Sup Doc: A Documentary Podcast

Sup Doc

Sup Doc is the comedy podcast where docs get reviewed and recapped! Hosts Paco Romane and George Chen dive into docs with sharp takes, big laughs, and cool guests from the worlds of tv, movies and music. No homework required—just show up and have fun. “A fun way to pore over docs” – Vulture “Enlightening” – The A.V. Club

  1. 08/04/2025

    PAVEMENTS / KIM'S VIDEO with Arthur Jones

    Doc director Arthur Jones (Feels Good Man, Antisocial Network) is a '90s indie rock guy, just like George, so they tackle these two parallel docs. Our first in-person episode in a few years (most recent was Rodney Ascher in 2021), Arthur and Giorgio Angelini were in-person in March 2020 to discuss Feels Good Man. PAVEMENTS (Alex Ross Perry, 2024) is a hybrid docufiction about the UR-slacker band from Stockton that took the indie world by storm. Perry combines standard music doc tropes with a meta-biopic, meta-musical theater show, and meta-faux-museum exhibit, to meta-success. George and Arthur go deep on living through the irony-poisoned '90s, Malkmus as Fauntleroy, Stockton as the birthplace of Universal Basic Income in America, and Don DeLillo's White Noise. KIM'S VIDEO (David Redmon, Ashley Sabin, 2023) Korean immigrant Yong-man Kim starts a chain of video stores in New York, including a lot of bootlegs and underground film and music. The times catch up as they inevitably do with media retail, and the stores all close. Who will house this one-of-a-kind collection of VHS and DVDs? How do they end up in Salemi, Sicily, and what will be their fate? Director Redmon takes an investigative approach that is surprisingly gonzo and, like the best docs, does not end up where you think it will. Both docs are currently available to stream on MUBI. Arthur Jones is best known for making documentary films but enjoys working across a variety of disciplines. He directed the award-winning documentary film Feels Good Man (2020) and co-directed The Antisocial Network, Netflix (2024). Both of these movies are deeply researched true stories that explore how the internet has made us all a little crazier. Each is visually inventive and filled with unique motion graphics. In addition to working as a director, he freelances as a graphic designer, illustrator, editor and animator. He completed design and motion work for the upcoming doc features Go Deep (Amazon Prime, HyperObject Industries) and Have You Seen Me Lately (HBO Documentary, Ringer Films) and edited Joe Mande’s comedy special CHILL (Hulu). Arthur has guest lectured at colleges and universities on a variety of subjects, including the history of conspiracy theories, internet memetics, online extremism and non-fiction filmmaking. He write essays, illustrate articles and record podcasts at the substack Brainworms U.S.A. Michael Stubbs HBO doc Stockton On My Mind Stephen Malkmus SiriusXM guest DJ mix Karina Longworth 2012 story on Kim's Video from The Village Voice Audio edited by Arthur Jones. Sup Doc on social media See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

    PAVEMENTS / KIM'S VIDEO with Arthur Jones
  2. 06/16/2025

    PEE-WEE AS HIMSELF

    Paco and George watched the 2025 Matt Wolf two-part Paul Ruebens doc on HBO. This is prime Gen X imprinting, Paul Reubens' real life definitively laid out for the picking. The impish Reubens created his signature Pee-Wee Herman stage show as a cult Hollywood underground theater piece in 1981, but it didn't take much time for the world to catch on thanks to 1985's Pee-wee's Big Adventure, also the feature film debut of director Tim Burton. We talk about his comedy origins, the cultural impact of Pee-wee’s Playhouse, and how Reubens blurred the line between persona and performer. Pee-wee Herman, the quirky, bow-tied man-child brought to life by Paul Reubens, revolutionized children’s television and pop culture by refusing to fit into any traditional box. With Pee-wee’s Playhouse, Reubens created a technicolor world that was as smart as it was silly—mixing slapstick, surrealism, and subversion with genuine warmth and creativity. The show wasn’t just for kids; it was a layered, artful spectacle that celebrated difference, encouraged imagination, and featured a wildly diverse cast before that was common. Pee-wee became a cultural icon because he gave audiences permission to be weird, to laugh loud, and to embrace joy without irony. His influence can still be seen in everything from alt-comedy to design to how we talk about identity and play. Part review, part tribute, this episode is a celebration of a singular, subversive icon who never stopped being a kid at heart.  A very private Reubens faces his own internal battles even while doing interviews with doc director Matt Wolf, right before his death in 2023. This two-part series is moving and joyous, but also heart-breaking look at the man who truly was "a loner, Dottie." George's article about the Pee-wee radio show Meeting Ric Heitzman at his gallery show closing. Paco's video for Sal & Mitzi See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

    PEE-WEE AS HIMSELF
4.8
out of 5
73 Ratings

About

Sup Doc is the comedy podcast where docs get reviewed and recapped! Hosts Paco Romane and George Chen dive into docs with sharp takes, big laughs, and cool guests from the worlds of tv, movies and music. No homework required—just show up and have fun. “A fun way to pore over docs” – Vulture “Enlightening” – The A.V. Club

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