Arts & Entertainment with Chris & Randall: Recent Episodes
Chris & Randall
Chris and Randall discuss the last 99 episodes before taking a little hiatus of perhaps a couple of months.
Our most popular episodes
Total downloads:
ep6: Modernism vs. Post-Modernism
ep7: PUNK ROCK
ep15: 1980s comedies - part 3 of 3 - John Hughes and late 80s
ep2: Hipster Hollywood in the 60s
ep3: Science fiction TV shows we're watching
ep20: Chris' latest obsession or Youtube music in the time of COVID-19
ep4: Randall introduces a new genre: Bonkers Sci-Fi
ep24: Generation X growing old with radio
ep11: Stand up favorites new and old
ep19: Randall hates on J.J. Abrams
First 7 days:
ep94: What is Generation X humor?
ep96: 21st century music bio-pic with guest Bill Gucwa
ep95: How to sell NFT art
ep99: The Vietnam War movie as apologia for empire
ep82: The Muppet Christmas Carol (1992)
ep91: The abstract moment
ep97: Q & A with Jerry Leibowitz — Professional Animator, Underground Comic Creator, and Graphic Designer
ep90: The road to modernism
ep62: The arts & entertainment of the Fourth of July
ep80: Turkeys that are so bad they're good
Topics discussed include:
How to be a guest
advertising on Facebook
Generation X
Randall's love of Marcel Duchamp
Herbert Marcuse
ep30: Does art influence the public mind?
Harry Potter
A Christmas Carol
Star Wars
Science Fiction
Comedy
stand-ups
ep8: PRESIDENT TRUMP IS A STAND UP, or the aesthetics of President Trump
Taika Waititi
Thorstein Veblen
ep41: Candy as entertainment
live performance
recorded June 15, 2022
Visit us at https://chrisandrandall.com/
Randall asserts that (US-made) Vietnam War movies nearly universally serve to exonerate US conduct in the war — a war whose purpose is only to oppress indigenous people, further colonialism, and expand empire.
Vietnam movies discussed include:
The Green Berets (1968)
Coming Home (1978)
The Deer Hunter (1978)
Go Tell the Spartans (1978)
Apocalypse Now (1979)
First Blood (1982)
Platoon (1986)
Good Morning; Vietnam (1987)
Hamburger Hill (1987)
Gardens of Stone (1987)
Full Metal Jacket (1987)
Hanoi Hilton (1987)
Born on the Fourth of july (1989)
Casualties of War (1989)
We Were Soldiers (2002)
Rescue Dawn (2006)
Topics discussed include:
US empire building
The Phoenix Program
What would a good Vietnam movie be like?
The CIA as an outgrowth of Nazi intelligence
Reinhard Gehlen
Operation Paperclip
Mỹ Lai massacre
Wannsee Conference
Côn Đảo Prison
Zero Dark Thirty (2012)
American Sniper (2014)
The Card Counter (2021)
Top Gun: Maverick (2022)
Bertolt Brecht's distancing effect
wars run by the CIA
Missing (1982)
Paths of Glory (1957)
https://www.militarytimes.com/off-duty/movies-video-games/2018/03/29/military-times-10-best-vietnam-war-movies/
Quotes from this show:
I would call it a moral get out of jail free card because if every soldier in every war is really just an innocent chap who accidentally signed up for the wrong thing and now got stuck with a bunch of bullies who don't know any better, it really reduces the entire nation's moral culpability in a war because now it's just a bunch of good guys and bullies. —Chris
These movies are trying to excuse the US' behavior in Vietnam. —Randall
We gotta do bad things because the people we're fighting do bad things. You can literally justify anything with that moral equivalency. There's no point in having law, order, civility, or even a Geneva Convention if you're just going to tell hero stories. —Chris
Our hero has the right to morally transgress because the villain is always so bad that the rules of civility exempts our hero from having any rules of civility. —Chris
The CIA is the missing character in a lot of these movies. —Chris
Every other kind of genre there's a moment of catharsis and realization that you can be a better person, but you can't do that with a country. You can't tell a story about a nation becoming a better person. Every time you make a war movie you're always going to end up with this false pat on the back. —Chris
Is there anything the US could do that the US people would be ashamed of? —Randall
Almost every one of our war movies are in some sense a perverse rationalization for violence. —Chris
Why are they made at all? They're glorifications of going to war. —Randall
Background reading:
How to Hide an Empire: A History of the Greater United States by Daniel Immerwahr
The Phoenix Program: America's Use of Terror in Vietnam by Douglas Valentine
The CIA as Organized Crime: How Illegal Operations Corrupt America and the World by Douglas Valentine
Nemesis: The Last Days of the American Republic by Chalmers Johnson
A True History of the United States: Indigenous Genocide, Racialized Slavery, Hyper-Capitalism, Militarist Imperialism and Other Overlooked Aspects of American Exceptionalism by Daniel Sjursen
recorded June 12, 2022
Visit us at https://chrisandrandall.com/
Chris and Randall talk psychedelic music with musician Robert Ciccone.
Topics discussed include:
origins and influences
LSD
The Grateful Dead
Jefferson Airplane
The Beatles
Pink Floyd
Jimi Hendrix Experience
Tomorrow Never Knows
Brian Wilson
Pet Sounds
Rubber Soul
Smile
Good Vibrations
Monterey Pop
What is the connection between LSD and Psychedelic Music?
White Rabbit
stereo technology
Led Zeppelin
The Who
fashion
Grace Slick
Altamont Free Concert
The Doors
Vanilla Fudge
The 13th Floor Elevators
Love
The Left Banke
Walk Away Renée
Light My Fire
Cream
Santana
The Paul Butterfield Blues Band
Buffalo Springfield
Miles Davis
Break On Through (To the Other Side)
The Rolling Stones
Tony Bennett
Hair
Jesus Christ Superstar
Godspell
the end of the era
Woodstock
Whole Lotta Love
King Crimson
Velvet Underground
MC5
The Standells
Embryonic Journey
Frank Zappa
I am the Walrus
Astronomy Domine
Rob's 5 indispensable Psychedelic albums:
Are You Experienced
The Piper at the Gates of Dawn
Magical Mystery Tour
After Bathing at Baxter's
Live/Dead
recorded June 6, 2022
Visit us at https://chrisandrandall.com/
Chris and Randall talk to Jerry about his wide-ranging career in the arts.
Jerry Leibowitz is known for:
The Mouse and the Monster (TV series 1996-1997)
Atomic Puppet (TV series 2016-2017)
graphic design
logo design
experimental music (which we don't discuss)
comics/comic strips
comedy writing
https://www.dotandcom.com/
And many other things we don't have time to discuss.
recorded June 8, 2022
Visit us at https://chrisandrandall.com/
Chris and Randall welcome guest Bill Gucwa to discuss the genre of music bio-pics.
We each pick three favorites:
Bill
1. Ray (2004) Ray Charles
2. La Vie En Rose (2007) Édith Piaf
3. Get On Up (2014) James Broawn
Randall
1. The Runaways (2010) The Runaways
2. Behind The Candelabra (2013) Liberace
3. Bohemian Rhapsody (2018) Freddie Mercury and Queen
Chris
1. I’m Not There (2007) Bob Dylan
2. Love & Mercy (2014) Brian Wilson and Beach Boys
3. Straight Out of Compton (2015) NWA
recorded June 1, 2022
Visit us at https://chrisandrandall.com/
Chris & Randall interview Randall's brother, Nick Juntilla, who has recently participated in a successful NFT collection sale, J. Pierce & Friends. ***
Slides: https://mega.nz/file/UltSQKYC#27Py1gpo9sIbeRJHHnALEuw63TQjpEx3s7A6PML_0Xk
Visit Nick's website: https://ownerfy.com/
===
Topics discussed include:
https://chrisandrandall.com/ep49-beeples-nft-art-auctions-for-69-million-dollars
Beeple
NFT technology
Skycoin
Polygon
Avalanche
NFT art
Bored Ape Yacht Club
Crypto Punks
J. Pierce & Friends https://opensea.io/collection/jpierceandfriendsnft?search[sortAscending]=false&search[sortBy]=LAST_SALE_PRICE
Twitter profile pictures
Discord
recorded May 17, 2022
Visit us at https://chrisandrandall.com/
Chris and Randall try to figure out Generation X' sense of humor.
Download slides here: https://mega.nz/file/dgV1EBZa#EeqCTiPCRlxy4jzBxl5lYdeZ-6myx9puTIlBVuc7fcw
Topics discussed include:
the Baby Boom
Douglas Coupland's Gen-X
stand up comedy boom
stand up comedy albums
the 1970s
cable television
VHS rentals
Monty Python
Bennie Hill
Mel Brooks
National Lampoon
Robin Williams
Richard Pryor
Steve Martin
Eddie Murphy
divorce
labor unions
college degrees
homeownership
political corruption
Richard Nixon
"suspect everyone"
Hippie movement
Ronald Reagan
AIDS
recreational drugs
Gary Coleman
John Hughes
The Facts of Life
sarcasm
cynicism
Dennis Miller
Andrew Dice Clay
Sam Kinnison
Howard Stern
Joan Rivers
Janeane Garofalo
The Ben Stiller Show
Friends
Daria
Gilmore Girls
Yuppies
Slackers
Wayne's World (1992)
Clerks (1994)
Clueless (1995)
Rushmore (1998)
Freaks and Geeks
Wes Anderson
Noah Baumbach
John Cusack
Adam Sandler
adult child movies
Jack Black
Amy Schumer
Alt comedy
Marc Maron
Sarah Silverman
Jeff Ross
Margaret Cho
Zach Galifianakis
Chris Rock
Dave Chappelle
Albert Brooks
Gen X memes
The Office
Bojack Horseman
Ted Lasso
recorded May 13, 2022
Visit us at https://chrisandrandall.com/
Randall shows Chris some of Hitler's favorite artists, and some of Hitler's own paintings.
Download slides here: https://mega.nz/file/VpllnD4D#hy3_24eqWYTHTM3SR3x2XNOACkZ57XmwC5_8kBd1a0I
Hitler's favorite fine artists according to Albert Speer:
1) Eduard von Grützner
2) Wilhelm Leibl
3) Hans Thoma
4) Hans Makart
5) Carl Spitzweg
6) Arno Breker
7) Paris Bordone
8) Titian
9) Anselm Feuerbach (Nana)
10) Giovanni Paolo Panini
11) Eduard von Steinle
In the book, The Mind of Adolf Hitler, Hanisch reports: "He (Hitler) was never an ardent worker, was unable to get up in the morning, had difficulty in getting started, and seemed to be suffering from a paralysis of the will."[6]
This episode based on Inside the Third Reich, 1970 edition, first US printing
You may read a different edition online here: https://archive.org/details/Inside_the_Third_Reich_Albert_Speer
...
p43
One of Hitler's as well as Hoffman's favorite painters was Eduard Grützner...
...
For all departments of art Hitler regarded the late nineteenth century as one of the greatest cultural epochs in human history. That is was not yet recognized as such, he said, was only because we were too close to it in time. But his appreciation stopped at Impressionism, whereas the naturalism of a Leibl or a Thoma suited his activistic approach to art. Makart ranked highest; he also thought highly of Spitzweg. In this case I could understand his feeling, although what he admired was not so much the bold and often impressionistic brushwork as the staunch middle-class genre quality, the affable humor with which Spitzweg gently mocked the small-town Munich of his period.
...
p90
Along the opposite wall stood a massive chest containing built-in speakers, and adorned by a large bronze bust of Richard Wagner by Arno Breker. Above this hung another tapestry which concealed the movie screen. Large oil paintings covered the walls: a lady with exposed bosom ascribed to Bordone, a pupil of Titian; a picturesque reclining nude said to be by Titian himself; Feuerbach's Nana in a very handsome frame; an early landscape by Spitzweg; a landscape of Roman ruins by Pannini; and surprisingly, a kind of altar painting by Eduard von Steinle, one of the Nazarene group, representing King Henry, founder of cities. But there was no Grützner. Hitler occasionally let if be known that he had paid for these paintings out of his own income.
...
Occasionally the movies were discussed, Hitler commenting mainly on the female actors and Eva Braun on the males. No one took the trouble to raise the conversation above the level of trivialities by, for example, remarking on any of the new trends in directing. Of course the choice of films scarcely allowed for any other approach, for they were all standard products of the entertainment industry. Such experiments of the period as Curt Ortel's Michelangelo film were never shown, at least not when I was there.
...
Later, during the war, Hitler gave up the evening showings, saying that he wanted to renounce his favorite entertainment "out of sympathy for the privations of the soldiers." Instead records were played. But although the record collection was excellent, Hitler always preferred the same music. Neither baroque nor classical music, neither chamber music nor symphonies, interested him. Before long the order of the records became virtually fixed. First he wanted a few bravura selections from Wagnerian operas, to be followed promptly with operettas. That remained the pattern. Hitler made a point of trying to guess the names of the sopranos and was pleased when he guessed right, as he frequently did.
...
p27
To decorate the Goebbels house I borrowed a few watercolors by Nolde from Eberhard Hanfstaengl, the director of the Berlin National Gallery. Goebbels and his wife were delighted with the paintings—until Hitler cane to inspect and expressed his severe disapproval. Then the minister summoned me immediately: "The pictures have to go at once; they're simply impossible!"
...
p42
Thus, in the realm of architecture, as in painting and sculpture, Hitler really remained arrested in the world of his youth: the world of 1880 to 1910, which stamped its imprint on his artistic taste as on his political and ideological conceptions.
