Obscure with Michael Ian Black
Episodes
S4 Episode 37 - Hayseeds!
23 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
A sibling spat, if not an outright rivalry, is emerging between the Lycurgus Griffiths children over the arrival of the hayseed Clyde. And you know wh...
S4 Episode 36 - This Little Muskrat
16 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Reporting from the docks today as your host gets ready to depart upon the high seas. Yes, it's a maritime adventure on this week's episode of Obscure....
S4 Episode 35 - In the Shrinking Room
09 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Clyde is assigned to the dregs of the Griffiths Collar Manufacturing Concern. After a somewhat terse exchange with his cousin, Gilbert, Clyde is escor...
S4 Episode 34 - A Literary Do-Si-Do
02 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Clyde is making his way through Lygurgus, NY in seek of his fortune. We're getting a tour of the Griffiths Collar Making Factory as young Master Clyde...
S4 Episode 33 - With a Norman Wain Anecdote Enclosed
26 Mar 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Those who know of my work no doubt also know the work of one of my besties, David Wain. His dad, Norman Wain, gave some business advice years ago that...
S4 Episode 32 - The 60 Year Old Bellhop
19 Mar 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Clyde is about to meet his uncle, Samuel Griffith, who has come to Chicago and is staying at the very club in which Clyde's employ is now secured. But...
S4 Episode 31 - A Bowl Filled With Vicodin
12 Mar 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Your humble host is laid up with a blown-out back as he endeavors to feed your literary hunger. A surprise awaits Clyde in Chicago, which provides our...
S4 Episode 30 - Boxcar Clyde
05 Mar 2024
Contributed by Lukas
It's been three years since the tragic events of Clyde's Kansas City days. What has he been doing in the ensuing years? How did he make his way to Chi...
S4 Episode 29 - I Don't Care About the GD Boat Launch
27 Feb 2024
Contributed by Lukas
My God, yet another episode with Bella talking about the goddamned boat lunch the Finchleys are building up at Greenwood Lake. Like the rest of the Gr...
S4 Episode 28 - Fykkn Wykeagy
20 Feb 2024
Contributed by Lukas
No, it's not Welsh but it certainly is fun to say. This week, we're dealing with fancy ladies and chaps, in particular a certain Bella Griffiths angli...
S4 Episode 27 - What a Mook
13 Feb 2024
Contributed by Lukas
There's mooks aplenty on another tantalizing episode of Obscure. One from contemporary times, and several from the book. Plus: we fail to find a good ...
S4 Episode 26 - Hit and Run!
07 Feb 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Those meddlesome kids are causing mayhem - absolute mayhem - out there in Kansas City, MO. They're running over girls and crashing cars and engaging i...
S4 Episode 25 - Incessant Pouting and Jibber-Jabbering
30 Jan 2024
Contributed by Lukas
"Gee, but you're mean." The fact is, these two young people are exhausting. Clyde and Hortense continue their back-and-forth and we're forced to endur...
S4 Episode 24 - Hortense Curves
23 Jan 2024
Contributed by Lukas
All kinds of curves: whips and curves in the river bend and the curves of one Hortense Briggs: hippy curves, booby curves, butty curves. And skirts hi...
S4 Episode 23 - A Flock of Crows
16 Jan 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Horny teens speeding along a snowy road in a stolen car. What could possibly go wrong? Perhaps the tragedy will be vehicular or perhaps something invo...
S4 Episode 22 - Some Kind of F'ed Up Gift of the Magi Situation
09 Jan 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Well, Clyde has promised 50 dollars to Hortense and Hortense has promised her whole self to Clyde and Clyde's mama needs 50 bucks for Hester also know...
S4 Episode 21 - A User, An Abuser, Perhaps One Day A Boozer
26 Dec 2023
Contributed by Lukas
As we barrel through the holiday season, your curmudgeonly host grouches about all things consumerist. It is, after all, the corrosive acid of consume...
S4 Episode 20 - A Little S&M
19 Dec 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Clyde Griffiths doesn't seem to mind receiving a little abuse, and Hortense Briggs doesn't seem to mind dishing it out. Just a little Freudian nonsens...
S4 Episode 19 - Getting Lucky
12 Dec 2023
Contributed by Lukas
It's all about sex for Clyde Griffiths as he contemplates the sensual life. Hortense Briggs is playing her little reindeer games with Clyde's heart wi...
