Reserved Recommendations: Recent Episodes
MPR - Manawatu People's Radio
Everyone has something they love, but wouldn't feel comfortable recommending to the general public. This is a weekly series of fascinating chats about problematic faves, great trash, and our complicated relationships with art and culture.
With the sad passing of National Treasure Sam Neill, it seemed only fitting that we look at probably his weirdest role - Andrzej Żuławski's 1981 divorce-(monster)-horror movie "Possession". Neill plays Mark, a spy (and dog assassin?) who abandons his job in order to return to his family, only to find that his wife Anna (a truly haunted-looking Isabelle Adjani) has been having an affair, and wants a divorce. As he begins to investigate (and to attempt a reconciliation with Anna), it becomes clear that something much much worse is happening. At no point does anyone behave in a manner remotely resembling a "normal human".Elizabeth Little returns to the show, alongside her friend Errol, to discuss this entirely singular entry in Sam Neill's filmography and unpack the many many layers of potential interpretation, and the strange emotional logic that powers this fascinating and deeply uncomfortable movie.Find Liz's work at: https://liz-shrikestudio.itch.io, and Errol's at: https://errolseymour.carrd.coProduced by Manawatū People's Radio with the support of New Zealand On Air.
"The Polar Express" (2004) is a divisive movie, in which 6 separate Tom Hankses (Toms Hanks?) hold conversations with one another in different voices and neither of the two primary characters actually have names. It attempts to adapt a very quiet, dreamlike picture book into a riotous early 00's 3D animated adventure movie and makes a series of completely deranged choices in trying to bridge that gap. It's also one of Whai's favourite movies, due in part to being one of the three he owned as a kid young enough to be in this movie's target audience.Find Whai at @maoribytheriver on Instagram (it's a good time!)Produced by Manawatū People's Radio with the support of New Zealand On Air.
Saul Bass is a guy whose work you have definitely seen, even if you don't know it. Between 1954 and 1995 (along with his wife Elaine) he provided title sequences and posters for a staggering array of movies, in addition to designing some of the most recognisable and iconic logos for major American corporations. In 1974, he made his directorial debut with a quiet, meditative, cerebral science fiction movie about hyperintelligent ants and a pair of scientists attempting to study them. Phase IV, partly due to horrible mismarketing, and partly just by dint of being very odd, was a commercial flop and largely put paid to Bass's directorial career. Elizabeth Little (author of the astounding "You Will Die In This Place") joins the podcast to discuss why she loves this movie nonetheless. 100% YELLOW.Produced by Manawatū People's Radio with the support of New Zealand On Air.
Russ Meyer's "Faster Pussycat, Kill! Kill!" (1965) might be the ur-example of a cult movie. Widely derided as trash on its release, it has been re-evaluated as a camp classic and is now regarded (amongst other things) as part of the weird overlap of Venn circles where the creator's thinly-disguised fetish (in this case enormous powerful women running amok) also leads to an oddly-empowering portrayal of feminine strength. This episode I'm joined by Erin Harrington, whose day job as an academic involves studying and discussing cinema and "paracinema", to talk about her abiding love for this gleefully incoherent piece of "lady kaiju" or possibly "garbage wuxia".Produced by Manawatū People's Radio with the support of New Zealand On Air.
Amid the global panic about the rise of fascism, I take a second to wonder if there's a different right wing form of power consolidation on the menu, and look to fiction for possible answers. Produced by Manawatū People's Radio with the support of New Zealand On Air.
I take a solo minisode to explain what I've been up to for a month and a half, and how Winston Peters Has Always Been Like This.Produced by Manawatū People's Radio with the support of New Zealand On Air.