Topics discussed include:
Rudolf von Alt
birth of the modern world
Reich Culture Chamber
Abstract art
Emil Nolde
Eduard von Grützner
Wilhelm Leibl
Hans Thoma
Hans Makart
Carl Spitzweg
Arno Breker
Richard Wagner
Paris Bordone
Titian
Anselm Feuerbach (Nana)
Reich Culture Chamber
The Degenerate Art Exhibition
Jazz
Swing Kids (1993)
Fraktur
https://chrisandrandall.com/ep32-does-art-influence-the-public-mind-part-3-of-3-authoritarians-and-the-cias-art-war
Timeline:
1863 -- Salon de Refuses
1910 -- First abstract painting
1914 -- WWI
1919 -- Bauhaus founded
1933 -- Hitler attains power in Germany
1933 -- Reich Culture Chamber established with Goebbels in charge
...
Goebbels and some others believed that the forceful works of such artists as Emil Nolde, Ernst Barlach and Erich Heckel exemplified the Nordic spirit; as Goebbels explained, "We National Socialists are not un-modern; we are the carrier of a new modernity, not only in politics and in social matters, but also in art and intellectual matters."[14] However, a faction led by Rosenberg despised Expressionism, leading to a bitter ideological dispute which was settled only in September 1934, when Hitler declared that there would be no place for modernist experimentation in the Reich.
Also outlawed Jazz and the font Fraktur
...
1933 -- Bauhaus closes
...
The Nazi movement, from nearly the start, denounced the Bauhaus for its "degenerate art", and the Nazi regime was determined to crack down on what it saw as the foreign, probably Jewish, influences of "cosmopolitan modernism".[1]
...
1937 -- The Degenerate Art Exhibition
...
Hitler had been an artist before he was a politician—but the realistic paintings of buildings and landscapes that he preferred had been dismissed by the art establishment in favor of abstract and modern styles. So the Degenerate Art Exhibition was his moment to get his revenge. He had made a speech about it that summer, saying "works of art which cannot be understood in themselves but need some pretentious instruction book to justify their existence will never again find their way to the German people".
recorded April 21, 2022
Visit us at https://chrisandrandall.com/
Did Wassily Kandinsky really invent abstract art? Randall takes Chris on a journey with many twists and turns.
Download slides: https://mega.nz/file/J9tGTQAC#5Oa99t7-pxmdxowHcq0pe5i5nSpKYg-Gns1MXlJtovc
Topics discussed include:
the first abstract painting
Wassily Kandinsky
Hilma af Klint
Helena Blavatsky
automatic drawing
Rudolf Steiner
The Ten Largest
Theosophy
Sigmund Freud
Adolf Hitler and the Nazis
Bauhaus school
Georgiana Houghton
Albert Einstein
the birth of the modern world
Timeline:
1859 -- Georgiana Houghton starts making "spirit" drawings at seances
1862 -- Hilma af Klint born
1863 -- Salon des Refusés
1871 -- Houghton pays for a show in London
1874 -- Impression, Sunrise by Monet
1875 -- Helena Blavatsky cofounds the Theosophical Society, as "the synthesis of science, religion and philosophy", proclaiming that it was reviving an "Ancient Wisdom" which underlay all the world's religions.
1880 -- Hilma's 10-year-old sister dies, spurring her interest in the occult
1882 -- Hilma af Klint enrolled in Sweden' s Royal Academy of Fine Arts.
1884 -- Georgiana Houghton dies
1887 -- Hilma af Klint graduates with honors, awarded use of shared studio until 1909. Here she paints first 100 or so Paintings For the Temple.
1888 -- The Five is founded
1895 -- X-rays discovered
1895 -- Sigmund Freud publishes one of his first books, Studies on Hysteria
1896 -- Radio waves discovered, first radios 1900
1896 -- radioactivity discovered
1896 -- Hilma experiments with automatic drawing. was participating in weekly seances with The Five.
Through her work with The Five, Hilma af Klint created experimental automatic drawing as early as 1896, leading her toward an inventive geometric visual language capable of conceptualizing invisible forces both of the inner and outer worlds.[citation needed] She explored world religions, atoms, and the plant world and wrote extensively about her discoveries.[5] As she became more familiar with this form of expression, Hilma af Klint was assigned by the High Masters to create the paintings for the "Temple" – however she never understood what this "Temple" referred to.
Hilma af Klint felt she was being directed by a force that would literally guide her hand. She wrote in her notebook:
The pictures were painted directly through me, without any preliminary drawings, and with great force. I had no idea what the paintings were supposed to depict; nevertheless I worked swiftly and surely, without changing a single brush stroke.[14]
1903 -- Kandinsky paints the Blue Rider
1904 -- Hilma af Klint joins Theosophical society
1904 -- Hilma af Klint was informed by spirit guides a great temple should be built and filled with paintings.
1905 -- Albert Einstein publishes his 4 seminal papers: photoelectric effect, Brownian motion, special relativity, and the equivalence of mass and energy.
1906 -- Klint begins automatic painting https://www.nytimes.com/2019/10/21/travel/stockholm-hilma-af-klint.html
led by a spiritual guide named Amaliel who contacted af Klint during séances and not only “commissioned” the paintings but, at least at the outset, had, she claimed, directed her hand as she painted.
“The pictures were painted directly through me, without any preliminary drawings and with great force,” af Klint wrote in one of her journals of the 193 mostly abstract works known as “The Paintings for the Temple,” meditations on human life and relationships in the most elemental terms. “I had no idea what the paintings were supposed to depict, nevertheless I worked swiftly and surely without changing a single brush stroke.”
https://www.bbc.com/culture/article/20181012-hilma-af-klint-the-enigmatic-vision-of-a-mystic
Absorbing a wide array of cultural influences old and new – from Goethe’s colour theories to Darwin’s discoveries concerning evolution, from Car Linnaeus’s botanical taxonomies to cutting-edge ideas about atomic matter and radioactivity – Af Klint set about composing for posterity an alluring eye-music that echoed back the complex psyche of her age.
1907 -- De Fem finishes The Ten Largest
1908 -- Hilma meets Rudolf Steiner
In 1908 af Klint met Rudolf Steiner for the first time. In one of the few remaining letters, she was asking Steiner to visit her in Stockholm and see the finished part of the Paintings for the Temple series, 111 paintings in total. Steiner did see the paintings but mostly left unimpressed, stating that her way of working was inappropriate for a theosophist. According to H.P. Blavatsky, mediumship was a faulty practice, leading its adepts on the wrong path of occultism and black magic.[18] However, during their meeting, Steiner stated that af Klint's contemporaries would not be able to accept and understand their paintings, and it would take another 50 years to decipher them. Of all the paintings shown to him, Steiner paid special attention only to the Primordial Chaos Group, noting them as "the best symbolically".[19] After meeting Steiner, af Klint was devastated by his response and, apparently, stopped painting for 4 years. Interestingly enough, Steiner kept photographs of some of af Klint's artworks, some of them even hand-coloured. Later the same year he met Wassily Kandinsky, who had not yet come to abstract painting. Some art historians assume that Kandinsky could have seen the photographs and perhaps was influenced by them while developing his own abstract path.[20] Later in her life, she made a decision to destroy all her correspondence. She left a collection of more than 1200 paintings and 125 diaries to her nephew, Erik af Klint. Among her last paintings made in 1930s, there are two watercolours predicting the events of World War II, titled The Blitz and The Fight in the Mediterranean.[21]
https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2016/feb/21/hilma-af-klint-occult-spiritualism-abstract-serpentine-gallery
In 1908, after making 111 paintings, she collapsed: “She had completed a painting every third day – including the 10 huge ones. She was exhausted.” And there was further reason for despond. That same year, Steiner was lecturing in Stockholm. She invited this charismatic man to see her paintings (Mondrian petitioned Steiner too, but always in vain). She had hoped he would interpret the work. Instead he advised: “No one must see this for 50 years.” For four years after this verdict she gave up painting and looked after her sightless mother. Johan shows me a photograph of Hilma at Hanmora, looking down with tenderness, a hand on her mother’s shoulder – the more sympathetic of clues to her character.
1910 -- first abstract by Kandinsky
1919 -- Bauhaus school founded
1923 -- Hilma writes Steiner asking him what she should do, "burn them?" She never hears back.
1925 -- Rudolf Steiner dies
1928 -- Theosophy reaches peak membership
1930s -- While studies, sketches, and improvisations exist (particularly of Composition II), a Nazi raid on the Bauhaus in the 1930s resulted in the confiscation of Kandinsky's first three Compositions. They were displayed in the State-sponsored exhibit "Degenerate Art", and then destroyed (along with works by Paul Klee, Franz Marc and other modern artists)
1932 -- Hilma af Klint's last will. In will, Hilma keaves 1200 paintings, 26,000 pages of notes (125 notebooks), not to be shown until 20 years after her death.
1933 -- Hitler appointed chancellor of Germany
1944 -- Hilma dies of car accident. She was 82. Also Kandinsky (77), Mondrian (pneumonia, 71)
1970s -- Johan af Kilnt offers works to the Moderna Museet, they refuse. The then-director turned them down. “When he heard that she was a medium, there was no discussion. He didn’t even look at the pictures.” Only in 2013 did the museum redeem itself with a retrospective. https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2020/oct/06/hilma-af-klint-abstract-art-beyond-the-visible-film-documentary
1985 -- Hilma's work discovered. Distant relative of Klint finds paintings just hanging on walls of theosophical society.
1986 -- Hilma af Klint show: The Spiritual in Art, Abstract Painting 1890-1985
2013 -- Hilma af Klint Moderna Museet Stockholm show: perhaps their most popular in history
2019 -- Hilma af Klint Guggenheim show: may have been it's most popular
2020 -- Beyond the Visible: Hilma af Klint documentary
recorded April 21, 2022
Visit us at https://chrisandrandall.com/
Randall and Chris discuss the moment the "modern" world was born, with the first abstract painting in 1910.
Another slide episode. Watch the video on Youtube or Facebook or download slides here: https://mega.nz/file/ExlWgJiC#1o5JkcH5qSFZ28Fu06JIxrsEibX5sSV_mK4t9QoJ-co
Topics discussed include:
Salon des Refusés
Impressionism
Expressionism
Lord of the Rings
Star Wars
Arnold Schoenberg
influence of photography
Fauvism
The Blue Rider
Cubism
Composition V
Nude Descending a Staircase, No. 2
A Princess of Mars, 1912
H. G. Wells
Bauhaus
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/From_Bauhaus_to_Our_House
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Movement_(New_Order_album)
Timeline
1863 -- Salon des Refusés
1903 -- The Blue Rider painted
1905 -- Fauvism coined
1906 -- Post-Impressionist coined
1910 -- Cubism coined
1910 -- FIRST ABSTRACT PAINTING
1912 -- 'A Princess of Mars' released in All-Story magazine
1913 -- Armory Show
1914 -- WWI
1919 -- Bauhaus (building house) founded by Walter Gropius
1929 -- Buck Rodgers comic strip published
1933 -- Famous Funnies, first modern comic book published
1937 -- 'The Hobbit' published
recorded March 29, 2022
Visit us at https://chrisandrandall.com/
Randall talks to Chris about the transition to modernism in painting.
slideshow download:
https://traffic.libsyn.com/secure/chrisandrandall/ep90slideshow.zip
Timeline:
1863 -- Salon des Refusés
1874 -- Impression, Sunrise by Monet
1875 -- James Abbott McNeill Whistler paints Nocturne in Black and Gold -- The Falling Rocket
1877 -- John Ruskin published his attack on the paintings of James McNeill Whistler exhibited at the Grosvenor Gallery
1878 -- Whistler v Ruskin trial (https://gutenberg.org/ebooks/24650)
1881 -- Paul Gauguin moves to Tahiti. His avowed intent was to escape European civilization and "everything that is artificial and conventional"
1884 -- Georges Seurat founds theory of chromoluminarism, divisionism
1886 -- Symbolism coined
1888 -- Cloisonnism coined
1889 -- Synthetism coined
1890 -- Whistler publishes The Gentle Art of Making Enemies with full transcript of case
1903 -- Gauguin dies
1903 - 1906 -- Gauguin retrospectives in Paris
1903 -- Kandinsky paints the Blue Rider
Topics discussed include:
"alternative" art
alternative music
Camille Pisarro
Impressionism
Eugène Delacroix
Islamic art
Zen art
Alexander Cozens inkblots
traditional African art
James Abbott McNeill Whistler
Positivism
recorded March 7, 2022
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Randall goes on a deep dive of modern art in an attempt to describe what leads to abstraction.
(You may download slideshow here: https://traffic.libsyn.com/secure/chrisandrandall/ep89_slideshow.zip)
Topics discussed include:
figurative art
religious art
fantasy art
landscape painting
Alexander Cozens
John Robert Cozens
Thomas Monroe
J. M. W. Turner
Theory of Colours by Goethe
Pierre-Henri de Valenciennes
En plein air (open-air painting)
painting technology
Eugène Delacroix
photography technology
Paris Salon
Impressionism
Claude Monet
Timeline discussed:
1785 -- Alexander Cozens published a pamphlet on this manner of drawing landscapes from blots, called A New Method of Assisting the Invention in Drawing Original Compositions of Landscape
1776 -- Cozen's son, John Robert Cozens displays A Landscape with Hannibal in His March Over the Alps, Showing to His Army Fertile Plains of Italy, now lost
1777 -- John Robert Cozens paints watercolor Lake of Albano and Castel Gandolfo at Sunset which auctions for 2.4 million pounds in 2010
1794 -- John Robert Cozens has nervous breakdown. Committed to Bethlem Royal Hospital. Famous doctor/art collector Thomas Monro buys his collection. Dies 1797, 3 year later. Painter JMW Turner is in his circle
1800 -- The theory of 'En plein air' painting is credited to Pierre-Henri de Valenciennes (1750–1819) first expounded in a treatise entitled Reflections and Advice to a Student on Painting, Particularly on Landscape
1810 -- Goethe’s Theory of Colours
1812 -- J.M.W. Turner paints Snow Storm: Hannibal and his Army Crossing the Alps, slide 004. Inspired by A Landscape with Hannibal in His March Over the Alps, Showing to His Army Fertile Plains of Italy
1824 -- Massacre at Chios by Eugène Delacroix
1824 -- Delacroix Horse Frightened by a Storm
1830 -- Delacroix Liberty Leading the People
1831 -- The Great Wave at Kanagawa
1839 -- France pays Daguerre a pension in exchange to publish his photographic process. France considers this a gift to the world. By 1853, an estimated three million daguerreotypes per year were being produced in the United States alone
1841 -- Delacroix Christ on the Sea of Galilee
1841 -- American John Goffe Rand, a portrait painter and inventor, invents the tin paint tube. The tin tube allowed unused oil paint to be stored and used later without drying out. Renoir said “Without tubes of paint, there would have been no Impressionism.”
