Spontaneanation

Spontaneanation
Presentation
Hosted by	Paul F. Tompkins
Genre	Comedy / Improv
Voices	Various
Updates	Weekly
Length	60-90 Minutes
Production
Composed by	Eban Schletter[1]
No. of episodes	51
Publication
Debut	April 1, 2015
Provider	Earwolf
Website	Spontaneanation

Spontaneanation with Paul F. Tompkins (stylized as SPONTANEANATION with Paul F. Tompkins) is an improv comedy podcast hosted by Paul F. Tompkins on the Earwolf network.^[2][1] Based upon an interview with a special guest, Tompkins and several "improvisational friends" (often co-stars from The Thrilling Adventure Hour, Superego, or No, You Shut Up!) perform narrative improv set in a location provided by the guest.

Episode format

Each episode of Spontaneanation contains two segments: an interview with a special guest, followed by an improvisational scene that contains elements from the preceding interview, taking place in a setting given by that week's guest. Each interview begins with a question supplied by the previous episode's guest, without revealing their identity. Additionally, Tompkins begins each show with a brief improvised stream of consciousness monologue. The improvisational scene and monologue are scored by Eban Schletter on Piano.

The podcast is notably different from Tompkins' previous podcast, The Pod F. Tompkast, in that it is entirely improvised, where the Tompkast featured pre-recorded bits and heavy editing.^[1]

Because I’m used to everything I do being very involved with a lot of pre-production and post-production and I really wanted to be able to walk in, record and it’s just done. And that’s how I arrived at what is Spontaneanation.

— Paul F. Tompkins^[3]

In addition to in-studio tapings, Spontaneanation is often recorded in front of a live audience at Café Largo in Los Angeles.^[4]