S4 Episode 18 - God Damn, Can't Anything Work Out
05 Dec 2023
Contributed by Lukas
In addition to the international tragedy of wars breaking out across the globe, your host is experiencing his own American tragedy of insomnia an...
S4 Episode 17 - Panic! At the Taco Bell
28 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
A strange incident at the Taco Bell leads your humble host to reflect on the importance of being aware of one's surroundings. Back in Kansas City, Cly...
S4 Episode 16 - She Might, Ultimately, Favor Him
21 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
As your humble, exhausted host tours New York City, where everything is up to date, Clyde Griffiths is at the center of the world, Kansas City, MO whe...
S4 Episode 15 - An International Tragedy
14 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
As another war breaks out in the Holy Land, your befuddled host offers his less-than-half-baked thoughts on the situation in Israel. Forget about the ...
S4 Episode 14 - The Bean
07 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Michael's in Chicago and Clyde's in heat.More at https://www.patreon.com/michaelianblackSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California...
S4 Episode 13 - Tay-Tay!!!
31 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Celebrating young love today on Obscure. T-Swift has got herself a new beau. Dane Cook has a new child bride. And Clyde Griffiths is out there in KC w...
S4 Episode 12 - A Terrifying Bit of Extravagance
24 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Clyde visits one of Kansas City's finest brothels with his fellow bell hops for a night of frivolity. What will this poor, penitent boy think of such ...
S4 Episode 11 - A Peach of A Lookin' Girl
17 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
The bell hops are getting ready for their big night out at Frissell's and trade stories of life at the hotel. Plus we meet Davis Higby who says, "That...
S4 Episode 10 - Sex is Bad
10 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Well, we've got everything in this episode: digestive biscuits, high-stakes gambling, forbidden fruit, and a gang of rambunctious bellhops. Clyde Grif...
S4 Episode 9 - The Hop Bench
03 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Your erstwhile host is back in sultry Savannah. Over in KC, all the bellboys are hoppin' over there at the Green-Davidson, the city's finest hotel est...
S4 Episode 8 - Boston Garters at the Haberdashers
26 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Clyde Griffiths is off and running - almost literally - as he begins his new bellhop duties. What an exciting turn of events for that young lad! Meanw...
S4 Episode 7 - Clean Under Your Fingernails and Behind Your Ears
19 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Clyde Griffiths is about to make his fortune. The bellhop job is his, and you won't believe the sums at play. Benefits and salaries totaling $48 dolla...
S4 Episode 6 - Everything's Up To Date in Kansas City
12 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Big doings there in KC, MO for Clyde Griffiths. They've gone about as fur as they can go. Clyde is casting his eyes towards greener pastures and stumb...
S4 Episode 5 - In Defiance of God and Woman
05 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
An exciting week blooms for your host as UFOs, Rogers and Hammerstein, and poker all make an appearance. Sadly, things aren't so rosy for the Griffith...
S4 Episode 4 - Esta Busta Move
29 Aug 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Some heavy-duty chemism in this week's episode as scandal erupts in the Griffiths household! Like the rest of us, poor Hester is just trying to find s...
S4 Episode 3 - Mostly About Eating
22 Aug 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Michael talks too much about his neighborhood and the food he ate in the first part of this episode, so if you want to just go ahead and skip that, he...
S4 Episode 2 - Dioramas in His Head
15 Aug 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Some old news and some new news: the old news is that your irascible host celebrated July 4th abroad by taking in a now newish film. Review ahead! Als...
S4 Episode 1 - Our American Journey Begins
08 Aug 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Welcome to Season 4 of Obscure. This season marks the beginning of our second American novel (our first if, for some reason, you do NOT consider ...
S3 Episode 67 - A Wrap-Up
25 Apr 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Well, we did it. We read every page - nay, every word - of this classic American novel. Now a summary episode to figure out what the hell it is that w...
S3 Episode 66 - Racing to Beat the Edibles
18 Apr 2023
Contributed by Lukas
We're in Dublin for the final episode of the reading of Wuthering Heights. Heathcliff seems to be longing for death. In his case, though, it...
S3 Episode 65 - I Mean, What Is He, An Ion?!? (Good one, Michael)
11 Apr 2023
Contributed by Lukas
The penultimate episode of Wuthering Heights is, at last, upon us. Lest you think the book will end without fireworks, think again! Some currant shrub...
