Episodes
Wednesday Jan 13, 2016
The Sound of Gonzo: Vol 10 [Disney]
Wednesday Jan 13, 2016
Wednesday Jan 13, 2016
[School of Everything Else 2016]
We're bringing this classic show format back after three years away (somehow it skipped over the entirety of Digital Drift). This is the prologue to our 90s Disney Renaissance series of podcasts. Since the songs get so much love and attention and are going to be showcased on our podcasts anyway I brought in James Batchelor to pick with me, pieces of music from the scores of ten years of the very best movies from the house of Mouse.
1. The Little Mermaid – Fathoms Below (Alan Menken
2. Rescuers Down Under – Cody’s Flight (Bruce Broughton)
3. Beauty and the Beast – Transformation (Alan Menken)
4. Aladdin – Cave of Wonders (Alan Menken)
5. The Lion King – King of Pride Rock (Hans Zimmer)
6. Pocahontas – Farewell (Alan Menken)
7. The Hunchback of Notre Dame – The Bell Tower (Alan Menken)
8. Hercules – A True Hero (Alan Menken)
9. Mulan – Burned Out Village (Jerry Goldsmith)
10. Tarzan – A Wondrous Place (Mark Mancina)
Tuesday Jan 12, 2016
Stephen King’s IT
Tuesday Jan 12, 2016
Tuesday Jan 12, 2016
The bestselling novel of 1986, this is a story set across two time frames 28 years apart. In the small town of Derry, Maine the locals enjoy relative success, their harmony only broken every three decades when children go missing. Something is lurking down in the sewers, and it is hungry.
Seven childhood friends, calling themselves The Losers pledge to find out what this being is and if they can, stop it for good. They are not entirely successful. 28 years later, they regroup in their forties to journey back to Derry and finish the job.
The novel is huge, but I read through the whole thing, partly because this was a commissioned show, but mainly because it is one of Sharon's lifelong favourites and I hoped this would give me a little more insight into her inner workings. It did. When I had finished I felt like I'd been on a really significant journey.
We cover the two-part TV miniseries and speculate on ways that this might be adapted into the feature film duet beginning late 2017.
Monday Jan 11, 2016
Big Data
Monday Jan 11, 2016
Monday Jan 11, 2016
[School of Everything Else 2016]
This is an interview Sharon and I hosted with Ryan Estrada, writer, artist, producer of many many different projects, the latest being Big Data.
(It was originally published in two parts and now, in its complete form it is patreon-only content)
*There are seven keys to the internet, what if each in turn was stolen? Could our repository of information and primary means of communication really be shut down?*
This nine part comedy anthology audio drama, funded by Kickstarter is currently on episode four. It's also got a cast that will set many geeks a-quivering with Paul F. Thompkins (Bojack Horseman) Jemaine Clement (Flight of the Conchords) and Felicia Day (The Guild), plus 69 other voices. Here we discuss with Ryan the inception of the story, the complex casting and direction process, and (in a fairly spoiler-free way) some of his favourite moments.
Go here to listen to the first few (though you could also listen to this interview first).
As we say in the interview, episode 1 is a little chaotic so make sure you stick with it for the next few and you will see (or hear) the grander epic taking form. Huge thanks to Ryan for being so generous with his time, and it was fantastic to be able to discuss the finer points with him.
Sunday Jan 10, 2016
Resident Evil
Sunday Jan 10, 2016
Sunday Jan 10, 2016
[School of Everything Else 2016]
This is a deep dive into the very first Resident Evil game, as well as the GameCube remake and the HD remake of the remake. By no means the first survival horror, but a definite landmark in the genre and a stone cold classic that is somehow better today than it was in 1996.
Far from the clodhopping buffoonery of the movie series the first game is a deceptively simple premise. Two special forces units investigating a bizarre series of murders which leads them to a darkened and horrifying mansion, itself the greatest character in this series. Before too long you're solving elaborate puzzles, avoiding traps, combing through rooms to find useful items, stockpiling ammunition (which if you're playing on the right difficulty setting for you there will always be scant available) and fending off attacks from the shadows from all sorts of bloodcurdling monsters.
It's nothing short of a masterpiece, endlessly replayable and now with the HD remaster the obtuse control scheme is fixed.
With me is Neil Taylor of TheKidDogg on YouTube (and you should check out his Resident Evil video retrospective here)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qH9jfP2Sask
Laura Kate Dale AKA Laura K Buzz of projects too numerous to name (here's her Patreon) https://www.patreon.com/LauraKBuzz/posts
And we're also joined by my good friend Derrick Ritchie.
