Go Fact Yourself

Grab some headphones and kick back on the couch -- or in the car--for a special musical episode of Go Fact Yourself!Grant-Lee Phillips is known for his career as a singer and songwriter. He’s released albums with his band Grant Lee Buffalo and as a solo act. But you also may recognize him as the town troubadour from the TV series “Gilmore Girls.” He’ll tell us what it’s like to play a musician on TV and how preparing for the “Gilmore Girls” revival series helped train him for quarantine life. Check out his new album out September 4!Grant-Lee will compete against his fellow singer-songwriter Nellie McKay. Nellie actually joins us from her car since, she’s currently on tour (from a social distance). Her original albums and soundtracks have earned her a devoted following over the years. But she’s also known for emulating the work of others -- whether that’s an album of covers or impersonating late-great comedian Joan Rivers.Our guests will answer trivia about the magic of music, the magic of movies and the magic

If you’d like to support this show, go to Maximumfun.org/join to become a Max Fun Member for as little as $5 a month! You’ll help keep this show going and be eligible for tons of great bonus gifts, including special bonus episodes of Go Fact Yourself.It’s the final week of the Max Fun Drive! We’re going out with another contest between two of our fellow Max Fun podcasters!Dan McCoy is best known as one of the hosts of “The Flop House,” where he and his co-hosts watch a bad movie every week so YOU don’t have to! Even though he still has a lot of fun doing the show, he’ll explain why the burden of bad cinema weighs heavily. Plus, he’ll tell us about being an Emmy-winning writer for “The Daily Show” and how it led to him having a brief and memorable appearance on TMZ.Jo Firestone is more used to being a host on a game show than a contestant. On the podcast “Dr. Gameshow,” she has guests compete in listener-submitted contests. For instance: when talking to someone on the phone, can you tell whether or not it’s ra

If you’d like to support this show, go to Maximumfun.org/join to become a Max Fun Member for as little as $5 a month! You’ll help keep this show going and be eligible for tons of great bonus gifts, including special bonus episodes of Go Fact Yourself.Happy Max Fun Drive! To celebrate we’ve brought on a pair of Max Fun podcasters.John Roderick hosts the show “Friendly Fire.” It started out as a way to make fun of war movies; But the show has since evolved into a look at culture and humanity through film… while still finding a way to make fun of war movies. John’s new album with his band, The Western State Hurricanes. is entitled Through with Love.Moujan Zolfaghari is one of the co-creators and voices on the improv comedy sci-fi show “Mission to Zyxx.” If you’ve never heard the show before, it’s got all the hilarious jokes from a good improv class combined with the professional sound design and cohesive story of a radio drama. Plus, she gets to play the voice of an actual spaceship!What’s the difference: That’s

This week we’re revisiting an episode from October of 2018 that featured Grant Imahara, whose recent death shocked and saddened us. J. Keith & Helen share some memories of Grant and how helpful he was for the show in its early days. Then you’ll hear the entirety of his competition against comedian Maria Bamford.What’s the difference?What’s the difference between “magma” and “lava”?What’s the difference between “baking” and “roasting?”Areas of ExpertiseMaria Bamford: 12 step programs, Self-help and pug aging.Grant Imahara: “Star Trek,” X-Men comics and “La Di Da Di” by Doug E. Fresh.Appearing in this episode:J. Keith van StraatenHelen HongGrant ImaharaMaria BamfordWith guest experts:Dr. Christine Dresser, pug breeder and health liason for the Pug Dog Club of America.Gabriel Koerner, digital effects artist who appeared in the documentaries Trekkies and Trekkies 2.Go Fact Yourself was devised by Jim Newman and J. Keith van Straaten, and produced in collaboration with Maximum Fun. The show is recorded at the

From the mightiest of heroes to the worst of villains, it’s another LIVE edition of Go Fact Yourself! This time with special guest co-host Allie Goertz!Ann Magnuson is a legendary performance artist, musician and actor. Her movie resume includes Cabin Boy and The Hunger. She’s also recently gained attention for her recent role in “Star Trek: Picard.” And that’s right… she’s actually MET Sir Patrick Stewart! She’ll share some fun stories of him on set and explore some of the lesser known parts of her filmography.Hal Lublin is a podcaster, whose shows “Tights and Fights” and “We Got This with Mark and Hal” are on the Maximum Fun Network. They’re both shows that are built off his passions for different areas of pop culture… and his desire to be right all the time. Hal is also a voice actor. You can hear him as regular characters on the podcast “Good Morning Nightvale” and the Adult Swim show “Venture Bros.” Our guests will answer questions about comic books, serial killers and covert word play.What’s the Differe

