173 - The Past Times with Brandie Posey

In Episode 173 of The Dollop, hosts Dave Anthony and Gareth Reynolds dive into a 1923 newspaper from Annapolis, Maryland, with guest Brandy Posey, a comedian and founder of the comedy label Burn This Records. The episode opens with playful banter about Brandy’s special, 'Milk Job,' inspired by her father’s extreme milk consumption during the pandemic. The hosts explore the paper’s bizarre and tragic stories, including a seven-year-old girl killed by a car, her funeral attended by four young pallbearers, and a satirical discussion on the absurdity of bombing ice jams on the Delaware River with airplanes. The conversation shifts to egg production forecasts, hen biology, and the comedic absurdity of modern life, before turning to the darkly humorous idea of suicide as performance art. A deep dive into a religious prophecy predicting immortality through a mythical 'perfect food' (grapefruit and oatmeal fermenting into beer in the stomach) leads to a surreal exchange about tummy ale and the future of human longevity. The episode concludes with a dramatic account of a bootlegger shooting a witness during Prohibition, tying into Brandy’s family history of moonshiners and smugglers. Throughout, the hosts blend satire, historical curiosity, and personal storytelling, culminating in a call to support Brandy’s work through her label and special. Key takeaways include: 1) Comedy can be a tool for equity, especially for underrepresented comedians; 2) Historical headlines reveal both absurdity and tragedy, often reflecting societal anxieties; 3) Modern problems like inflation and mental health are mirrored in past cultural obsessions; 4) The line between satire and sincerity is often blurred in comedy; 5) Personal stories—like family ties to Prohibition-era crime—add depth to historical narratives; 6) The internet enables comedians to build independent platforms outside traditional gatekeepers; 7) Absurdity in news can be a gateway to deeper reflection on human behavior; 8) Humor is a survival mechanism when confronting existential dread. The tone is irreverent, chaotic, and deeply affectionate toward the absurd, with a clear undercurrent of empathy for struggling artists and marginalized voices.