Inappropriate Earl

I was a relatively normal kid. I have decided that based on the fact that when my grandma called my mom I would go to some other room in the house so that I wouldn’t have to talk on the phone. Talking to adults was hard enough without them not being able to see that I was politely nodding along. Now, at a mere twenty-one years of age, I feel mostly the same about phone calls and would gladly avoid them since my charm is mostly awkwardly-endearing and that doesn’t transfer well over the phone.

In the latest entry of the epic saga of Morgan-is-bad-at-phone-calls, I tried very hard to talk to a voicemail. It wasn’t even one of those that’s trying to pretend like you’re talking to the person, Earl Skakel from the Inappropriate Earl podcast just takes long pauses in between saying his name and giving voicemail instructions. But don’t worry comedy fans! I did manage to talk to the real Earl about his podcast and what it’s like to host an up-and-coming show.

It’s a podcast that’s really about nothing.

If that doesn’t inspire you to download every episode, don’t worry. Earl explained a little further that Inappropriate Earl is “an improv talk show” featuring a wide variety of guests from comedians to yoga instructors.

I don’t plan one question… I want it to sound like two people talking at a bar, minus the noise.

Earl has been an LA stand-up comic for years and took a note from Marc Maron’s (of the WTF podcast) playbook and started his own podcast. Earl recognized that he knew or had met enough people in his time in LA to bring on interesting guests and that he wouldn’t be dependent on someone else to make it a success.

So much of the standup world is not necessarily how funny you are it’s who is your manager, who’s your agent, who you have helping you, and in the podcast world you can do it all on your own.

Earl promised me he isn’t a control freak, he just prefers to be able to choose what he does and doesn’t do. When I asked what he’s enjoyed most about making the show, he didn’t hesitate to answer.

The fact that I don’t have to answer to anybody. I think I have had, as of this interview, 230 guests, and I would say that out of those 230 people, not a single one is someone that I didn’t want to talk to or was forced on me.

Earl wasn’t the only one that wanted to have those guests on. They must have wanted to be there as well since Earl insists his guests come to his home for recordings.

I do lose some interviews because I want to look the person in the eyes. Because I think it’s a better interview.

Despite losing a few guest options, Inappropriate Earl is doing really well and Earl is excited to keep making the show.

As of today, I’m number four on iTunes comedy. For me it’s a big deal because I’m a relatively unknown comic. So when you see your name around Joe Rogan’s and Marc Maron and Bill Burr … I think people will go ‘who’s this guy Earl Skakel? Let’s check him out.’

Earl plans to book more famous guests for his audience to hear from and is learning more and more how to make the show better. So, if you love a good laugh and hearing from everyone from musicians to investment managers, Inappropriate Earl is the show for you.

Chasing Pods is a Podchaser blog series dedicated to letting our readers know about podcasts they may not have heard of or provide a sneak peek into the making of their favorite podcast. We talk to podcast creators about their journey into podcasting, the creation of their shows, the ups and downs of the work, and what they’re looking forward to for their podcast

Do you love or make a cool podcast? Do you want to be featured on our blog? Email Morgan ([email protected]) to tell her why your favorite show should be featured next.