Ground Control Touring

At the turn of the 21st century, Tom Scharpling began broadcasting The Best Show On WFMU from the renowned free-form radio station based in New Jersey. Every Tuesday night, somewhere between Tom spinning records and listeners calling to weigh in on that night’s topic of discussion, Jon Wurster (drummer for The Mountain Goats and Superchunk, among many others) would invariably call in to spar with Tom as one of many inexplicable citizens or passers-through of the fictional town of Newbridge, New Jersey. As the years went on, Scharpling and Wurster’s long-form comedy grew richer, more nuanced, and more popular, developing a deeply-devoted cult audience. The Best Show On WFMU went off the air in 2013 and has returned as simply The Best Show, a stand-alone, independent show broadcast online during the same Tuesday night 9-midnight EST time slot.

In 2015 Scharpling & Wurster started performing live, presenting an intricate and hilarious mosaic of the best parts of their Best Show creations–including, but not limited to: Philly Boy Roy (the physical embodiment of all things Philadelphia), Timmy Von Trimble (a two-inch racist), and Gene Simmons (the leader of the rock brand KISS)–that’s rewarding for both diehard Best Show fans and new converts alike. Pitchfork dubbed the upcoming “The Best Of The Best Show” box set (due out May 12th via Numero Group) a Best New Reissue, and Paste called Scharpling & Wurster “some of the most agile comic minds working today.” Conan O’Brien says “Scharpling & Wurster are keeping the fine art of two-person comedy alive,” and called their material, “some of the funniest stuff out there.”