Mr. Touretteski

Mr. Touretteski is a comedy podcast that works like a mixtape of bits rather than a sit-down conversation. At its centre is a host who introduces himself by the show's name, sometimes in a whisper and sometimes in rhyme. One intro promises hip-hop, comedy and non-stop laughter. Another says the host has multiple personalities. The second description is the better guide. Plenty of other voices crowd in around the host. The cold open of 'The Struggle is Real' has a voice announcing itself as Crispin Glover, quoting its Back to the Future line and saying it spends its free time listening to the podcast. The same episode carries a rambling, violent rant from a character calling himself Chuckles the Clown, who brings up old WWE and WWF wrestling along the way. 'March Madness' adds a video-game cheat code, a mock announcer bringing Lucille to the main stage and a first plug from someone signing off as Joey the Meathead. It closes with a spoof public service announcement that buries a warning about texting and driving in nonsense. Rap holds it all together. Verses show up in cold opens and closers alike, from boasts about bringing the heat to a pawn-shop daydream about lime-green Lamborghinis and 1963 Ferraris. Not every stretch is a bit. 'Bingeing in Luster Love' includes a looser group conversation that moves from Army desert training at Fort Irwin to driving stick to a compliment on someone's freshly threaded eyebrows. 'Getting Geeked' has a tangent mocking Steven Seagal over his new book and his life in Russia, which one speaker brings up after mentioning old Aikido practice. The cold open of that same episode jokes about the church collection plate, then pitches a Silicon Valley app for putting organs up as collateral. Shout-outs to other shows run through the episodes too: 'Excuses' includes a message to Ant Capone about an Awkward Situations podcast, and 'Bingeing in Luster Love' sends battle-rap fans to a radio show linked to Matty Moe. The humor is explicit, profane and frequently sexual, with violent and shock-value imagery mixed in. 'March Madness' is a sensible first stop because it has rap, a character plug, a mock stage introduction and a parody PSA in one place. What a listener gets is unpredictability rather than a point to argue, with the next voice usually arriving before the last joke has finished.