Episode list

No.	Episode title	Interview guest	Improv players	Release date
1	"A Denny's Parking Lot"	Busy Phillips	Craig Cackowski, Matt Gourley, Janet Varney	April 1, 2015
Interview Question: What is your favorite thing to eat when you're feeling sad, and if you don't feed your feelings like I do, why are you a robot? Improv: Romantic tensions unfold around a dumptster in a Denny's Parking Lot.
2	"A Mechanic's Garage"	Michael McMillian	Shulie Cowen, Marc Evan Jackson, Mark McConville	April 6, 2015
Interview Question: Do you have a perpetual age in your head, that when you think of yourself you think of yourself at that age, and if so, what is the age and why? Improv: Customers try to negotiate the prices at a Mechanic's Garage.
3	"A Secret Society"	Jason Ritter	Craig Cackowski, Amanda Lund, Chris Tallman	April 13, 2015
Interview Question: Who was your hero growing up, fictional or otherwise? And if you could, would you trade places with that hero? Improv: A group of brothers plot for world domination and conduct their war on pronunciation at a Secret Society Meeting.
4	"Savannah, Georgia"	Melanie Lynskey	Sarah Burns, Marc Evan Jackson, Janet Varney	April 20, 2015
Interview Question: What was the first time you experienced the emotion "humiliation"? Improv: A group of Georgians embark on an interstellar adventure behind each others' backs in Savannah, Georiga.
5	"Mars Base 3"	Dave Foley	Mark Gagliardi, Marc Evan Jackson, Amanda Lund	April 27, 2015
Interview Question: If someone asked you when you were 13 years old, 'Who are the five people you would invite to a dinner party' who would you have said? Improv: Couples deal with "traditional" problems and try to hide their relationship flaws at Mars Base 3.
6	"Dracula's Bedroom"	Maria Thayer	Drew Massey, Colleen Smith, Victor Yerrid	May 4, 2015
Interview Question: Where were you when you realized God was a wholly implausible lie? Improv: Dracula discusses the mysteries of life with his son, his housekeeper, and Renfield in Dracula's Bedroom.
7	"A UFC Weigh-In"	Kaitlin Olson	Mark McConville, Chris Tallman, Jean Villepique	May 11, 2015
Interview Question: What's your favorite invention? Improv: Monster Brad and Crusher Emily fight for dominance at a UFC Weigh-In.
8	"A Superyacht"	Elizabeth Reaser	Craig Cackowski, Jessica Chaffin, Chris Tallman	May 18, 2015
Interview Question: What do you like most about yourself? Improv: Crocodile Dundee and his new wife "Pussibly" honeymoon with Mario and Luigi on a Superyacht in the Mediterannean - Italian Riviera.
9	"The Annual Ghost Sex Convention"	Michael Sheen	James Bladon, Sarah Burns, Mark McConville	May 25, 2015
Interview Question: What animal would you save from extinction if you could? Improv: Ghosts and humans fraternize at the Annual Ghost Sex Convention in Las Vegas.
10	"The Student Lounge at a Performing Arts High School"	Justin Kirk	Sarah Burns, Matt Gourley, Chris Tallman	June 1, 2015
Interview Question: What is the earliest memory you have of doing something cruel? Improv: A group of kids work through their messed-up family histories as they put on a show the Student Lounge at a Performing Arts High School.
11	"The Underwear Department at Macys"	Aimee Mann	Ted Michaels, Michael Oosterom, Colleen Smith	June 8, 2015
Interview Question: What is the thing you desire that you are most ashamed of desiring? Improv: A search for panties leads to personal reinvention at the Underwear Department at Macys.
12	"The Waiting Room at an Oil Change Place"	Open Mike Eagle	Janet Varney, Jean Villepique, Hal Lublin	June 15, 2015
Interview Question: Do you have social anxiety, and if so, how does it manifest? Improv: Customers trade stories and question their life decisions in the Waiting Room at an Oil Change Place.
13	"A Dental Convention in Scottsdale, Arizona*"	Colin Hanks	Craig Cackowski, Marc Evan Jackson, Janet Varney	June 22, 2015
Interview Question: Why did you choose that outfit today? Improv: Dentists from Narnia and America alike embark on a quest at a Dental Convention in Scottsdale, Arizona on the hottest day of the year.
14	"An Urban Spelunkers Meeting"	John Hodgman	Shulie Cowen, Colleen Smith, Chris Tallman	June 29, 2015
Interview Question: Did you ever name your car? If not, what the hell is wrong with you? Improv: A group meets in an abandoned subway station for their urban spelunkers meeting.
15	"A Snorkeling Excursion Ticket Kiosk"	Jen Kirkman	Matt Gourley, Jean Villepique, Victor Yerrid	July 6, 2015
Interview Question: Do you believe in ghosts? Where is your evidence? Improv: A couple celebrates their anniversary by helping out ghosts at a ticket shoppe at a place where boats ship off for deap-sea snorkeling.
