Good advice can be hard to come by when you’re in a tough place. Unfortunately, the brothers McElroy are not particularly interested in helping with that particular problem. Their advice, instead, might just help distract you from your problems, and give you a nice long laugh.
The conceit of My Brother, My Brother and Me, the flagship podcast of the McElroy clan’s fleet, is that of an advice column, but rather than tackling serious questions with serious answers, the brothers take questions from listeners about awkward and silly social situations (what would you do if you were in class and someone attempted to eat a whole lemon during one of your lectures?), and attempt to assist the poor lost souls on Yahoo Answers. With their strict “No Bummers” policy, they ensure easy listening, and a pleasant distraction from the problems of the world.
This podcast is probably my first or second favorite podcast of all time, and ever since I discovered it in 2016 it has helped me through hard times with some good, inoffensive humor. It has an extensive back catalogue, numbering at 441 episodes, though I can’t really vouch for the first 100 or so of those.
If you want to see if you are going to enjoy it, it’s best to start with the newest ones, and maybe move backward from there if you’re having a good time. Highlights from the backlog include an interviews with stars such as Lin Manuel Miranda, creator of Hamilton and star of Mary Poppins Returns (Episode 191: Journey to the Center of the Bear), and Elizabeth Gilbert, author of Eat, Pray, Love (Episode 210: Yippee Ki-yay, Holy Father).
One of the things that truly sets the McElroys apart from other podcast comedians is their attitude. On an early episode of the show, one of the brothers told an off-color, somewhat mean-spirited joke that truly hurt one of their fans. When the fan told them about their hurt, the brothers took it completely to heart, and devoted themselves to creating positive comedy, and attempting to never make jokes at the expense of anyone but themselves. As someone who listened to their episodes both before and after this happened, it’s really easy to notice that this only served to elevate the show, taking it from a decent comedy podcast to something truly special.
If what you are looking for is a kind, goofy, and hilarious hour each week, look no further than My Brother, My Brother and Me every Monday.