Episodes

To start the episode, Ali talks about his new CBC show out now “Run the Burbs” and Ali’s appearance on “Family Feud Canada”. Betty White would have been 100 years old on Jan 17, 2022, so to commemorate this, the guys go over her life and career (7:36). They discuss her roles in “The Mary Tyler Moore Show”, “The Golden Girls” and her devotion to civil rights and animal charities. Then Ali asks Asif about Electronic Medical Records (EMR’s) by using Atul Gawande’s 2018 New Yorker article on the top...

Today, Ali and Asif discuss the career of the great Kal Penn (1:46). They discuss his early career all the way up to the release of his memoir, ‘You Can’t Be Serious”. They discuss his famous roles in ‘American Desi’, ‘Harold and Kumar Go to White Castle’, ‘Van Wilder’, ‘The Namesake’, ‘House’ and ‘Designated Survivor’. They discuss Kal coming out as gay as well as his recent engagement. Then Ali asks Asif about Physician Burnout (33:01). Asif starts out by defining physician burnout and discuss...

As a year-end treat, the guys go over their favourite entertainment from 2021… and decide to omit the big 2021 medical topic, since people are likely tired of talking about the Covid-19 pandemic. Ali starts off by talking about his favourite books he read last year (1:44). Then Asif discusses new music he got into in 2021. The guys then compare notes on their favourite movies of 2021 and disagree intensely about Wes Anderson and ‘The French Dispatch’. Then the guys discuss their thoughts on best...

Today, Ali and Asif each list their top albums from one of the greatest years for music, 1991 (2:01). The guys go over their top albums, their honourable mentions and their lowlights of that year. Then, Ali asks Asif why the music from our youth connects so much with us (47:59). Asif discusses the research by Daniel Levitin on music and the brain and discusses why the songs from when we are young are “burned into our brains”. Asif then goes over the sociological reasons why we remember certain l...

In response to a listener's question, the guys attempt to answer the questions: “What does it mean to be funny?” and “What does it mean to be healthy?”. After a brief digression about humour in rats, Ali discusses how ‘funny’ laughter and active listening are intricately linked (2:21). He outlines the 4 major concepts that people find amusement in: 1) the misfortunes of others; 2) expressions of otherwise forbidden emotions; 3) juxtaposition of incompatible concepts; 4) realizing that certain ex...

The guys start off this episode with Asif reviewing Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings (2:40). Then Asif asks Ali about his thoughts on Larry David, ‘Curb Your Enthusiasm’ and cringe comedy (12:16). Ali talks about the influence of Ricky Gervais (The Office) and Sacha Baron Cohen (Da Ali G Show) on cringe comedy. After an aside about the new Willow TV show, the guys talk about Larry David and why he is shocked that ‘Curb’ makes people cringe. They guys then talk about their favourite mome...

The guys start off the episode with Asif discussing the problems faced by men after trying on their suits after 18 months of the Covid-19 pandemic (1:18). The guys then compare two albums released in the fall of 1991, Soundgarden’s ‘Badmotorfinger’ and U2’s ‘Achtung Baby’ (3:15). They start off by discussing ‘Badmotorfinger’ and the amazing productivity of Chris Cornell in the fall 1991 and the overall innovation of the album. The guys then discuss U2’s ‘Achtung Baby’; they discuss the tensions ...

The guys start off the episodes by discussing Ali’s recent attendance at a Toronto Maple Leafs game and his ‘Sophie’s Choice’ of needing to choose whether to cheer for Toronto or the Boston Bruins (1:40). Asif then discusses his thoughts on the recent movie by Denis Villeneuve ‘Dune”. Then Asif asks Ali about Kumail Nanjiani and his thoughts on his body transformation and the reasons Kumail has given about his reasons for getting into shape (9:42). They then talk about Kumail posting pics of his...

Today, the guys switch things around by discussing the medical topic first -- Tics and Tourette Syndrome (1:02). Asif discusses what the symptoms of Tourette Syndrome are, how you diagnose it and what causes it. He also talks about other commonly associated conditions and why you often do NOT need to treat tics. Then Ali and Asif discuss Tourette Syndrome on tv shows, movies and especially social media (20:50). Asif discusses how he was asked to be on the TV show “Employable Me” as a medical exp...