16	"An Intergalactic Performing Arts School"	Aaron Abrams	James Bladon, Matt Gourley, Mark McConville	July 13, 2015
Interview Question: Why would you never talk to your cousin again if you needed a reason? Improv: Humans, aliens, and robots put on a show at an Intergalactic School for the Performing Arts.
17	"Science Fair"	Paget Brewster	Maria Blasucci, Craig Cackowski, Amanda Lund	July 20, 2015
Interview Question: You win a contest which allows you to draft a 28th amendment to the constitution, guaranteed to pass. The only stipulation is that it must be food-related. What is your amendment? Improv: Family drama and TV's Heidi Klum force students to think outside of the box at Science Fair.
18	"A Theme Park Break Room"	Raphael Bob-Waksberg	Erinn Hayes, Marc Evan Jackson, Mark McConville	July 27, 2015
Interview Question: Gun to your head - choose a reality competition show to come to your home. Improv: A group of theme park workers strive for better lives and more rewarding careers in the break room for costumed characters and ride operators at a theme park.
19	"Malibu"	Lisa Hanawalt	Maria Blasucci, Sarah Burns, Chris Tallman	August 3, 2015
Interview Question: Sir or Madam, how do you sleep at night? Improv: A houseboy teaches two sheltered rich girls about life outside of Cher and their privileged life in Malibu.
20	"Death Valley"	Scott Carter	Jessica Chaffin, Michael Oosterom, Colleen Smith	August 11, 2015
Interview Question: When was the last time that you felt furious? Improv: Two newlyweds embark on a peyote-laced adventure with a guide name Toadstool and a helpful inhaler in Death Valley.
21	"A Top Chef Afterparty"	Jonathan Coulton	Hal Lublin, Annie Savage, Janet Varney	August 17, 2015
Interview Question: What ridiculous formality do you slavishly observe? Improv: Chefs compare their methods and recipes at the Top Chef Season Finale Afterparty.
22	"A Clown Cemetery"	Bob Kerr	Shulie Cowen, Matt Gourley, Jean Villepique	August 24, 2015
Interview Question: If you were forced to make a career change, and your success was guaranteed, what would you do? Improv: A cadre of clowns ponder their funny futures amid various conundrums in A Clown Cemetery.
23	"A Miami Record Store in 1967"	Derek Waters†	Carla Cackowski, Marc Evan Jackson, Colleen Smith	August 31, 2015
Interview Question: What was the last thing you've done that you've considered 'brave'? Improv: A father and daughter bond while searching for music at A Miami Record Store in 1967.
24	"Sport Club*"	Kumail Nanjiani	Steve Agee, Sarah Burns, Jean Villepique	September 7, 2015
Interview Question: When did you realize you weren't alone? Improv: Members strive through marriage, murder, and machinations to become members of the board at Sport Club.
25	"10th Circle of Hell"	Joshua Malina	Jessica Chaffin, Chris Tallman, Hal Lublin	September 14, 2015
Interview Question: If you could eat all the dessert and never have any ill effects, but all you could eat is dessert, would you? Improv: A group of friends deal with small talk and relationship troubles in the Little-Known 10th Circle of Hell.
26	"Garden of Eden"	Tymberlee Hill	Janet Varney, Victor Yerrid, Colleen Smith	September 21, 2015
Interview Question: What's the worst advice you've ever received? Improv: Adam and Eve blink into existence and deal with the aftermath of sin with help from Cheryl and 'Snatan' in the Garden of Eden.
27	"Underneath the Eiffel Tower*"	Scott Aukerman†	Matt Gourley, Amanda Lund, Chris Tallman	September 28, 2015
Interview Question: You can use your rib to make another living thing, but not a human, what do you make? Improv: A teenage girl joins a band of pickpockets and occasional kidney thieves in her quest to become a woman Underneath the Eiffel Tower.
28	"One Hour Photo Shop"	Andrea Savage	Jessica Chaffin, Matt Gourley, Drew Massey	October 5, 2015
Interview Question: What is your earliest memory? Improv: A close-knit family hatches a plan to save their One-Hour Photo Shop with a little help from George Takei and Patti Lupone.
29	"Backstage at the Rush Concert*"	Thomas Lennon†	Sarah Burns, Craig Cackowski, Marc Evan Jackson	October 12, 2015
Interview Question: If you could be invisible and go visit a current celebrity's home, who would it be? Improv: The band combats ghosts of the past Backstage at the Rush Concert.
30	"Vent Haven Ventriloquist Museum"	Laraine Newman	Maria Blasucci, Marc Evan Jackson, Jeremy Carter	October 19, 2015
Interview Question: Corn or Flour? Improv: Visitors and employees combat living dolls at the Vent Haven Ventriloquist Museum.
