Podthoughts by Ian Brill: “Midwest Teen Sex Show”

Posted by Maximum Fun on 31st December 2007

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At this point there are plenty of places to find advice on sex and love (including Dan Savage’s Savage Lovecast which I profiled). But where, you might ask, can I find good sex ed for teens combined with irreveant sketch comedy? Friends, I direct you to The Midwest Teen Sex Show (iTunes link).

This is a video podcast, with each episode lasting somewhere between three to four and a half minutes long. Topics covered so far include female masturbation, male masturbation, syphilis and, perhaps scariest of all, parents (dealing with them, not becoming them). All are directed by Guy Clark. He keeps the show fast as it switches between information from host Nikol, described as a “former expert practitioner of teen promiscuity,” and other host Britney who plays various different characters in sketches illustrating that particular episode’s theme.

Nikol’s advice is a bit simpler than what someone like Dan Savage brings you but the show, as it says in the name, is for a younger audience. The real advice is laid out perfectly clear. Everything is made easy to absorb, important for young people nervous and inexperienced about sex (don’t worry kids, all those nerves and lack of experience will soon be replaced with jadedness and depression within a few short years). Nikol isn’t afraid to be sarcastic with her information. I laughed real hard at her advice against teenage girls dating adult males: “I know, you met on the Internet and he understands you and guys your age are so immature. The good news: girls mature faster than boys, so start dating girls.” When I first started watching this podcast I couldn’t quite place what so “Midwest” about it. Soon I realized that the show’s humor, especially Nikol’s charisma, shares the dry charm and sardonic wits of Midwestern stalwarts David Letterman and Kurt Vonnegut.

Of course another sign of the show’s Midwestern origins appear when Britney uses a cow udder to model the different types of male masturbation techniques there are. The characters Britney play in her sketches, occasionally aided by other actors, tend to be examples of teens who don’t take Nikol’s advice. Their misfortunes are taken to comic extremes such as one of the girls offering her opinion on why she had sex for the first time: “I have a really amazing vagina and I felt selfish not sharing it with the world.” There are also the bits that are just bizarre, helping to create the overall feel of the show. The inaugural episode featured Britney offering the advice that if you’re masturbating while going through the drive-thru at a fast food place, you better make your order complicated to grant yourself a lot more time.

When I was a teen all we had was Loveline on the radio. Do kids still listen to the radio (I ask on the blog of a PRI program)? I don’t know but I do know they waste a lot of time on this here Internet. I can only hope they come across the Midwest Teen Sex Show and pick up a few lessons.

Also, this is my last column for the year. I want thank Jesse for asking me to do this as well as Tim the former intern for helping out in the beginning. I’ve exposed myself to a lot of great content I wouldn’t have found anywhere else. This column got me interested in blogging again, which inspired me to reignite my own blog. A big thank you to all of you readers as well. I hope I turned you on to some good shows.