Sing a little song and wish upon a star, it’s another socially-distant competition edition of Go Fact Yourself!Rachel Bloom is best known as co-creator and star of The CW’s “Crazy Ex-Girlfriend,” which just ended last year. As a show with 157 original songs, she knows a little something about musicals. She’ll tell us more about the show and give us some insight into what life is like as a brand new mom.Opposite Rachel is Tommy Davidson. He’s made a name for himself as the voice of Oscar Proud on “The Proud Family.” He’ll reprise the role in an upcoming sequel series on Disney+. In the 90’s though, he was famous for his work in the sketch series “In Living Color.” He’ll tell us what it was like to develop that show and share some touching insights from his early life. You can read more about both in his memoir Living in Color: What’s Funny About Me.Our guests will also answer trivia about movies, animated musicals and going out (remember that?).What’s the DifferenceWhat’s the difference between secretion and e

Strike up the band! It’s another Best-Of edition of Go Fact Yourself!We’ve gone all the way back to our very first episode to find some of the best segments with guests who chose something in the world of music as their area of expertise. Guests like Alonzo Bodden, Lennon Parham, Emily Heller and more will discuss their favorite artists and genres.Plus, we’ve got a veritable chorus line of special experts that includes authors, songwriters and legendary musicians. Now that’s what we call music trivia!This episode is brought to you in part by Express VPN! Visit expressvpn.com/gofact to get three months FREE when you sign up.Appearing in this episode:J. Keith van StraatenHelen HongJimmy Pardo from Episode 1Alonzo Bodden from Episode 6Kirsten Vangsness from Episode 7Lennon Parham from Episode 8Chelsey Crisp from Episode 12Emily Heller from Episode 32With Guest Experts:Billy Vera, Grammy-winning singer, songwriter, producer and historianMarcus Miller, Two-time Grammy-winning multi-instrumentalist jazz fusion arti

This episode of Go Fact Yourself previously streamed live on video, in partnership with NPR station KPCC and LAist! You can watch the entire unedited episode here!Jonathan Coulton (a.k.a. “JoCo”) is folk/comedy musician who has a lot of experience in the world of trivia: he’s been the in-house musician for the NPR program Ask Me Another since 2012. Jonathan’s also known as the founder and namesake of the JoCo Cruise, a geek and culture convention on a cruise ship. How did Jonathan get so successful to the point that he got a cruise named after him? He’s not entirely sure -- but he’s doing his best to celebrate it!Opposite Jonathan is his Ask Me Another colleague, comedian Ophira Eisenberg. You may recall that Ophira was previously on episode 23. Now, she’s returned new insight about why celebrities are so terrified of trivia and her never-ending quest to become famous in her homeland of Canada.What’s the difference: A Shot in the ArmWhat’s the difference between vaccination and immunization?What’s the differe

Go Fact Yourself is streaming a LIVE edition of the show -- with video! It happens Tuesday, May 5th at 5 PM Pacific. To find out more and to RSVP for free, go to KPCC’s events page.It’s the first-ever father-daughter edition of Go Fact Yourself! Walter Koenig is a pop culture and science fiction icon. He played the character Pavel Chekov on the original “Star Trek” TV series and films. You’d think that having so much of your career tied to one particular role would get tiring. But Walter’s learned to accept his stardom… even if people like to hear more about Chekov than they do about him as a person. His new book Beaming Up and Getting Off is available now -- and you can get a signed copy!Walter will compete against comedian and writer Danielle Koenig -- who happens to be his daughter! She’s entertained plenty of people over the years through her work on shows like “Invader Zim” and “Fashion Police.” But she’ll tell us about another way that she earned a particular reputation: for her very distinct laugh. Plu

It’s another quarantine and redemption edition of Go Fact Yourself! Jordan Morris was on episode 24 of the show where he was quizzed on his love of the La Brea Tar Pits. Even though he aced his area of expertise, he came up just short of victory.  We’re giving him another shot at proving his trivia prowess as we have fun chats about drinking games, thinking games and cartoon fame! Appearing in this episode: J. Keith van Straaten Helen Hong Jordan Morris With Guest Experts: Monique Powell, songwriter and lead singer of the band Save Ferris Yeardley Smith, actor who’s best known as the voice of Lisa Simpson. Go Fact Yourself was devised by Jim Newman and J. Keith van Straaten, and produced in collaboration with Maximum Fun.  Theme Song by Jonathan Green. Maximum Fun's Senior Producer is Laura Swisher. The show is engineered and edited by Julian Burrell. Go to gofactyourpod.com for information and tickets to the next recording of Go Fact Yourself … whenever that is! Get our Go Fact Yourself t-shaped shirt! Vis