1850s -- Field easel invented
1862 -- Delacroix Shipwreck on the Coast
1863 -- Camille Pissarro, Claude Monet, Armand Guillaumin, Paul Cézanne, and others' works are all rejected by the Salon. Emperor Napoleon III founds the Salon des Refusés "exhibition of rejects" to display their works.
1872 -- Claude Monet paints Impression, Sunrise
1888 -- Monet starts painting Haystacks series
recorded March 1, 2022
Visit us at https://chrisandrandall.com/
Chris and Randall make their Oscar picks.
Best Visual Effects
Randall: Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings
Chris: Dune
Best Production Design
Randall: Nightmare Alley
Chris: Dune
Best Cinematography
Randall: Nightmare Alley
Chris: Dune
Best Adapted Screenplay
Randall: The Lost Daughter
Chris: The Lost Daughter
Best Original Screenplay
Randall: Belfast
Chris: Licorice Pizza
Best Costume Design
Randall: Nightmare Alley
Chris: Cruella
Best Supporting Actor
Randall: Ciarán Hinds
Chris: J. K. Simmons
Best Supporting Actress
Randall: Judi Dench
Chris: Ariana DeBose
Best Actor
Randall: Andrew Garfield
Chris: Benedict Cumberbatch
Best Actress
Randall: Olivia Colman
Chris: Olivia Coleman
Best Director
Randall: Kenneth Branagh
Chris: Jane Campion
Best Picture
Randall: CODA
Chris: The Power of the Dog
recorded February 15, 2022
Visit us at https://chrisandrandall.com/
Chris & Randall discuss the Super Bowl halftime show and pick their top 5 commercials.
Youtube playlist for this episode: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLsaXZW9t1b1CbcMcox2PkB1JxuiOFTu7N
Randall's commercial picks:
“Goodbye Cable” Super Bowl | 5G Internet | Verizon
Bud Light Seltzer Hard Soda - Land of Loud Flavors
Introducing the Captain Morgan Super Bowl Punch Bowl
Quaker | Pregrain Before the Big Game :30
Welcome to Irish Spring
Chris' commercial picks:
Zeus & Hera | BMW USA
Lays "Golden Memories" Long Form w/Paul Rudd & Seth Rogen
LeBron James Super Bowl Commerical With His Younger Self
Don't Miss Out on Crypto: Larry David FTX Commercial
A Clydesdale's Journey | Budweiser Super Bowl 2022
Topics discussed include:
SoFi Stadium
Hip hop music
Dr. Dre
Snoop Dogg
Eminem
Mary J. Blige
50 Cent
Kendrick Lamar
The Weeknd
Tupac Shakur
Pop music
cultural influencers
recorded February 15, 2022
Visit us at https://chrisandrandall.com/
Chris and Randall discuss Joker (2019).
Topics discussed include:
Todd Phillips
Hated: GG Allin & the Murder Junkies (1993)
Todd Phillips & Michal Moore interview: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0X2u7qu9oOQ
the 1970s
Fisher Island
Bernhard Goetz: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1984_New_York_City_Subway_shooting
parasocial relationships
parasocial interaction
https://chrisandrandall.com/category/parasocial+interaction
Joe Franklin: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joe_Franklin
Network (1976)
"realism" in comic book movies
entertainment v art
The King of Comedy (1982)
social media
recorded January 12, 2022
visit us at https://chrisandrandall.com/
Chris and Randall discuss The King of Comedy (1982).
Topics discussed include:
Network (1976)
parasocial interaction
parasocial relationships
autograph hunting
https://chrisandrandall.com/category/parasocial+interaction
recorded January 12, 2022
visit us at https://chrisandrandall.com/
Chris and Randall discuss Pop-up Retail, Installation art, Happening, Land art, Virtual reality, Immersive art. Are they all part of a single aesthetic?
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pop-up_retail
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Installation_art
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Happening
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Land_art
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Virtual_reality
https://agoradigital.art/blog-what-is-immersive-art/
Topics discussed include:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/My_Bed
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/%C3%89tant_donn%C3%A9s
https://www.thecollector.com/what-is-installation-art/
https://www.happyplace.me/
https://madhatterginteaparty.com/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Burning_Man
Stranger Things Pop-up
https://9to5mac.com/2021/08/04/ted-lasso-believe-fan-experience-california/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Star_Trek:_The_Exhibition
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Haunted_house
https://www.thedinnerdetective.com/
https://vangoghexpo.com/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Urban_Light
recorded December 17, 2021
Visit us at https://chrisandrandall.com/
Chris and Randall discuss 2021 in arts and entertainment.
Topics discussed include:
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2021/dec/02/us-rejects-calls-regulating-banning-killer-robots
COVID-19
Nicole Kidman ad: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KiEeIxZJ9x0
theatrical release window
streaming
French release window: https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/general-news/french-cinema-body-can-collapse-release-windows-covid-19-crisis-1285803/
home theater
Secrets of the Whales (series)
https://www.imaxenhanced.com/
WandaVision (series)
Kathryn Hahn
Agatha: House of Harkness
movies vs TV
Mare of Easttown (series)
Dopesick (series)
Squid Game (series)
https://www.indiewire.com/2021/11/north-korea-squid-game-smuggler-death-sentence-1234681415/
The Beatles: Get Back (series)
They Shall Not Grow Old (2018)
live entertainment
stand up
theater
recorded music
Colin Hay
Elton John
Donald Trump
Bill Maher
Dave Chapelle
Joe Rogan
"woke" comedy
https://www.facebook.com/itswilwheaton/posts/4388851747908000
Dr. Seuss
recorded December 15, 2021
Visit us at https://chrisandrandall.com/
Chris and Randall discuss The Muppet Christmas Carol (1992), one of the greatest A Christmas Carol adaptations.
Best A Christmas Carol adaptations: https://www.imdb.com/list/ls574145227/
Topics discussed include:
past A Christmas Carol episodes: https://chrisandrandall.com/category/A+Christmas+Carol
Jim Henson
Thomas Nast (cartoonist)
Michael Caine
the "Jim Henson Ending"
Ebenezer Scrooge
Paul Williams
Cut song: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r57KXWeXKoY
Richard Williams' A Christmas Carol: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZTzyC9CZuOA
recorded December 17, 2021
Visit us at https://chrisandrandall.com/
Chris explains to Randall his view of the relationship between Hollywood and Broadway.
Topics discussed include:
In the Heights (2021)
Dear Even Hansen (2021)
West Side Story (2021)
Prom (2020)
Tick, Tick... Boom! (2021)
The Humans (2021)
Cats (2019)
Into the Woods (2014)
Sing 2 (2021)
aesthetics of theater vs cinema
Avenue Q
Disney musicals
Beauty and the Beast (1991)
Cats (1998)
American Utopia (2020)
recorded December 15, 2021
Visit us at https://chrisandrandall.com/
Chris and Randall discuss their favorite Turkeys — or artistic failures — in honor of Thanksgiving.
Topics discussed include:
Hackers (1995)
Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rn2cf_wJ4f4
Death Race 2000 (1975)
"Fire By Night — Family First"
https://youtu.be/YeCbBbPT0wY
Andy Kaufman
I'm from Hollywood (1989)
Iggy Pop - The Passenger (Official Video)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-fWw7FE9tTo
David Hasselhoff – The Passenger [Official Video]
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XKdKU6p78TQ
William Shatner singing
Rocket Man
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lul-Y8vSr0I
Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oH06aNXWb8U
Bon Jovi - Wanted Dead Or Alive (Official Music Video)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SRvCvsRp5ho
Airplane! (1980)
recorded November 19, 2021
Visit us at https://chrisandrandall.com/
Randall talks to Chris about one of his favorite fine artists, Marcel Duchamp.
Topics discussed include:
photography's influcence on painting
traditional European oil painting, pre-photography
Johannes Vermeer
Impressionism
early life
Cubism
Nude Descending a Staircase, No. 2
Armory Show of 1913
Eadweard Muybridge
Futurism
Picasso
Dadism or Dada
Readymade
Fountain
Andy Warhol
Pop art
L.H.O.O.Q.
The Bride Stripped Bare by Her Bachelors, Even
mobile (sculpture)
Erratum Musical
Chess
Robert Rauschenberg
Jasper Johns
His Twine
Twelve Hundred Coal Bags Suspended from the Ceiling over a Stove
Given: The Waterfall, 2. The Illuminating Gas (Étant donnés: 1° la chute d'eau / 2° le gaz d'éclairage)
recorded November 17, 2021
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Chris and Randall cover the Pros and Cons of different ways to get trained in professional creative writing: novels, sketches, screenplays, stage plays, and TV scripts.
recorded November 3, 2021
Visit us at https://chrisandrandall.com/
Chris and Randall discuss their favorite horror comedies — spoiler free!
IMDB list of good horror comedies: http://www.imdb.com/list/ls508197149/
Chris' top 5:
Young Frankenstein (1974)
Bud Abbott and Lou Costello meet Frankenstein (1948)
An American Werewolf in London (1981)
What We Do In the Shadows (2014)
Werewolves Within (2021)
honorable mention:
The Witches (1990)
The Fearless Vampire Killers (1967)
Attack the Block (2011)
Scream 2 (1992)
Gremlins 2: The New Batch (1990)
Adams Family Values (1993)
Randall's top 5:
Evil Dead II (1987)
Zombieland (2009)
The Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975)
They Live (1988)
Trollhunter (2010)
honorable mention:
One Cut of the Dead (2017)
A Bucket of Blood (1959)
Eating Raoul (1982)
Society (1989)
This is the End (2013)
Topics discussed include:
The Legend of Sleepy Hollow
black comedy vs parody vs spoof
comedy vs horror
recorded October 20, 2021
Visit us at https://chrisandrandall.com/
Randall talks to Chris about how Squid Game is ideologically aligned with Marxist thought.
Topics discussed include:
Saturday Night Live sketch: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vWdHPMhy270
Other shows that tackle class conflict: http://www.imdb.com/list/ls550916663/
A Christmas Carol
https://labornotes.org/blogs/2021/10/real-life-auto-strike-behind-runaway-netflix-hit-squid-game
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ludlow_Massacre
the relationship between capitalism and gambling
https://blogs.scientificamerican.com/beautiful-minds/the-role-of-luck-in-life-success-is-far-greater-than-we-realized/
How voluntary is participation in the capitalist system?
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hobson%27s_choice
Marxist view of criminality
the Marble Game
212 Mi-nyeo -- the seductress
the guards
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/False_consciousness
the Front Man
the VIPs
"All for ourselves and nothing for other people, seems, in every age of the world, to have been the vile maxim of the masters of mankind." —Adam Smith
https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/how-wealth-reduces-compassion/
recorded October 20, 2021
Visit us at https://chrisandrandall.com/
Chris and Randall explore the problem of representation when casting Jewish actors in Jewish roles.
Sarah Silverman on Jewface:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ll6Ob4369vI
https://omny.fm/shows/the-sarah-silverman-podcast/jew-face-iron-dome-mr-mom
Topics discussed include:
Transparent (series)
https://time.com/6101055/jewish-women-not-cast-in-jewish-roles/
https://www.huffpost.com/entry/sarah-silverman-jewface_n_615c2c20e4b0487c85637d71
Kathryn Hahn as Joan Rivers
https://forward.com/schmooze/416935/all-the-celebrities-you-really-really-thought-were-jewish-but-arent/
https://www.timesofisrael.com/jewish-uk-comedians-message-that-jews-dont-count-rings-true-across-the-pond/
Everybody Loves Raymond (series)
Shine (1996)
Jews in Hollywood
Schindler's List (1993)
Rachel Weisz
Selma Diamond
Uncut Gems (2019)
Mad About You (series)
Chapter Two (1979)
Playing Shylock: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MwRj8B1dXfk
Starsky & Hutch (series)
Fiddler on the Roof (1971)
America Crime Story (series)
The Trial of the Chicago 7 (2020)
American Crime Story S02: The Assassination of Gianni Versace (2018)
recorded October 13, 2021
Visit us at https://chrisandrandall.com/
Chris & Randall ask Bill Gucwa about his days making trailers for major studios.
Trailers mentioned include:
Frequency (2000)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jdACpDDpIUs
The Majestic (2001)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QHZldxzY1h0
Alien (1979)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iQ2Jx_EaZOo
Independence Day (1996)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xwyqXHV3SaI
Where the Wild things Are (2009)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hcBPzqxBnRU
Tonight, Tonight (music video)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NOG3eus4ZSo
House of Gucci (2021)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pGi3Bgn7U5U
No Time To Die (2021)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N_gD9-Oa0fg
Dune (1984)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hzUlXEyvJeA
Dune (2021)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8g18jFHCLXk
Dune (2021, China)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IQLHDyDRWUQ
Monty Python and the Holy Grail (1975)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=urRkGvhXc8w
Psycho (1960)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DTJQfFQ40lI
Operation Mincemeat (2021)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=naactPCbIgQ
The Devil Wears Prada (2006)
https://www.moviefone.com/movie/the-devil-wears-prada/23758/video/R5oAU1Yi/
Jaws (1975)
https://prod-admin.tcm.com/video/178878/jaws-original-trailer
recorded October 6, 2021
Visit us at https://chrisandrandall.com/
Chris and Randall discuss movie and TV adaptations of works from other mediums. When do they work? When do they fail? How and why does this happen?
