You wouldn’t think a podcast devoted to misery and whining would be all that captivating – but then again, considering just how much there is to whine about, you’re at least guaranteed your host will never run out of material. This goes double when the host happens to be “Whine About It” star and ex-Buzzfeed employee Matt Bellasai, and the podcast, fresh from superstar podcast company Pineapple Media, is “Unhappy Hour.”
Bellasai is part of the wave of Internet stars who entertain mainly by getting drunk (see: Hannah Hart) and being charming somehow in spite of their inebriation. Bellasai’s specialty – in wide evidence on the pilot of “Unhappy Hour,” is bitching and moaning, and in general snarking it up. He breaks down the podcast into increasingly “terrible” segments like “worst news of the week” (always ample material there) “deep dive” (where Bellasai goes “deep in” on a topic – in the case of the pilot, the entire state of Texas) and a round of rapid fire questions where special guests are asked to name one thing they hate that “everybody else loves.”
Usually, a celebration of all the ugliness, depression, and evil in the world might seem like a downer, but Bellasai has the gift of imbuing each nugget of terrible news with the kind of optimism that only exists in a completely honest kind of comedy. He’s also generous with his guests, and completely honest about his level of intoxication. For those of us who crave a bit less Pollyannaism in our lives, it’s well worth the listen.