31	"Wine Tasting"	Bruce McCulloch	Janet Varney, Amanda Lund, Annie Savage	October 26, 2015
Interview Question: If days of the week had colors, what color would each day be and why? Improv: Two guys strive to overcome a spooky gypsy curse in an effort to get good Yelp reviews as they host Wine Tasting.
32	"Storage Room in Back of Hot Dog Stand"	Jim Rash†	Colleen Smith, Jean Villepique, Craig Cackowski	November 2, 2015
Interview Question: What was your best mistake? Improv: A group of immigrants navigate their way around staff disfunction and health code regulations in the storage room in back of hot dog stand at amusement park going out of business.
33	"TV News Control Room"	Paul Scheer†	Erinn Hayes, Marc Evan Jackson, Hal Lublin	November 9, 2015
Interview Question: You can switch bodies with one person for one day - who would that be? And describe your one day as that person. Improv: A group of newscasters manufacture their own news on a day when "literally nothing happened" in a TV News control room.
34	"Parking Garage*"	Kristen Schaal	Matt Gourley, Mark McConville, Jeremy Carter	November 16, 2015
Interview Question: What is one event that you would go back and change in your life? Improv: Men travel through several alternate Wikipedian universes in an attempt to leave a Parking Garage.
35	"The Moon Landing Taping 1969"	Natalie Morales	Bob Dassie, Rich Talarico, Craig Cackowski	November 23, 2015
Interview Question: What's one thing that everyone in the United States can agree on? Improv: Gregory Peck and Stanley Kubrick get together with a general from the Pentagon to fake a national accomplishment at The Moon Landing Taping 1969.
36	"A Dinner Theater"	Ben Garant	Annie Savage, Colleen Smith, Stephanie Courtney	November 30, 2015
Interview Question: How do you want people to remember you after you die? Improv: A troupe of performers mount a musical production of Dracula in a Dinner Theater.
37	"Saltwater Tuffy Shoppe*"	Andy Daly†	Janet Varney, Matt Gourley, Craig Cackowski	December 7, 2015
Interview Question: What's the worst fear you ever overcame, and how did you overcome it? Improv: A family man visits the Saltwater Tuffy Shoppe in New Jersey and has to deal with the shoppe's tough owners and the town's mysterious dentist, while learning what a saltwater tuffy is.
38	"Beautiful, Fancy Apartment in NYC"	Lauren Lapkus†	Tim Batt, Guy Montgomery	December 14, 2015
Interview Question: What's the dumbest thing that ever sent you to the emergency room? Improv: A woman takes part in a murderous, cross-country adventure as she tries to rent a Beautiful, Fancy Apartment in New York City.
39	"Freeport, Illinois"	Ravi Patel	Janet Varney, Chris Tallman, Jean Villepique	December 21, 2015
Interview Queston: What is a trait of yours that other people compliment you on most often? Improv: Two patients in a psychiatrist's waiting room in Freeport, Illinois make a wish and find themselves in a shared dream where Freeport does not exist, and they are mayor and first lady of it's replacement, "Jimsburgh".
40	"Inside a 40 Year-Old Woman's Purse"	Eliza Skinner†	Jean Villepique, Hal Lublin, Mark McConville	December 28, 2015
Interview Queston: What's the deal with Mario Lopez? Improv: An obese man gets hit with a shrink ray and embarks on an adventure to return to the proper size, with help from a Kleenex, a Tic Tac, and Abraham Lincoln, inside of a 40 year old woman's purse.
41	"Pet Store, Post Robbery"	David Rees	Shulie Cowen, Jean Villepique, Chris Tallman	January 4, 2016
Interview Queston: What's the best gift you've ever given? Improv: An Irish beat cop hunts down a gang of miscreants with supernatural help at a pet store, post robbery.
42	"The First Class Cabin of an Aer Lingus 747 in the 1970s*"	Susanna Hoffs	Drew Massey, Colleen Smith, Victor Yerrid	January 11, 2016
Interview Queston: What is the loudest thing you've ever heard? Improv: A humble man of Scotch-Irish descent overcomes poverty, prophecies, and squirrels to save his ancestral home in the first class cabin of a 747 in the 1970s. The airline: Air Lingus.
43	"Pediatrician Waiting Room"	Emily V. Gordon	Annie Savage, Steve Agee, Mark McConville	January 18, 2016
Interview Queston: If you could spend a week in any TV show, what would it be? Improv: Body swapping, workplace rivalries, and a boy stricken with Abdulajabbaris hurl the doctors into chaos in a Pediatrician Waiting Room.
44	"The One Beauty Parlor in a Small Town"	Dave Holmes	Jessica Chaffin, Craig Cackowski, Brandon Johnson	January 25, 2016
