Episodes

To start the episode the guys give their thoughts on two recent summer movies; Asif talks about “The Suicide Squad” and Ali reviews “The Green Knight” (2:00). Then the guys talk about the 40th anniversary of one of the greatest summer movies of all time, ‘Raiders of the Lost Ark’ (18:55). The guys start off by talking about their personal connections to the movie. They then talk about how George Lucas and Steven Spielberg crafted the character of Indiana Jones and the development of the first m...

To start the episode, Ali’s recounts a recent Drive-in comedy show he did with Shaun Majumder (1:03). Then Asif asks about the course Ali teaches at Queen’s University and whether you can “teach funny” (7:38). Ali then talks about various exercises he used with his students to develop their comedic skills. Ali then discusses various books on the history of comedy and to help with honing one’s stand up. Then Ali asks Asif about ALS (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis) (36:02). They discuss about how a...

In this very special episode, Ali and Asif interview ophthalmologist, comedian and social media sensation Dr. Will Flannary aka Dr. Glaucomflecken. In their hilarious and wide ranging chat they discuss: His comedic influences How he got started doing stand up and how he transitioned to social media His philosophy of comedy, ‘punching up’ and why one should be cognizant of power dynamics when doing medical comedy Doctor stereotypes The benefits of letting patients see your comedic side The charit...

Today, after playing a clip of Will Ferrell ‘heckling’ Jimmy Fallon on the tonight show (1:52), Ali discusses heckling in comedy (2:25). He discusses the different types of interruptions that can occur and the ‘dangers’ of crowd work and a crazy story from Sudbury, Ontario. Then Asif discusses the idea of ‘difficult” parents in pediatrics (24:39)-- and quickly dismisses this terminology and emphasizes the need to reframe these as ‘difficult relationships’. He then discusses some of the tensions ...

In this episode, Asif starts things off by discussing how he finally got around to seeing Zach Snyder’s Justice League (1:00) and they compare the viewing experience to Christopher Nolan’s Tenet. The guys then discuss clowns in comedy as well as hospital clowns. First, Ali discusses the different types of clowns and the history of clowning (4:59). Then he discusses a specific subtype of clown, “ Le Bouffon” and why Sacha Baron Cohen loves to be called one.. Finally, Ali discusses modern entertai...

On today’s episode the guys first off start talking about last week’s Emmy nominations, including the surprises and snubs (00:54). Then Asif asks Ali about his thoughts on ‘Ted Lasso’ (5:16). The guys talk about the development of the show and praise the performances of the cast, particularly Jason Sudeikis and Hannah Waddingham. They then talk about why the show has resonated with so many people during the pandemic. They also discuss the real life parallels between Ted Lasso’s personal life and...

On today’s episode, the guys start off by reminiscing about the career of the acclaimed director Richard Donner (1:07). They talk about his classic films including ‘Superman’, ‘The Goonies’, ‘Scrooged’, ‘Lethal Weapon’, as well as the not so classic ‘16 Blocks’ (featuring a classically bad vocal choice by Mos Def). Then Asif asks Ali about his thoughts on Mindy Kaling’s ‘Never have I Ever’ (7:25), whose second season is out now on Netflix. They talk about the excellent casting choice of the prev...

On today’s episode, Ali updates us on his filming of Hudson and Rex in Newfoundland (00:54).Then Asif asks Ali about his thoughts on Bo Burnham’s new netflix special ‘Inside’ (3:56). The guys talk about Bo Burnham’s rise to fame via the internet and the response to his special, both good and bad. They compare the response to the special to Hannah Gadsby’s ‘Nanette’ and other atypical comedy specials such as those done by Hasan Minhaj, Patton Oswalt and Chris Rock. Then Ali asks Asif about ADHD ...

On today’s episode, Ali joins us on location in Newfoundland, and talks about filming the television show 'Hudson and Rex' (00:50). Asif asks Ali about his thoughts on the new HBO show ‘Hacks’. They discuss the premise of the show (young writer coming up with jokes for an aging comedian), comedians getting jokes written for them, and aging comics. They also share their thoughts on how the main character on the show appears to be inspired by the legendary Joan Rivers (5:35). The guys then give t...

On this special episode, Ali and Asif are joined by physician, OB/GYN, pain medicine specialist, blogger, podcaster and writer Dr. Jen Gunter. Topics discussed include: Asif and Dr. Gunter discussing attending Western University and Joe Kool’s Dr. Gunter’s past battles with Gweneth Paltrow and Goop A tangent about coffee enemas and the British military Dr. Gunter’s new Ted Audio Collective podcast “Body Stuff” Dr. Gunter’s new book “The Menopause Manifesto” Listener questions about menopause The...

In this Episode, the guys discuss whether comedy can affect change (2:36). Ali discusses the Satire Paradox (Malcolm Gladwell) and whether laughter and social protest are friends or foes, including examples such as All in the Family, and Sarah Palin and Donald Trump on Saturday Night Live . He then talks about how Trump affected late night talk shows and the NY Times magazine article by Dan Brooks “How Present Trump Ruined Political Comedy”. Finally, Ali talks about comedians who were able to af...