S3 Episode 64 - When I Call You Stupid, I Don't Mean Anything
04 Apr 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Cathy Jr. is hard at work making amends with her stupid cousin Hareton. But don't worry, she doesn't mean anything by calling him so. Will Hareton for...
S3 Episode 63 - What the Hell Are We Doing Here?
28 Mar 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Your host arrives in Italy with one question. As for Heathcliff & Co., things are shaking up and shaking out as we zip towards the conclusion...
S3 Episode 62 - Arrivederci
21 Mar 2023
Contributed by Lukas
The New World gives way to the Old as your host gears up for his extended sojourn to Italia. Some advice: if you're feeling depressed/anxious, best th...
S3 Episode 61 - Aspects of Abstracted Silence
14 Mar 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Well, another moody week on the moors. Your host finds himself essentially incapacitated by depression and those dickheads over at Wuthering Heights a...
S3 Episode 60 - Zillah, What a Pillah
07 Mar 2023
Contributed by Lukas
If you were wondering if Zillah sucks - she does. More misdeeds, more corruption, and malevolence. Only Cathy Jr. retains her humanity in this morass....
S3 Episode 59 - Like Being Colorblind
28 Feb 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Everything's a bummer. Michael's a bummer. Here's the quote from which the title derives: "Depression is being colorblind and constantly told how colo...
S3 Episode 58 - Up, Up, and Away
21 Feb 2023
Contributed by Lukas
We’re shooting down stuff faster than the aliens can send it up there. Michael briefly recaps the airborne events of the previous week and then, at ...
S3 Episode 57 - Chestnuts on Window Sills
14 Feb 2023
Contributed by Lukas
It's an audiophile's dream episode! Marvel at the many moods! There's kidnapping and forced marriage, imprisonment, and bogs! BOGS!!!https://www.patre...
S3 Episode 56 - James Dean, Why're You Being Such a Dick?
07 Feb 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Rebellion is on the docket as Cathy Jr. finds herself in quite the predicament over there at Wuthering Heights. There's kidnapping! Forced marriage! F...
S3 Episode 55 - It's the guns, stupid
31 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Hey stupid, it's the guns. Today's episode explores the difference and distinction between fictionalized violence and the real sort. One of them is hi...
S3 Episode 54 - At long last, "Wuthering Heights" the song
24 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Your terrific host finally gets around to discussing the Kate Bush song of, coincidentally, the same name as the great American novel. Then, an uneven...
S3 Episode 53 - Tainted Love
17 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
In which your narrator struggles to identify the connective themes that make this classic American novel a classic American novel and, sorry to say, c...
S3 Episode 52 - Happy New Year
10 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
It's our 52nd episode of Season 3 - a year's worth of episodes landing on the New Year. What an exciting coincidence! Hope everybody celebrated in the...
S3 Episode 51 - Two Devils at Play
03 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Well, what's going to happen when you give a couple teenagers too much free time? TROUBLE, that's what! And when you've got a couple actual devils con...
S3 Episode 50 - You Can't Alter What You've Done
20 Dec 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Part II of Michael's Miami adventure unspools as his odyssey comes to a dispiriting conclusion. And, you'll be thrilled to learn, it's ALL HIS FAULT. ...
S3 Episode 49 - A Miami Mystery
13 Dec 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Part 1 of my MIAMI MYSTERY. Michael and his wife are about to embark on a long drive to Miami, Florida for (spooky voice) mysteeeerious reeeeeeasons. ...
S3 Episode 48 - Dickheads
06 Dec 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Some historical analogies on today's episode of Obscure as Mrs. Dean confronts Cathy Jr. about her budding, star-crossed relationship with young Linto...
S3 Episode 47 - Doin' The Robot
29 Nov 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Look, when you don't let the teens do some of the teen stuff, you're going to find yourself at your wit's ends with these teens. And that's what happe...
S3 Episode 46 - Strongman
22 Nov 2022
Contributed by Lukas
There are people who blow into town with a heaping load of attitude and make life miserable for everybody else. Somehow these people end up running th...
S3 Episode 45 - Buried Child
15 Nov 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Young Cathy, on the occasion of her 16th birthday, rambles in the moors for a look at some fowl. And, in doing so, encounters something foul indeed. P...