Saturday Jan 09, 2016
Episode 501
Saturday Jan 09, 2016
Saturday Jan 09, 2016
[School of Everything Else 2016]
The second collection of clips from my shows, this time covering the period between 2013 and 2016 when Sharon became my co-host, Digital Drift and School of Movies. They are pulled from fewer overall episodes but they are more meaty and substantial with some of the funniest, sustained moments and memories. You'll also hear from my guest spots from That Awful Sound and The Mana Pool along with a host of new voices.
And of course the now-infamous introduction of Dramatic Readings and Bad Reviews Against Humanity.
Volume 3: Digital Drift
Avatar Responses [DD49 2014 - 0.01.00]
The formation of Digital Drift [0.02.05]
50 Shades Trilogy Rant [DD06 - 0.06.25]
We Hate Movies [DD05 - 0.09.30]
Rhianna Pratchett [DD08 - 0.25.38]
Spider-Man 3 - Harry's Problem [DD12 - 0.32.18]
Transformers - Non-Dairy Dessert [DD32 - 0.36.01]
I've Been a Bad, Bad Angel [That Awful Sound #18 - 2015 - 0.37.36]
Volume 4: School of Movies
Robin Hood - Hysterical Inaccuracy [SOM143 2016 - 0.57.53]
Flight of Dragons - Racist Wizards [SOM145 - 1.05.21]
Terminator 3 - Joshua Rants [DD72 Mid-2015 - 1.11.02]
Deadpool - Colossus on Music [SOM146 - 1.24.06]
Making Fantasy Fun [Mana Pool #393 - 2015 - 1.27.11]
The New Century Multiverse 101 [1.35.58]
Jurassic Wrestling [DD68 - Mid 2015 - 1.47.54]
The Daddle [DD44 - Late 2014 - 1.56.32]
Crap Chinese Toys [DD48 - 1.59.50]
RobertCop 2 [School of Everything Else #88 - 2.09.35]
Grey [SOEE87 - Late 2015 - 2.14.17]
Credits [2.22.50]
Friday Jan 08, 2016
Episode 500
Friday Jan 08, 2016
Friday Jan 08, 2016
[School of Everything Else 2016]
Alex's 500th Podcast.
What we have here is a collection of highlights from the first few years. This celebratory episode ended up as two, simply because there was so much to choose from. So Episode 501 will be released next week. Consider them like Kill Bill Volumes 1 & 2.
This is significant interviews, first meetings, moments of particular insight and of course the absolute funniest bits, many of which were suggested by you guys while I was putting this together.
- Another Day at the Office [Joinee Radio, Early 2007 - 0.01.22]
- Curse of the Golden Flower [Digital Cowboys Episode 01 - 0.06.36]
- An Important Announcement [DC48, 2008 - 0.08.58]
- First Meeting With Daniel Floyd [DC10, 2009 - 0.12.13]
- Red vs Blue Interview [DC126 - 0.15.24]
- Giant Bomb Snackbox [DC104 - 0.19.40]
- Jonathan Coulton Interview [DC121 - 0.22.23]
- Dominik Diamond Interview [DC133 - 0.27.07]
- The Wii - First Meeting With James Batchelor [DC130 - 0.32.51]
- First Meeting With Neil Taylor [DC167, 2010 - 0.34.37]
- Duke Nukem Kicked Out [DC180 - 0.35.18]
- Legends of Zelda - Opening Montage [DC164 - 0.38.41]
- Paul & Storm Interview [DC163 - 0.42.53]
- Digital Cowboys - The Last One [DC109, 2011 - 0.49.10]
Volume 2: Digital Gonzo
- New Solo Show [Digital Gonzo Episode 42, 2011 - 0.55.23]
- Thor - Alex Doing Mr Plinkett Doing Thor [DG70, 2012 - 0059.44]
- Never Mind the BuzzGeeks: Cosmocats [DG33 - 1.02.20]
- Back to the Future - Time Travel [DG19 - 1.05.00]
- Fire [The Internet News - 1.09.42]
- Never Mind the BuzzGeeks: Coffee Commercials [DG39 - 1.13.06]
- Movie Clichés - The Wilhelm Scream [DG34 - 1.15.43]
- Schools [The Internet News - 1.17.44]
- Blue Sun Audio Drama [DG35 - 1.22.25]
- James Bond - The Henchman Agent #1 [DG43 - 1.29.30]
- James Bond - Henchman Agent #2/Herr Stamper [DG45 - 1.33.51]
- Firefly - The Henchman Agent #4 [DG106 - 1.33.52]
- Batman Returns - The Henchman Agent #3/The Finale [DG77 - 1.36.51]
- Alien - Shotgun Penis [DG74 - 1.41.36]
- Alien Resurrection - Alien DNA/Executives [DG82 - 1.45.29]
- Superman IV - Physics! [DG133, 2013 - 1.51.56]
- Sound of Gonzo - Snowboarding Spy [DG102 - 1.57.00]
- The Last Airbender - Exposition Scrolls [DG95 - 1.59.26]
- Sound of Gonzo - Vice City/Dance Hall Deadlock [DG142 - 2.00.47]
