For more than 20 years, one of the funny staples of weekend public radio listening has been the comedy quiz show Wait! Wait! Don’t Tell Me! The show features a regular panel, special guests, and callers who weigh in on current news, events and pop culture in a way that blends improv with information.
Kris Puddicombe and his team are the people behind a Milwaukee comedy quiz show that takes a page or two from the Wait! Wait! playbook. The monthly live show, called I Should Know This, is produced by Ampersand Theater Company — formerly Mojo Dojo Comedy. The show's panels have included notable guests, including Mayor Tom Barrett, historian John Gurda and now WUWM's Mitch Teich.
Puddicombe says that from his younger days watching late night television, he had a dream of hosting a comedy show. And that, like human desire to want both peanut butter and chocolate, he wanted his show to contain both music and improv. I Should Know This is a blend of all these different influences, and Puddicombe says it can't be put in a box.
"Interesting, fun people having interesting, fun conversations is the soul of what it is," he explains.
"The original idea was I wanted it to feel like hanging out with fun people in your kitchen late at night, like we’re all having a good time," Puddicombe adds. "There are a lot of callbacks and puns, and everybody feels part of the action."
The next show, featuring Mitch Teich as a guest panelist, takes place Saturday, June 22 at Good Harvest Brewing Company in Walker’s Point.
