Class Clowns

Class Clowns 

When searching for a podcast I struggled finding something that I found interesting enough to listen to for however long. I was probably thirty minutes into research when I came across Dax Shepherd’s podcast, Armchair Expert. His latest podcast is an interview with Amy Schumer which is the podcast I will discuss. Dax uses simple conversation and banter with his guest stars to discover human truths and does so effectively to reach his target audience. 

 The podcast is set at Amy Schumer’s apartment in New York City. Coincidently her apartment is at a location that Dax Shepherd filmed Baby Mama. That has nothing to do with the podcast itself but honestly a good part of this podcast is just random conversation. The main theme or topic of this podcast is Schumer’s new movie, I Feel Pretty. The  two discuss her movie and the backlash the movie has gotten because it was supposed to give a good message to everyone who is typically insecure but not everyone felt that way. They discuss the backlash she received from people saying she should have made it more relatable to EVERYONE but honestly, she can only relate to so many people. On top of the backlash they briefly talk about Schumer’s childhood and self-esteem. Later they move onto how she met her husband and even how she had met Kristen Bell, Dax Shepherd’s wife, before she was even famous. I find it interesting that towards the end of the podcast they begin to discuss the fear women live through each day but also the fact that we all live through this darkness each day but women just go through these motions everyday. 

 This podcast is very set back and chill which is what to expect with Dax Shepherd because the name of the podcast as a whole is The Armchair Expert. To me this title lets the audience know that it will be very comfortable conversation. It reminds me of Comedians in Cars Drinking Coffee on Netflix, very relaxed joking conversations between people in similar careers as they drink coffee. With this podcast I feel like Dax didn’t have to do as much research because he and Amy are in the same career line; comedians, actors, celebrity etc. That being said he has to know the latest going on in the life of whoever he is interviewing. It is funny because at one point we hear Dax mess up on his facts, he begins talking about Schumer’s childhood and says the wrong place she grew up in. this isn’t because of lack of research but rather it happens to everyone. 

            One thing I noticed in the podcast is the sound. As the official interview began we could hear the background noise. At first, we could hear sirens which the two joked about. Then later it is typically conversation between the two. The sound is not pre-recorded but rather live conversation which makes it more real. The podcast does break for commercials, which are spoken by Dax and his co-caster, Monica. 

The Armchair Expert with Dax Shepherd is just him talking with people about “the challenges and setbacks that ultimately lead to growth and betterment.” I think that this podcast reaches its target audience very well. The podcast itself is just everyday people who happen to be celebrities of some sort discussing life and what they have done and how far they have come and the s**t they have gone through to get there. Dax Shepherd and Amy Schumer are both very open when they talk about everything. It makes the audience feel like they can relate to these people who are complete strangers, but they feel like they know them. I love that at the very end Dax and Monica discuss what went wrong in the conversation and howo listen him and Schumer both mindleslly minimized each others pain or opinion on things. This made me enjoy the podcast so much more as they furthered the conversation and made aware their own mistakes. This podcast does have vulgar language and uses euphemisms that may offend some people. That being said I highly recommend this podcast. It isn’t over any specific topic but anyone who is interested in certain celebrities, relationships between different celebrities, or even movies; this would be a great podcast too.