On today’s episode, after a brief discussion of Jerry Seinfeld’s “Is this Anything?”, Ali discusses how he and other comedians come up with material (2:21). He talks about writing out jokes, practicing them at open mics and refining them over time. He then talks about what happens when you recommend a joke to a comic. Then, Asif discusses the health benefits of laughter on pain tolerance, interpersonal relationships and stress (29:17). He then discusses ‘laughter yoga’ and whether there is evide...

Today, in honour of the 30th anniversary of the release of Guns N’ Roses’ ‘Use Your Illusion 1 and 2’ and Metallica’s ‘Black Album’, the guys debate which album is better (and yes, we know UYI is 2 albums -- we’re counting them as one…) (1:41). Ali starts off by recounting the story of how he attended the infamous Metallica/Guns N’ Roses concert in the summer of 1992, which resulted in a massive riot in downtown Montreal. The guys discuss how big GNR were in the early nineties and recount how an...

Today, the guys discuss the hit Netflix Show ‘Squid Game’ (1:13) and the influence of Korea on popular culture (BTS, ‘Parasite’) . They talk about how it was developed by writer/director Hwang Dong-hyuk, Netflix and Ted Sarandos. They discuss how it became a global phenomenon and how it’s ‘The Prisoner’ and ‘The Hunger Games’. They mention the excellent acting by Lee Jung-jae, Kim Joo-ryoung and Anupam Tripathi. Ali points out the stress of Hwang being a writer-director on every episode and he h...

Today, Asif asks Ali about the controversial origins of stand up comedy (1:05). Ali explains that stand up comedy evolved from vaudeville and that vaudeville itself evolved from minstrel shows. With respect to minstrel shows, Ali specifically references Thomas Dartmouth Rice's blatantly racist song-and-dance number, "Jump Jim Crow". He also discusses how the Irish were surprisingly often complicit in performing in blackface. Ali then discusses the long term ramifications of the fact that stand u...

Today, the guys start off the pod with a bit of banter about ‘banter’. Then, in honour of ‘Seinfeld’ being released on Netflix this month, Asif and Ali discuss their thoughts and memories of the sitcom. Then they both debate their top 5 ‘Seinfeld’ episodes of all time. Then Ali asks Asif about body odour, and the guys use the ‘Seinfeld’ episode “The Smelly Car” as the perfect transition. Ali recounts a story about having to tell someone in one of his classes about their BO. Asif talks about the ...

Today, the guys start off the pod by discussing 2 new television shows: Sandra Oh in ‘The Chair’ and FX’s ‘Y: The Last Man’ (0:43). Then Asif asks Ali about what life is really like on television and movie sets (8:53). Ali talks about the first set he was on and how he learned the “rules” of being on set. Ali then talks about the food on sets including craft services and catering as well as trailers on sets. Finally, Ali talks about his star-studded interactions with actors on set such as John L...

Today, the guys start off by discussing the recently departed Norm Macdonald (1:00). They talk about his unique comic voice and the tremendous respect Ali and other comics had for him. Then, since both albums were released 30 years ago this month, the guys debate which album is better: Nirvana’s Nevermind’ or Pearl Jam’s ‘Ten (8:09)’. During their wide-ranging conversation, they reference the origins of the name “Smell’s Like Teen Spirit”, the recent lawsuit filed regarding the photo on the cove...

To start the show, the guys discuss the sometimes murky issue of copyright claims on YouTube (1:30). Then the guys preview the upcoming 73rd annual Emmy awards and their picks in various categories (7:03). Then, Ali asks Asif about the academic publishing and why Asif feels the whole system of academic publishing needs to be fixed (29:39). He discusses the monopoly of academic publishers as well as the problems with the peer review process and so called Open Access. He then discusses the controv...

The guys start with a serious debate about whether ‘drums’ or ‘flats’ are the better chicken wings (00:50). Ali then discusses life on the road as a comedian (5:11), including tips on how to get started in comedy touring. Then, Asif discusses the influence of the pharmaceutical industry on the prescribing habits of doctors (29:36). He discusses his own personal experiences with pharma, as well as what the evidence says about whether the pens, dinners and trips given to doctors actually influence...

In this episode, Ali and Asif discuss the surging rates of eating disorders during the Covid-19 pandemic, with Adolescent Medicine and Eating Disorders expert Dr. Megan Harrison (who also happens to be Asif’s wife). Dr. Harrison discusses what eating disorders are and how adolescents develop them. Dr. Harrison also discusses how eating disorders are occurring in younger and younger children and the effects of restricted eating on the brain. She discusses the risk of mortality in eating disorders...

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 mo...

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 ...

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 entertain...