In today’s episodes the guys discuss the Academy Award Winning movie “Another Round” (4:11). Ali starts out first by discussing his (tenuous) connection to star Mads Mikkelsen. He then discussed the development of the movie by director Thomas Vinterberg and the influence of his late daughter Ida on the film. They also talk about the influence of the Dogme ‘95 movement on the film and the announcement of a remake by Leonardo DeCaprio’s production company. Then Asif discusses the issue of increase...

Ali and Asif discuss the recent hate-inspired murders of a family of Muslim-Canadians in London, Ontario, Canada. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On this episode, after a brief interlude about McDonald’s Orange Drink, the guys discuss the legendary Canadian band, the Tragically Hip (2:50). They discuss the Hip’s new EP and their upcoming appearance at the 2021 Juno awards with Feist. They discuss the history of the band and their relationship to them, including Ali’s story of stage diving at a Hip concert in Montreal. They discuss the diagnosis of the lead singer, Gord Downie with glioblastoma multiforme and Asif’s connection to Gord Down...

The guys start out today’s show discussing unrelated pop culture that is linked in each of their minds (00:55). Then, the guys discuss the recent movie ‘Sound of Metal’, Ali’s personal connection to it and the impressive performance of Riz Ahmed (6:30). They also discuss how the movie comments on the concept of personal identity and how it relates to the Covid-19 pandemic. They guys then rave about the sound design in ‘Sound of Metal’. Asif then talks about rapid onset hearing loss like Riz Ahme...

In today’s episode, the guys start the episode discussing Elon Musk and their surprising takes on his recent Saturday Night Live hosting gig (1:08) -- plus a brief discussion on Wayne Gretsky’s (in)famous hosting gig. Then, to commemorate the upcoming season finale of the 46th season of Saturday Night Live, Ali and Asif discuss their top 5 SNL performers (9:25). Listen to find out who they include and who they shockingly leave out! Then Asif discusses the concept of intermittent fasting (27:30)....

For our last episode on Code Switching, Ali actually forgot to tell a story he had about a director insisting that the name “Asif” be pronounced a certain way. We’ve included it for you here as a bonus clip. The opinions expressed are those of the hosts, and do not reflect those of any other organizations. This podcast and website represents the opinions of the hosts. The content here should not be taken as medical advice. The content here is for entertainment and informational purposes only, an...

In this episode, the guys discuss the topic of code-switching (1:36). They review examples of code switching in the media including Barack Obama, Boots Riley’s “ Sorry to Bother You ” and Keegan Michael Key and Jordan Peele’s code switching sketch on “ Key & Peele ”. They also discuss the Harvard Business Review’s piece on code-switching in the workplace as well as the use of different accents as a form of code switching. Finally, Ali discusses his personal views on code-switching and a conversa...

In today’s episode, after a bit of listener mail about Ali’s love of Shonda Rimes (1:00), the guys discuss the issue of actors faking accents on movies and TV shows (2:09). Ali discusses Rizwan Manji from Schitt’s Creek and Aziz Ansari. Ali even discusses how he originally auditioned for the role of Ray Bhutani on Schitt’s Creek and his own experience with using an accent in roles. We also discuss the case of Paul Sun-Hyung Lee on Kim’s Convenience. They then discuss “The Problem with Apu”, the ...

In this episode the guys reflect on the life of the late Chadwick Boseman. They first start by debriefing about this week’s Oscars telecast, Asif’s less than impressive predictions and the snub of Chadwick in the Best Actor category (00:50). Ali discusses Chadwick’s early life and his career from All My Children to 42 to Get on Up to Black Panther (10:33). Then they discuss his last two performances in Da 5 Bloods and Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom and his lasting legacy. Because of Chadwick’s death a...

Today, Ali and Asif discuss the upcoming 93rd annual Academy Awards. Ali quizzes Asif on who he thinks should win and will win in all the major categories including Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor, Best Actress, Best Supporting Actor, Best supporting Actress, best Original Screenplay and Best Adapted Screenplay. They talk about problems with “Mank”, the genius of Sacha Baron Cohen, and the frontrunner status of “Nomadland”. Asif also gives his opinion on the 1 prediction he feels is an ...

In this episode, the guys discuss the new CBS sitcom, the United States of Al (1:03). They discuss the development of the show and how it is based on the charitable organization “No One Left Behind”. Ali talks about the development of the show, the criticism it received even before an episode was released, and the defense of the show by producer Reza Aslan. After a digression about Kumail Nanjiani playing video games, they segue into a discussion of actors being able to play different races, us...

In this special episode of Doctor Vs Comedian, the guys discuss their “origin stories''. First, Ali discusses growing up in New Brunswick and Montreal, Quebec, going to McGill University, and then trying to figure out what to do with his life after that. He discusses his journey from working at a consumer-electronic chain store to doing his MBA to getting an IT degree. Finally Ali explains how his love of cooking led to desire to try and get a cooking show, which in turn led to stand up comedy....

In this episode, Ali discusses the rebirth of roasts as a form of comedy (3:15). He discusses the history of roast and their recent return, courtesy of the Comedy Central Roasts. We discuss who roasts have helped (Justin Bieber) and who they definitely did not (Ann Coulter). Next, Asif discusses mask use during the Covid-19 pandemic (18:11). He goes over the history of mask use during epidemics, particularly the work of Dr. Wu Lien-teh. Asif then reviews some of the myths behind masks and the m...