The 2020 MLB season is in question, but we’re happy to celebrate baseball on Go Fact Yourself! There have been a lot of contestants who have chosen baseball as their areas of expertise; we’ve quizzed folks like comedy legend Fred Willard, voice actor Phil Lamarr and Maximum Fun founder Jesse Thorn -- and more! We decided to put some of the best segments in one convenient episode. Along the way, we’ve got a murderer’s row of outstanding experts including World Series play-by-play broadcasters, world-class historians and world champion players. Let’s play ball! Appearing in this episode: J. Keith van Straaten Helen Hong Phil LaMarr from Episode 2 Fred Willard from Episode 13 John Ross Bowie from Episode 14 Sandeep Parikh from Episode 26 Jesse Thorn from Episode 50 With Guest Experts: Jon Weisman, author of 100 Things Dodgers Fans Should Know and Do Before They Die. Dr. Joe Price, Co-Director for The Institute for Baseball Studies at Whittier College. Bobby Ojeda, former baseball player and current podcaste

It’s a special, experimental Quarantine Edition of Go Fact Yourself recorded at our various homes and with no live audience! Jimmy Pardo is a comedian and host of the long-running podcast "Never Not Funny." He also owns the distinction of being a guest on the very first episode of Go Fact Yourself.  When he was first on the show, he answered trivia questions about 1980’s music. But this time we’re revisiting BOTH of his other areas of expertise to determine if he is truly the Facting Champion! Along the way, Jimmy will discuss how he’s podcasting from home, music from his hometown and favorite baseball hometeam.  Appearing in this episode: J. Keith van Straaten Helen Hong Jimmy Pardo With Guest Experts: Jason Benetti, Sportscaster for the Chicago White Sox. Bill Champlin, musician, singer and songwriter who’s performed with the band Chicago. Oliver Pardo, son of Jimmy Pardo. Go Fact Yourself was devised by Jim Newman and J. Keith van Straaten, and produced in collaboration with Maximum Fun.  Theme Song by Jo

Happy Max Fun Drive month! To celebrate, we’re changing up our episode schedule in March. This week, we’ve got a pair of interviews that aired as part of Go Fact Yourself’s shows in Chicago. First, J. Keith and Helen will speak with Larry Potash from WGN TV’s morning show. Then they’ll speak with Bill Leff and Dane Neal from the recently ended "Bill & Wendy Show." Both interviews will feature special mini-versions of our usual trivia games! Go Fact Yourself will be back with full episodes on March 20th and 27th -- just in time for the Max Fun Drive! Make sure to contribute at maximumfun.org/join Appearing in this episode: J. Keith van Straaten Helen Hong Larry Potash Bill Leff Dane Neal Go Fact Yourself was devised by Jim Newman and J. Keith van Straaten, and produced in collaboration with Maximum Fun.  Theme Song by Jonathan Green. Maximum Fun's Senior Producer is Laura Swisher. The show is edited by Julian Burrell. Go to gofactyourpod.com for information and tickets to the next recording of Go Fact Your

Strike up the band! It’s a music-filled episode of Go Fact Yourself! Oscar Nunez  is best known for his role as Oscar Martinez in the classic NBC comedy "The Office." Between its original run on television and streaming distribution on Netflix, it’s earned fans of all ages. Oscar will tell us all about some of his most memorable moments in front of the camera, including sharing a kiss with Steve Carrell and performing a strip-tease for Betty White. You can see Oscar on the Netflix series "Mr. Iglesias." Oscar will compete against Molly Knight, journalist for the sports publication The Athletic. She mainly covers the Los Angeles Dodgers baseball team. She’ll share her insights into the Houston Astros’ sign-stealing scandal that she says robbed the Dodgers of the 2017 World Series. Plus she’ll recall simpler times in her journalistic career -- like when she was a reporter for "Shopping Centers Today" magazine. Molly’s book, The Best Team Money Can Buy, is available now. The guests will discuss the most importa

Slackers of the world unite! Fire up your flux capacitors! "Go Fact Yourself" has trivia that spans the timeline this week! Gareth Reynolds is best known as one of the hosts of "The Dollop." It’s a podcast that shares stories from U.S. history in a fun and engaging way. That includes some less savory information -- like the details about George Washington’s teeth. Gareth will also tell us personal stories, including what it was like to be a writer for "Arrested Development" and how he first met his cat, Jose. Gareth’s new comedy record, "Riddled with Disease," is available now. Ali Spagnola also works in comedy, but in a different medium. Her presence on social media has earned her millions of followers across many platforms. What’s even more impressive is that she’s done it all while being physically fit, musically talented and breaking multiple world records. She’s even found a way to turn the hate that comes with being a prominent online figure into something very positive and constructive. The guests will