"The Howling III: The Marsupials" (1987) was genuinely the stuff of schoolyard legend when I was in primary school in the early 90s, due to a notorious sequence involving a female lycanthrope giving birth to a "joey" who seeks refuge in her pouch. I did not, however, know what this rumoured movie was actually called until I came across author and journalist Asher Elbein (www.asherelbein.com) on Bluesky talking about it. He very kindly agreed to come on the show to discuss it, and when I finally watched it I was fascinated. I had expected something good-bad and schlocky (and "The Howling III" is definitely both of those things) but this movie also has surprisingly deep and complex ideas on its mind about ecology and indigenous people's rights and struggles, and a strange and compelling folk-tale logic which is quite unique. It is a very weird swerve for a franchise which already took a weird swerve between the first and second movie, and which established itself initially for (as well as having some great gnarly 80's transformation sequences) being the horny werewolf series - and if you watch it, you will find yourself thinking about it for quite some time.A show about great trash, problematic faves, and difficult art hosted by Hugh Dingwall. Produced by Manawatū People's Radio with the support of New Zealand On Air.
Originally started by Peter Furler and George Perdikis in 1985, Newsboys are such an enduring mainstay of Christian rock that the band is still going strong absent any of the original members. Over that 40 year career, their sound has changed so drastically that if you say that you either love or hate Newsboys, the only logical response is "which Newsboys?" In addition, if you are a Kiwi or Aussie of approximately my vintage, you probably know their song "Take Me To Your Leader" which was a brief crossover hit here, and will earworm you for weeks if you go and look it up.For my first new episode of 2026, I'm joined by the illustrious Josh Boerman from Worst Of All Possible Worlds and Ill Conceived, who grew up in the evangelical world that spawned and nurtured this strange (and now kind of evil) band so that he can explain The Phenomenon.Produced by Manawatū People's Radio with the support of New Zealand On Air.
Admittedly, I love me a novelty instrumental cover (ask me about my surf rock habit) but I've never really understood the cringe that greets the mention of ska music. Part of this is probably being a kiwi - we have a different relationship with the pop-punk side of ska music than Americans do - but I've always felt like people who didn't appreciate the genre just hadn't found the good stuff yet. Elana and John (last heard on the Hair Metal episode) return to the show to give me an American perspective, and we chat about the high points of ska and how to find your way in as a newcomer.Produced by Manawatū People's Radio with the support of New Zealand On Air.
Prompted by last episode, in concert with a conversation about Normality the RPG, and a viewing of Cargo (2017), I talk about an idea cooking in the back of my head about the ways that people who say and do horrible things act like victims. Produced by Manawatū People's Radio with the support of New Zealand On Air.
In a rare "reversed recommendations" situation, I recommend something for someone else to watch! I talk to Ross Palethorpe (@rossthesedays) about Denis Villenueve's 2013 film "Enemy" - a strange, hostile, deeply yellow movie which I first encountered as an online movie reviewer back when it was relatively new. We really get into it on this one (once Ross gets past cursing me for making him watch "a work movie") because there's a LOT here. Two equally haunted and awful Jake Gyllenhaals encounter one another in a dreadful, poisonous, spider-haunted Toronto, and nothing is exactly what it seems. CW on this one for discussions of misogyny and general masculine awfulness. Produced by Manawatū People's Radio with the support of New Zealand On Air.
Mighty Morphin Power Rangers is a very weird show indeed - a fact that is literally baked into its DNA as an adaptation of a Japanese costumed hero series which (as we'll hear) does not have a consistent plot or cast from series to series. It also has an odd relationship with New Zealand, as it was banned here very early on, and remained banned well into the period where it was actually being made here. To discuss all this and more, I'm joined by artist and author Bijhan Agha - our first ever guest based somewhere other than the broader Anglosphere (she's in Uruguay)!Find Bijhan at @bijhan.bsky.social, and her art, books, and comics at jamsheedstudios.com.Produced by Manawatū People's Radio with the support of New Zealand On Air.
This episode I chat to Dr Lewis Tennant (lately the host of Verbal Highs, and also the brains behind the annual NZ Podcasting Summit) about an era of reggae music from the 1990s, exemplified by artists like Sizzla and Capleton. We go deep on the history of the music, its underlying philosophy, and the factors that give this specific era its unique sound.Produced by Manawatū People's Radio with the support of New Zealand On Air.