Topics discussed include:
Dear Evan Hansen (2021)
fanboy-ism
screen vs stage
Rent (2005)
Chicago (2002)
Grease (1978)
My Fair Lady (1964)
Betrayal (1983)
Doubt (2008)
Dangerous Liaisons (1988)
Starship Troopers (1997)
Dune (1984)
This is Where I Leave You (2014)
The Great Gatsby (1949, 1974, 2013)
The Shawshank Redemption (1994)
Apt Pupil (1998)
Stand by Me (1986)
comic book adaptations
Watchmen (2009)
Dick Tracy (1990)
Sin City (2005)
300 (2006)
Ironman
Wolverine
Spider-Man
Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016)
Spider-Man 2 (2004)
Batman Returns (1992)
The Diary of a Teenage Girl (2015)
The Princess Bride (1987)
recorded September 29, 2021
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Chris and Randall discuss parasocial relationships in pop culture.
https://www.vox.com/22663143/john-mulaney-olivia-munn-pregnant-parasocial-relationships-kylie-jenner
recorded September 22, 2021
Vixit us at https://chrisandrandall.com/
Chris and Randall discuss the arts & entertainment of amusement parks.
Relevant links:
https://www.disneyplus.com/series/the-imagineering-story/6ryoXv1e1rWW
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCVo63lbKHjC04KqYhwSZ_Pg
Topics discussed include:
history of amusement parks
pleasure gardens
Tivoli Gardens
Lake Compounce
World's Fair of 1851
Crystal Palace
World's Columbian Exposition
Blackpool Pleasure Beach
Santa Claus Land
Santa's Workship
Clifton's Cafeteria
Crossroads of the World
Tam O'Shanter
Knott's Berry Farm
Calico
Disneyland
Six Flags
Disney World
Epcot Center
Coney Island
Playland Park
Six Flags Great Adventure
It's a Small World After All
Sea World San Diego
The Wizarding World of Harry Potter
recorded September 15, 2021
Visit us at https://chrisandrandall.com/
Chris and Randall discuss how Hollywood comedic talent hasn't had any new blood lately.
"The young kids are going to the movies to see people their parent's age act like they're their age and it's working right now." —Randall
Topics discussed include:
City Slickers (1991)
Free Guy (2021)
Cruela (2021)
The Ben Stiller Show (series)
Mr. Show (series)
Liar Liar (1997)
Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy (2004)
School of Rock (2003)
The 40 Year Old Virgin (2005)
The Hangover (2009)
Clueless (1995)
Borat (2006)
Thor: Ragnarok (2017)
Jojo Rabbit (2019)
Lady Bird (2017)
Booksmart (2019)
Deadpool (2016)
The Suicide Squad (2021)
counter culture
Easy Rider (1969)
Risky Business (1983)
Once Upon a Time... In Hollywood (2019)
Knives Out (2019)
Parasite (2019)
romantic comedies
Roger Corman
Tyler Perry
generation gap
Annie Korzen
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parasocial_interaction
The Economics of Superstars: https://www.jstor.org/stable/1803469
the printing press
recorded August 25, 2021
Visit us at https://chrisandrandall.com/
Chris asks Randall if he thinks photography is art.
Randall's photography site: https://www.rjmillsphotography.com/
Topics discussed include:
history of photography
eyes vs. photographs
Picasso
camera obscura
Johannes Vermeer
Garry Winogrand
Ansel Adams
photography as fine art
recorded August 11, 2021
Visit us at https://chrisandrandall.com/
ep68: Our Mtv Youth
Chris and Randall discuss growing up watching MTV.
The first two hours of the debut of MTV in 1981
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PJtiPRDIqtI
Topics discussed include:
MTV original concept
early VJs
early MTV format
Alan Hunter
Mark Goodman
Martha Quinn
Nina Blackwood
J.J. Jackson
Album-oriented rock
Eagles
I want my MTV
Smells Like Teen Spirit
120 Minutes
http://www.mtv.com/news/1671285/smells-like-teen-spirit-nirvana-120-minutes/
Matt Pinfield
Origin of music videos
Video Killed the Radio Star
Pat Benatar
Madonna
Borderline
Michael Jackson
Thriller
Cyndi Lauper
Duran Duran
ZZ Top
Michael Nesmith
Rodney Bingenheimer
Fake Plastic Trees: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n5h0qHwNrHk
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Decline_of_Western_Civilization_Part_II:_The_Metal_Years
recorded August 11, 2021
Visit us at https://chrisandrandall.com/
Chris and Randall discuss 3 recent Netflix comedy specials which have become much talked about:
Neal Brennan: 3 Mics (2017)
Hannah Gadsby: Nanette (2018)
Bo Burnham: Inside (2021)
Associated articles:
https://www.nickiswift.com/417092/how-whitney-cummings-thinks-representation-should-be-handled-in-hollywood-exclusive/?fbclid=IwAR2oQuSWaOl7ANg1PuuyvxvRkGsbtL06ufktHe8RRdqJjvkEUtFnP_HJBiE
https://www.vulture.com/2018/09/the-nontraditional-stand-up-special-takeover.html?fbclid=IwAR3PGOsl_MPGJP5N0mqRzucFnsy_oDeCfAaumxlpVy6eoCVVHaxjLq7Y53A
Topics discussed include:
Richard Pryor: Live in Concert
HBO stand-up specials
Netflix stand-up
economics of stand-up
https://www.nickiswift.com/418683/whitney-cummings-reveals-how-netflix-has-changed-comedy-forever-exclusive/?utm_campaign=clip
https://www.jimcoughlin.com/
Neal Brennan: 3 Mics (2017)
Hannah Gadsby: Nanette (2018)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Long_tail
Bo Burnham: Inside (2021)
recorded August 4, 2021
Visit us at https://chrisandrandall.com/
Chris and Randall discuss the 1992 TV series, The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles.
Young Indiana Jones Chronicles - Ep 17: Vienna, November 1908 - Restored
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9WTFxKUldiU
Young Indiana Jones Chronicles - Ep 29: Palestine, October 1917 - Restored
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PICt-Uq1aCQ
George Lucas and Rick McCallum Discuss the Young Indiana Jones Series
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vxCjvNpd1MI
Topics discussed include:
Indiana Jones movies
George Lucas
Star Wars universe
The Mandalorian (series)
Amazing Stories (series)
Miami Vice (series)
"Cinematic"
My Girl (1991)
A Little Romance (1979)
Frank Darabont
Solo: A Star Wars Story (2018)
Twin Peaks (series)
Harrison Ford
recorded July 28, 2021
Visit us at https://chrisandrandall.com/
Chris explains to Randall his love of jigsaw puzzles.
Recommended Puzzle Companies:
Clemtoni
Galison
Pomegranate
Re-Marks
Ravensburger
White Mountain
Topics discussed include:
history of jigsaw puzzles
construction
choosing the perfect puzzle
Barnes & Noble
puzzle lighting
puzzle strategies
flow state
puzzle addiction
recorded July 7, 2021
Visit us at https://chrisandrandall.com/
Chris and Randall discuss the aesthetics of pizza.
Topics discussed include:
Neopolitan pizza
history of pizza
Lombardi's Pizza
Frank Pepe Pizzeria Napoletana
Sally's Apizza
pizza making
toppings
pizza restaurants
Chuck E. Cheese
Miceli's
Grimaldi's Pizzeria
Di Fara Pizza
Masa of Echo Park Bakery & Cafe
800 Degrees
Saturday Night Fever (1977)
Fast Times at Ridgemont High (1982)
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
Home Alone 1 & 2 (1990, 1992)
Pizza Man (1991)
Breaking Bad (series)
recorded July 7, 2021
Visit us at https://chrisandrandall.com/
ep63: The mystery of Boba Fett
Chris and Randall wonder who created Boba Fett.
A brief timeline of Boba Fett's creation that we put together:
1) Ralph McQuarrie makes an illustration of an elite stormtrooper possibly inspired by the Rocket Man serials (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/King_of_the_Rocket_Men): https://www.flyguy.net/post/96362912107/boba-fett-concept-art-by-joe-johnston-and-ralph
2) Joe Johnston puts a costume together based on the sketch: https://www.starwars.com/video/meet-boba-fett
3) George Lucas writes a 10-page outline for The Story of the Faithful Wookiee: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jsNwP_1kTZQ&t=2s
4) Frank Nissen of Nelvana makes sketches and storyboard for The Story of the Faithful Wookie
5) John Celestri of Nelvana works on Boba Fett for The Story of the Faithful Wookiee
6) Norman Reynolds designs the costume for The Empire Strikes Back (1980)
Evolution of Boba Fett: https://visual.ly/community/Infographics/entertainment/evolution-boba-fett
Good article: https://www.theringer.com/movies/2019/11/8/20953924/star-wars-boba-fett-design-the-mandalorian
recorded July 7, 2021
Visit us at https://chrisandrandall.com/
Chris and Randall discuss the various aesthetics surrounding the US holiday, Independence Day or the Fourth of July.
Topics discussed include:
history of the holiday
Randall's experience of marching band
Pacific Palisades July 4th Parade
patriotic music
aesthetics of parades
aesthetics of 4th of July parties
history of fireworks
aesthetics of fireworks
fireworks in Los Angeles
Macy's 4th of July Fireworks
Schoolhouse Rock, 4th of July: https://youtu.be/NrNjo0liRKU
1776 (1972): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=COGmVpHWr7s
"The Egg" from 1776: https://youtu.be/ds4dv4IS0PM
recorded June 30, 2021
Visit us at https://chrisandrandall.com/
Chris and Randall discuss what they're looking forward to and what they've attended so far since the start of the pandemic.
Topics discussed include:
the end of pandemic restrictions
Zoom
podcasting
Zoom shows
Mensa
Bill Burr
getting back on stage
recorded June 1, 2021
Visit us at https://chrisandrandall.com/
Chris and Randall discuss a classic episode from Star Trek the original series, "Mirror, Mirror".
"What if Quentin Tarantino just did a mirror universe Star Trek that took place in the mirror universe? I think that would be like the greatest Star Trek of all time." — Randall
recorded June 1, 2021
Visit us at https://chrisandrandall.com/
Chris and Randall discuss the art of Robin Williams.
Topics discussed include:
Mork & Mindy (series)
childhood
education
John Houseman
Christopher Reeve
Popeye (1980)
Shelly Duvall
Good Will Hunting (1997)
Dead Poets Society (1989)
Aladdin (1992)
The Birdcage (1996)
The Fisher King (1991)
Awakenings (1990)
Patch Adams (1998)
The World According to Garp (1982)
Good Morning, Vietnam (1987)
Moscow on the Hudson (1984)
World's Greatest Dad (2009)
Cadillac Man (1990)
Death to Smoochy (2002)
One Hour Photo (2002)
improv
recorded June 1, 2021
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Chris and Randall discuss the nearly forgotten 1983 animated epic Rock & Rule.
A good version: https://archive.org/details/RockRuleBDCollection/Rock+%26+Rule+-+American+Theatrical+Cut+HD.mkv
On Youtube: https://www.cartoonbrew.com/classic/you-can-now-watch-nelvanas-cult-sci-fi-musical-rock-rule-for-free-on-youtube-184042.html
Topics discussed include:
Toronto, Canada
rotoscoping
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Max_Fleischer
Betty Boop
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ralph_Bakshi
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Walt_Disney
Andy Serkis
Fire and Ice (1983)
the 1970s
The Little Mermaid (1989)
Beauty and the Beast (1991)
VHS era
Bojack Horseman (series)
history of Nelvana
Nelvana's contribution to the Star Wars Universe
Did Nelvana create Boba Fett?
Boba Fett's introduction: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jsNwP_1kTZQ
recorded May 26, 2021
Visit us at https://chrisandrandall.com/
Chris and Randall continue their discussion, this time focusing on television comedy.
Topics discussed include:
situation comedy
television comedy
laffers
Big Bang Theory vs. Young Sheldon
Chuck Lorre
multicamera vs. single camera
I Love Lucy (series)
The Honeymooners (series)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Douglass
laugh tracks
Vaudeville
Louie (series)
Schitt's Creek (series)
Mr. Mayor (series)
Glued to the Set (book)
Curb Your Enthusiasm (series)
The Office (series, US)
recorded April 14, 2021
Visit us at https://chrisandrandall.com/
Chris and Randall discuss the changes or progress in TV and movie comedy since 2000.
Topics discussed include:
critically acclaimed vs. popular comedies
Knives Out (2019)
Parasite (2019)
Once Upon a Time in Hollywood (2019)
Jojo Rabbit (2019)
The Farewell (2019)
Thor Ragnarok (2017)
Guardians of the Galaxy (2014)
Deadpool (2016)
Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw (2019)
Action genre
What gets greenlit in Hollywood?
Is there a lack of conedic talent?
Where does new talent come from?
Did the Chinese market kill comedy?
family comedies
What is comedy?
the role of the jester
the politics of modern comedy
recorded March 30, 2021
Visit us at https://chrisandrandall.com/
Chris and Randall compare Richard Jewell (2019) to Manhunt Season 2: Deadly Games.
Topics discussed include:
the genre of docudramas
AMERICAN NIGHTMARE: The Ballad of RICHARD JEWELL https://archive.vanityfair.com/article/share/1fd2d7ae-10d8-474b-9bf1-d1558af697be
60 Minutes interview https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qbx50Gsi9g0
The Bridge on the River Kwai (1957)
Richard Jewell Case Study — Columbia University http://www.columbia.edu/itc/journalism/j6075/edit/readings/jewell.html
Top 10 Things Richard Jewell Got Factually Right and Wrong https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4ElcezbvEAE&t=530s
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Infotainment
recorded March 10, 2021
Visit us at https://chrisandrandall.com/
ep54: Appropriation, collage, deconstruction, remix culture
Chris and Randall discuss appropriation, collage, deconstruction, remix culture.
