‘RELAX!’ the podcast lives up to its name

Ballinger and Stocklin add weekly upload to list of accomplishments over the past 50 weeks

Colleen+Ballinger+pictured+at+a+live+show+with+photo+of+her+first+son%2C+Flynn.

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Colleen Ballinger pictured at a live show with photo of her first son, Flynn.

Ali Smith, Arts & Leisure Editor

“RELAX!” with Colleen Ballinger and Erik Stocklin recently celebrated its 50th weekly podcast episode, as the hosts reflected on everything that makes the quirky show what it is, as well as all they have been through over the past 50 weeks.

Ballinger has been a YouTube star since the posting of her first video as her comedic personality Miranda Sings in 2008, but I found my way to her own Vlog and main channels before I ever began to watch Miranda, primarily because of her family content.

Actually, I have been watching Ballinger’s personal channels for four years or so, and only in the past month have I begun to explore her Miranda Sings content.

It is an acquired taste for sure, but it is so silly that you can’t help but laugh.

Ballinger has also been on Broadway, starring in the musical “Waitress,” written books, held annual charity events and many other notable achievements as a 35-year-old.

From her success as Miranda, Ballinger has done live-show tours and produced a two-season Netflix series based on her YouTube hate comments as Miranda called “Haters Back Off!”

When cast as Miranda’s love interest, Patrick, in the series, Stocklin met his wife, Ballinger.

Since then, Ballinger and Stocklin had three kids together, 3-year-old Flynn and newborn twins Maisy and Wesley, who have been the subject of the last group of podcast episodes, as Ballinger and Stocklin have gotten little to no sleep in the first three months of their twins’ lives.

In their 50th episode on Jan. 12, the couple — joined periodically by their twins — base their show on fan tweets, as fans went to Twitter to mention their favorite moments over the series’ first 49 episodes.

Over the course of the series, Stocklin has taken to writing silly little songs on his guitar, with his most recent being “Grilled Cheese and Applesauce” for 3-year-old Flynn, who began singing to his father when telling him what he wanted for dinner.

Prior to this new hit in the Ballinger-Stocklin house, though, Stocklin has written tunes based on hate comments, reviews of the podcast and much more, which have been cause for laughs and smiles for fans and the couple during the podcast.

He and Ballinger are pretty good at songwriting too, as I catch myself singing the jingle to their podcast mixed in with my day-to-day hums.

Their son Flynn also had his own segment of the podcast called “Truck of the Day,” where he periodically describes to podcast listeners, or viewers, his favorite truck of the day and what it does.

Let me tell you, this kid knows a lot about trucks.

The podcast is called “RELAX!” because every week, Ballinger and Stocklin pick a person, thing or concept that they think needs to relax and why, whether it be the UPS delivery driver, their crying kids, Marshall’s or sleep deprivation.

Stocklin also likes to quiz his wife, ironically enough, on entertainment, as he says she knows nothing about television and movie actors, books and music, although she is an expert on Broadway-based knowledge.

This is truly a relaxing podcast to listen to, and I enjoy watching the recording of it on YouTube, spending an odd hour laughing and decompressing from a busy day listening to two open-minded and comedic people talking about day-to-day issues and bringing some light to my Wednesdays.

This podcast can be streamed on Apple Podcasts and the “RELAX!” YouTube channel.

ALI SMITH

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