- Iron Man 3 Avengers in Advertising [DG154 - 2.02.51]
- Return of the King - Lyra on LOTR [DG112 - 2.06.40]
- The Two Towers - Gollum [DG111 - 2.07.36]
- An Unexpected Journey - Gollum-Off [DG113 - 2.11.29]
- Fan Response - First Meeting With Bob Chipman [DG149 - 2.12.25]
- Pacific Rim - Signing Off [DG161 - 2.21.30]
- Tower of the Sorcerer - "Can I Ride It?" [DG150 - 2.32.15]
Thursday Jan 07, 2016
He-Man and She-Ra
Thursday Jan 07, 2016
Thursday Jan 07, 2016
[School of Everything Else 2016]
This week's episode is all about one of the first wildly popular toy and animated show tie-ins. Emerging in 1982 the Masters of the Universe toy line was hot on the heels of Star Wars and (thanks to the repeal of certain laws about ethics in programming) was able to advertise its products to the child during the commercial breaks as they were watching the show. And of course, seeing as most of the characters featured were already toys, every episode was a commercial in its own right.
He-Man is, by today's standards a dreadfully polite pacifist who seeks only to hold Eternia's morals in check, whist Skeletor is a charmingly gentle nitwit who seeks power via boneheaded schemes. Both of them have colourful henchmen and at the end of the day nobody is getting hurt.
She-Ra is a scenario much the same, only she and her buddies in the Great Rebellion are always on the back foot and Hordak is an oppressive warmonger that they are trying to depose, giving that show more of a struggle and stakes, and a rather empowering female hero for many girls (and boys) to be inspired by. Stay to the end to see how Mattel sold this strong woman in doll form.
We also cover the ill-fated New Adventures and the badass 200X show. Next week we're looking at the 1987 Dolph Lundgren movie.
Wednesday Jan 06, 2016
Thundercats
Wednesday Jan 06, 2016
Wednesday Jan 06, 2016
[School of Everything Else 2016]
This one has been a long time coming. Maybe the most significant animated series of my childhood, Thundercats (1985) was, for me, age 6, the promise of adventure. Seven cat-people escape the doomed planet of Thundera and find a new home in the lush, expansive new world of Third Earth. But then never bargained on their old enemies, the mutants pursuing them and forming an unholy alliance with this new planet's ancient demon priest, Mumm-Ra.
When you go back and investigate aged 36 however, it's a creaky, ponderous, derivative, bloodless, tension-free grab-bag of embarrassing dialogue, ridiculous over the top performances and tropes that were worn into the ground a decade or two ago.
I've got so much better TV to watch, animated series' have reached unforeseen heights of excellence... so why do I still love Thundercats?
And in 2011 when a new series was attempted and sank without trace after an unsatisfying ending that suggested a much larger story-line, why did I love that too?
It's not just nostalgia, there's more to both of these shows. Allow me and Sharon and Jerome McIntosh of GameBurst to elucidate for you. We framed this so that fans of the show, people who hated the show and those who have never had the dubious pleasure of watching it could all enjoy our podcast.
In the second section we discuss Mumm-Ra's motivation, some unanswerable questions and our favourite episodes.
Monday Jan 04, 2016
The Hero's Journey
Monday Jan 04, 2016
Monday Jan 04, 2016
[School of Everything Else 2016]
This show (which is one of the best individual podcasts we've ever put together) is all about The Hero's Journey. It explores the monomyth, the idea that nearly all of the tales that we embrace as a species are telling the same story.
Carl Jung theorized with the collective unconscious that our brains are all roughly the same shaped organ, with very similar emotional responses which have remained very similar for thousands of years, so it stands to reason that there would be certain universally appealing themes that we like to explore time and again.