“Good artists borrow, great artists steal.” —Picasso
Topics discussed include:
The Bear Went Over the Mountain vs. For He's A Jolly Good Fellow
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Appropriation_(art)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Remix_culture
Generation Remix
copyright vs. copyleft
Milton Berle's Private Joke File: Over 10,000 of His Best Gags, Anecdotes, and One-Liners
https://www.hisour.com/appropriation-12787/
Marcel Duchamp
Cubism
Guerrilla Girls
René Magritte
Cindy Sherman
Yasumasa Morimura
Pageant of the Masters — Laguna Beach
Erased de Kooning Drawing (1953)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Copyright_Act_of_1976
doctrine of fair use
Andy Warhol
Andy Warhol vs. Patricia Caulfield
https://nazmiyalantiquerugs.com/blog/andy-warhol-flowers-patricia-caulfield-hibiscus-blossoms/
Andy Warhol vs. Campbell's Soup
"My Sweet Lord" vs. "He's So Fine"
"Mary Jane's Last Dance" vs. "Dani California"
"I Won't Back Down" vs. "Stay With Me"
"A Whiter Shade of Pale" vs. Bach
"Bad Romance" vs. Bach
Pachelbel's Canon
"Russians" vs. Prokofiev
Jean-Michel Basquiat
The Grey Album
Robert Crumb
Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead (play)
Travesties (play)
What's Up, Tiger Lily (1966)
Play It Again, Sam (1972)
Son of Rambow (2007)
WALL·E (2008)
Marriage Story (2019)
Company (2011)
2001: A Space Odyssey (1968)
Breaking Away (1979)
The Four Seasons (1981)
recorded Feb 3, 2021
Visit us at https://chrisandrandall.com/
Chris and Randall interview Writers Guild of America screenwriter Bill Gucwa.
Topics discussed include:
Midnight Cowboy (1969)
The Ten Commandments (1956)
Charlton Heston
Planet of the Apes
being a Universal Studios tour guide
Michael Apted
Tyrone Power
what celebrities owe to the public
Sean Penn
being a background actor or extra
writing movie trailers
Storm Catcher (1999)
No Code of Conduct (1998)
life of a screenwriter
being in the Writers Guild of America
2021 Academy Awards
recorded April 28, 2021
Visit us at https://chrisandrandall.com/
Chris and Randall discuss the art of podcasting.
Topics discussed include:
https://www.edisonresearch.com/the-infinite-dial/
Spotify
origins of podcasts
RSS
iPods
MP3 format
WTF with Marc Maron
NPR
talk radio
The Joe Rogan Experience
Terry Gross
TV news
Pod Save America
Real Time with Bill Maher
Bill Burr's Monday Morning Podcast
Dan Carlin's Hardcore History
Malcolm Gladwell
Hidden Brain
audio books
BBC
Allen v. Farrow
Talking Dead
true crime podcasts
Dirty John
Armchair Expert with Dax Shepard
SmartLess With Jason Bateman, Sean Hayes, & Will Arnett
Anna Faris Is Unqualified
Office Ladies podcast with Jenna Fischer and Angela Kinsey
Conan O'Brien Needs a Friend
Scriptnotes podcast
Radiolab
This American Life
Freakonomics
Mike Birbiglia's Working It Out
New York Times
Wall Street Journal
Story Worthy
Story Smash
recorded April 21, 2021
Visit us at https://chrisandrandall.com/
Chris and Randall discuss the art of Production (Art) Design and its impact on 1970s movies.
Topics discussed include:
Gone with the Wind (1939)
Keystone Cops
studio
backlot
sound stage
theater vs. photography
Stanley Kubrick
Italian Neo Realism
Bicycle Thieves (1948)
Cahiers du Cinéma (magazine, 1951)
French New Wave
The 400 Blows (1959)
Breathless (1960)
Bonnie and Clyde (1967)
squibs
White Heat (1949)
The Public Enemy (1931)
2001: A Space Odyssey (1968)
Easy Rider (1969)
Midnight Cowboy (1969)
The French Connection (1971)
Bullitt (1968)
The Wire (series)
Law and Order (series)
Taxi Driver (1976)
Chinatown (1974)
Double Indemnity (1944)
Sunset Boulevard (1950)
Once Upon a Time in Hollywood (2019)
Jaws (1978)
20,000 Leagues Under the Sea (1954)
The Deer Hunter (1978)
Apocaplyse Now (1979)
Animal House (1978)
The Bad News Bears (1976)
Monty Python and the Holy Grail (1975)
Game of Thrones (series)
Blazing Saddles (1974)
Jabberwocky (1977)
Stalker (1979)
Andrei Rublev (1966)
Conquest of the Planet of the Apes (1972)
Logan's Run (1976)
Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope (1977)
Lawrence of Arabia (1962)
Dune (miniseries, 2000)
Alien (1979)
Breaking Away (1979)
recorded January 20, 2021
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Chris and Randall explore the future as predicted by 6 science fiction classics:
Looking Backward: 2000–1887 (novel, 1888)
1984 (novel, 1949)
2001: A Space Odyssey (1968)
Soylent Green (1973)
Idiocracy (2006)
Her (2013)
Topics discussed include:
Star Wars
Star Trek
The First Industrial Revolution
HG Wells
Jules Verne
R.U.R. (play, 1921)
Auguste Comte
Socialism
Karl Marx
We (novel, 1924)
Brave New World (novel, 1932)
George Orwell
Edward Bernays
Propaganda (nonfiction, 1928)
1984 (1984)
Brazil (1985)
Arthur C. Clarke
Stanley Kubrick
Countdown (1968)
Eurostile Bold extended (font)
Futura (font)
artificial intelligence
Alien (1979)
Blade Runner (1982)
Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope (1977)
do-not-resuscitate order
Edward G. Robinson
processed food
food labeling
Charlton Heston
Rollerball (1975)
Conquest of the Planet of the Apes (1972)
The Time Machine (novel, 1895)
The Time Machine (1960)
Robot and Frank (2012)
Marjorie Prime (2017)
Moore's Law
recorded January 6, 2021
Visit us at https://chrisandrandall.com/
In this episode, we welcome our first guest, Nick Juntilla, founder of Ownerfy.com, the only smartphone app which allows you to create NFT (non-fungible token) art.
Nick is a computer programmer and happens to be an expert on cryptocurrency and NFTs. He's worked in the space almost since its inception.
Good article about Beeple's NFT sale: https://www.newyorker.com/tech/annals-of-technology/how-beeple-crashed-the-art-world
Full disclosure, Nick Juntilla is Randall's full biological brother raised in the same household. Their parents simply decided to give them different last names.
Topics discussed include:
Beeple
non-fungible tokens
Banksy
Jeff Koons
https://niftygateway.com/
David Hockney
Damien Hirst
Bitcoin
What is an NFT?
What is Ethereum?
Blockchains
CryptoKitties
What are CryptoKitties?
What is an Ethereum token?
provenance
NFT art vs. traditional art
What is digital art?
https://opensea.io/
Ownerfy.com
How do I create and sell NFT art?
https://www.coinbase.com/
Interplanetary File System
https://rarible.com/
https://mintable.app/
Who buys/collects digital art?
CryptoPunks
recorded March 23, 2021
Visit us at https://chrisandrandall.com/
Chris and Randall compare and contrast Spider-Man and Batman.
Topics discussed:
Superman: Red Son (comic)
The Dark Knight Returns (comic)
Dr. Octopus
Venom
Batman 60s TV show vs Spiderman 60s TV show
1970s Batman and Spiderman comics
Batman (1989)
Batman: The Killing Joke (comic)
Superman (1978)
Iron Man (2008)
Batman: The Animated Series
X-Men (series)
Spider-Man (2002)
Joker (2019)
Venom (2018)
Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse (2018)
recorded November 23, 2020
Visit us at https://chrisandrandall.com/
Chris and Randall compare and contrast Spider-Man and Batman.
Topics discussed
Who would win in a fight?
Bob Kane vs. Stan Lee
Stan Lee
Jewish immigrant experience
Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster
1930s New York
Superman
Metropolis vs. Gotham
Marvel vs. DC
Alfred vs. Aunt May
Gwen Stacy vs. Mary Jane
Green Goblin vs. Joker
Ra's al Ghul
Kingpin
relationship to law and order
recorded November 23, 2020
Visit us at https://chrisandrandall.com/
For many years, Chris has collected playbills from Broadway shows he's attended. He tells Randall all about it.
Topics discussed include:
New York City
Broadway
Hello Dolly!
Bernadette Peters
Victor Garber
Shubert Theatre (New York City)
Sweeney Todd
"Master Harold"...and the Boys by Athol Fugard
Danny Glover
Angela Lansbury
Stephen Fry
Mark Rylance
recorded November 16, 2020
Visit us at https://chrisandrandall.com/
One of Randall's pet peeves is this joke. Chris and Randall discuss it.
Good research on this joke and the earliest version found: https://wordhistories.net/2020/07/22/dont-call-late-dinner/
recorded November 16, 2020
Visit us at https://chrisandrandall.com/
ep44: Saturday Night Live
Chris and Randall discuss the television show Saturday Night Live.
Topics discussed include:
Jim Henson and the Muppets
Mr. Bill Show
Albert Brooks
Tom Schiller
Steve Martin
King Tut
Devo
Elvis Costello
Sun Ra
John Belushi
Laugh-In (series)
National Lampoon's Animal House (1978)
The National Lampoon Radio Hour
Bill Murray
Chevy Chase
Monty Python
Mel Brooks
Phil Hartman
Dana Carvey
Mike Meyers
Captain Beefheart
Frank Zappa
George Carlin
Harry Anderson
Andy Kaufman
Dan Ackroyd
Garrett Morris
Jane Curtin
Laraine Newman
Gilda Radner
drugs
Marc Maron
Happy Days (series)
Three's Company (series)
Rich Little
The Tonight Show (series)
Michael O'Donoghue
The Lonely Island
Chris Farley
Adam Sandler
Eddie Murphy
Joe Piscopo
Chris Rock
Jay Pharoah
Leslie Jones
Tim Meadows
Tracy Morgan
Kenan Thompson
Lorne Michaels
Jean Doumanian
Gilbert Gottfried
Dick Ebersol
Julia Louis-Dreyfus
48 Hrs. (1982)
Trading Places (1983)
Mad TV (series)
Fridays (series)
Robert Downey Jr.
Randy Quaid
Christopher Guest
Billy Crystal
Jon Lovitz
Jan Hooks
Nora Dunn
Will Ferrell
Tina Fey
Amy Poehler
improv
Cynthia Szigeti
Jimmy Fallon
Michael C. McCarthy
Top Story! Weekly https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC969L-unGvKmBwoNQXLOnXg
Dave Chapelle
Pete Davidson
Ashlee Simpson
The Ben Stiller Show (series)
Alec Baldwin
Bill Burr
Jim Carrey
Maya Rudolph
Jimmy Kimmel
Stephen Colbert
Larry David
Lindsay Lohan
John Mulaney
Tom Hanks
Kristen Wiig
recorded November 10, 2020
Visit us at https://chrisandrandall.com/
ep43: Critically acclaimed art versus commercially successful art
Chris and Randall discuss critically acclaimed art versus commercially successful art.
topics discussed include:
the role of the critic
Johann Wolfgang von Goethe's three questions:
What was the artist trying to do?
How well did he do it?
Was it worth the doing?
Parasite (2019)
Bong Joon-Ho
Memories of Murder (2003)
Elvis Costello
Van Halen
Avengers: Endgame (2019)
The Lone Ranger (2013)
The Great Gatsby (novel)
the Western canon
Harlan Ellison on Lynch's Dune: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KJgql2dXAiI
James Cameron vs. Wes Anderson
Titanic (1997)
Aliens (1986)
Terminator (1984)
Terminator 2: Judgement Day (1991)
True Lies (1994)
The Abyss (1989)
Avatar (2009)
George Lucas
Rushmore (1998)
The Royal Tenenbaums (2001)
Isle of Dogs (2018)
Moonrise Kingdom (2012)
The Grand Budapest Hotel (2014)
The Shining (novel) vs. The Metamorphosis (short story)
Stephen King vs. Franz Kafka
T.C. Boyle
Richard Bachman
Paula A. Roth
sitcom writing
Miramax Films
U2
Opera
Disneyland vs. art museum
Charles Dickens
Death of a Salesman (play)
Citizen Kane (1941)
Cahiers du Cinéma
The Da Vinci Code (novel)
The Catcher in the Rye (novel)
The Beatles
Steven Spielberg
Schindler's List (1993)
Jurrassic Park (1993)
Jaws (1975)
Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981)
A.I. Artificial Intelligence (2001)
Empire of the Sun (1987)
1941 (1979)
Amistad (1997)
Roger Corman
The Intruder (1962)
recorded November 2, 2020
Visit us at https://chrisandrandall.com/
Chris and Randall discuss the most important art show in the US every year, the Superbowl. We begin with the halftime show and then discuss various commercials.