S3 Episode 44 - 90% of Everything
08 Nov 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Today's episode starts with a little monologue about cargo because - if this world is going to hell - don't we want to watch it burn with a steaming c...
S3 Episode 43 - Supine
01 Nov 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Wuthering Heights is BACK! This is a pun regarding the supine position from which your host narrates today's episode. Linton Heathcliff has arrived an...
S3 Episode 42 - Rude Bred Kin
25 Oct 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Who's to say who is the more rude bred of the kin: the dog hanger Hareton or the poorly mannered Cathy Jr. with her shameful behavior upon learning of...
S3 Episode 41 - On the Road to Penistone Crag
18 Oct 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Young Miss Cathy is growing in leaps and bounds, a sweet lil' lass sheltered from the world by her dear papa. Well, what do you think happens? She get...
S3 Episode 40 - Molto Bene! (Non sto bene)
11 Oct 2022
Contributed by Lukas
So the Italians decided to go old school this week and nature decided to go biblical down in Florida, and Michael's audio is all over the place on thi...
S3 Episode 39 - An Elegant Term
04 Oct 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Emily Bronte gives us a little joke in the midst of an action-packed episode of Obscure. Knives are out, fists are cuffed, feathers fly. All this plus...
S3 Episode 38 - Treasure is f'ing awesome
27 Sep 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Some brief recounting of Michael's trip to Rome. Back on home soil, we pick up the reading of our American novel with Isabella telling her tale of woe...
S3 Episode 37 - Buonasera
20 Sep 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Your host is off to Roma, Catherine is dead, and Heathcliff is feeling all sorry for himself. Plus, Michael explains why the saying "there's no such t...
S3 Episode 36 - Magic Time!
13 Sep 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Michael's doing magic in Vegas, baby. Michael and Criss Angel, together at last. Also, Catherine dies. F her. See Privacy Policy at https://...
S3 Episode 35 - The Tell-Tale Hearts
06 Sep 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Tis the beating of two hearts at stake in today's episode. Catherine's wastrel heart still manages to pump out invective, while Heathcliff's hardened ...
S3 Episode 34 - An Act of Civil Disobedience
30 Aug 2022
Contributed by Lukas
A recounting of a sobering night in Edinburgh. And Catherine Linton (nee Earnshaw), continues to gaze at the moors. What the hell else does she do? No...
S3 Episode 33 - Postcard from Edinburgh
23 Aug 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Just a short check-in from the highlands. (Michael doesn't know if he's in the highlands.)Support the show! https://www.patreon.com/michaelianblackSee...
S3 Episode 32 - Goofus and Gallant
16 Aug 2022
Contributed by Lukas
An exhausted Michael Ian Black, Southern Gentleman Esq. continues to explore the similarities between Heathcliff and Big Buddy. Meanwhile, Heathcliff ...
S3 Episode 31 - Happy Birthday, Emily
09 Aug 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Happy Birthday American author Emily Bronte!More celebration at https://www.patreon.com/michaelianblackSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy...
S3 Episode 30 - Name. That. Virus!
02 Aug 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Well, Michael had a couple of adventures. Also, there's more porridge talk in this episode than perhaps in any HERETOFORE!!! More PORRIDGE than you ca...
S3 Episode 29 - Taking an Epistle
26 Jul 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Just as with Frankenstein, now we've got stories nested in stories. In this episode, Isabella writes a letter to Mrs. Dean, who reads it to Lockwood, ...
S3 Episode 28 - A Whole Other Reality
19 Jul 2022
Contributed by Lukas
When the circumstances of the world are not to your liking, what do you do? Well, you find a whole other one. Michael has certainly been contemplating...
S3 Episode 27 - Damn You, Society!
13 Jul 2022
Contributed by Lukas
While Catherine foretells her own demise, to whom shall we assign blame? Society, of course! The mistress of Thrushcross Grange remains in a state of ...
S3 Episode 26 - Madness & Mania
05 Jul 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Mrs. Linton and Michael both experience a psychological break. Both are costly. Not costly? Supporting the show! https://www.patreon.com/michaeli...
S3 Episode 25 - La Bella Vita!
28 Jun 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Your humble narrator was supposed to be in Rome this week, but circumstances beyond his control have conspired to leave him stuck in sultry Savannah. ...
