Poolside Chats
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| Poolside Chats | |
|---|---|
 Title card | |
| Created by | Tom Green and Neil Hamburger |
| Starring | Neil Hamburger |
| Country of origin | United States |
| No. of episodes | 6 |
| Production | |
| Camera setup | Multiple-camera setup |
| Running time | approx. 60 minutes |
| Original release | |
| Network | ManiaTV! |
| Release | August 31, 2006 – January 15, 2007 |
Poolside Chats with Neil Hamburger was a live webcast that aired on comedian Tom Green's now defunct internet TV channel.
Poolside Chats used to air live following Tom Green's House Tonight. The star of the show is self-described "America's Funnyman", Neil Hamburger. Neil took calls in which he usually traded insults with the callers. He has referred to some of his guests as "diseased degenerate rock and rollers." There was no real schedule for the show; it used to air randomly when there are suitable gaps in Hamburger's touring schedule. The show was also briefly available on an "On Demand" section of Tom Green's website.
List of shows
| Date | Special guest(s) |
|---|---|
| 31 August 2006 | Buzz Osborne |
| 5 September 2006 | Pleaseeasaur (Main guest), Pool Guy Don |
| 27 September 2006 | Jack Grisham (Main guest), Jack's hairstylist (Jordan) |
| 24 October 2006 | Bonnie "Prince" Billy (Main guest), Andy Dick, Pool Guy Don |
| 8 November 2006 | Kyle Gass (Main guest), Steve-O, Pool Guy Don |
| 15 January 2007 | Tim Heidecker, Eric Wareheim |
The format
Poolside Chats had a simple format. Filmed outside of Tom Green's house in the evenings, positioned by Green's outdoor pool, hence 'Poolside'. There was a small table where a telephone is positioned, from which Hamburger takes calls for his guest(s). Hamburger seated to the right of the table, and his guest(s) to the left.
Hamburger would take a mixture of questions he has thought of himself and questions from callers. The show operated without call screening, meaning anyone can call in and ask anything, serious or otherwise.
The show's affiliation with Tom Green (a notoriously confrontational prankster), coupled with its internet-only fanbase leads to the majority of the calls being pranks, insulting Hamburger or his guest(s), shouting racial slurs, or quoting internet memes. This led to Hamburger himself lashing out angrily against the callers (often without even being provoked), and hanging up or berating callers if they either did not respond quickly enough or gave signs they appeared to be setting up for a prank.
This haphazard format led to few actual questions of worth being asked, and normally relied on a torrent of genuine insults exchanged between callers and Hamburger for its comedic value.
