The Dan and Aaron Like-O-Rama: Recent Episodes
Dan Grubb and Aaron Fletchersmith
Dan and Aaron are old friends from high school. Now they're graying dads with real life problems, so they call each other and talk about awesome stuff. You'll probably like that stuff, too.
This week, Aaron is fascinated by abandoned stores and malls and other spaces that are liminal spaces that transport you to bygone eras! And Dan is not very helpful. We also talk about comics and horses and prisons that get hit by cosmic rays and turn into art galleries.
Happy New Year! We got together on New Year's Day 2023 and discussed the events of 2023 and what they meant to us. Not just the big ones like the alien invasion ending the war in Ukraine or humanity's first moon prison, but also the entertainment and cultural developments that gave us all something to talk about over the virtual water coolers in our bunkers. And isn't that the slogan of 2023?
It's the Like-O-Rama Holiday Special! We talk about holidays I guess and presents and stuff, but mostly Star Wars for some reason. I guess because of Life Day. Also monster trucks and Wade the Duck and making t-shirts and Stephen King and all kinds of stuff. I'm pretty sure we decided to do a holiday special about 12 seconds before we hit record. Oh well, who cares? Hahaha.
This week, Dan is elated and overjoyed to get to talk about French comedy director Jacques Tati! Tati was active mostly in the 50s and 60s and is best known for M. Hulot's Holiday, Mon Oncle, and PlayTime. His character M. Hulot was also a direct inspiration for Mr. Bean. Besides being a gifted pantomime, Tati was a brilliant director, crafting scenes that are gorgeous, expertly choreographed, and oh yeah funny.
Imagine one of the most celebrated, evocative, studied paintings in history, one that straddles the cusp between the flat religious metaphors of the Middle Ages and the experiments in dimension, light, and subject matter of the Renaissance. Now imagine two idiots talking about it. Yes, this week, Aaron and Dan are going figure by figure through Heironymous Bosch's immortal triptych, "The Garden of Earthly Delights", the notorious-slash-amazing painting and its bizarre depiction of animal-men, torture, surrealism, and butts. So many butts. We focus on the Hell panel because it's the craziest and we recommend that you follow along with your own copy and a magnifying glass or, if you don't have a full copy handy, that you download one of the enormous images online such as the biggest one from Wikimedia Commons here: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:The_Garden_of_Earthly_Delights_by_Bosch_High_Resolution_2.jpg
This week, Dan loves 100-year-old jazz! King Oliver, Jelly Roll Morton, Fletcher Henderson, Bix Beiderbecke, and a bunch more. We love the manic energy, the fun melodies, and the burgeoning complexity that would evolve into a zillion subgenres in just a few years. ALSO! One band we neglected to mention that’s been active since the 60s is New Orleans’ own Preservation Hall Jazz Band. They are amazing. Dan got to see them around 2004 and fell in love with them! If you get the chance, go see them!!! (Dan found out they played by him 2 hours AFTER they finished - boo hoo cry waaaaaaaa). Finally, we tried to avoid the word "Dixieland" since it evokes white nostalgia for the Jim Crow South, which is gross, but we still said it a couple times because we either had brain farts or were talking about a band with that word in their name. New Orleans jazz or hot jazz are good substitutes.
This week, Aaron suggests we think of what movies would make horrible musicals. We find out just how far the quality can get between a great movie and a hack musical treatment. We also find out that Dan and Aaron can only think of like three melodies. Hooraaaaay!
This week, we talk about ninja weapons! Katanas, sais, bos, throwing stars, and of course about 40% of 80s culture.
This week, Aaron is a fan of electrostatic discharge or ESD. He's worked in labs where ESD is handled as a safety issue and a "don't break all the stuff" issue, so he had to learn a lot about it and it's pretty dang neat! We also talk about sandwiches, coworkers, dads, and whatever other random crap fell into our heads. Yay, science!
This week, Dan is bananas for two 10-minute comedies that have insane worldbuilding. It's Eagleheart, starring Chris Elliott, and On Cinema, starring Tim Heidecker and Gregg Turkington! We stay on topic and kind of go back to the book report format (sorry), but Dan is so enthusiastic that it's hard to explain how huge these shows are without doing so. They're very silly, very odd, and star deeply unlikeable and incompetent lunatics. You should dedicate the next two months of your life to watching them. Quit your job, abandon your kids, and take a TV into the woods and watch them. Have fun, and Social Services will be in touch.
This week, Aaron is wild about Umbrella Academy! He loves the series and the comic books it was based on. We talk about other cool comics and shows based on them, Elliot Page, LGBT activism and representation, as well as the usual dumb jokes. Hooray for Umbrella Academy! Oh, and Dan is again recording in the rain under a tin roof, so there's background AMSR type sprinkling noise. Hope you like it!
This week, Dan and Aaron are super into making stuff in general. Whether it's for yourself or others, creative or practical, making a thing feels great and is great for you! Even if no one ever sees it.
This week, Dan is into Absurdism, the philosophical cousin of existentialism where you go a step further and actually do something instead of crying into your clove cigarettes. About 2/3 of it is about that; the rest is random gibberish, cool movies, and goofing off. Hooray!