Joseph Campbell codified this in the 1940s by examining our mythology, dating back to ancient times and analyzing recurring patterns in the most abiding stories from all over the world when he put together his seminal work; The Hero With a Thousand Faces. This includes a multi-part symbolic series of events a hero always seems to go through in some form or another and what that really means.
Christopher Vogler took this further with his book The Writer's Journey, examining the most popular and successful movies and the similarities therein.
And we ourselves have produced literally hundreds of podcasts covering our favourite movies, the greater proportion of which this manner of thinking can be applied to.
So it's time to take a deep dive into what those steps are and why they are so important to our species.
Joining us are Megan Hopwood and Lorin Grieve, both of whom have also taken a longtime interest in this.
You're in for a treat here.
Sunday Jan 03, 2016
The Hobbit: Epilogue
Sunday Jan 03, 2016
Sunday Jan 03, 2016
[School of Everything Else 2016]
Mirroring our Lord of the Rings Prologue recorded all the way back in 2012 and leading us into the Peter Jackson and Weta Middle-earth series, this is the bookend that marks its closing.
Less of a celebration of the immense achievement pulling off this second trilogy was (for that you can listen to the individual review shows), this is instead a post-mortem where myself, Sharon and Chris Eason of GameBurst (who has been with us for every one of the Tolkein shows) dissect the carcass of the lesser film adaptations of Tolkein's lesser work.
Far from jump-starting a second wave of fascination with fantasy, these three movies seem to have put a lid on the entire genre, with great success at the box office but lukewarm critical and audience response. This leaves it to other movie series' to reinvigorate public interest, a task made far harder by the existence of these films.
We adore Weta Workshop and the cast and crew of this whole saga (listening to the five hour reviews of each of the Lord of the Rings movies should make that clear), so this is deeply painful for us, but it is an investigation and a conversation that needed to happen as we account for the good, the bad and the ugly, over-designed troll with spiked maces on his amputated legs, cleavers on his amputated arms, and chained hooks through his blinded eyeballs.
Saturday Jan 02, 2016
Bad Reviews Against Humanity: Vol. 5
Saturday Jan 02, 2016
Saturday Jan 02, 2016
[School of Everything Else 2016]
The second half of the session with The Mana Pool (Following on from Vol. 4 these were previously combined into the frankly-too long Vol. 6)
More rotten reviews from the terminally unreasonable. Special focus is given to an art print of British personality Paul Ross, an ancient Gaelic retelling of Star Wars and the magic testicles of the most beloved lion ever.
Joining us from The Mana Pool (a Magic: The Gathering podcast that we guested on) Jason Chewie Slate, and Bill Bloodworth, and their buddy from Card Advantage; Aaron LaCluyze.
Saturday Jan 02, 2016
Star Wars: Rebels
Saturday Jan 02, 2016
Saturday Jan 02, 2016
[School of Everything Else 2016]
The first part of this show is spoiler-free so if you need any more convincing to go track this down on DVD or Blu Ray, let this be it. Recorded many months before seeing The Force Awakens this was the perfect show to draw us back into the world of Star Wars.
It may seem very kid-friendly but it's got a lot of darkness and a lot of heart to back that up and some great colourful characters you will want to follow the adventures of. Neil Taylor of GameBurst and Alex Eding of Plaid Hat Gaming once again join Sharon and myself to return to a galaxy far, far away.
The second part is all spoilerific character discussion and events that take place in the second half of the first season. We will let you know when to leave off if you haven't seen it yet. Remedy this at once, it's terrific!
Friday Jan 01, 2016
Bad Reviews Against Humanity: Vol. 4
Friday Jan 01, 2016
Friday Jan 01, 2016
[School of Everything Else 2016]
To see in the new year and take a brief respite from Star Wars we're doing another round of reading out some of the most irrational, sarcastic and hilarious movie reviews from the @AmznMovieRevws twitter feed.
Along with this is a series of dramatic readings from many sources, most notably the fourth Fifty Shades of Grey book from the ongoing billionaire pervert saga; Grey. This show was separated into two parts because the original version (Vol. 6 was frankly too long).
Joining us from The Mana Pool (a Magic: The Gathering podcast that we guested on) Jason Chewie Slate, and Bill Bloodworth, and their buddy from Card Advantage; Aaron LaCluyze.
Once again, don't drive or operate heavy machinery while listening to this one. We don't want to be responsible for any mishaps incurred while laughing hysterically.