-Topics discussed include:
history and significance of the superbowl
field shows
art vs. entertainment
Katy Perry - Making Of The Pepsi Super Bowl Halftime Show: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K8c5gLOT4VU
Jay-z
-Superbowl halftime shows discussed include:
Michael Jackson (1993)
Diana Ross (1996)
Justin Timberlake/Janet Jackson (2004)
Aerosmith/Britney Spears (2001)
Black Eyed Peas (2011)
Madonna (2012)
Katy Perry (2015)
Lady Gaga (2017)
Prince (2007)
Justin Timberlake (2018)
Shakira/Jennifer Lopez (2020)
The Weeknd (2021)
-Almost all superbowl ads
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL-_vVxNcXtGL22JPdlJS210D2YkGeK9_B
-Commercials discussed included:
5 to 9 by Dolly Parton – Extended | Big Game Commercial 2021 | Squarespace
Jimmy John's Super Bowl Commercial 2021 Brad Garrett Meet the King
Cadillac Super Bowl Commercial 2021 Winona Ryder ScissorHandsFree
Wayne's World & Cardi B's Shameless Manipulation | Eat Local | Uber Eats
Certain Is Better | Tracy Morgan & Joey Bosa | Rocket Mortgage Super Bowl Commercial
Certain Is Better | Tracy Morgan, Dave Bautista & Liza Koshy | Rocket Mortgage Super Bowl Commercial
Tide Super Bowl Commercial 2021 The Jason Alexander Hoodie
Doritos 3D | Flat Matthew Super Bowl LV
Cheetos | It Wasn’t Me SUPER BOWL LV OFFICIAL VIDEO
2021 Toyota Big Game Commercial: Jessica Long's Story | Upstream
No Way Norway | Big Game Commercial | General Motors
Opportunity Knocks | Fiverr Big Game Commercial (2021)
Wow No Cow | Toni TV | Oatly
Jeep Super Bowl 2021 TV Commercial, 'The Middle' Featuring Bruce Springsteen
recorded February 10, 2021
Visit us at https://chrisandrandall.com/
Chris and Randall talk candy.
Top candy in 2019 according to usa today poll
https://www.usatoday.com/story/money/2019/10/11/reeses-peanut-butter-cups-most-popular-halloween-candy/3941545002/
- Reese's Peanut Butter Cups
- Snickers bar
- M&M's
- Hershy bar
- candy corn
- Skittles
- Starburst
- Tootsie Pops
Topics discussed:
the 1970s
Mickey Mouse gumball machine
Tootsie Roll
chocolate
Starburst
Skittles
Charms Blow Pop
Tootsie Pop
Tootsie Roll Bank
How many licks does it take to get to the Tootsie Roll center of a Tootsie Pop?
TV adversitsing
Reggie Bar
Pop Rocks
Space Dust
Pez
candy as viral marketing
origins of candy
protein bars
Tiger's Milk Bar
Halloween
Christmas
Easter
Andes Chocolate Mints
Candy Canes
Dreidel
gold wrapped chocolate coins
Candylicious, Dubai
Valentine's Day
Sweethearts
box of chocolate
Peeps
Cadbury Creme Egg
Dove candy
Godiva chocolate
class in candy
high end chocolate bars
Hershy
Pixy Stix
sugar cubes
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (novel)
candy in pop music
"sweet" in culture
Milk Duds
Junior Mints
Whoppers
Raisinets
Candy Corn
Cotton Candy
Botan Rice Candy
chocolate covered macadamia nuts
Rocket Fizz
Japanese Kit Kats
candy in the United Kingdom
candy in China
Haw flakes
Dove chocolate Bar
M&M's
candy cigarettes
jelly beans
chocolate covered grasshoppers
chocolate
bubble gum
Bazooka Joe
Bubblicious
Hubba Bubba
Cracker Jack
candy by the pound
nuts and candy
See's Candies
What makes candy so fun?
Giant Nerds
recorded October 20, 2020
Visit us at https://chrisandrandall.com/
Chris and Randall discuss the art and entertainment of the Bernie Sanders Mittens meme.
Topics discussed:
photojournalism
the art of photography
political cartoons
Thomas Nast
Che Guevara
Heroic Guerrilla Fighter
Shepard Fairey's Hope
Howard Dean Scream
JibJab's "This Land"
"Crush on Obama"
Barack Obama vs Mitt Romney. Epic Rap Battles Of History
Recorded January 27, 2021
Visit us at https://chrisandrandall.com/
ep39: Favorite childhood toys or the aesthetics of toys
Chris and Randall discuss the aesthetics of toys through the lens of their favorite childhood toys.
MIT paper on toy design which incorporates Piaget's stages of development
http://web.mit.edu/barryk/Public/Toys/PlayPyramid.pdf
Wikipedia's toy article
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toy
Randall's aesthetic toy categories:
Physics toys: Balls, construction sets, blocks. These toys allow kids to understand the properties of the physical world.
Arts/crafts: Drawing, sculpture. These toys help kids understand themselves better and allow them to communicate with the outside world.
The adult artist creates for similar reasons as the child artist. When a child has poor access to language, arts and crafts become more
important.
Games/puzzles: These toys allow children to explore abstract concepts and invisible rules and forces. They allow children and adults a level of
social interaction that is otherwise unobtainable. Problem solving is involved as well, social skills, negotiation, communication.
Dolls: This includes any scale models, figures, toy cars, action figures, etc. Children are trying to learn about the world by modelling and
simulating it. What is a child doing when playing with a doll or toy car? They are creating a simulation of the universe. They are probing it
from different angles, seeing what happens when they perform different actions. Kids who play with dolls activate their social brain. Just like a
scientist creates a simulation to understand the weather, a child creates a simulation to understand the world. World building is frequently the
ultimate activity of childhood play.
Costumes: self-explanatory
Topics discussed:
Piaget's Stages of Development as they relate to toys
blocks
Legos
Construx
Fisher-Price Chatter Telephone
cloth books
books
stuffed animals
Gund
Steiff
Toy Story (1995)
Harry Harlow's experiments
Lincoln Logs
Tinkertoy Construction Set
Giant Tinkertoys
FAO Schwarz
Toys "R" Us
Battleship
cheating
video games
Dungeons & Dragons
Recon
Risk
water guns
BB guns
paintball
Laser tag
Rock 'Em Sock 'Em Robots
Robot combat
Randall's aesthetic categories (see above)
Train sets
Chris' giant train set
remote control boat, plane, rocket
kites
Nerf pool
Bop Bop 'n Rebop
pinball
Ping Pong
Foosball
fireworks
Bang snaps
Cherry bombs
smoke bombs
Black snake
cap guns
Etch A Sketch
Crayola Crayons
Lite-Brite
Magic: The Gathering
Checkers
jigsaw puzzles
Puzzle Zoo
Ravensburger
Monopoly
action figures
Strawberry Shortcake
Barbie
Dressy Bessie
Dapper Dan
G.I. Joe
Action Jackson
Six Million Dollar Man
Toy soldiers
Star Wars (movies)
Planet of the Apes (movies)
Diener Inc.
KRYGO 5
Hot Wheels
Matchbox
Corgi toys
Rudolf Steiner
Waldorf toys
M.U.S.C.L.E. Figures
costumes
Halloween
Pith helmet
spacesuit
monster masks
cowboys
Knott's Berry Farm
soldier vs princess
Frozen (2013)
Pirates
toys as brain hack
recorded October 5, 2020
Visit us at https://chrisandrandall.com/
ep38: What makes some art timeless?
Chris and Randall ponder what allows some art to stand the test of time.
Topics discussed:
Ozymandias (poem)
Is it easier for some art forms to stand the test of time than others?
Pompeii
Roman statuary
translations
Bible
Greek mythology
avant garde art
radio
Arnold Schoenberg
Igor Stravinsky
Ulysses (novel)
Don Quixote (novel)
The History of Tom Jones, a Foundling (novel)
Salvador Dalí
the classics
Shakespeare
The Catcher in the Rye (novel)
science vs. art
Rick Beato
artisans and art
symphonic music
Beethoven's Symphony No. 5
ETA Hoffman
role of the critic
good taste
Citizen Kane (1941)
Cahiers du Cinéma (magazine)
The Great Gatsby (novel)
Johnny Tremain (novel)
The Last of the Mohicans: A Narrative of 1757 (novel)
nationalistic art
the Mona Lisa (painting)
Of Mice and Men (novel)
Brave New World (novel)
1984 (novel)
Treasure Island (novel)
Mark Twain
LA Philharmonic at the Hollywood Bowl
Gore Vidal on best sellers
Eric Ambler
Graham Greene
Aristophanes
Molière
Oscar Wilde
Monty Python
The Three Stooges
Michael Jackson
Woody Allen
Manhattan (1979)
Sleeper (1973)
cancel culture
the canon
Emily Dickinson
video games
The Humans (play)
King Charles III (play)
live performance
recorded September 28, 2020
Visit us at https://chrisandrandall.com/
Chris and Randall ask, does your social class influence the art you appreciate?
Randall's four characteristics of rich-people art:
1) Not mass produced
2) Not popular
3) Have a pedigree proving its worth such as it was once popular
4) Timelessness
Topics discussed include:
the symphony
opera
art museums
Shakespeare
Pulitzer Prize winning books
Infinite Jest
Globe Theatre
groundlings
schtick, business, clownery
theater
low comedy
Aristophanes
Commedia dell'arte
Vaudeville
Burlesque
Astor Place Riot
The Industrial Revolution
Buffalo Bill's Wild West
The circus
railroad
Bach
Sergei Prokofiev
Arnold Schoenberg
art education
Thorstein Veblen
The Theory of the Leisure Class
conspicuous consumption
Signaling Theory
Emmy Awards
streaming media
fine art
Andy Warhol and his Factory
limited editions
Mark Kostabi
Rembrandt
Damien Hirst
Sistine Chapel
Presidential portrait of Barack Obama
class capture of art
The Metropolitan Museum of Art
Thy Guggenheim
Hammer Museum
Getty Center
chamber ensemble
Folk music
cooption of art by the rich
Pete Seeger
Jazz
Moneterey Jazz Festival
Newport Jazz Festival
Playboy Jazz Festival
Bruce Springsteen
"We have created the illusion of a classless society, but when it comes to our aesthetic taste, we might as well be wearing tuxedoes and sackcloths." --Chris
Hamilton (musical)
Arthur Miller
All My Sons
"We definitely have a class system in our country when it comes to entertainment and especially with the fine arts." --Chris
Recorded September 21, 2020
Visit us at https://chrisandrandall.com/
Chris and Randall talk about the year in arts & entertainment.
Topics covered:
J. Paul Getty Museum
storytelling
COVID-19 pandemic
Alex Theater
1917 (2019)
Parasite (2019)
Bong jun ho
Snowpiercer (2013)
Memories of Murder (2003)
Ford v Ferrari (2019)
Joker (2019)
Marriage Story (2019)
Green Book (2018)
Halle Berry
Monster's Ball (2001)
Shore to Shore Film Festival 2020
Followed (2018)
Matthew Ryan Brewbaker
drive-in theaters
streaming
The Love Birds (2020)
Coffee & Kareem (2020)
Superintelligence (2020)
On the Rocks (2020)
Let Them All Talk (2020)
Greyhound (2020)
Mulan (2020)
Tenet (2020)
Wonder Woman 1984 (2020)
HBO Max
Netflix
Apple TV+
Disney+
Avengers movies
book sales and marketing
children's books
young adult novels
Jaipur Literature Festival
online reading groups
Micheal Connelly
Harry Bosch
Eric Ambler
Tom Clancy
Rock the Casbah
retro 80s
Saved by the Bell (series)
Blinding Lights
Circles
Neil Sedaka
online concerts
Nora Jones
Youtube
the generation gap
Paul McCartney
The Strokes
Kansas
Fleet Foxes
no one will watch more TV than Gen X
Star Trek TOS
The Twilight Zone
Star Wars: The Clone Wars (series)
Transparent (series)
Schitt's Creek (series)
The Crown (series)
The Queen's Gambit (series)
lichess.org
The Last Dance (series)
McMillions (series)
The Bee Gees: How Can You mend a Broken Heart (2020)
Don't F**k With Cats: Hunting an Internet Killer (2019)
Tiger King: Murder, Mayhem and Madness (series)
The Undoing (series)
What We Do in the Shadows (series)
Ted Lasso (series)
The Mandalorian (series)
talk shows
Saturday Night Live
Real Time with Bill Maher
Late Night with Seth Meyers
The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon
the Late Show With Stephen Colbert
George Floyd
Black Lives Matter
blackface
30 Rock (series)
Tina Fey
Sarah Silverman
The Sarah Silverman Program (series)
Apu
The Problem with Apu (2017)
Kristen Bell
Mr. Mayor (series)
improv schools
Amber Ruffin
Silent Movie Theater / Cinefamily
UCB
Groundlings
iO
cooking
exercise
puzzles
Barnes & Noble
Chris' Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cknycla/
Zoom Video Communications
the roaring '20s
Good article on 2020 rock music: https://ultimateclassicrock.com/best-albums-2020/?fbclid=IwAR38AV6ogr6iRodi3dYwoO1TBptf0g2xZBZa-ZRjC3CQ6sEgfVe4bC7BEG8
Recorded December 30, 2020
Visit us at https://www.chrisandrandall.com/
Chris and Randall discuss Charles Dickens' classic tale. In part two, Chris and Randall discuss various adaptations.
Of the movies, both theatrical and television, and including shorts, here are the highest rated while having at least 100 votes at time of recording.
1) Mickey's Christmas Carol (1983) 8.1
2) A Christmas Carol (1951) 8.1
starring Alistair Sim
3) A Christmas Carol (1984) 7.8
starring George C. Scott
4) Mister Magoo's Christmas Carol (1962) 7.7
5) The Muppet Christmas Carol (1992) 7.7
6) A Christmas Carol (1971, animated) 7.6
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iN6IMZFwY50
7) Scrooge (1970, musical) 7.5
8) Christmas Carol (1978) 7.5
starring Rich Little
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-AdkFdOs-Vs
9) A Christmas Carol (1938) 7.5
10) A Christmas Carol (1999) 7.4
starring Patrick Stewart
11) A Christmas Carol (2019) 7.2
miniseries, 3 1 hr episodes
12) A Christmas Carol (1969, animated) 7.2
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4otTa2lRJnk
13) Scrooged (1988) 7.0
starring Bill Murray
14) A Christmas Carol (2000) 6.9
15) A Christmas Carol (2009) 6.8
directed by Robert Zemeckis
Bonus
Most popular on Youtube
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oxKE308POP8
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=peMpYHQGYp4
Most popular feature. 1997 animated TV
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KntAvJfGF6g
Early adaptations
Scrooge, or Marley's Ghost (1901)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O9Mk-B7MKP8
A Christmas Carol (1910)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YQ6ZxyjGRUk
A Christmas Carol (1914)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dvVJB-5aeVg
A Christmas Carol (1923)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vAbos_K_SC0
1939 radio play with Orson Welles and Lionel Barrymore
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3gJ3jINcTR0
"Christmas Carol" title hits on IMDB: 367
"scrooge" title hits: 108
Total: 475
Recorded December 16, 2020
Visit us at https://chrisandrandall.com/
Chris and Randall discuss Charles Dickens' classic tale and various adaptations. In part one, Chris and Randall discuss the origins of the novel and the meaning of the story.
