Keith and The Girl
Encyclopedia
Keith and The Girl, abbreviated as KATG, is a popular comedy podcast
that began on March 7, 2005. It is hosted by comedian Keith Malley
and singer Chemda Khalili in Queens
, New York. Chemda is of Persian descent whilst Keith's exact origins are unknown, but believed to be eastern European. In the show, which usually has a length of an hour or more, Malley and Khalili discuss their lives and current events in humorous and unrestrained fashion. As described by Keith and Chemda themselves in the show's tagline, "Keith and his ex-girlfriend talk shit".
Keith and The Girl has been able to consistently achieve a top-ten ranked podcast at Podcast Alley. The show has over 50,000 listeners and in excess of 1 million monthly downloads as of June 2008. The show's media files are hosted on LibSyn
/Wizzard Media, returning after a short period of being hosted on TalkShoe
. The podcast's popularity has peaked at times to the 5,000th daily traffic rank according to Alexa
. Recently they received the award for best Podcast in the Mature Comedy Category, and also People's Choice, for best Podcast of the year.
Less-frequent show elements include relationship advice to listeners' letters, mail and calls from listeners and other podcasters, road shows from on location (or reports afterward), prank calls, and comedy clips for review and discussion.
. This however occurs irregularly and you will find that they update this on a bi / tri monthly or even less frequent basis. Like the show it was inspired by, KATG TV frequently ranks within the top 5 on Podcast Alley. The show has since been merged into the main KATG feed and then into the VIP paywall.
Keith has also self published his autobiography, The Great American Novel, which was released in November 2010.
Podcast
A podcast is a series of digital media files that are released episodically and often downloaded through web syndication...
that began on March 7, 2005. It is hosted by comedian Keith Malley
Keith Malley
Keith Malley is an American stand-up comedian and podcaster who founded the Keith and The Girl podcast.-Stand-up comedy:Each year, Malley performs a stand-up comedy show. His comedy routine includes topics such as his relationship with his father, his upbringing in rural Pennsylvania, and his jobs...
and singer Chemda Khalili in Queens
Queens
Queens is the easternmost of the five boroughs of New York City. The largest borough in area and the second-largest in population, it is coextensive with Queens County, an administrative division of New York state, in the United States....
, New York. Chemda is of Persian descent whilst Keith's exact origins are unknown, but believed to be eastern European. In the show, which usually has a length of an hour or more, Malley and Khalili discuss their lives and current events in humorous and unrestrained fashion. As described by Keith and Chemda themselves in the show's tagline, "Keith and his ex-girlfriend talk shit".
Keith and The Girl has been able to consistently achieve a top-ten ranked podcast at Podcast Alley. The show has over 50,000 listeners and in excess of 1 million monthly downloads as of June 2008. The show's media files are hosted on LibSyn
Liberated Syndication
Liberated Syndication, often shortened to LibSyn, is a podcast media hosting company which opened in November 2004. It offers hosting of files to podcast producers under a monthly subscription model...
/Wizzard Media, returning after a short period of being hosted on TalkShoe
TalkShoe
TalkShoe is a Web 2.0 Internet radio/podcasting site that uses a Java chat client in conjunction with a conference call bridge to allow users to host or participate in live on-line talk radio shows called "community calls" or simply a "call" for short. A call can be syndicated and downloaded after...
. The podcast's popularity has peaked at times to the 5,000th daily traffic rank according to Alexa
Alexa Internet
Alexa Internet, Inc. is a California-based subsidiary company of Amazon.com that is known for its toolbar and Web site. Once installed, the toolbar collects data on browsing behavior which is transmitted to the Web site where it is stored and analyzed and is the basis for the company's Web traffic...
. Recently they received the award for best Podcast in the Mature Comedy Category, and also People's Choice, for best Podcast of the year.
Features
Some of the regular features of Keith and The Girl include:- Prayer: Shows traditionally opened with a prayer taken from the Somerset Daily AmericanDaily AmericanThe Daily American is a local paper for Somerset County, Pennsylvania. It features local news and sports articles for the county, as well as a daily prayer on the front page. This daily prayer, at one point, was read off at the beginning of each episode of the popular podcast, Keith and the Girl....
