For those of you who don’t subscribe to his weekly podcast, I’ll say that Tom Scharpling is the host of The Best Show on WFMU, a three-hour radio program, which he describes as a mix of “mirth, music, and mayhem.” He also recently released his fourth compact disc of sketch comedy CD with his partner (and Superchunk drummer) Jon Wurster, titled The Art of Slap. The triple-disc set features eight new bits skirting the line between absurdity and hilarity, but the satire always manages to pay off at the end—even if you didn’t see it coming. Additionally, Scharpling is a writer and executive producer on the hit TV show Monk.Ted Leo (lovingly dubbed “the motherfucking man” by his faithful followers) is a thirty-six-year-old musician who has played with many legendary underground punk bands, including Citizens Arrest, Chisel, and the Sin-Eaters. Leo is best known under his own name, however, and has released five albums with his backing band the Pharmacists. The band’s latest release, Living with the Living, is their most expansive yet, featuring a reggae song (“The Unwanted Things”) as well as quite possibly the only punk song ever written about the Falklands (“A Bottle of Buckie”).

Leo is also a frequent caller to The Best Show on WFMU (in fact, the program recently hosted a contest where callers could submit lyrics for the new album). In that spirit, we thought it would be a good idea to sit the two men down for a conversation. It may not be as goofy as a prank call from a talking carp (which happens on Scharpling & Wurster’s new disc), but we hope it offers an enlightening glimpse into both men’s personalities—and if nothing else, makes you think twice before criticizing a guy who’s loading gear into his van in the rain.

—Jonah Bayer

TOM SCHARPLING: I want to start out by saying that Living with the Living is fully realized. Previously you would have songs that had reggae in them, but now you have an actual reggae song. Were you intending to stretch out on it a little bit?

TED LEO: I can’t say that it was a conscious decision to stretch out, but I do think that there was definitely an unspoken desire to do something different this time around.

TS: I think I watched a film called Unspoken Desire once.

TL: [Laughs.] Actually, I think stretch out is a really good way to put it. Speaking specifically of that reggae song as an example, I was just goofing around one day playing this bass line, and that eventually turned into “The Unwanted...