He seems oddly at peace considering he blew one of the best comedy partnerships around.

Right on - I mentioned that elsewhere in this thread. I get the sense that comedians avoid mentioning books either because they don't read, which is pathetic, or because it will make them appear elitist, which is also pathetic.

They had a falling out last year. Tom ditched on a project they were supposed to be working on together; now they won't talk to one another. It seems like it extends beyond PFT because he hasn't had many famous people on in months - Patton, Galifinakis, Kirkman etc. even for the marathon.
Recall that for they all…

Was he? He did the same little kid impression he has done on SNL a dozen times before. When he wasn't sure where to go with the riff he threatened to stab someone. There are some guys, like PFT and Nick Kroll, who develop their characters beyond a funny voice and a catch phrase.

More to the point - dumb down in what sense? Hardwick's "humor" consists of stringing together Doctor Who and Skyrim references. Someone recently referred to him as the Ryan Seacrest of the comedy scene and that is pretty accurate. 
"Nerd" audiences really aren't looking for clever jokes, cutting satire, etc. - they…

Re Best Show, I have to give Tom credit for owning up to his meltdown last time Matt Walsh was on. That particular fit he had was remarkably infantile, even by Scharpling standards, and it was refreshing to hear him concede the fact. Also interesting to hear him linger over the burning bridges question…some PFT…

I haven't seen much hatred, really. Mira is aggressively annoying and he isn't funny. Mosier is actually pretty bright and occasionally clever.

I'm with you on that - the writers he mentioned are also good. The kid is nothing but humble and charming and he's worked on some great projects as well…let the "hipster" backlash begin

This latest UYD was flawless - Seth was on fire. Anyone who hasn't taken the time to check this podcast out would do well to jump in here.

Fine, I'm a dick, but I'm not wrong about Proops. As 
Doug Benson said, he is a friend of his so he feels obliged to have him on the show.  I got it - and I "respect" that you "care about and admire" your friends Doug - truly I do. It is admirable. It doesn't make them funny people, however and it still doesn't help me…

I'm with you - the premise has promise but it has been awful. It feels like they haven't put much effort into it.

Right - I wonder if the scene can sustain so many new acts.Lately I've noticed that Kulap and the Sklars are in the habit of imploring their audiences to "support comedy" as it if was a vital but threatened  charitable concern, like NPR. 
It also raises the question (in my mind, anyway) why we aren't hearing more from…

Right on - I had the same impression when I heard the original broadcast. All those pregnant pauses and his voice started cracking every few sentences. Ahhh the humanity! The absolute worst was when he described the old man whose hand had been crushed and declaring the ipad to be a kind of magic. Only a bathos monger…

It did drag, but the "easy on my mind" song riffing was *genius* and TG at its best.

I was being sardonic, dude - I would have thought that was evident. 
As an aside, the poisoning, as they mentioned in the retraction, is grounded in fact even if Daisy's first hand account wasn't.

particularly when he started in with the "i'm probably going to be taking more time off people" after dismissing the listening party in Marfa TX for the second time. i wouldn't mind if tom took a couple of months off if he got his head and back together and returned committed. 30% of every show for the last year or so…

He was as drag on Nerdist however I didn't hear the Who Charted ep - I'll check it out.

Best show was finally back in form (until Tom reverted to crank mode in the final minutes) - the Gary screenplay was what the show ought to be every week - sharp and unique. When he puts his personal bs and tiresome control issues aside Tom can still really deliver.

Exactly - so it is a little ridiculous that anyone is up in arms about Mike Daisy's nonsense. If he had been amusing (instead of lugubrious), they would have never bothered to follow up on the story. TAL isn't about uncompromising, investigative journalism.

Doug - I was just listening to the latest ep. I understand bringing on Kumail and Rob Huebel; funny guys, always entertaining. With Pete Holmes, I'm guessing it is because he is your friend. I can't figure out Matt Myra, however. Do you honestly find him to be funny? Can you offer any examples? I'm talking anything…