"Phenomena" (1985) is a movie that is hard to describe without sounding insane. Jennifer Connelly (aged 14, one year out from breaking through in "Labyrinth") stars as a high school girl with the mysterious ability to commune with insects. When she is sent to an exclusive Swiss boarding school for girls, she becomes embroiled in a series of gruesome murders of students which she must investigate with the aid of an eccentric entomologist played by Donald Pleasance and his assistance chimpanzee. The chimpanzee is significantly more important than you'd expect. The movie was directed by incredibly prolific Italian director Dario Argento (best known for hallucinatory fever dream giallo like "Suspiria" and "Deep Red") and is significantly more chaotic than his usual style.Morgan Davie, last heard discussing "Under The Skin" way back in Episode #7, joins the show to talk through this very strange, kind of fascinating movie.Produced by Manawatū People's Radio with the support of New Zealand On Air.
Nightbreed (1990) is an absolutely fascinating movie. It's Clive Barker flexing his muscles after the massive success of Hellraiser (1988) and really letting loose with an elaborate dark fantasy full of implications about complex mythology and cosmology, a gorgeously-stylised world, and many MANY weird little guys. It's also an incredibly ambitious movie that never quite manages to realise its ambitions, and a tortured project that was compromised and undercut by executive meddling. There's a lot in here that shares DNA with other dark/Gothic fantasy/horror projects of the 90s like The Crow, or the more adult works of Tim Burton - so why are those things cult hits, and this is a cult failure? Shaun Duke of The Skiffy and Fanty Show (https://skiffyandfanty.com) joins the pod to discuss this strange and powerful film!Produced by Manawatū People's Radio with the support of New Zealand On Air.
What happens when Dan Aykroyd at the absolute peak of his popularity as both a comic powerhouse and a dramatic actor gets a vast budget, and more or less total creative control to make a movie? He makes "Nothing But Trouble" - an ambitious, star-studded, and (to be charitable) tonally-confused horror comedy which flopped at the box office and is more or less universally panned to this day. A pair of yuppies played by Chevy Chase and Demi Moore fall foul of a deranged 106 year old judge (played by Aykroyd himself under some impressively vile prosthetics and makeup) and hi-jinks ensue. Returning guest Bitter Karella is one of this movie's few defenders, and joins the show to talk us through what the hell is going on here. Find most things Bitter Karella at www.midnightpals.com, and her new book "Moonflow" at www.hachettebookgroup.com/titles/bitter-karella/moonflow/9780316581936 (or wherever you get books on the internet!)Produced by Manawatū People's Radio with the support of New Zealand On Air.
David Cronenberg's 1986 movie "The Fly" is among his best-regarded, and is an absolute classic in the canon of gnarly, gloopy, practical-effects mostly-80s body horror movies. It's also an oddly poetic tragedy about watching someone you love succumb to something awful and inevitable, and a character study that follows a sympathetic oddball's transformation into an absolute monstrosity. Erin MClean, local Palmerston North actor, director, and general creative-person-about-town joins the show to discuss all of this and we have a lot of fun getting deeply in the weeds.Produced by Manawatū People's Radio with the support of New Zealand On Air.
Scottish author Iain Banks is probably best known (under the name Iain M. Banks) for his iconic Culture novels, which had a titanic impact on far-future "space-operatic" science fiction. His debut novel, 1984's "The Wasp Factory" is significantly less well-known. It is an INCREDIBLY divisive book which, love it or hate it (early editions published four full pages of both rabidly positive and negative reviews), will leave a massive impact on any reader. Ross Palethorpe rejoins the podcast to talk about this Gothic nightmare fairytale of a book.CW for (not especially detailed) discussion of murder, animal abuse, child abuse and neglect.Produced by Manawatū People's Radio with the support of New Zealand On Air.
I ruminate on useful ways to think about one's enemies' motives, prompted by considering the obscure horror movie "Jugface" (2013) in contrast with other depictions of fictional "death cults". Produced by Manawatū People's Radio with the support of New Zealand On Air.