. However this changed beginning show 520 with the prayer now being written by a listener or, if no suitable prayer is submitted, by either Keith or Chemda. The Daily AmericanDaily AmericanThe Daily American is a local paper for Somerset County, Pennsylvania. It features local news and sports articles for the county, as well as a daily prayer on the front page. This daily prayer, at one point, was read off at the beginning of each episode of the popular podcast, Keith and the Girl....
is the newspaper of Keith's hometown. If the show has a guest or guests, they will usually read the prayer. It is closed with the Hebrew exclamation L'Chaim (to life). In show 1467 Keith and Chemda announced they would no longer be doing the opening prayer, but would keep the L'Chaim, moving it to the end of the show. However, this did not last long. - Guest Co-hosts: Many comedians that Keith and Chemda met have also become friends and regular guests including Jesse Joyce, Ray DeVito and Pat Dixon. Friends from within Keith and Chemda's personal circle of friends are also featured such as Adam Brown, Faceboy, Rev Jen, Lauren Hennessy (LaurenHennessy.com), Matthew Bray, and Brother Love.
- Live shows: All shows are recorded live and broadcast over the Internet using a ShoutcastSHOUTcastSHOUTcast is cross-platform proprietary software for streaming media over the Internet. The software, developed by Nullsoft , allows digital audio content, primarily in MP3 or HE-AAC format, to be broadcast to and from media player software, enabling the creation of Internet radio "stations"...
feed. Shows are announced via the forums, Twitter, and through the fan-made Keith and The Girl iPhone application. Listeners of the show are able to listen to the live feed and discuss topics with others in the chatroom, as well as submit comments to the hosts using a web feedback form. Listeners are also able to call-in to the show. - Celebrity Interviews: Several celebrity guests have been featured on the show. Refer to celebrity guests below for complete listing.
- Strange News: Keith reads (or sometimes plays audio clips of) unusual news and events. Keith also tends to add in his own one-liners and other comments into the stories, in such a way that they often seem to be part of the stories. Chemda is often tricked into thinking this is the case.
- Clown Monday: Stories from the hosts' day jobs at children's parties. Parties are usually held on weekends, hence a Monday recap. This segment is now defunct because Keith and Chemda no longer rely on children's parties as a source of income
- Suck-A-Dick Wednesday: A derivative of Opie and AnthonyOpie and AnthonyOpie and Anthony are the hosts of The Opie & Anthony Show, a talk radio program airing in the United States and Canada on XM Satellite Radio and Sirius Satellite Radio. Since the merger of the two satellite companies, this is now called Sirius/XM...
's "Whip 'em Out Wednesday", where if a woman sees the "WOW" sticker, she is supposed to flash her breasts. Keith one-upped the idea so that if a female encounters another listener wearing a KATG shirt, she is morally obliged to give him a blow job. Since the original show, Suck a Dick Wednesday, many listeners have called or written in relating their personal stories. These include a 13 year-old who was the inspiration for another show's title Baby's First Blow Job. - Gossip Thursday: Regular guest Patrice used to visit the show every Thursday to bring the latest celebrity gossip. In 2010 Patrice went to Boston for the summer and Gossip Thursdays went into hiatus. Patrice is now back from Boston but Gossip Thursdays has not resumed.
Less-frequent show elements include relationship advice to listeners' letters, mail and calls from listeners and other podcasters, road shows from on location (or reports afterward), prank calls, and comedy clips for review and discussion.
Recurring themes
Some frequent topics of the show include:- Accents: New listeners often are confused by Keith's strange pronunciation of words. This is due to the Pennsylvanian accentPittsburgh EnglishPittsburgh English, popularly known by outsiders as Pittsburghese, is the dialect of American English spoken by many especially older residents of Pittsburgh and parts of surrounding Western Pennsylvania in the United States, a group referred to by locals and others as Yinzers.-Overview:Many of the...
that Keith has. - Keith's upbringing: Keith and company discuss his childhood in a small town, with a religious father. Mention of Chemda's upbringing is much less frequent. Sometimes guests offer their upbringings in comparison.
- New York stories: Happenings, personal and impersonal, in New York City. Includes Keith's early life after arriving from Somerset, working as a waiter.
- Clown Jobs: Appeared often in early episodes of the show, as Keith and Chemda were formerly children's entertainers. Clown job stories are now a rarity on the show.
- Showbiz stories: Aside from Gossip Thursday, the show often discusses podcasting, comedy, music, television and movies, and the state of their respective industries. Industry guests often provide significant contributions.
- Relationships: The relationships of Keith and Chemda, Keith when he first moved to New York, guests, pertinent listeners, and relationships in the news.
