Studio: SModcast Network
Category: Comedy
What It Is
Filmmaker/podcaster Kevin Smith reminiscences with people from his past about Highlands, the New Jersey borough where he grew up.
Technical Details
This series originally ran for twelve episodes during the latter half of 2010 with a thirteenth and final episode coming in 2012. Episodes are around an hour or so in length. It does not carry an Explicit tag in iTunes, but it’s a SModcast production, so, come on, seriously. The iTunes archive contains the entire run of the show, doubled for some reason. Also, the title is presumably supposed to be A Peephole History, not A Peephole His, but you know iTunes and the apparently incredibly difficult process they have for naming podcasts.
What About It
This is a little different than most of the other SModcast productions in just how intensely personal it is. All of Smith’s shows are personal to a big degree, but they’re also usually focused on things in the pop culture landscape. But this show is literally focused on a square mile in New Jersey and Smith’s experiences there. Bryan Johnson & Walt Flanagan are regular guests on the show; anyone who knows about Smith’s cinematic universe knows these two guys. Kev’s sister, brother and mother are also on the show sometimes. It’s a show that lacks the wide range of conversation of most of the other SModcast shows I’ve heard, but that’s not a huge problem. Smith has skills as a raconteur and so, it turns out, do most of his friends and family. It’s a show that somehow feels nostalgic for the listener despite the fact that the listener hasn’t had any of the experiences being nostalgically talked about. It is, in some ways, a show that’s just about nostalgia for youth in general, both the good times and the bad, it should be noted. As such, it’s a show that works way better than you’d think it might. And it’s often quite hilarious. I haven’t listened to the entire series yet, but it is only a thirteen episode run, so it’s a podcast series you can actually complete and do so fairly quickly. While I love the ongoing shows, I also love the shows that come in with a premise, fulfill it and then just end, like a great television miniseries or something.
3 stars.
Essential If
A podcast ain’t a podcast unless the title awkwardly cuts off in iTunes.
Avoid Like the Plague If
You remember that sneaky Smith bastard from your Highland days.
Best Entry Point
Well, like I say, it’s a complete run, so the easiest place to start is Episode 1. I will say that the first episode is a little patchy. The show doesn’t get really fun until episode 2. But I mean, it’s thirteen episodes, you’re gonna listen to the whole thing, just start with episode 1.