David Begel wants you to win a prize

We didn’t expect David Begel to say this when we were recording, but now we’re just going to roll with it, and if it doesn’t work out, we can blame David Begel.

But! Can anyone guess why David calls himself Mark’s “TMJ GUY?” No, seriously — can you? Because we’re not really sure. The correct answer wins a prize.

Anyway, Mark invited his TMJ guy back to the beautiful downtown studios of WMSE for a third segment, in which the old friends recap the holidays and discuss their favorite Christmas traditions (the Metcalfs, for instance, celebrate with a tree that stands in for major developments in Darwinian evolution), what it means to be an actor in an actor’s family, the role of criticism in an arts community and a cultural moment in which “good enough is the new great” (see: the New York Times’ 2009 Year in Ideas).

Is Taylor Swift the new great? Does Mark know who Lady Gaga is? What will become of the fidelity of the record player? Should Robin Williams retire? There are so few days left in the year, and so many questions to answer.

Listen in for your chance to win big: Backstage with David Begel

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We’ll see you in 2010, with a brand new Backstage series on Milwaukee’s stand-up comedy scene. I can hear you laughing already.