- HUAR (Humans United Against RobotsHumans United Against RobotsHumans United Against Robots is a semi-tongue-in-cheek organization designed to unify the human race and prepare them for a futuristic robotic uprising...
): News and discussion of advancing robot technologies and their implications. - Race, sexuality, and religion: The show has a controversial take on issues such as race, sexuality and religion. This includes the game "guess the race" (beginning with episode No. 2 Introduction to Racism) where Keith reads a news story, often a crime, and invites guests or callers to name the race of the alleged perpetrator. A casual listener could easily take offense to these aspects of the show and a number of listeners have written either to the show directly or on the forums complaining of racism and homophobia. Supporters of the show would point out that much of what is said is an ironic take on stereotypes and parodies simple prejudice (this form of performance can be found in a range of current podcasts such as Fox in the City). The show also features a number of Black guests and regulars such as Patrice, who occasionally defend Keith and Chemda's personal stance on these matters.
- Glitter: Keith and Chemda both hate glitter due to the fact they were constantly asked to use it during their clown jobs, and the fact that they can never remove it when they are finished.
- Shooter McGavin: Refers to the "finger guns" gesture performed by the character of the same name in Happy GilmoreHappy GilmoreHappy Gilmore is a 1996 sports comedy film directed by Dennis Dugan and produced by Robert Simonds for Universal Studios. It stars Adam Sandler as the title character, an unsuccessful ice hockey player who discovers a talent for golf. The screenplay was written by Sandler and Tim Herlihy...
, and any other obnoxious behavior from so-called "hotshots". It has come to be associated with the use of technical jargon and trivialization of important information by these "hotshots" as a way of avoiding scrutiny. - Computer problems: As the talk show is delivered via the Internet a number of issues, such as saving or uploading audio files, arise. Being such a top-ranking show new podcast producers often email Keith requesting advice regarding podcasting, often obvious questions which information can be found by doing a web search.
- Nerds: Keith often professes his dislike for the 'nerds' that frequent podcasting, tech, and sci-fi conventions. He makes frequent references to them, often using a nerd voice to impersonate them. Recently, Keith started to use what is known as the 'nerd slurp' along with a voice that is a copy of the sound someone makes when they are wearing a retainer. Chemda, Patrice, and the general listening audience are usually disgusted by it.
- PodShow: Keith and Chemda have had issues in the past in dealing with Podshow, and its founder Adam CurryAdam CurryAdam Clark Curry is a broadcasting and Internet personality well known for his stint from 1987 to 1994 as a video jockey on the music video channel MTV. In the mid-1990s, Curry was a World Wide Web entrepreneur and one of the first celebrities to personally create and administer a Web site...
. One of the most downloaded episodes of the show was when Keith and Chemda acquired a podshow contract, and read the private document live on the air. In September 2008, Keith delivered an ultimatum for PodShow (now renamed MevioMevioMevio Inc., is an American internet entertainment network, whose properties include PodShow+, PodShow Podcast Network, PodShowPDN, Podcast Alley, CastBlaster, the Podsafe Music Network and, BT PodShow...
) to remove all links to KATG from its site, because he claims that Mevio is using the downloads to KATG to pad their download stats even though KATG is not featured on the site. - Taste Test: Keith, often along with frequent guest Brother LoveBrother Love (artist)Brother Love, also known as Larry Florman, is perhaps the first artist to receive truly large-scale recognition through his involvement in podsafe music...
, visit various strip clubs and gentlemen's establishments and review them on the air. - Andy Rooney: Keith enjoys mocking the often nonsensical Andy Rooney of the CBS NewsCBS NewsCBS News is the news division of American television and radio network CBS. The current chairman is Jeff Fager who is also the executive producer of 60 Minutes, while the current president of CBS News is David Rhodes. CBS News' flagship program is the CBS Evening News, hosted by the network's main...
program 60 Minutes60 Minutes60 Minutes is an American television news magazine, which has run on CBS since 1968. The program was created by producer Don Hewitt who set it apart by using a unique style of reporter-centered investigation....
. Keith enjoys making fun of how Andy has only a limited number of topics that he talks about, how he jumps from topic to topic without any segue whatsoever, and how he complains about not understanding something even though Andy works for one of the biggest news corporations in the world and could easily ask someone and find out. - Cindy AdamsCindy AdamsCindy Adams is an American gossip columnist and writer. She is the widow of comedian and humorist Joey Adams.-Early life and education:Born an only child in New York City, she was one year old when her parents divorced...
