Episodes

Today, Ali and Asif discuss the career of the late great Norm MacDonald. They start off by talking about his early life, his start in comedy and his breakthrough on ‘Saturday Night Live’. They discuss his other projects and then Asif asks Ali about Norm’s comedy style and Ali’s thoughts on MacDonald’s last Netflix comedy special ‘Nothing Special’. After a brief discussion of Norm’s gambling issues, they then discuss how he kept his diagnosis of multiple myeloma a secret for years and what eventu...

Today, Ali and Asif continue their discussion about the 50th season of Saturday Night Live by discussing the recent movie “Saturday Night” (3:21). They discuss the fast paced format of the movie, which takes place in real time in the 90 minutes before the SNL premiere on Oct 11, 1975. They also chat about the spectacular cast and what is and what is not true in the movie. They guys then watch and give their opinions on the actual first episode of SNL. Then, because Robert F Kennedy Jr. has been...

Some say that 1994 was the best year for movies EVER. As a result, today, Asif and Ali discuss their favorite movies from that year (no medical topic today). Listen to hear what made their list, what didn’t and what overlap, if they had. 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 ...

This year marks the 50th season of Saturday night live, so today the guys go over their favourite SNL moments from the past half decade (2:37). The guys review their top hosts, top monologues, Top Weekend update anchors, top weekend update correspondents and top 5 SNL skits EVER. Then the guys discuss how West Nile Virus has been in the news as of late because of Dr. Anthony Fauci’s recent battle with this disease (33:44). Ali asks Asif about what exactly it is and how common it is. Asif goes o...

Today, the guys discuss Hasan Minhaj’s new comedy special “Off With His Head” (despite Asif’s hesitation) (2:18). The guys start off by recapping Hasan’s background and the controversy that swirled around him in 2023, associated with a New Yorker article which resulted in Minhaj losing the hosting role of “The Daily Show”. Then they give their thoughts on the good and bad aspects of his new special and his non-apology in the show. Then, Ali asks Asif about his sabbatical where he is learning ab...

Today, Ali and Asif interview the sensational comedian Sterling Scott. Sterling made history as the first ever BIPOC comedian to win the prestigious San Francisco International Comedy Competition, one of only two Canadian comedians selected for the Netflix is a Joke Comedy Festival earlier this year, and was the first comedian to ever be given the Golden Buzzer as a finalist on the most recent season of Canada’s Got Talent. Scott has also made regular appearances on Just For Laughs, CBC’s Debate...

NB: This episode was recorded BEFORE Tony Hinchcliffe appeared at Donald Trump’s Madison Square Garden rally Stay tuned to the end of the episode for Ali’s and Asif’s takes on Tony Hinchcliffe’s jokes from the rally. Today, the discuss Tony Hinchcliffe and his podcast ‘Kill Tony’ (5:43). They discuss Tony Hinchcliffe’s background, his start in comedy and the influence of Jeff Ross and Joe Rogan. Ali then describes the premise of ‘Kill Tony’ and the concept of one-minute sets. Then Ali asks Asi...

Today, the guys discuss the 30th anniversary of ‘Pulp Fiction’ (1:23). The guys chat about when they first saw it and their thoughts about their recent rewatch. They discuss the writing in the movie, its development and its stellar cast. They then chat about the classic soundtrack and the legacy of the film. Then, after the recent death of a child in Ontario from rabies from a bat, Ali asks Asif about this disease (29:45). Asif discusses how common it is, what causes it and how it is transmitte...

Today, Ali and Asif debate their top albums of 1994 (1:30) and spoiler… there is not a lot of overlap! Then Ali, based on his personal experiences, asks Asif about hospital parking (38:38). Asif talks about the situation in Canada and how parking contributes a large amount to the financial bottom line of hospitals. He then contrasts it to the situation in the US and in the UK. He then discusses cancer patients specifically and how parking costs contribute to “financial toxicity” in these patien...

Today the guys discuss the career of actor Kevin Bacon (2:41). They discuss when they were first exposed to him and his early career. Then then discuss his breakout role in ‘Footloose’ and how afterwards he pivoted to become more of a character actor. After discussing his hit movies, then they chat about the party game ‘6 Degrees of Kevin Bacon’. They discuss the origin of the game, what a “Bacon Number” is and eventually determine how many degrees away Ali is from Kevin bacon! Then they discus...

Today, the guys discuss the new documentary on the quintessential Canadian band, The Tragically Hip (3:45). They discuss how the docuseries was directed by the brother of Gord Downine (the late front man for the Tragically Hip), Mike Downie. They talk about the numerous talking heads in the doc, the story behind some songs and the lack of success of the Hip in the USA. They also talk about strife in the band in the 2000’s as well as Downie’s cancer diagnosis. Then the guys list their top 5 Tragi...

Today, after a brief quiz, Asif and Ali discuss the career of the late James Earl Jones. Ali goes over Jones’ accolades and the fact that he is one of the few people who have one an EGOT(Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, Tony). They discuss his early life and how some major life events may have contributed to him developing a stutter. They discuss his early Broadway and theater career and then his movie career, particularly as the voice of Darth Vader in Star Wars and Mufasa in the Lion King. They then discu...