NOTES / DON'T @ US: --- We talked about Kafka for a minute. Some say he's existentialist, some say more modernist, and some say neither. So whatever you think, good news! You're right! --- Also, if you're a philosophy expert, we're not! Please leave us alone and don't correct us. We tried. I’m gonna say we were 80% accurate. If you'd like to get better information about it, try the internet or a book!
This week, Aaron is all about fan fic. Specifically, he's talking about slash fic, that fan fiction where one character gets romantic (or just sexy sexy) with another character out of canon. We focus on Star Trek slash fic and its influence on that universe's fans and future series. I'm not 100% sure we rounded out the conclusion, but we meant well! We also get into in-canon representation, nerd culture in general, and the X-Men as a metaphor for LGBT folks, and hopefully did it all as well as two straight, cis guys can. We recorded this episode in June because it's Pride, so Happy Pride Month, everybody! Woo hoo! Star Trek is for everybody!
It's time for our second annual anniversary episode where we brainstorm the equivalent of a mix CD like it's 2002. There’s some stuff we’ve all heard, some new to us, and because it’s us, a couple of oddball goofy ones. We've been looking forward to this episode for a while and had a ball recording it. And you can listen along to the playlist on YouTube right here: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLPW4Do1NagpFAOg_73-QMwyS_aDzqmbAA
This week, Dan and Aaron are immense fans of the DC indie band The Dismemberment Plan! They were rock, post-punk, angular, math rock, electro-pop, and whatever other circa-1999 genres you want to call them. We were in late high school and college when we found out about them and became huge fans, as did everyone we knew. They rule. If you don't know them, check out "Emergency & I" since that's the album most people love the best, but all 5 records are great. We talk about how the band's journey mirrored our own as young people figuring out how to be a person and how they were a beautiful, almost magical part of an otherwise often dishwater gray period of life: angst-ridden young adulthood. But fun! We had a wonderful time reminiscing and gushing and hopefully you'll like it and listen to some fantastic records because of it.
NOTES / DON’T @ US: — We messed up some lyrics, especially when Dan jumbled two sections of “The Ice of Boston”. We know and are pummeling ourselves appropriately. — “Crush” was by Jennifer Paige. — The years 1998-2004 were basically one long year for us, so ignore any dates we assign to anything.
This week, Aaron really likes scale, specifically the scales of the models his builds! We talk about models, scale, suburban dads' psychotic obsessions aka hobbies, a pretty spoiler-heavy review of "The Batman" for some reason, and of course the fog of mediocrity that hung over most 90s comedy. All of which has a lot to do with scale! You're welcome.
Well, we thought about it good and hard and we've decided that the dark lord of evil is NOT a dude we like! It's our first ever Dan and Aaron DISlike-O-Rama! Take that, Satan! We talk about literary and media depictions of the devil, half-remembered biblical stuff, me getting Job's name wrong until I remember like 10 minutes later, crossroadses, going down to Georgia, and about 1000 other things. It was a fun time! Hooray! HAIL DAN AND AARON!!
This week, we are buzzing with hopefully cool stuff and not just nostalgia as we discuss video game cover bands and their original soundtracks! We love bands that cover music from 80s and 90s video games, and Aaron has some recommendations for music from games that aren't old enough to have kids in college! Plus the usual idiocy, naturally.
NOTES / DON'T @ US: -- Here’s the site Aaron talked about with a gazillion video game covers and remixes: ocremix.org -- Game Over, “Little Mac’s Confession”: https://youtu.be/uSFGppy7EUE -- The Advantage, boss theme from Contra: https://youtu.be/yVYRZoWXM7M -- The Minibosses, transition music from Megaman 2: https://youtu.be/I0XVAs2Srsc -- Training music from Punch-Out!: https://youtu.be/RW6U_wQOGtM -- Main theme from Paperboy: https://youtu.be/anJiAYz9PKE -- Vomitron, “Bloody Tears” from Castlevania II: https://youtu.be/RwGyFuE-XW0 -- Main theme from Bigfoot: https://youtu.be/U9Owt2F2Lek -- Main theme from Bionic Commando: https://youtu.be/2hl5UCCBCXI -- Entertainment System, Dr. Wily stage from Megaman 2: https://youtu.be/rdcKxpTwGko -- Unfortunately, we could not find “Crashed Band”, the bluegrass cover of Crash Man :( -- “Epicenter” from SimCity 4: https://youtu.be/Q8HW5agFwUY -- “Dragonborn” from Skyrim: https://youtu.be/6fILxnBH1Tg -- “Triggernometry” from Red Dead Redemption: https://youtu.be/tg-yC0xcI9s
This week, Aaron loves OSHA! Yes, that OSHA, the one that oversees workplace safety. We even spent maybe seven minutes of the episode talking about it! It's maybe our favorite episode so far, albeit our least informative.