Recorded December 16, 2020
https://chrisandrandall.com/
Chris and Randall discuss what is compelling about live, in-person performance.
Topics discussed include:
Michael Jackson
Irvine Meadows Amphitheatre
the circus
clowns
fire eating
sword swallowing
tigers, lions, elephants
school plays
marching band
The Taming of the Shrew
The Importance of Being Earnest
live music
Rubén Blades
Joe Jackson
Carnegie Hall
Mumford & Sons
Bruce Hornsby
in ear monitors
improv
being the only person in the audience
LA Connection Comedy Theatre
dramatic improv
iO West
magic shows
audience participation
cover bands
Days of Days at Pancho's Manhattan Beach
Beatlemania Returns!
The Fab Faux
RAIN
Punk Rock recordings
symphonic music
tactile music
Hollywood Bowl
Joshua Bell
challenges of recording live shows
Marc Maron
REDCAT
Dynasty Typewriter
Netflix
End Times Fun
Mike Birbiglia
Spalding Grey
Swimming to Cambodia
Talking Heads
Stop Making Sense
360 degree cameras
the art of video editing
being with your tribe
storytelling
Sebastian Maniscalco
Robin Williams
Angela Landsbury
Sweeny Todd
Stories LA
Elaine Stritch
A Little Night Music
Lincoln Center
Recorded September 14, 2020
Visit us at https://chrisandrandall.com/
In an epic 3 part discussion, Chris and Randall tackle what proves to be a complicated philosophical puzzle.
Topics discussed include:
Hays code
It's a Wonderful Life (1946)
On the Waterfront (1954)
The House Committee on Un-American Activities
The Best Years of Our Lives (1946)
USSR
Nazis
Mussolini
fascism
The People vs. Larry Flynt (1996)
George Carlin
FCC
Straight Outta Compton (2015)
Ice Cube
Ice-T
censorship
self-censorship
This Land is Your Land (song)
President Obama
President Trump
country music
Chinese censorship
Alex Jones
CIA and modern art
Jackson Pollock
Mark Rothko
Operation Long Leash
The Congress for Cultural Freedom
The Metropolitan Museum of Art
Nelson Rockefeller
abstract expressionism
William Paley
John Hay "Jock" Whitney
social Realism
recorded August 31, 2020
Visit us at https://chrisandrandall.com/
In an epic 3 part discussion, Chris and Randall tackle what proves to be a complicated philosophical puzzle.
Topics discussed include:
Fine arts
Tom Clancy
Ronald Reagan
Jack Ryan
military fiction
crime fiction
Darth Vader
authoritarians
Today's FBI (series)
Top Gun (1986)
Does propaganda or advertising work?
advertising
Soviet art
mass entertainment
George W. Bush administration
The Hurt Locker (2008)
Vice (2018)
Zero Dark Thirty (2012)
The Report (2019)
Fair Game (2010)
9/11
Iraq War
W. (2008)
Nixon (1995)
JFK (1991)
13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi (2016)
Oliver Stone
Michael Moore
Roger & Me (1989)
Aaron Sorkin
The Newsroom (series)
The West Wing (series)
A Few Good Men (1992)
House of Cards (series, US vs UK)
Madam Secretary (series)
comic book movies
Green Zone (2010)
Paul Greengrass
Spycatcher (book)
Kathryn Bigelow
Isaac "Ike" Perlmutter
politics in comic books
The Comics Code Authority
Seduction of the Innocent (book)
Hays Code
Archie Comics
Japanese comics
Anime
recorded August 31, 2020
Visit us at https://chrisandrandall.com/
In an epic 3 part discussion, Chris and Randall tackle what proves to be a complicated philosophical puzzle.
Topics discussed include:
Nazis
USSR
Catholic Church
authoritarianism and art
Santa Claus
the artist as revolutionary
punching up
What is comedy?
court jester
Mort Sahl
Lenny Bruce
Richard Pryor
Jay Leno
Chris Rock
Gerald Ford
Doonesbury
theater
Hair
Hamilton
Orson Wells
Clifford Odets
Arthur Miller
Death of a Salesman
The Jungle
Animal Farm
1984
Romeo and Juliet
Allen Ginsgurg
Walt Whitman
Thoreau
Bertolt Brecht
Horror movies
recorded August 31, 2020
Visit us at https://chrisandrandall.com/
Chris & Randall discuss Improv on famous television shows The Office, Reno 911, and Curb Your Enthusiasm.
Topics discussed include:
Improv
Viola Spolin
Compass Players
Nichols and May
Alan Arkin
Ed Asner
Second City
Del Close
Long Form Improv
Theater in Chicago
Mort Sahl
Truth in Comedy (book)
Impro (book)
Spolin's Theater Games (book)
Improv rules
Dramatic Improv
writing for actors
Cynthia Seghetti
The Office (US TV series)
Reno 911 (TV series)
The Harold
Cinéma vérité
Brandon Burkhart
Curb Your Enthusiasm (TV series)
Woody Allen
Ken Loach
Mike Leigh
Recorded August 24, 2020
Visit us at https://chrisandrandall.com/
This is the second part of our video games discussion from ep25.
Topics discussed include:
Are video games entertainment or art?
Video games
What is art?
What is entertainment?
Commercial art vs. fine art
Artisan vs. artist
Duchamp and his readymades
Duchamp's "Étant donnés"
Waldorf dolls
Star Wars
THX 1138
Ambiguity in art
Infamous Roger Ebert essay (https://www.rogerebert.com/roger-ebert/video-games-can-never-be-art)
Art vs. craft
The test of time
Video game publisher Rare
Goldeneye
Games vs. art
Metal Gear Solid
Hideo Kojima
Jeff Koons
Recorded August 17, 2020
Visit us at https://chrisandrandall.com/
Don't forget to vote! Visit Vote.org for how.
In this episode, we discuss movies about US politics.
Titles discussed:
The Candidate (1972) PG
Dir. Michael Ritchie
Written by Jeremy Larner
Robert Redford
Rent YouTube, Google Play, ITunes, Amazon Prime
Bob Roberts (1992) R
Written Directed Staring Tim Robbins
Not available for Rent
Bulworth (1998) R
Written Directed Staring Warren Beaty
Stream Hulu, Amazon Prime , Starz
Rent YouTube, Google
All The Presidents Men (1976) PG
Dir. Allen J Pakula
Written by William Goldman
Staring Robert Redford and Dustin Hoffman
HBO Max, Cinemax
Rent: Amazon, YouTube, Google Play, ITunes
Nixon (1995) R
Dir. Oliver Stone
Anthony Hopkins
Rent; ITunes, Google Play, YouTube, Amazon Prime
Frost/Nixon (2008) R
Dir. Ron Howard
Written by Peter Morton
Staring Frank Langella & Michael Sheen
Netflix
Rent Amazon Prime, YouTube, Google Play, ITunes
The American President (1995) PG-13
Dir. Rob Reiner
Written by Aaron Sorkin
Staring Micheal Douglas
Hulu, Starz, Amazon Prime
Rent; YouTube, iTunes, Google Play
The West Wing (1999 -2006) NBC
Aaron Sorkin
Netflix
Rent : YouTube , Amazon Prime, Google Play
West Wing “Hartsfeild’s Landing” – HBO Max
Game Change (2012) NR
Dir. Jay Roach
Written by Danny Strong
Staring Julianne Moore, Woody Harrelson, Ed Harris
HBO Max
Vice (2018) R
Dir. Adam McKay
Written by Adam McKay
Staring Christian Bale
Hulu
Rent : YouTube, Amazon Prime, Google Play
Recorded October 27, 2020
Visit us at https://chrisandrandall.com/
Besides tales of Halloween past, Chris and Randall each present a curated list of Halloween movie classics.
Topics discussed include:
Trick-or-treating memories
Monster Mash
Chris' Halloween school dance
Halloween party memories
Making costumes
Costume memories
West Hollywood Halloween Carnaval
Knott's Scary Farm
Six Flags Fright Fest
Universal Studios Halloween Horror Nights
Bob's Big Boy Burbank
Why is Halloween so popular with adults?
The Halloween industry
Randall's Halloween movies for kids and families
- Coco (2017)
- It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown (1966)
- Young Frankenstein (1974)
- Monsters, Inc. (2001)
- King Kong (1933)
- Edward Scisorrhands (1990)
- Ghostbusters (1984)
- Coraline (2009)
- Beetlejuice (1988)
- Labyrinth (1986)
- I Am Legend -- read the book to your kids! about 6 hours!
Chris' Ten Underrated Movies Perfect For At Home Halloween
-
The Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1978) PG
Sci- Fi Horror
Hulu Premium, Amazon Prime. Rent iTunes, Vudu -
An American Werewolf in London (1981) R
Horror Dark Comedy
Hulu Premium, HBO Max, Amazon Prime. Rent YouTube, iTunes, Google Play, Vudu -
Videodrome (1983) R Technology Horror
Rent at Amazon, iTunes, Google Play, YouTube -
The Devil’s Backbone (2001) R
Spanish Language
Super Natural Horror
Rent -Amazon, YouTube, iTunes, Google Play -
The Wicker Man (1973) R
Horror/ Mystery
Rent YouTube, iTunes, Google, Amazon -
The Last Man on Earth (1964) NR
Zombie Dystopia
Free Tubi, Amazon, Rent iTunes, Vudu -
The Others (2001) PG 13
Gothic Supernatural
HBO Max, Hulu, Amazon Rent on YouTube, Google, iTunes -
Train To Busan (2016) NR
Zombie Action
Crackle, Tubi, Sling, Amazon Rent YouTube, Google Play, iTunes
9.Followed (2018) R
Serial Killer Suspense
Rent Amazon, Google, YouTube, Vudu
10.Sunshine (2007) R
Spaceship Thriller
Rent Amazon, Google, YouTube , iTunes, Vudu
Recorded October 13, 2020
Visit us at https://chrisandrandall.com/
Randall suggests that the main reason video game aesthetics are so compelling is because of the close coupling of cause and effect which hardly exists in real life. Chris and Randall go on to discuss many other aspects of video games that overlap with culture and society.
Topics discussed:
Pong
Tank battle
Dungeons & Dragons
The Last Starfighter (1984)
Ready Player One (2018)
Puzzles
Tetris
Candy Crush
Puzzle games
Asteroids
Space Invaders
Pac-Man
Social mobility
Socioeconomic status
Japanese simulation games
Densha de Go!
VR games
Philip K. Dick
Total Recall (1990)
Call of Duty
References for this episode:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Video_games_as_an_art_form
Infamous Roger Ebert essay
https://www.rogerebert.com/roger-ebert/video-games-can-never-be-art
Kellee Santiago
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K9y6MYDSAww
Flow in video games
https://www.wired.com/story/how-the-videogame-aesthetic-flows-into-all-of-culture/
Recorded August 17, 2020
Visit us at https://chrisandrandall.com/
ep24: Generation X growing old with radio
Chris and Randall continue their discussion from last week where they reminisced about radio past. This episode, they discuss radio present and future.
Topics discussed include:
AM radio is dead
Wolfman Jack
Mexican radio
WNBC
WABC
WCBS
AM vs FM
Stereo
KUSC
Jim Svejda
Classical Music
Aaron Copland
Hollywood Bowl
KDFC
KKJZ
NPR
Morning Edition
All Things Considered
Morning Becomes Eclectic
KLOS
KRTH
Top 40 radio
The Beatles
Bohemian Rhapsody
Wayne's World
Phoenix (band)
Franz Ferdinand (band)
The Strokes
KOLA
Muse
The Black Keys
Nirvana
Soundscan
Garth Brooks
Nevermind
College radio
Last Night
Britney Spears
N' Sync
KIIS
Danger Mouse
Broken Bells
Foster the People
Power pop
MP3 players
CD players
Youtube
Pandora
Spotify
Napster
Sirius Satellite Radio
Taylor Swift
Rhianna
Hip Hop
Boy Bands
Katy Perry
Bublegum Pop
Mandy Moore
Pop music
Radiohead
Elvis Costello
KROQ
Rodney Bingenheimer
Beck
Offspring
Sublime
Green day
Kevin and Bean
KYSR
KBIG
Violent Femmes
KRTH
Elvis Presley
The Carpenters
The Rolling Stones
The Doors
Led Zepplin
Steely Dan
KOST
Janet Jackson
Kelly Clarkson
The Police
Prince
Mariah Carey
Spandau Ballet
Manic Monday
Down Under
The Outfield
What I like About You
KCBS
Jack FM
The Cars
Fleetwood Mac
Corey Hart
Eye of the Tiger
Once in a Lifetime
Sweet Home Alabama
David Byrne
American Utopia
Neil Young
Southern Man
Radio DJs
What’s The Musical Future Of An ‘Oldies’ Format?
Sweet Child O' Mine
Post Malone
Landslide
Blasphemous Rumors
My Sharona
I Can't Go For That
Heaven is a Place on Earth
Shiny Happy People
R.E.M.
Radio Free Europe
Thriller
British Psychological Society (BPS). "Why singing in a choir is good for you." (accessed October 7, 2020)
Recorded August 10, 2020
Visit us at https://chrisandrandall.com/
Chris and Randall reminisce about all the good radio they've listened to.