: Keith also enjoys mocking Gossip columnist Cindy Adams, who likes to end her column with her musings about the great city of New York, with the phrase “Only in New York, kids, only in New York.” Oftentimes these musings have nothing to do with New York specifically, they become comical when Keith reads them with, what he assumes is, Cindy Adams raspy, cigarette-ridden voice. - What Do We Do Now?: From their experiences in dealing with uncooperative customer service calls such as AOLAOLAOL Inc. is an American global Internet services and media company. AOL is headquartered at 770 Broadway in New York. Founded in 1983 as Control Video Corporation, it has franchised its services to companies in several nations around the world or set up international versions of its services...
, Chemda devised this phrase to get results in any customer service situation. When it appears that there are no other routes to obtaining your desired results, simply pause, say "What do we do now?", then hold for their response. The idea is to make the customer service representative so uncomfortable in this awkwardness that they will scramble to find some sort of result. Keith, Chemda and the listeners often share their success stories in this phrase. This phrase is featured on the back of the black T-shirt sold at the Keith and The Girl store. - Serioso: A term coined by Chemda to describe a long-term romantic partner. A serioso relationship is more mature than the adolescent-sounding boyfriend-girlfriend, but not as formal as a fiancé/fiancée relationship. Following that awkwardness that often comes from being over 30 and unmarried, Chemda decided this new term needed to exist as a short way of saying "Someone that I've been dating and/or living with for many years, well into my adulthood. We are not married, however we live our lives as any other couple, both romantically and financially."
- Party! Super Party!: A term first coined by Keith as a joyous cheer to be shouted at any event when you are surrounded with good friends, food or drinks and are genuinely having a great time. It is customary to take a shot of liquor after the cheer to solidify the merriment. Traditionally, the cheer begins with one person shouting "Party!", and all other participants join in to complete the cry. An entire episode of KATG TV was dedicated to the cheer. Merchandise has been made that feature the phrase as well.
Keith and The Girl TV
Keith and The Girl TV began in late November 2007. It is a branch off of the original format of an hour to an hour and a half of talk and is focused more on short 3–5 min comedy shorts or skits that usually feature a topic or guest of the previous week's show or news. Topics have included internet phenomena such as "2 Girls 1 Cup" and "The Cinnamon Challenge", to the inner workings of the main KATG show. The show is said to update every Monday morning and is downloadable through the shows website or via iTunesITunes
iTunes is a media player computer program, used for playing, downloading, and organizing digital music and video files on desktop computers. It can also manage contents on iPod, iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad....
. This however occurs irregularly and you will find that they update this on a bi / tri monthly or even less frequent basis. Like the show it was inspired by, KATG TV frequently ranks within the top 5 on Podcast Alley. The show has since been merged into the main KATG feed and then into the VIP paywall.
Books
“What Do We Do Now? Keith and The Girl’s Smart Answers To Your Stupid Relationship Questions” is Keith and The Girls relationship book, which was released on March 9, 2010.Keith has also self published his autobiography, The Great American Novel, which was released in November 2010.
Chemda
- FIFA Soccer 2002 MLS
- Vodoolulu – meooow Royale
- Dr.Israel – Patterns of War
- Conjure One – Conjure One
- Conjure One – Extraordinary Ways
- Viva Patshiva – Reasons to Live
- Clowned by The Girl
Keith Malley
- Coming of Age
- Children’s Party Songs
- Happy to Serve You
- Point/Counterpoint
- Sue Everybody
- Culture Shock
- Can You Imagine?
- Stay Inside
Keith and The Girl iPhone Application
The official Keith and The Girl free iPhone/iPod Touch application created by fan Doug Russell allows fans to listen to the show live, send in instant feedback, call the show, as well as follow Keith and Chemda's Twitter accounts.Past guests include
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Awards
- Blogger's Choice Awards 2008 – Best Video Blogger (Winner)
- Podcast AwardsPodcast AwardsThe People's Choice Podcast Awards, better known as the Podcast Awards, are an annual set of awards given to the best podcasts as voted by the people...
2007 – Peoples Choice (Winner) - Podcast Awards 2007 – Best Mature Podcast (Winner)
- Svenska Podradiopriset 2007 – Bästa Utländska Kanal (Winner)
- Blogger's Choice Awards 2007 – Best Podcast (Winner)
- Podcast Awards 2006 – Best Mature Podcast (Nominated)
- Podcast Awards 2005 – Best Mature Podcast (Nominated)