In the absence of a new mainline episode, I decided to do a parallel upload of this special I recorded for Waitangi Day this week.Waitangi Day and the Treaty of Waitangi occupy a complicated place in New Zealand's public consciousness, especially in light of the current debate around David Seymour's Treaty Principles Bill. In this special longform interview for Waitangi Day 2025, Hugh talks to Dr Peter Cleave about this complex and difficult history. Dr Peter Cleave has been involved with retention and development of Te Reo Māori since the 1970s, holding numerous teaching roles at all levels. He has been both an academic and a broadcaster in Te Reo Māori, and was named an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit in 2025 for services to Māori language education. Produced by Manawatū People's Radio with the support of New Zealand On Air.
"Hair metal" is, right off the bat, a disputed term. It began as a way of disparaging the pop glam metal of the 80s in comparison with the more "authentic" grunge movement that was becoming more fashionable in the early 90s, but was embraced by some fans of the genre as a catch-all term for groups who wouldn't necessarily have considered themselves part of the same scene at the time. However you slice it, hair metal was much MUCH bigger than you remember it, and its demise was far less total. Elana Levin (Graphic Policy Radio, Deep Space Dive) and returning champion John Cecil join the show to school me on an era and genre I know shamefully little about.Produced by Manawatū People's Radio with the support of New Zealand On Air.
I'm back! I decided I'd like to get to ep 100 before I wrap this thing up, so that's nice. In this episode I have a bunch of thoughts prompted by the passing of David Lynch, and witnessing other people's takes on his life and work. I also get a bit into That Vulture Article re: the evolving Gaiman situation but I don't say anything very graphic or descriptive.Produced by Manawatū People's Radio with the support of New Zealand On Air.
On the last episode of the year (possibly the last ever?) I return to the solo minisode format to talk about the plague of "common sense" which I think is seriously damaging our current political climate.Produced by Manawatū People's Radio with the support of New Zealand On Air.
I've recently started messing around with VCV Rack (www.vcvrackcom) a virtual modular synth environment, so the time seemed right to have a chat to James Lissette. James has had a long history in Palmerston North music, and a lifelong fascination with modular synths. We chat about the history and principles of modular, all while listening to a generative patch on James's hardware modular setup.NB: this episode is (unusually) in stereo - so may reward listening on nicer headphones than usual!
The thing about doing a show about problematic faves is that sometimes your own faves become problematic. Neil Gaiman is an author whose work has meant a lot to me at various times, and who now has (at time of writing) 5 credible accusations of historic sexual assault, detailed in the podcast "Master" (https://www.tortoisemedia.com/listen/master-the-allegations-against-neil-gaiman). On my first solo episode, I talk through my feelings about Gaiman, the similar case of Warren Ellis (https://www.somanyofus.com), how these issues arise, and what we do next.
Due to a confluence of factors, the early 00's saw a massive explosion of creativity in online comics. I talk to Karella, author of Midnight Pals (www.midnightpals.com) host of A Special Presentation, or Alf Will Not Be Seen Tonight (https://apple.co/3zACns8), and Person Cursed To Know About Sinfest, about all of this. We cover the general landscape and taxonomy of 00's online comics, the factors that led to their proliferation, and where they ended up going.Produced by Manawatū People's Radio with the support of New Zealand On Air.
In the wake of JK Rowling's general personal awfulness, it's become fashionable to say that no part of the Harry Potter franchise ecosystem was ever good. But does any piece of genuinely unmitigated garbage get as big as Harry Potter did, and stay that big for as long? I read the books as they came out, and my assessment at the time was that the worst of them was "fine". This episode I talk to Catherine McNamara, a much deeper Potterhead than I ever was, to talk about the books, the fandom, the movies, and the challenges of reckoning with art made by a person who just keeps on getting worse and worse in real time.
