Wandering The Aisles W/ Andy Farnsworth

A strolling inventory of the chicharrones, fresh spices, and Llama-cop piñatas at the vibrant Lowe's Supermercado in Denver, CO. Comedian Adrian Mesa @mesathings gives @bambifransworth a crash course on Cuban cuisine and presents a compelling case for his theory of pretentious restaurant naming.

From Denver to LA via a Dropbox Homing pigeon, @sethandthecity collaborates with @bambifransworth on a very special @wanderingaisles. The show is comprised of two audio letters, a clip of one of Seth's greatest standup bits, and brand new music from @thefriendshipsband, his musical partnership with @ryamcownie 

An afternoon with one of my real-deal, go-to friends here in Denver, Alex Elliott @alexelliottpics. And by afternoon, seriously, I mean the better part of an entire afternoon. Mostly Sprouts and us just talking in my truck. Verité podcasting. I didn't cut much because it's really hard to get tired of this guy. He's a genuine, wise, cat who never brags or name drops AT ALL even though he totally could. For example, I was months into knowing Alex before he happened to casually mention he was a finalist to be on "The Bachelor." And (paraphrasing here): "It's funny you bring that up because one summer I filmed some stuff with Jimmy Fallon and slapped Hannibal Burress in the face a bunch of times for a thing." Stuff like that. Introducing Alex Elliott. 

@Insanebrownposse (BK Sharad) joins Andy in the search for fatherly comedy affirmation, talks being brown in Colorado, and cooks bacon the entire time he's on the phone. There's considerable soul-searching, faltering, questionable monologue-ing in this one so if you're itching to cancel somebody get that notepad out. 

Ritualcraft (Target for Denver Witches) and Botanica Yemaya with massage therapist, hand witch, and healing artist, Abby Jane Palmer @abbyjanepalmer. We slash through the shame forests of our religious upbringings and find our way into the clearing of a more inclusive and freeing spirituality. Sex, magic, and good-touch karma flowing through this episode. 

What begins as a failed trip to REI for a hat, becomes Steve Vanderploeg @slumdogchillionaire giving @bambifransworth a surprise visit to the now-defunct "Dog the Bounty Hunter" retail store. We walk Sloan's Lake and find the solace of our earliest curse words among the wary pandemic ducks. Support Wandering the Aisles on Patreon.

First, a fiercely compassionate and steely listener letter from Kisha Baskin--Andy's Junior High School friend who, maybe on accident, changed the direction of his life by telling him he was funny. And meant it.  Next, (you'll notice this episode is still rated "explicit.") You'd think a clergy member would shy away from Andy's earthy lexicon and subject matter. Not so with the Reverend James Dollins. This conversation will surprise the Hell out of you. (No pun.) Dollins is a socially-progressive; insightful; startingly "non-shamey"; compassionate, and super quick-witted Methodist minister in Anaheim, CA. A city which is 55% Hispanic or Latino, 24% White Alone, 15% Asian Alone, and only 3% African American or Black. (The remaining 3% being a diverse mix of Native, Two or More Race, and a bunch of folks that identify as "Other".) Full disclosure: I consider myself extremely lucky to call this man my cousin. 

@wanderingaisles went quiet last Wednesday out of respect for Black Lives Matter. Before we get back on schedule next week, I've put together a couple timely, stripped down episodes for today and Sunday in honor of George Floyd and BLM. A collage offering of sturdy angles, devoid of my usual monologues and cutaways.  This first installment: An unflinching petition for understanding from NYC comedian Drew Dowdey. Oh and check out @thewhiteshift, a great IG that offers distilled information for "White people who want to help out but don’t know how.”

The inimitable Eeland Stribling @blacksteveirwin--one of the most relaxed, but killer comics I've seen in a while. He's also a Wildlife Biologist and a major part of the @brownfolksfishing initiative. AND co-host of the popular "Get Home Safe" podcast. We start with some basic bachelor grocery shopping and trade our takes on: trout fishing and race; religion; carbonated Hawaiian Punch; Ireland (or what he calls "White People's Africa"); and witness a rare kid-accidentally-breaking-some-eggs-on-the-way-home-from-the store ritual. This is a longer episode for you to live in and truly one of the best recorded evenings in the history of @wanderingaisles. Support the show at Patreon.com/WanderingTheAisles or just tell a friend.  