Today the guys discuss the extremely popular HBO docuseries “Chimp Crazy (1:39). The guys discuss the background of the series and director Eric Good (Tiger King) developed the series. They then discuss how the series main subject, Tonia Haddix, got involved with keeping primates as pets in addition to discussing the involvement of actor Alan Cumming in the docuseries. Asif then asks Ali about an interview he did with journalist Sam Adams about the controversy behind the making of ‘Chimp Crazy’ ...

Today, the guys discuss their top 5 episodes of the classic sitcom ‘Friends’. But they switch things up by doing the medical topic first by discussing Ketamine and its role in Matthew Perry’s death (3:53). Ali starts out by asking Asif about how exactly ketamine was involved in Matthew Perry’s drowning death. Asif then goes over the history of ketamine, how it works and how it is mainly used as anesthesia. Ali then asks him about how it has been increasingly used in depression and Asif goes over...

Today, the guys discuss entertainment they consumed in the summer of 2024 (2:31). Asif goes first by discussing his disappointment with season 3 of ‘The Bear’, and similarities to ‘House of the Dragon’, ‘The Boys’ and ‘Ted Lasso’ Season 3. He then discusses ‘Time Bandits’, ‘Deadpool and Wolverine’ and ‘Love Lies Bleeding’. Asif concludes by discussing a news article about a recent apology from MMA star Ronda Roussey. Ali talks about what he watched when recovering from hernia surgery including ‘...

Today on the second of a two-part episode, the guys continue their discussion of Steve Martin (1:43). They start off the episode by going through Steve Martin’s filmography, including the Jerk, All of Me, Three Amigos, Planes, Trains and Automobiles, Father of the Bride, Roxanne, L.A. Story, Bowfinger, The Pink Panther, amongst others. They then discuss Martin’s other works including his dramatic and musical plays. They also discuss his banjo playing and his musical albums. Finally, they discuss...

Today on a two-part episode, the guys discuss the career of legendary comedian Steve Martin. The guys start off the episode by discussing the recent documentary Steve! By Morgan Neville, which was actually released on Apple TV + as two different documentaries (Ali also gives a quick personal anecdote about Morgan Neville). At 7:50 Ali talks about Steve Martin’s accolades and then the guys discuss Steve Martin’s early interest in magic. They speak about Martin’s comedy process and how he uses log...

Today on a special episode, Ali discusses his recent hernia surgery (5:06). He talks about how our hernia episode from last year prompted him to go for this procedure as well as what tests were done beforehand. He then talks about his consultation with the surgeon and his decision whether or not to do laparoscopic surgery. Asif asks Ali about what prep Ali needed to do for the surgery as well as what the day of the surgery was like. Ali then provides an update on how he is doing in the recovery ...

Today Ali and Asif (who is battling a cold) discuss the career of the late Bob Newhart (1:47). They discuss his early life and how he got started in comedy. They then discuss his phenomenal success with his debut album “The Button Down Mind of Bob Newhart”. They discuss his comedy style and why it has been so hard for others to duplicate it. They also go over a bit of trivia, namely how Bob Newhart at the first pay-per-view television special. They then go over his class television shows ‘ The B...

A few episodes ago, we discussed the AV club’s top 40 albums of all time. Today Ali gives us a list of his favorite comedy specials that did NOT make the list (1:12). Ali discusses the following albums (not in order): John Mulaney - BABY J (2023) Norm MacDonald – NOTHING SPECIAL (2022) Patrice O’Neal - ELEPHANT IN THE ROOM (2011) Chris Rock – BRING THE PAIN (1996) Gary Gulman - NO CAN DEFEND (2012) / BORN ON THIRD BASE (2023) Eddie Izzard - DRESS TO KILL (1999) Bill Burr - I'M SORRY YOU F...

Today, Ali and Asif review the new documentary about Louis CK, ‘Sorry / Not Sorry’ (1:53). They start off by discussing Louis CK’s background, his blockbuster success as a stand up comedian and how he changed the financial model of stand up comedy specials. Then then discuss his sexual impropriety as outlined in the New York Times as well as in the documentary. The guys go over what they perceive as his lack of an apology as well as how CK was definitely not “canceled”. Louis CK does suffer fro...

Today, the guys discuss and review Eddie Murphy’s new Netflix movie ‘Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F’ (1:42). They start off by discussing Murphy’s early career, including his stand up, his breakthrough on ‘Saturday Night Live’, and his early movies ‘48 hours’ and ‘Trading Places’. They then discuss the blockbuster success of ‘Beverly Hills Cop’ and its soundtrack. They chat about the development of the first Beverly Hills Cop and how other actors such as Sylvester Stallone were considered for the rol...

TRIGGER WARNING: This episode discusses sexual abuse. Today, the guys discuss the new Netflix documentary “Tell them you love me” (3:25) (Spoilers abound). They discuss the case of Anna Stubblefield, a tenured professor of ethics at Rutgers University, who initially started off aiding a young black man with cerebral palsy, Derrick Johnson, with facilitated communication but was eventually charged with sexually abusing Derrick. The guys start off by discussing Derrick’s early life and then Asif ...

TRIGGER WARNING: This episode discusses sexual abuse. Michael Jackson died 15 years ago, on June 25, 2009, so today the guys discuss his life and his controversies (2:56). They talk about Jackson’s early life, the success of the Jackson 5 and the abuse he allegedly suffered at the hands of his father, Joe Jackson. They then discuss the success of his early solo records and the blockbuster success of ‘Thriller’. They also discuss his philanthropy and how that complicates people’s feelings for th...