In the grim darkness of the future, there is only war....This episode I talk to Mira (@anarchoshanties.bsky.social) about the deep and convoluted lore and enduring appeal of the massive and endlessly complicated Warhammer 40,000. We talk chaos gods, a potted history of the Empire of Humanity, and how to deal with a hobby that attracts a disproportionate number of actual unironic Nazis. Find Mira's games at: https://omnicide101.itch.io/
John Cecil (Zombie Beach) joins the show to discuss The Misfits, a band who answer the question "what if the Ramones were fronted by Elvis and sang almost exclusively about pulp horror?" We dig into the band's music and career, the creative and personal tensions at their core, and the continuing artistic career of their frontman Glen Danzig. Find out more about Zombie Beach here: https://www.facebook.com/p/Zombie-Beach-100066448457570/?paipv=0&eav=AfbTkUYHWIuHwfmrGAI2WLVwOL7qiuBCv_gDA-MYiORbfqcW89xI55MQtJ_PEoVNV68&_rdr
A show about great trash, problematic faves, and difficult art hosted by Hugh Dingwall. Produced by Manawatū People's Radio with the support of New Zealand On Air.This episode I talk to my brother Angus about the (at the time) controversial game Spec Ops: The Line, which used a franchise reboot of an existing tactical shooter series to attempt a series of powerful critiques of the modern military shooter genre, player culpability in videogame violence, and war in general. Did it succeed? In a word, mostly. CW for discussions of graphic violence and spoilers for a videogame from 2012.
Way back when I talked to Stuart Drake (The Fatalities) about Sonic the Hedgehog, he said to get in touch if I ever wanted to talk Blink 182, and sure enough there is a new Blink 182 album out - so now seemed like the time. We chat about the band, their history as a (kind of fractious) group, their role in popularising pop punk as a genre, and the surprising level of vulnerability they bring to their songwriting. Find The Fatalities at https://thefatalities.bandcamp.com/
AI (or something that goes by that name at least) is the current global tech fad du jour. People have cited it as the thing that will save/doom us all, a pointless waste of time, and a means of committing fraud and plagiarism with much greater speed and efficiency than ever before. Which of these assessments are true? Kind of all and none of them. Matthew Jenkin (who actually knows things about computers) joins the pod this week to discuss the whole field.
Over the last couple of episodes I've ended up circling back to "it was the 90's" as an explanation for weird or offensive elements in TTRPGs. I felt like this was a thread worth pulling on, so I called on Jay Brandstetter and Winslow Dumaine of the podcast "I'm From The Internet" (https://shows.acast.com/im-from-the-internet-a-podcast-about-somethingawfulcom) to help me unpack the edgy internet style of the 90's and 00's, and explore its ongoing impact on our culture.
The last of my KiwiRPG Week miniseries (www.kiwirpg.com for more on that!) this time I talk to Sean Murphy (www.smurphy-games.itch.io) about "Violence", a satirical 1999 roleplaying game by Greg Costikyan (www.costik.com) under the pseudonym "Designer X". Violence is part of a wave of critiques of the state of the roleplaying scene that emerged through the mid-late 90s, and in particular attempted to skewer mainstream gaming's relationships with both wanton violence and consumerism. How successful is the satire? We'll get into that... CW on this one for discussions of violence and general 90s edginess.
This episode in my continuing mini-series for KiwiRPG week (www.kiwirpg.com for more on that!) I talk to Tim Denee of Old Dog Games (www.olddog.games) about the game I used to play with him back in high school: Deadlands. Deadlands is a "weird west" roleplaying game, and is a fascinating microcosm of a lot of both the good and the bad of 90s game design with a very distinctive balance of genuinely cool ideas, hokey weirdness, and outright broken mechanics. By comparison we also get into passing discussions of the World of Darkness, WEG's D6 Star Wars game, and particularly Vincent Baker's Dogs in the Vineyard. Minor CW on this one for discussions of racism, sexism, and cultural appropriation..
KiwiRPG week is (at time of publishing) just round the corner! I'm doing a few interviews with NZ TTRPG folks to mark the occasion, and the first of these is with Mike Sands (Monster of the Week - https://evilhat.com/product/monster-of-the-week) talking about RPGs that use unusual mechanical or storytelling methods. We cover a pretty broad range of stuff, but in particular talk about Maskwitches, Wanderhome, Yazeba's Bed and Breakfast, and Sunderwald. For more on KiwiRPG: www.kiwirpg.com!