Interview Queston: Would you rather live without electricity, or a toilet forever? Improv: Secret agents infiltrate a town to uncover the local donut-maker in the one beauty parlor in a small town.
45	"Margaritaville"	Jerry Minor	Hal Lublin, Michael Oosterom, Jean Villepique	February 1, 2016
Interview Queston: What is your million-dollar idea? Improv: Invasive surgery and groundbreaking invention change the lives of a hapless trainee, his overbearing boss, and their forlorn customer in Margaritaville.
46	"Kay Jewelers in a Mall"	Alice Wetterlund	Gary Anthony Williams, Colleen Smith, Ted Michaels	February 8, 2016
Interview Question: Does everyone deserve to be heard? Improv: The mall provides a peaceful backdrop for political machinations and magical wishes at Kay Jewelers in a Mall.
47	"Pediatrician's Office"	Adam Sachs	Carla Cackowski, Craig Cackowski, Janet Varney	February 15, 2016
Interview Question: What about baseball? Improv: Religious ferver and soap opera knowledge push the patients into a quest for television stardom while visiting the Pediatrician's Office.
48	"Laundromat"	Judy Greer	Jessica Chaffin, Mark McConville, Annie Savage	February 22, 2016
Interview Question: What's a good New Years's resolution? Improv: A hapless employee and several local business owners endeavor to help a woman do her laundry while a bitter marital dispute erupts outside a barbecue-serving nail salon at Laundromat.
49	"Universal Studios Hollywood"	Cameron Esposito	Shulie Cowen, Brandon Johnson, Chris Tallman	February 29, 2016
Interview Question: How are eyeglasses made? Improv: Famous Universal mascots work with park security to find and stop an impostor character at Universal Studios Hollywood.
50	"Sante Fe Art Gallery"	Matt Besser	Craig Cackowski, Hal Lublin, Amanda Lund	March 7, 2016
Interview Question: Which person (any person) would make the best sibling? Improv: A Connecticut family joins forces with their children's imaginary demon friend to overcome the hurdles they encounter at a Sante Fe Art Gallery.
51	"Tesla Charging Station*"	Keegan-Michael Key†	Craig Cackowski, Chris Tallman, Jean Villepique	March 14, 2016
Interview Question: What is something you've considered telling one or both your parents but have not? Improv: A Tesla-owning couple hides a fugitive while their adopted daughter looks for love at a Tesla Charging Station.
52	"The Last Blockbuster Video Store"	Katie Dippold†	Mark McConville, Ted Michaels, Annie Savage	March 21, 2016
Interview Question: If you were to be a famous religious leader who would you be? Improv: A religious cult leader and his wives struggle with renting a movie from The Last Blockbuster Video Store.
53	"The Line for the Circular Saw in the Lumber Department of Home Depot"	Michael Penn	Stephanie Courtney, Michael Oosterom, Janet Varney	March 28, 2016
Interview Question: Do you toilet paper every toilet seat you use or is there a public toilet you wouldn't? Improv: A married couple looking to downgrade their house, a yo-yo enthusiast and a medium contemplate why the universe brought them all together in The Line for the Circular Saw in the Lumber Department of Home Depot.
54	"Inside that Salvador Dali Painting with the Melting Clocks"	Beth Stelling	Sarah Burns, Stephanie Courtney, Colleen Smith	April 4, 2016
Interview Question: What laws do you regularly break? Improv: A man deals with various spirits of a painting while a mother and daughter plot to rescue an egg salad sandwich all Inside that Salvador Dali Painting with the Melting Clocks.
55	"Land Rover"	Mary Holland†	Sarah Burns, Jean Villepique, Gary Anthony Williams	April 11, 2016
Interview Question: Was your parent's divorce your fault? Improv: A married couple is terrorized by street urchins after stumbling across a hermit that they found in their Land Rover.
56	"Los Feliz, Karen's House, 1997"	Margaret Cho	Carla Cackowski, Brandon Johnson, Chris Tallman	April 18, 2016
Interview Question: If you were going to get a tattoo in one hour, what would you get? Improv: A drunk group of friends read an ancient book of secrets in Los Feliz, Karen's House, 1997.
57	"Houston's Restaurant in Houston TX"	Retta	Maria Blasucci, Mark McConville, Colleen Smith	April 25, 2016
Interview Question: Why is the suit purple like this pen? Improv: A newlywed couple deals with an immortal being in a Houston's Restaurant in Houston TX.
58	"Rented Cabin in The Mountains"	Jason Mantzoukas†	Shulie Cowen, Matt Gourley, Amanda Lund	May 2, 2016
Interview Question: When was the last time you told your parents and siblings you loved them? Improv: A man struggles to impress his girlfriend's family while dealing with PTSD in a Rented Cabin in The Mountains.

