I don’t remember when I first knew who he was or where I’d seen him, I just knew that Mo Rocca was witty, deadpan funny, and a great writer. “What an interesting persona to create,” I thought to myself. It was only after realizing that Mo is not a character—that’s actually who he is that my admiration turned to fandom.
He has a zillion credits as author, actor- a Harvard grad. It’s a kick-ass Wiki bio.
But I want to talk about his podcast called Mobituaries because it feels like Mo custom-tailored it for me and my colleague’s interests.
Here, let me just copy and paste some synopses from recent episodes to give you an idea:
Fanny Brice: Death of the Original Funny Girl “Fans of Broadway and Barbra Streisand probably know the name Fanny Brice as the woman who refuses to let anyone rain on her parade in the beloved musical “Funny Girl.” But the real Fanny Brice, the original funny girl, was a trailblazing Jewish comedian, who lit up Broadway and created one of the most famous characters on radio. Mo looks back at Fanny’s story (The ups! The downs! The nose job!) with biographer Barbara Grossman and talks with culture critic Erick Neher about how Barbra Streisand would ultimately eclipse the star she portrayed.”
Sitcom Deaths and Disappearances “Characters on sitcoms aren’t supposed to die. So when they do, it’s never less than weird. Mo examines some of the most infamous sitcom deaths and disappearances with Henry Winkler, Sandy Duncan and Alan Sepinwall.”
Some other titles, all of which were fascinating listens:
Neanderthals: Death of a Human Species
JFK Impersonator Vaughn Meader: Death of a Career
Wishbone: Death of a Working Dog
Laura Branigan: Death of a Singer, Life of a Song
Mo is an Ultra Nerd, and I know he’d be flattered by (or at least acknowledge) the title because, by his own admission, he spent a lot of his childhood watching TV. Not passively watching- memorizing characters, plotlines and opening theme songs.
The stuff before his time, like the fact that people just accepted dragons as a reality for centuries, or the story of a black woman who preceded Rosa Parks by so many years that it was a train/streetcar, not a bus that was the form of transportation in question, are thoroughly researched, yet delivered conversationally, not as if a Professor from on high is giving a lecture.
Anyway, I just dig these stories and I think you will, too. There’s also a book and other stuff you can check out on his official website.
I know I’m late to the party on this, but that’s the beauty of the podcasts; unlike the subjects of the stories, these recordings will live on.