"TV only had 3 stations, radio had what seemed like infinite stations." --Chris
Topics discussed include:
Transistor radios
FM vs AM
WNBC
WABC
Cousin Brucie
Don Imus
The Beatles
Wings
Chic
The Bee Gees
Disco
Top 40 Radio
Studio 54
Record stores
Kenny Loggins
45s
The Warehouse
Elevator Music
WOR
William B. Williams
Sinatra
Tony Bennett
Big Band Music
Classical Music
Boomboxes
Tomy Dorsey Orchestra
Led Zepplin
Elvis Costello
Pink Floyd
Dave Herman
Vin Scelsa
Fleetwood Mac
U2
King Biscuit Flower Hour
Joe Jackson
Dr. Demento
Fish Heads
MTV
"Weird Al" Yankovic
My Sharona
Another One Rides the Bus
Payola
Hit Men: Power Brokers and Fast Money Inside the Music Business (book)
My Bologna
The Knack
KCAL
Phil Spector
Judas Priest
Poison
Guns N' Roses
Steely Dan
Jethro Tull
The Doors
WGRE
WDRE
KROQ
Aerosmith
Depeche Mode
The Smithereens
Hoodoo Gurus
Whitney Houston
Duran Duran
The Police
WVKR
Hüsker Dü
Robyn Hitchcock
JoBoxers
Rolling Stones
R.E.M.
Fat Boys
Run-DMC
Loveline
Poor Man Trenton
Dr. Drew
Riki Rachtman
Adam Carolla
Sometimes I Don't Want to Live Anymore
KLOS
KISS
WNEW
WKTU
Rodney Bingenheimer
David Bowie
Off the Boat
Tower Records on Sunset
Virgin Records on Sunset
Tower Records in Westwood
120 Minutes
Matt Pinfield
Hunga Munga
In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida
Howard Stern
WXRK
KFI 640
Phil Hendrie
NPR
9/11
David Lee Roth
The Man Show
Jimmy Kimmel
ACME Theater
Joe Rogan
Recorded August 3, 2020
Visit us: https://chrisandrandall.com/
Chris and Randall discuss the Watchmen movie and HBO miniseries.
Original recording date: July 27, 2020
Visit us: https://chrisandrandall.com/
Chris and Randall have a deep discussion about the Watchmen comics originally published in 1986 and 1987.
Original recording date: July 20, 2020
Visit us: https://chrisandrandall.com/
Chris talks about listening to music on Youtube. At the end, Chris surprises Randall by bringing up his appearance in a Radiohead video.
The Beatles
WABC
transistor radios
The walkman
Marci Wiser on KLOS
Rick Beato
Professor of Rock
Polyphonic
Nora Jones
Neil Sedaka
Vera Lynn
Leland Sklar
The Hindley Street Country Club
Band Geek Podcast
Richie Castellano
Post-Modern Jukebox
The Police
Israel "IZ" Kamakawiwoʻole's "Over the Rainbow"
Radiohead's "Fake Plastic Trees"
Originally recorded:
July 6, 2020
Visit us at https://chrisandrandall.com/
Randall explains to Chris why he thinks J.J. Abrams is a hack writer with bad artistic instincts.
Works and artists discussed include:
J.J. Abrams
Lost
Regarding Henry (1991)
Star Trek (2009)
Alias
Felicity
Forever Young (1992) E
pisode VII – The Force Awakens
Episode VIII – The Last Jedi
Episode IX – The Rise of Skywalker
Episode IV – A New Hope
Adam Driver
Rian Johnson
George Lucas
The Brothers Bloom (2008)
Looper (2012)
Mission: Impossible - Fallout (2018)
Episode V – The Empire Strikes Back
Episode VI – Return of the Jedi
Lawrence Kasdan
10 Cloverfield Lane (2016)
Original recording date: July 6, 2020
Visit our website:
https://chrisandrandall.com/
Chris & Randall have a broad discussion of the genre of Young Adult Fiction.
Works and authors mentioned:
Little Women
Louisa May Alcott
Huckleberry Finn
Treasure Island
Alice in Wonderland
Charles Dickens
Great Expectations
Catcher in the Rye
The Outsiders
Johnny Tremain
Go Ask Alice
Judy Bloom
Scholastic Magazine
After School Special
The Great Brain
Encyclopedia Brown
Teen Titans
New Mutants
Stephen King
Carrie
Firestarter
Fame (1980)
Catherine Breillat
36 fillette (1988)
Fast Times at Ridgemont High
Less Than Zero
Piers Anthony
The Drifters
The Summer of '42 (1971)
Goosebumps
Harry Potter
Flowers in the Attic
Chronicles of Narnia
Twilight
Hunger Games
The Perks of Being a Wallflower
Sweet Valley High
Babysitter's Club
Originally recorded:
June 29, 2020
Visit our website: https://chrisandrandall.com/
Chris & Randall devote a whole show to the discussion of the 1976 movie Network.
Original recording date: June 22, 2020
Connect with us at https://chrisandrandall.com/
Is the horror movie genre somehow predisposed to be politically right-wing or conservative?
Some works discussed this episode:
Gilgamesh
Beowulf
Dracula (novel)
Frankenstein (novel)
Nosferatu (1922)
Bram Stoker's Dracula (1992)
I Am Legend (novel)
The Last Man on Earth (1964)
The Omega Man (1971)
I Am Legend (2007)
Jurassic Park (1993)
Get Out (2017)
Us (2019)
The Purge (2013)
Recording date: June 15, 2020
For more of our Podcast, visit
https://chrisandrandall.com/
In a massive 1.5 hour discussion, Chris and I discuss select 1980s comedy movies. Divided into 3 parts for your convenience.
Part 3: John Hughes and late 80s
Titles discussed include:
16 candles (1984)
The Breakfast Club (1985)
Pretty in Pink (1986)
Some Kind of Wonderful (1987)
Ferris Bueller's Day Off (1986)
Adventures in Babysitting (1987)
Heathers (1989)
Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure (1989)
Say Anything (1989)
In a massive 1.5 hour discussion, Chris and I discuss select 1980s comedy movies. Divided into 3 parts for your convenience.
Part 2: nerd movies
Titles discussed include:
The Sure Thing (1985)
Lucas (1986)
Revenge of the Nerds (1984)
Weird Science (1985)
Real Genius (1985)
War Games (1983)
Back to the Future (1985)
Peggy Sue Got Married (1986)
In a massive 1.5 hour discussion, Chris and I discuss select 1980s comedy movies. Divided into 3 parts for your convenience.
Part 1: early 80s.
Titles discussed include:
My Bodyguard (1980)
Porky's (1981)
Zapped! (1982)
Fast Times at Ridgemont High (1982)
Valley Girl (1983)
Risky Business (1983)
The Last American Virgin (1982)
Randall suggests that we are living in a cultural era superseding that of the mass media era, the era of the fanboy.
A listener recently sent us an email about our PUNK ROCK show, episode 7. We liked the email so much that we spent this episode answering it.
Okay, so I just watched your punk rock podcast and now I can't find it to leave a message directly on the podcast.
[Please feel free to email or leave a comment on Facebook or Youtube]
The first thing, can I get a link to your podcast so I can save it to my desktop?
[Check out our website, ChrisAndRandall.com]
Second, I really enjoyed listening to your take on punk music and the ideology behind it.
[Thank you!]
I'm not sure that I totally agree with you starting in the late '70s in England as the beginning of punk music. I almost think you need to define what exactly is"punk" before you can truly pick a starting point. For me I define punk in kind of simple terms. One, is that the artist has to have attitude. and yes I understand that is open to interpretation. Two, The music has to be basically anti-establishment or trying to change the status quo. So when I put together a family tree where punk is at the top, and the branchs below it include all sorts of genres of music that one typically would not consider a punk subcategory. More along the lines of the term rock and roll, with subcategories or genres of black metal, hair metal, glam, and many more. So what are some potential other subcategories, reggae is a great example because it's full of attitude and it's a big middle finger to the man. So having said that, I was really intrigued by your looping and grunge music to the punk rock topic, however I totally disagree with calling grunge punk. There may be a lot of attitude as well as a major shift in pop culture, but there's nothing that I'm aware of that's very anti-establishment in grunge music.
Some out of the normal thinking artists that I would include in that punk category would be Iggy and the stooges along with Johnny Cash.
I would have liked to have seen you spend a little more time breaking down punk in the US after the sex pistols in the clash open things up in England
Starting out with the punk movement on the East coast with bad brains, or MC5. Then moving to the southern California punk scene with bad religion, the spent idols, and even Green day. And just for the record, I put the Ramones into new wave and not punk.
Some of my favorite punk bands... Obviously the sex pistols and the clash with the clash being one of my favorite bands of all time.
I'm a huge Bad Religion and Social D fan. But I do listen to a lot of NoFX, Dead Kennedys, Iggy and the stooges, bad brains, dropkick Murphys, rancid, the damned, teenage bottle rockets,
--Bob
Chris shares his pet peeve about how New York, the city he grew up in, is depicted in movies and TV.
Chris & Randall discuss an opinion Randall developed after watching dozens of Donald Trump rallies. President Donald Trump may be a politician, but he acts exactly like a stand up comedian.
Chris & Randall discuss Matthew McConaughey and how to make your own Matthew McConaghey film retrospective.
Randall pitches Chris on a new sub-genre of Sci-fi he's been working on, Bonkers Sci-fi.
From Randall: Bonkers Sci-Fi is simple: It's a sub-genre of science fiction with comedy where the jokes are based on technology, especially technology malfunctioning. Most likely, it satirizes technology to some extent, which is practically unavoidable if you think about it.
I started thinking about this after watching Thor: Ragnarok. I was surprised by its tone and realized its part of some sort of heretofore unnamed sub-genre of science fiction that I really love. So what was this genre? I was sure it went back to at least The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy books which I loved reading as a kid.
I don't think it has to be comedy, but there have to be jokes and the jokes have to be based around some sort of technology or maybe just science-fictiony concepts. The best example of this genre may be The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy.
To make this clear, I started a list. I have put it below. It's divided into sctions: Movies, Books, Comics, and titles which I think are questionable. I'm not sure they fit into the genre because I don't remember them well or I haven't read or watched them, rather someone described them to me.
Thanks and let me know what you think.
MOVIES
1960 Little Shop of Horrors
1961 The Absent Minded Professor / Flubber
1968 Chitty Chitty Bang Bang
1973 Sleeper 1974 Dark Star
1974 Young Frankenstein
1981 Heavy Metal (certain stories)
1981 Time Bandits
1983 The Man With Two Brains
1984 Electric Dreams
1984 Ghostbusters
1985 Back to the Future
1985 Brazil
1985 Explorers
1985 Weird Science
1986 Alf
1986 Critters
1986 Short Circuit
1986 Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home
1987 Innerspace
1987 Spaceballs
1988 Earth Girls are Easy
1988 They Live
1989 Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure
1989 Honey, I Shrunk the Kids
1989 Quantum Leap
1990 Tremors series
1996 Mars Attacks
1996 Multiplicity
1997 Men in Black
1997 The Fifth Element
1999 Galaxy Quest
2004 Incredibles
2006 Idiocracy
2010 Hot Tub Time Machine
2010 Minions / Despicable Me movies
2012 Safety Not Guaranteed
2013 World's End
2014 Guardians of the Galaxy
2015 Ant Man
2016 Dead Pool
2017 Thor Ragnarok
TV
1948 Marvin the Martian from the Looney Tunes cartoon
1962 The Jetsons
1967 The Trouble with Tribbles Star Trek episode
1978 Mork and Mindy
1981 Greatest American Hero
1985 Small Wonder
1987 Out of this World
1989 Saved by the Bell (all the Screech inventions)
1996 Third Rock from the Sun
1999 Futurama
2017 The Orville BOOKS
1978 Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy
1984 National Lampoon's Doon
1987 Chess with a Dragon COMICS
1983 D.R. & Quinch
MAYBE
1726 Book: Gulliver's Travels
1956 Movie: Around the World in 80 Days
1963 TV: My Favorite Martian
1964 Movie: Santa Claus Conquers the Martians
1965 TV: Flintstones (the great Gazoo)
1965 TV: Lost in Space
1968 Movie: Barbarella
1974 TV: Land of the Lost
1975 TV: Far Out Space Nuts
1975 TV: Power Rangers
1977 Movie/SNL Sketch/animated special: Coneheads
1977 TV: The Muppet Show: Pigs in Space sketch
1978 Movie: Kiss Meets the Phantom of the Park
1978 Movie: The Cat From Outer Space
1984 Movie: Gremlins series
1984 Movie: Ice Pirates
1984 Movie: Night of the Comet
1984 Movie: Repo Man
1984 Movie: The Last Starfighter
1988 TV: Red Dwarf
1989 Book: Quozl
1994 TV: Space Ghost Coast to Coast
1996 Movie: Space Truckers
2000 Book Series: Sewer, Gas and Electric
2000 Book: Velveteen series
2001 TV: Invader Zim
2008 Movie: Space Chimps
2009 Movie: Frequently Asked Questions About Time Travel
2011 Movie: Paul
We talk about science fiction TV shows we're watching or have watched, enjoyed, or whatever. We also go down the IMDB's top twenty or so.
This is a discussion about Hollywood in the 60s and the movies which best depict the era. We discuss The Monkees, Mondo Hollywood, Love and Mercy, Echo from the Canyon, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, the Party, SOB.
This is our true first episode but we diverged from the topic about one second in and talked about the Cats movie musical for almost the whole time. If you want to hear an in-depth discussion of the Cats movie, this is for you. We hastily created episode 2 to cover the real topic we originally agreed upon. We also talk about Jesus Christ Superstar, live music recording, Steve Albini, Bauhaus, Woodstock the Movie, the Talking Heads Stop Making Sense, hippies, the Beatles, The Monkees, and Barney's Beanery.