^[5]

† signifies that the guest participated in the improv bit of the show.

(*) denotes that the episode was recorded in front of a live audience.

Improv players

• Craig Cackowski (13 episodes)
• Chris Tallman (13 episodes)
• Colleen Smith (12 episodes)
• Jean Villepique (12 episodes)
• Mark McConville (11 episodes)
• Janet Varney (11 episodes)
• Matt Gourley (10 episodes)
• Marc Evan Jackson (9 episodes)
• Sarah Burns (8 episodes)
• Hal Lublin (7 episodes)
• Amanda Lund (7 episodes)
• Jessica Chaffin (6 episodes)
• Shulie Cowen (6 episodes)
• Annie Savage (6 episodes)
• Maria Blasucci (4 episodes)
• Michael Oosterom (4 episodes)
• Victor Yerrid (4 episodes)
• Carla Cackowski (3 episode)
• Stephanie Courtney (3 episodes)
• Brandon Johnson (3 episodes)
• Drew Massey (3 episodes)
• Ted Michaels (3 episodes)
• Steve Agee (2 episodes)
• James Bladon (2 episodes)
• Jeremy Carter (2 episodes)
• Erinn Hayes (2 episodes)
• Gary Anthony Williams (2 episodes)
• Tim Batt (1 episode)
• Bob Dassie (1 episode)
• Mark Gagliardi (1 episode)
• Guy Montgomery (1 episode)
• Rich Talarico (1 episode)

Recognition

The podcast has been listed on several "Best Of" lists for podcasts in 2015. The show was included in Apple's collection of "The Best Podcasts of 2015.^[6] Paste Magazine placed Spontaneanation in the 5th spot on their list of The 10 Best Comedy Podcasts of 2015, referring to it as "both an illuminating chat show and a strong argument in favor of the often-maligned artform of improv comedy."^[7]"A Theme Park Break Room" was included on Vulture's list of the Best Comedy Podcast Episodes of 2015, referring to it as "what was easily one of the most wildly funny podcasts of 2015."^[2]

References

1. Greenberg, Rudi (April 2, 2015). "On his new podcast, ‘Spontaneanation,’ Paul F. Tompkins makes it up as he goes along". The Washington Post.
2. Kramer, Josh (December 14, 2015). "The 10 Best Comedy Podcasts and Comedy Podcast Episodes of 2015". Vulture.com.
3. Bernhardt, Ross (April 22, 2015). "Paul F. Tompkins talks Spontaneanation and Podcasting". Paste Magazine.
4. Williams, Joe (June 28, 2015). "From 'Serial' to Marc Maron, podcasting is the biggest thing since radio". St. Louis Post-Dispatch.
5. "SPONTANEATION Episode Listing".
6. McAlone, Nathan (December 29, 2015). "Apple's List of the Best Podcasts of 2015". Business Insider.
7. "The 10 Best Comedy Podcasts of 2015". Paste (magazine). December 18, 2015.