Your Favorite Episode

[buffcoat]

Four Lokomas, but I'm currently working my way forward from late 2008 so this may change.

This one is up there.  Was "don't you know I'm Loko?" in this one?

[buffcoat]

It wasn't the first episode I listened to, but it was close.  When Matt "toilet mouth" Walsh dropped his filthy toilet talk on the show, which lead tom to go off the deep end for 45 minutes.  Every time he would hang up on someone because he was still mad at Walsh it just killed me, that was the episode where I knew the best show was going to be one of my favorites.

Matt Walsh's calls are the most consistenly hilarious parts of the early Best Show.  He makes himself come across as the most put-upon person on the planet.  His interactions with Horatio Sanz and with Jon Benjamin are fantastic.

[JesseFromVegas]

Four Lokomas, but I'm currently working my way forward from late 2008 so this may change.

This one is up there.  Was "don't you know I'm Loko?" in this one?

The original "Don't you know I'm Loko?" was the previous episode with Julie Klausner when Mike was drinking it by himself.  He said it again during the next week's full on Four Lokomas celebration several times, and iirc there was much discussion of Mike's creepy luggage by John Hodgman.  Also Tom sang some BNL.

[ben]

I've always liked the Danielson Family Bachelor Party from October 10th, 2006.  Pudge, Timmy Von Trimble, PBR, Marky Ramone, AND the original bully Troy Dershman.  Interacting with the Danielson Family?   So great.  But idunno.

Freddy Danielson Bachelor Party (pt.1)

[hardweek]

World is in the turlit.

[Boogdish]

Though fairly recent, I'm calling the episode from November 30th 2010 my favorite.  The old man, then Todd Barry, then the Bruce Springsteen biographer. 

[effecT]

The episode when Evan Davies Bryce did not show up and Tom had to go overtime and called up people from the phone-book.
The beginning is excruciatingly boring, because Tom can't get any hooks into the people he calls.
Tom ends up calling a family of *interesting people* and has a hilarious conversation with them.
It's a great payoff.

I will look for the date in the archives.

Addendum and correction:

September 2, 2003: (Part Two): Bryce Doesn't Show Up, So Tom Calls Payphones From Around The Country. This Features An Hour-Long Conversation With A Man In California Named Clem And His Step Daughter. Pure Radio Magic!

[Kid Pain]

October 7, 2008: A Call From Todd Palin, Tom Talks Of His Adventures On A Ferris Wheel And A Few Other Fun Things.


Autumn 2008-Spring 2009 is my favorite stretch so to speak.

[JonFromMaplewood]

The Order of Everything.

[buffcoat]

The moment I became a Scharpling and Wurster fan is when Ronald Thomas Clontle said "he just blocks him, what is he DOING?" underneath his breath during Rock, Rot and Rule.

I didn't discover the Best Show for a few more months.  The Gorch saying, "I made him suck on my pipe" and having no idea why that sounded strange was what sealed that for me.

[Patrick]

cant find the date but there is one when jon calls in a few times and they are clearly spur of the moment, about Payola for playing the New Pornographers, also i think that is the episode where jon threatens to melt tom and jon calls in again as "the ones brother" think this is sometime during 06/07...  also the episode during the VP debate in 04 is another great one.

[moonshake]

cant find the date but there is one when jon calls in a few times and they are clearly spur of the moment, about Payola for playing the New Pornographers, also i think that is the episode where jon threatens to melt tom and jon calls in again as "the ones brother" think this is sometime during 06/07...  also the episode during the VP debate in 04 is another great one.

Jan 31 2006. One of my absolute favorites too. "Marky Ramone" reads a passage from Lady Waynesworth's Desires. "The One" threatens Tom with this memorable line: "I'll melt you." Then, his brother calls in with some other threat, I believe. Some actual caller claims "Indie payola exists and I've proven it tonight." Then "Mills" from Matador checks up on Tom- "Little light on the NPs tonight."

[buffcoat]

cant find the date but there is one when jon calls in a few times and they are clearly spur of the moment, about Payola for playing the New Pornographers, also i think that is the episode where jon threatens to melt tom and jon calls in again as "the ones brother" think this is sometime during 06/07...  also the episode during the VP debate in 04 is another great one.

Jan 31 2006. One of my absolute favorites too. "Marky Ramone" reads a passage from Lady Waynesworth's Desires. "The One" threatens Tom with this memorable line: "I'll melt you." Then, his brother calls in with some other threat, I believe. Some actual caller claims "Indie payola exists and I've proven it tonight." Then "Mills" from Matador checks up on Tom- "Little light on the NPs tonight."

The "actual caller" said his name was "Gordon from South Dakota," but it was actually Kid Kansas, Tom's mid-2000s nemesis (along with Capt J**k and the Mr. T Guy).  I hope Tom's last show ever (when it comes) is very emotional and introspective and then ends with "shut up-shut up-shut up-shut up-shut up-foo" as the sound fades.

[Greggulator]

I'm going WAY back into archives and listening to the second tribute to Billy Joel. The show is so completely different. I love the whole "WFMU Listeners Have Spoken" stuff, knowing that since this was well before the show took off, the standard WFMU listerner must be completely infuriated hearing "Pressure" on the air.

[ted_]

As I said in the other thread, mine is:

June 15, 2010: The Legendary PAUL F TOMPKINS Is Live In The Studio Along With Puppet WALLY WACKIMAN And Tom's Protegee THE H-MAN! A Call From DAMIAN From F'ed Up. The Musical Pacings Of The West Wing Are Discussed And More! You Can't Miss This One!

I'm a fairly new FOT, and this is the show that got me to transition from just listening to the Gems podcast to downloading full episodes and listening live. Aside from a brief slow start, it's hilarious end to end. Milo's call about D&D, Tom and PFT's faux-interest in an epically boring Michael-K.-from-the-Cynics anecdote, Tom's "all fives" story about an unscrupulous car repairman, Tom razzing the H-Man about getting a job, a caller suggesting that Wally appear in corporate training videos, the West Wing music bit... there's more, too. Just amazing.

Not to be a copycat, but I too am a fairly new FOT and this was also the episode where it all finally clicked for me and I made the transition from Best Show Gems into the Best Show proper. I think the combination of Damien from F'ed Up, and PFT and Tom in studio, dealing (masterfully) with calls Milo, Spike, *and* Michael K.  really sealed the deal.

I think a very close second might be:

March 29, 2011: Philly Boy Roy is stuck at an Emerald Nightmare party! Guy Ritchie is a British Kevin Smith! NJ’s most dangerous theme park, Action Park! PATTON OSWALT calls from onstage in Athens, GA! And PAUL F. TOMPKINS checks in from Australia! What a show!

for the Tom's discussion of going to the Beatles convention, if nothing else. The kazoo at the end, really. "Mistaaaaah Mooooonliiiiiighhhht...."