@haleydrizcoll is our traveling companion today. The joyous peril begins with a traditional pre-show de-crystalling ceremony in front of Andy's place. Then: it's fronting English in front of a Natural Grocers; talking exchange students at a mile-high Asian market; soccer hooligans in a middle school parking lot at sunset; and a suburban Vaquero appearing out of the vapor to guide our spirits back home. Support @wanderingaisles at Patreon.com/WanderingTheAisles. 

The nail salons are all emery-boarded up for a while. So treat your indoor self this audio indulgence from late 2019, wherein the incomparable Cami Nelson serves as @wanderingaisles first poet/mom/nail-salon guide. 

My collaborator in meandering today is @benkronberg. Co-proprietor of The Denver Comedy Lounge, Ben lives in his own county. And that county is not located on the surface of this planet. Kronberg county is INSIDE the planet. He lives in a small, underground museum deep within the Earth’s crust. There is an access tunnel to it covered by a place he refers to as quote “his girlfriend’s house.” If you Google Ben Kronberg, not only will you find his killer sets on Late Night with Seth Myers, John Oliver’s New York Standup Show, and Last Comic Standing, but you will also find a webpage for a scientist doing chemicals research, which, to be honest, is—I’m not sure if it’s today’s Ben Kronberg or not. The show begins with some loud banjo music, me picking Ben up, and a brief deliberation about how we’re gonna do this with masks on. We head off to a grocery store in downtown Denver, a tobacco place, and one of those “You don’t have to make me wear a mask rallies” at the Capitol building.

Months before the world changed, Chad Niel @PlantBasedChad offered me a Tofurkey wrap off a hummus-smeared plate and chided my reluctance to eat after him. Hauntingly, this twenty-sixth @wanderingaisles opens with a foreboding joke about germs and preparing for "the Big One." We say "dude" a lot and I get some solid real-time shopping advice about meal prep and the practicals of eating plant-based. Chad hosts the popular "Cooking with Chads" show on YouTube where he cooks with his son (also Chad). It's a plant-based/modern fathering experience for athletes and civilians alike. You can support @wanderingaisles at Patreon.com/WanderingTheAisles

Me and a very funny guy named Denzer, one week into the new world, navigating ransacked aisles in search of last meals. We drive out to a Whole Foods, and King Soopers in the suburbs of Denver, Colorado. It's a first foray into the epoch of what my friend Jared Mendenhall calls: "One day at a time with two weeks of toilet paper." Support us on Patreon!

Season five's inaugural episode is just me and you (a reasonable distance from each other) at an Aldi in Omaha, a Safeway in Denver, and notes from one of the most purgatorial weekends in the history of standup. 

The erudite Brian Earl: comedian, improv genius, and savant, guides Andy through the Willy Wonkian aisles of Standard Restaurant Supply in Salt Lake City. (Where all the restaurants get their stuff.) The perils of first dates for comedians, drinking out of shoes, Dad jokes as population control. @wanderingaisles

Casing City Creek Center with Connie Daly, a retired Rhode Island school administrator, relationship sage, and spinner of some wild stories from the trenches of American education about sex toilets and sheep mutilation.  @wanderingaisles  

In which Meggie Troili, artist, musician, organizer of happenings, takes Andy to Salt Lake's Hogle Zoo. The two experience western caged wildlife dosed with underage drinking PSAs.  @meggietroili @wanderingaisles

John Florence, host of KRCL's "A Brand New Day" (weekdays 6-10am on KRCL 90.9FM), walks Andy through Sutherland's, John's favorite local hardware store. Andy picks up an Oklahoma accent, reveals the healing power of the "shath," and the two explore the merits of the latest digital mousetrap. @rockadayjohnny @wanderingAisles

Tim Duffy, comedian, writer guy for Comedy Central, takes Andy along on his daily commute from Staten Island into the city. It’s an everyday trip Tim's been taking for years, but Andy still finds it exotic, which makes him feel a little like a hayseed. Also, on this Valentine's episode, Andy gets into the thick of it re: what it means to be in love at 41 and how he's worried he'll have to start closing the kitchen cabinet doors when he's finally living with someone for the first time.  (Note: Staten Island Ferry is noisy so the audio isn't perfect here.) @TimDuffy @WanderingAisles