Click your heels three times and remember there’s no place like home: "Go Fact Yourself" is officially the greatest trivia show on ice! Jamie Loftus is a comedian and a host of "The Bechdel Cast" podcast. Her show is all about analyzing film from a feminist perspective. One movie that holds up surprisingly well under such scrutiny? Alien! She’ll explain. Plus, she’ll discuss what gives her a special edge in this trivia contest: her certification as a Mensa Genius. Jamie’s upcoming appearances can be found on her website. Jamie will compete against her fellow comedian and feminist Craig Shoemaker. He describes his work as “comedy for the soul.” That’s not just a pun on his name; He’ll tell us about how his work has actually helped people in real life. He also has a number of personal aspirations as well, including to sing Les Miserables on Broadway. You can hear Craig on his podcast "Can I Help You?" The topics discussed include classic movies, ice rinks and the power of love. What’s the Difference: Music hist

Perfect your comic punchlines and read up on your history for this episode of Go Fact Yourself! Charlie Hankin is perhaps best known for his comics in The New Yorker magazine. For you aspiring cartoonists, he shares the secret to getting your work in the famed publication. He also discusses how he’s already walked away a winner on another game show: "Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?" Charlie can be seen on his YouTube show "Good Cop, Great Cop." Also joining us is writer and podcaster Kitty Felde. Her show "Book Club for Kids" is all about showcasing kids’ perspectives on books and sharing them with the authors. As a veteran Capitol Hill reporter, she’s ready to share some amazing details about U.S. politics… like how Washington D.C. is home to the ugliest shoes in the country. We’ll get into topics like U.S. presidents, classic science-fiction films and regal living spaces. What’s the Difference: There’s no place like home What’s the difference between a home appraisal and a home assessment? What’s the differe

It’s the 50th episode of Go Fact Yourself! And we’ve got a t-shirt! To help us celebrate, we’ve brought on Maximum Fun founder, Jesse Thorn. These days, MaxFun is known for dozens of quality podcasts. But in Jesse’s early days, he recorded the talk show that would become "Bullseye" in his apartment. The humble beginnings helped him learn a lot about interviewing great guests… and about the value of a good suit. In addition to “Bullseye,” you can hear Jesse on the podcasts "Jordan Jesse Go!" and "Judge John Hodgman." Jesse’s opponent for this momentous episode is actor Kelly Hu. She’s best known for appearances in tons of hit movies, including her role as Lady Deathstrike in X2: X-Men United. But even though audiences love her work, she’ll explain why she can’t stand to watch herself in any film or show she’s ever been a part of. Plus: a look into her desire to be a pageant winner without having a talent to showcase. Our guests will answer questions about baseball, cadavers and what can be mixed into chocolate

FINALLY! An episode of Go Fact Yourself that celebrates trivia AND elitism! In July, Atsuko Okatsuka had perhaps the most on-brand experience that a comedian can have in LA: she got on stage ready to perform right as an earthquake struck. She’ll tell us about why she was so poorly equipped to deal with the situation. Atsuko is also the host of "Let’s Go Atsuko!" a woke Japanese game show. What exactly makes a game show woke? Well… she’ll explain.  Joel Stein is a writer whose work has appeared in TIME magazine. It’s been an avenue of great success... but it’s also led to a lot of people wanting him fired. Joel is excited to discuss some of the trivia topics he knows about. But they all pale in comparison to his greatest passion: elitism. In celebration of his new book In Defense of Elitism: Why I’m Better Than You and You are Better Than Someone Who Didn’t Buy This Book, he’ll tell us why we need to embrace expertise over instinct. This week’s discussion topics include cleanliness, classic sitcoms and fancy f

Mysteries will be solved and species saved on this episode of Go Fact Yourself! Jenny Jaffe is a comedy writer who grew up with an obsession for 90’s Nickelodeon animated shows. Her career has now come full circle: she’s landed a gig to writing for the upcoming version of "Rugrats!" She’ll tell us about that and some of her other obsessions that haven’t been a part of her work.. yet. Jenny will take on actor/writer Jim Rash. Jim is a pretty accomplished guy. He’s known for his role as Dean Craig Pelton on NBC’s "Community." He’s also won an Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay for the film The Descendants. But in spite of his success, he’s still not above searching for some quality advice on Instagram… even if he has trouble following it. You can hear Jim now as the voice of Gyro Gearloose on the new version "DuckTales." This week’s trivia topics include moisturizing, basket weaving and cuddly critters. This episode is sponsored by Fake Radio: America’s premier old-time-radio comedy troupe. To find out m