief digression about the band Genesis, Ali discusses the genesis of Canada Reads. He talks about how it was developed by the CBC and how the guests and books are selected. He then discusses notable guests and books and how he became involved with the show. Then Asif discusses his favourite medical books (39:24): ‘The House of God’ by Samuel Shem, ‘An Anthropologist on Mars: Seven Parado...

Today, based on two listeners’ suggestions, Ali and Asif discuss ‘The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel’ and Trichotillomania. Asif admits to only having watched the pilot of ‘Mrs Maisel’ (2:26) and as such, Ali gives Asif a sales pitch on why the show should be watched. After a brief digression about TV shows that they were exposed to on airline flights, Ali compares ‘Mrs. Maisel’ to Amy Sherman-Palladino’s previous show ‘Gilmore Girls’ as well as musicals. Then Ali gushes about the expert acting of all th...

Content Warning: Sexual Assault Today, the guys discuss the new documentary series ‘We Need to Talk About Cosby” (1:12). They discuss director W. Kamau Bell and the reasons why he chose to make the series. They discuss how the documentary highlights the Bill Cosby’s accomplishments including his stand up comedy, his revolutionary role in ‘I Spy’, his influence on Black stunt people in Hollywood, his Civil Rights work and his promotion of historically Black colleges. Ali and Asif then discuss Co...

The guys start off the episode by discussing Ali and his family recently contracting Covid-19. Then they switch up the format by first discussing the history of opioids, the interplay between pharma and medicine in the marketing of opioids and the rise of Purdue pharma (5:29). They then talk about the opioid crisis, the rise of oxycontin and fentanyl, and the damage done. The guys then discuss the television show ‘Dopesick’, how it was developed, and it’s focus on the Appalachian area of the US ...

It’s our 50th episode! To celebrate this, Asif asks Ali about his top 3 favorite comedy specials (1:31). Ali picks Dave Chapelle’s ‘Killing Them Softly’, Wanda Sykes’ Im’a Be Me’ and Eddie Izzard’s ‘Dress to Kill’ and discusses what makes these specials so good. Then Ali asks Asif about the biological basis of why we develop laughter (32:04). Asif goes over how laughter and humour develops in babies and what they find ‘funny’. Then, Asif talks about the areas of the brain where laughter originat...

To start the episode, Ali asks Asif about 2 movies he saw recently - Spider-Man: No Way Home and The Matrix Resurrections. Short story: one was good nostalgia and the other reminded him of the “member berries” from South Park. Then, Asif asks Ali about how comedians create personas for comedy (7:28). Ali also discusses how podcasts and twitter have made personas less common but also discusses the advantages of using a persona. The guys then discuss some classic comedians who have used personas s...

Today on a very special episode, Ali and Asif interview superstar podcaster Dr. Sydnee McElroy (Sawbones, Still Buffering). In their wide ranging conversation they discuss how she got started in podcasting with her husband, Justin McElroy, and how they developed the wildly successful podcast ‘Sawbones’. Then they discuss the evolution of her other podcast ‘Still Buffering’ which she co-hosts with her sisters. Later, they discuss her volunteer work with the homeless population in her city, physic...

The guys start out discussing the recent snowstorms in North America, the politeness (or lack thereof) of Torontonians, Ali’s toothache and leaving your phone number with bakeries. Then the guys discuss the recent deaths of Louie Anderson and Bob Saget. They start by discussing the legendary Louie Anderson (5:40) his acting on shows such as ‘Baskets’ and his legacy in comedy. The guys then discuss Bob Saget, his television work and the contrast to his outrageous stand up personality (17:48). The...

Today on a special episode, the guys discuss the case of Mike Ward, who was accused of breaching the limits of free speech when he mocked a disabled singer named Jeremy Gabriel (“Petit Jeremy")...a case that went all the way up to the Supreme Court of Canada. They are joined by their special guest comedian and lawyer Jess Salomon (The Tonight Show, Comedians vs The News). After briefly chatting about Jess’ experiences with the Omicron variant, Jess and Ali disclose that they do know Mike Ward pe...