Before the rise of COVID-19, I was walking a lot more than I usually do. With my internship twice a week (now on hold for the foreseeable future) and my stubborn refusal to pay for Ubers and subways, I ended up walking for over two hours every single week. Now being in quarantine, spending time in the open air of my backyard and walking my aunt’s dog around the neighborhood as she works is the best way to relieve the stress from being stuck at home all the time. 

What gravitates me towards walking is that it’s the best time to listen to podcasts. I find it difficult to replace music with podcasts entirely, but I do have a few in my rotation (“My Favorite Murder,” “Critical Role,” “The Gus & Eddy Podcast”) specifically for road trips or walking. In the past months though, I can’t help but download episodes of  “My Brother, My Brother and Me” for my trips.

“My Brother, My Brother and Me,” often shortened to MBMBAM, is a comedy podcast featuring three brothers: Justin, Travis and Griffin McElroy. The brothers run an “advice show” which is a loose term because they often don’t truly answer the listener-submitted and Yahoo Answers questions they gather for each episode. Often, the questions and scenarios brought up, turn into ridiculous and hilarious banter between the brothers. The show also features segments like “Munch Squad” where Justin ridicules the latest in fast food news and “Play Along at Home” where Travis asks his brothers hyper-specific questions to which they have no way of knowing the answer. The podcast just released their 500th episode earlier this month, so there’s plenty of content to fill your quarantine. 

When I first listened, I genuinely didn’t think I’d like the podcast as much as I do now. The McElroy brothers are all in their 30s and are married with children. They’re in a completely different stage of life than I am, but they present their humor in such a universal way that I find myself laughing out loud throughout each episode. 

I listen to MBMBAM not only because it’s so funny, but because there’s something so unbelievably innocent and soothing about listening to three brothers talk about their families and crack jokes with each other even though they all live in different states, apart from one another. 

The coronavirus pandemic has so many people stressed out, understandably so. Social distancing and the fear that either you or your loved ones will get sick is a lot to deal with for anyone and everyone. If you’re feeling stressed out during these times, I strongly encourage you to check out MBMBAM. Each episode is under an hour and an escape from reality. You can start literally anywhere in the list of now 502 episodes, but here are a few episodes that are near and dear to my heart: “Episode 367: Shrimp! Heaven! Now!,” “Episode 355: The Playbloom” and “Episode 317: Jimmy Buffet Betrayal-ville.”

Side note: If you just really can’t get behind podcasts for whatever reason, check out the McElroy brothers’ YouTube series, “Monster Factory” or their six-episode television show (also called MBMBAM) available on VRV and Amazon.

About The Author

-- Senior | Emeritus Vine Editor -- Film,Television and Media Arts

-- Emeritus Vine Editor -- Film,Television and Media Arts

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