Michael Showalter: The Eyes of Tammy Faye & the Nerd Culture Happy Hour

Sep 21, 2021

Michael Showalter, a filmmaker known for his work on 'The Big Sick' and 'Wet Hot American Summer,' discusses his latest film, 'The Eyes of Tammy Faye.' He explores themes of faith and resilience reflected in the movie, along with the shifting landscape of film consumption post-pandemic. The conversation also dives into the cultural significance of nostalgic shows, the ethics of superpowers, and the joy of craft beer culture. Expect light-hearted banter, deep reflections on identity and storytelling, and insights on fandom in today's media landscape.

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Intro

00:00 • 2min

Exploring Faith and Fantasy

02:22 • 19min

Reconstructing Identity Through Storytelling

21:05 • 22min

The Shifting Landscape of Film Consumption

42:56 • 18min

Guilty Pleasures and Cultural Reflections

01:00:29 • 15min

Exploring Fandom and the Value of Commitment

01:15:41 • 2min

Exploring Superpowers and the Ethics of Invisibility

01:17:19 • 3min

Craft Beer Conundrums and Superpower Speculations

01:19:57 • 3min

Craft Beer Culture and Storytelling

01:22:55 • 6min

Imagining a Divided America

01:29:12 • 24min

Exploring Fight Mentality in Religious Leadership

01:53:31 • 2min

Excitement in Pop Culture: Comics and Beyond

01:55:03 • 8min

Michael Showalter is here to talk about his newest film, The Eyes of Tammy Faye. He first got his start as a founding member of the sketch comedy troupes The State and Stella, and well as co-writing and staring in the now classic film, Wet Hot American Summer.

More recently, he directed The Lovebirds (Paramount/MRC), a comedy starring Issa Rae and Kumail Nanjiani. He also directed the 2017 Academy Award-nominated film The Big Sick, starring Nanjiani and Zoe Kazan, and the 2016 SXSW award-winning film Hello, My Name Is Doris, starring Sally Field, which he also co-wrote.

Michael is a co-creator of TBS critically-acclaimed series Search Party, starring Alia Shawkat, and is an executive producer of the CW series In The Dark, created by Corinne Kingsbury, in which he also directed the pilot episode.

In 2019, Michael directed Ray Romano in his first stand-up special in 23 years titled Right Here, Around the Corner, now available to watch on Netflix. Michael has done a number of other projects with Netflix, including co-creating the TV mini-series Wet Hot American Summer: First Day of Camp and Wet Hot American Summer: Ten Years Later.

His film credits include They Came Together, a satire of romantic comedies starring Paul Rudd and Amy Poehler, and The Baxter, inspired by the stylings of a Howard Hawks comedy. In addition to film, Michael has directed numerous episodes of television shows including Grace & Frankie and LOVE.

In addition to Showalter, I am joined by my friend and scholar of religion and pop-culture - Dr. Ryan Parker. In our conversation we disuss...

Pairing The Eyes of Tammy Faye with The Rise and Fall of Mars Hill, and the TV show The Righteous Gemstones.
Life after the perversion of evangelical faith
Lord of the Rings and the upcoming series on Amazon...
Power Ranking Marvel & Star Wars on Disney+
Ryan is just now starting the Clone Wars. If it is new to you the MORTIS TRIOLOGY is amazing.
What is your go-to Star Wars film?
If you could only have one super power...and the one Socrates is against
How if you were the Flash you should consume more carbs and erase dumb things you say
Why Ryan and I love Henry at Monkish Brewing
If you got to produce a graphic novel what would it be?
We mention the greatest living comic book author, Jason Aaron's visit to the podcast and Ewan McGregor.

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