S3 Episode 24 - At My Breakers Point
21 Jun 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Michael spent the weekend at The Breakers of Palm Beach Island with the wifey and his friend Meghan McCain. At the less grand Thrushcross Grange, man'...
S3 Episode 23 - Train Garage
14 Jun 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Monsters abound, one after the other, on the cursed American moors. Even poor baby Hareton has grown fangs, not to mention a wicked pitching arm. The ...
S3 Episode 22 - Repeal the 2nd Amendment
07 Jun 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Look, nobody's coming to Obscure for Michael's hot takes on gun control, but of course he's going to give them to you anyway. Because he's a rebel! An...
S3 Episode 21 - And Then Comes Heathcliff
31 May 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Seems like a funny title for a sitcom where Heathcliff comes home to find his old flame Catherine now married to a different fella. Lots of hijinks an...
S3 Episode 20 - Not A Great Couple
24 May 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Michael's not saying saying Catherine and Edgar are the worst couple, but they're not great. But he'll tell you what is great: Wer...
S3 Episode 19 - Scalawags, One and All
17 May 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Each one of these characters is worse than the last. Not a redeeming quality in any of them, and that's just the way Michael likes it! More bad behavi...
S3 Episode 18 - We'll Do It Live!
10 May 2022
Contributed by Lukas
A special live to tape episode of Obscure, as Michael recounts his trip to the dump that is Brooklyn and associated poker tripping. Meanwhile, Catheri...
S3 Episode 17 - New Pants!
03 May 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Some exciting news on the pants front, plus more child abuse! If you're into the maltreatment of the young, this is the episode for you. Plus: sneezin...
S3 Episode 16 - Sincerely, Michael Ian Black
26 Apr 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Some thoughts on Louis CK winning a Grammy, and Catherine has an absolute freak out. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Pr...
S3 Episode 15 - This Episode is NOT An Ad for Diet Coke
19 Apr 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Ah, delicious Diet Coke, fizzy and delectable Diet Coke. Michael's been drinking a lot of it, and he know it's poison but who says poison can't be del...
S3 Episode 14 - Now What?
12 Apr 2022
Contributed by Lukas
A little bit of present account taking, an audio sorbet. A check-in from a mid-priced hotel in Rochester, NY.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/p...
S3 Episode 13 - Our Own Huckleberry Finn
05 Apr 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Haven't we all known some troublemaker kid who's always finding themselves on the wrong side of adult rules? Well, that's our Heathcliff. Poor, maladj...
S3 Episode 12 - Dirty Boy
29 Mar 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Oh, what mischief comes from dirty and petulant boys. Heck Michael wrote a whole book about it. Well, trouble is afoot on the moors and elsewhere in o...
S3 Episode 11 - The Wife Who Shall Not Be Named
22 Mar 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Michael's boy Elijah turned 21 this week, and he celebrated him with fine Southern dining and a peachy cocktail. On the American estate of Wuthering H...
S3 Episode 10 - The Wife Who Shall Not Be Named
15 Mar 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Tension continues to grow at Wuthering Heights when Hindley Earnshaw returns to mourn his father with a "half silly" wife in tow. Where did she ...
A Stern Motherf'er
08 Mar 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Mrs. Dean, now with a subtler funny voice, continues to tell the tale of the Earnshaw children and their ward, Heathcliff. Plus, an update on Michael'...
S3 Episode 8 - Injury and Incident
01 Mar 2022
Contributed by Lukas
A pot roast disaster and a sauna mishap in today's episode. PLUS, Michael continues to unspool the origin of our beloved Heathcliff, AND Chapter Four ...
S3 Episode 7 - An Old Pot of Coffee
22 Feb 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Lockwood perks up (coffee pun), as he begins to tease out the complicated family history of Heathcliff and his kin. Trouble brews (coffee pun)! Do you...
S3 Episode 6 - A Little Hitlerian Coiffery
15 Feb 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Michael got a Hitlerian haircut and nearly broke his finger. Over in the American town of Thrushcross Grange, Lockwood continues to chip away at the i...
S3 Episode 5 - A Heavy-Headed Cudgel
08 Feb 2022
Contributed by Lukas
A plea to authors: never include dreams in your books. They're boring, overtly symbolic, never advance the plot, and take us out of the story. Somebod...