ABOUT
Comedian Dave Maher makes existential, theatrical one-man shows. After performing his second show, Feed Wolf Ice Cream, at the Edinburgh Fringe in 2019, questions from the show lingered."What do you hope happens when you die?""If you could regularly relive one memory, which memory would it be?""What's your coma?"Dave added to these questions and launched This Is Your Afterlife in August 2020. Since then, the show has grown to feature one of the most diverse collections of guests in podcasting: legendary musicians (Low, Mike Watt), SNL writers (Gary Richardson), indie rock darlings (L'Rain, Mr Twin Sister, Pool Kids), experimental drag artists (Untitled Queen), wrestlers (Colt Cabana), established and up-and-coming comedians (Chris Gethard, Marcella Arguello, Ariel Elias, Michael Rice, Joz Norris, Carmen Christopher), independent pop stars (Calvero, Tiffany Topol), abolitionist organizers and authors (Dylan Rodriguez, Kennedy Bartley, Alyx Goodwin, Catlyn Savado, Liberation Library members), ambient musicians (M. Sage), jazz luminaries (Angel Bat Dawid, Patrick Shiroishi), rappers (SHOWYOUSUCK), performance artists (multiple Neo-Futurists), music writers (Sasha Geffen), illustrators, poets, mutual aid organizers, non-sex porn performers, scholars, magicians, clowns, death doulas, and Dave's mom.Sometimes people are surprised how little This Is Your Afterlife explores "typical" spiritual/death topics, e.g. past lives, near death experiences, psychedelics, mediums, astrology, etc. But that's because the show is about life! These are conversations that (gently) toss a middle finger to spiritual bypassing and toxic positivity in favor of facing sensitive topics head-on and with humor.This Is Your Afterlife is a podcast that resists easy categorization, just like you.I told the story of surviving my monthlong coma to read my Facebook eulogies on This American Life, and I acted on Season 1, Episode 6 of FX's The Bear. I've performed at bars, DIY venues, and theaters all over the world, including Steppenwolf Theatre, the Neo-Futurist Theater, and the Annoyance. As an audio editor and engineer, I work with Haymarket Books on their podcast offerings and special projects.
EPISODE PLAYLISTS
There's a big archive of This Is Your Afterlife episodes. Here are a few ways in.
Dave's Story
"This guy was in a coma, wtf?" These are the episodes that answer that question best and give insights into This Is Your Afterlife itself.
Legends
Episodes featuring artists who are legends in their fields.
FuubutsushiHere are conversations with each member of ambient jazz band Fuubutsushi, the best band.
BONUS EPISODES: TIYA AFTER DARK
When you join TIYA After Dark on Patreon, you're not only showing support for the podcast. You're showing the world you believe in unique, sincere, independent art. For $5/month, you get free-form, comedy-forward bonus episodes in the weeks in between TIYA episodes.
Monologues, mailbags, field trips, Afterlife Power Rankings, and high-concept solo episodes like the Casual Work Cruelty Exorcism
Bracketology: Dave and his comedian friends perform an improvised argument game show to determine the Platonic ideal of various topics, e.g. apocalypses, transformative life experiences
Daniel and Drennen: Chat episodes with Dave's two longest comedy collaborators on everything from music to movies to mid-life crises
Afterlife Movie Club: Dave and a guest discuss a movie related to death
Nasty Squeezes with Sarah Knittel: Dave turns sidekick to his Philly clown pal as she asks guests the things that give and gave them "nasty squeezes"
MUSIC
All the show's music comes from Lake Mary, the life's work of musician Chaz Prymek. Chaz appeared on This Is Your Afterlife episode 165, "A Special Batch." Chaz and Dave hit it off so well that, starting with that episode, Lake Mary became the This Is Your Afterlife house band! Here are a few of Dave's favorite Lake Mary albums.
Listen to and buy Lake Mary on Bandcamp.