"Cloud Atlas" is probably the Wachowski sisters' most divisive movie - critics at the time (and audiences today) seem to either love it or hate it. Today's guest (filmmaker and cinematographer Derrick Sims) and I are obviously in the former camp. This episode we look at this intensely ambitious movie and dig into what makes it so hard for some people to get their heads around.
One of the things that makes me very uncomfortable about NZ society is the way that ANZAC Day is recognised. It seems to me that most discussion around the day tends to recycle what is essentially contemporary propaganda about the causes and aims of WWI in particular. On this episode I'm joined by Scott Hamilton (@SikotiHamiltonR) author, essayist, and researcher, to discuss some forgotten parts of ANZAC history that complicate the heroic myth. CW for discussion of violence.
In one of our less-reserved recommendation episodes, I'm joined by Arka and Caleb of the Life, Love & Lenses project (www.lifeloveandlenses.co.nz) to talk about Giuseppe Tornatore's beautiful 1988 film "Cinema Paradiso". We chat about the movie's difficult relationship with nostalgia, and it's many themes around love and creativity.
The Punk (1993) is a movie that has fascinated me since I saw it. It hit my friend group in the mid-90's with a force that permanently altered our mimetic speech patterns. It was ubiquitous enough to be in pretty much all video stores with a "festival" or "art" section and show up as a late night TV movie several times throughout the decade, and then vanished pretty much without a trace. My brother Angus joins the pod to discuss the impact and dubious merits of this strange, ephemeral film.
Dark Star (1974) is a cult classic sci-fi movie mostly notable as the first project of both Dan O'Bannon (wrote Alien, did some SFX for an obscure late 70's movie called "Star Wars") and John Carpenter (no introduction needed!) It follows the misadventures of the titular ship's crew, and did an enormous amount to set the tone of sci fi that looks at space as a shitty blue collar job. Returning champ Ross Palethorpe joins the pod to discuss the movie, its influence, and his affection for it.
In another "big issue" episode, this time I talk to Vixen, Scarlett, and Willow from The Good, The Bad, and the Whoreable podcast (www.goodbadwhoreable.com) about sexual shame. We compare and contrast NZ and US attitudes around sexuality, and talk about the influence of history, politics, and religion on the way things are right now.
An announcement from Hugh for the end of Season 3, and best wishes to listeners for the holidays.
"Adventures in Odyssey" is a radio (and video, and video game!) series produced by Focus On The Family as children's entertainment for fundamentalist evangelical Christian families. Hannah Blake (@exfundyfeminist) joins me to discuss the "Castles & Cauldrons" two-part episode (which is AiO's contribution to the Christian panic about roleplaying games) and the wider ecosystem of fundamentalist Christian media.
Over the course of their 30 year career (from 1965 until Jerry Garcia's death in 1995) the Grateful Dead took a long strange trip through almost the entirety of the American musical vernacular, while maintaining almost exactly the same core lineup. Michiel Verkade joins me to talk about the Dead, and we discover in short order that an hour is not really enough time to talk about the Dead.
A show about great trash, problematic faves, and difficult art hosted by Hugh Dingwall. Produced by Manawatū People's Radio with the support of New Zealand On Air.
Hardcore is an aggressive style of rock music that emerged from punk in the late 70s and early 80s in the USA. Since its inception, it's evolved in all directions simultaneously and spawned dozens of subgenres, each with their own nuances of style and approach. On tonight's show I talk to Kane Power (Precision Podcasting, TeamSquad), hardcore fan and person who has actually studied the genre from an academic standpoint.
Precision Podcasting: www.precisionpodcasting.com
There's been a lot of talk in relation to the Parliament Occupation in New Zealand (and the Jan 6 riots in America, among others) about the involvement of the online far right ("internet Nazis") in organising and facilitating these events. This is met with some confusion by some participants, who don't see themselves as far right. In this episode I talk to my brother Angus about how the online far right works, what they want, and how that manifests in meat space.
Texas is a big place, and contains multitudes. In many ways, the most American part of America, it contributes enormously to iconic US culture, food, and music, but also embodies many of America's worst trends and impulses. This episode I talk to Collin Bjork, academic, podcaster, and Texan, about the huge and complicated tangle that is Texas.
Find all of Collin's many many things at www.collinbjork.com
Despite running a mere two seasons in its original form and amassing only 52 episodes across its eventual 5 seasons, "Ren & Stimpy" is probably the single most influential of the early 90's "Nicktoons". It has an artistic legacy that persists even now, but was undone both practically and in terms of PR by the erratic (and eventually criminal) behaviour of its creator. Joshua Marchant of Mukpuddy Animation joins me to talk about the show, its influence, and its difficult legacy.
I've talked about specific games and settings before (Glorantha/Runequest and the World of Darkness to be precise) but I've yet to take on the hobby as a whole. This ends today! On this episode I talk to Liam Stevens of Toa Tabletop (www.toatabletop.com) about tabletop roleplaying as a hobby and an artform. We talk about our own tastes and histories with gaming, some long-standing controversies, and some newer innovations in play style and safety tools.
In the UK in the 60s and 70s there was an explosion of musical creativity that started with roots in folk, and expanded to encompass rock, pop, folk, jazz, psychedelia, and World Music. At the core of this explosion was the production team of engineer John Wood and producer Joe Boyd. On this episode I talk to Nancy Howie (Fathom, Tweed ) about the extended Joe Boyd/John Wood-iverse.
You can find all of Nancy's various things at https://linktr.ee/fathommusicnz
In the 30ish years since they hit New Zealand, anime and manga have become a big part of many people's pop culture diets. (It's me, I'm many people).
This episode I talk to Kyle from 1/200 Media (www.1of200.nz) about what draws us to Japanese entertainment, and the challenges that come with cross-cultural translation, interacting with this peculiarly problematic chunk of the global entertainment industry, and general "anime nonsense".
In the first episode of Season 3, I talk to Sammy G (Pipebombs and Headlocks) about the weird, bad, and sometimes wonderful video game movie adaptations of the 1990s. Find PB and H at www.mpr.nz/show/pbandhshow
The Goon Show was a long-running, deeply weird, and highly influential British radio comedy series written primarily by Spike Milligan and performed by him and his friends Peter Sellers and Harry Secombe. It laid the groundwork for later weird anarchic British comedy (the Monty Python crew in particular cite it as an inspiration) as well as permanently altering the English language by giving us terms like "the dreaded lurgy" and leading to the creation of the BBC Radiophonic workshop (and thus indirectly to the Dr Who theme, and the TARDIS noise). Matthew Jenkin rejoins the pod to talk about our mutual youthful appreciation the show, and the way that that has evolved over time as we've begun to understand its darker and filthier undertones, and discover the ways in which it was the product of significant and unacknowledged trauma.
Check out Matthew's wife Fiona's project Stitch Kitchen here: https://www.facebook.com/StitchKitchenDunedin
Jacques Tati was a French filmmaker and actor whose career (as a director at least) ran from 1935-1978. He's most famous for the comic character character Monsieur Hulot (a primary inspiration for Mr. Bean) who he played across four films between 1953 and 1971. Tati's comedy is completely unique - highly choreographed, very visual, and often entirely unconcerned with modern considerations like character development or plot. This can make his movies a tough watch for modern audiences used to quicker and more character-driven fare. Derrick Sims (Tararua Cinematheque) rejoins the show to discuss Tati's filmic vision, and the challenges and rewards of watching movies that demand patience from the viewer.
Tararua Cinematheque on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TararuaCinema
Dune (1984) was a notoriously tortured production, eventually helmed by David Lynch (who was so disgusted with the final product that he insisted on being credited as "Alan Smithee"). The film is gorgeous, weird, and kind of impenetrable if you're not already familiar with the books, but it's developed a cult following, and was hugely influential for many overserious nerds in the 80s and 90s. The books it's based on are simultaneously an attempt to deconstruct heroic sci-fi tropes of the 40s and 50s while embodying many of the biases of the 60s. I talk to John and Ross (aka PostingDad and ThatBikeDad on Twitter and hosts of PostingCast) about their relationships with the movie and the books, and how you go about approaching such a fundamentally problematic fave.
Find PostingCast at: https://postingcast.podbean.com