This week, Dan is a huge fan of the 1941 insane comedy "Hellzapoppin'"! Ole Olsen and Chic Johnson star in this beyond screwball comedy based on their stage show of the same name. Besides breaking the fourth wall and never going more than 7 or 8 seconds between jokes, they also feature terrific singing and absolutely jaw-dropping dancing (care of Whitey's Lindy Hoppers), all while demolishing the movie as they make it. It's a stunning comedic achievement. It's also all on YouTube, so you have no excuse to not watch it. We also go on a digression about the phenomenal Cass Daley, who costarred in Olsen and Johnson’s next movie, “Crazy House”
LINKS — Hellzapoppin’: https://youtu.be/c2TOriWWSLE
— Whitey’s Lindy Hoppers: https://youtu.be/trsX4GWdc94 and https://youtu.be/_262uUGwzgk
— Cass Daley, “Mama Eu Quero” (Dan’s favorite): https://youtu.be/duBV2JN1j_4
— Cass Daley, “You Can’t Blame a Girl for Trying”: https://youtu.be/X9HWrip2oRo
— Cass Daley on Bob Hope: https://youtu.be/aX35kG8CNdw
— The Four Yorkshiremen: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VKHFZBUTA4k
On today's Like-O-Rama, Aaron is really into military standards and logistics that he works with at his job! Hey, where are you going? Come back! Dan was skeptical about how much one could like them, but after realizing it's Mythbusters: The Home Version, he knows Aaron is right and they're super great. Basically MIL STD is the zillions of torture tests people have performed on every piece of equipment (computer, car, or shooty thing) to document how it can and should be used in the field. Like we said, Mythbusters!
We promise, this is the last part of our college radio likefest. There's six parts because we love it so dang much. We wrap up our discussion with Chris Locke about his and Aaron's time together doing radio at George Mason University, Chris' art, and how he got his various URLs. Check out his stuff at the site they all redirect too, www.heartlessmachine.com!
This week, Aaron and Dan continue reminiscing with Aaron's other college radio partner, Chris Locke! Chris is an artist and teacher in Austin, TX. You may have seen his spiders made from scissors confiscated by the TSA, his modern fossils, his donut mugs, his acoustic phone amplifiers made from instruments, or his books "Draw Like This!", "Sticky Note Portraits", and "99 Ways to Die: A Coloring Book for Adults". (They're all available at www.heartlessmachine.com!) We talk about their time at George Mason University's radio station doing Fantastic Plastic Crap and Vinyl, introductions to cool music, and goofy memories of being goofballs.
Aaron and Dan talk with Aaron's college radio partner Jacob Geib-Rosch about their show, how they made it happen, and what they like about the medium. Also Terra Haute, calls from strangers, promos from internet celebrities, Flash, and plenty of goofy memories from when we were all half our ages and twice as stupid.
It's part 2 of Dan and Aaron gushing about some of our favorite comic book arcs, mere moments after watching the new Spider-Man movie! We talk about Squirrel Girl, Transformers, Hawkeye, and Star Wars! It was one of those nights when everything is filtered through a layer of happy fandom with a belly full of crowd pleasing, and we had a great time showing each other comics. Yay, comics!
This week, Dan and Aaron, fresh from seeing Spider-Man, gab about a few of their favorite comic book arcs. Spidey doesn't make an appearance, but Batman, the X-Men, and the entire Marvel Universe do. So, yeah, I guess Spidey would be off to the side, probably being sad about whatever states his love life and career are currently in. Also, plenty of comical book-type tangents. Part 2 in two weeks, yaaaaaay! [insert kermit "yay" gif]
It's part three of our celebration of college radio! It's really the best. Maybe it's different now since everyone has podcasts and YouTube and streaming apps, but until five minutes ago, college radio and indie / community / freeform radio was really the best source to find new, unusual, different, or just plain weird stuff. In this episode we talk mainly about Aaron's time at George Mason University with our friend Chris Locke (whose art you can find at http://www.heartlessmachine.com/), creating soundscapes, playing the mixing board like an instrument, and a general wrap-up of why we love that form so dang much. If you or someone you know is into this idea, please visit your local weirdo radio station and sign up! They need someone for the 2am slot!
In part 2 of the College Radio trilogy, Dan and Aaron go into depth on their time at WUVT (Dan) and WIUS (Aaron) and compare their methodologies. The Jake & Aaron Hella Show was more planned out and crafted, while The Big Waste of Time was more seat-of-the-pants and hectic. Part 3 is up in two weeks, in which we discuss Aaron's next radio show with our friend Chris and give the final paragraph to this thesis-support-conclusion structure that we accidentally fell into. Stupid English major background always subconsciously providing frameworks!
This week, we're going back to our salad days when we were idiots. No, wait. We're idiots now. Um...young! Yes, young. We worked at the radio stations at our respective colleges and loved just about every minute of it. In this first section, we talk about college radio in general, what the experience was like as a newbie, and the feeling of seeing that immense music library for the first time like when Dorothy opens the door to Oz. If I had another 10 hours a week, I'd be back on the air in a heartbeat.
NOTES / DON'T @ US: - We worked at WUVT (Dan), WIUS, and WGMU (Aaron), which are at Virginia Tech, Indiana University, and George Mason University. - Just about every station can be listened to online these days, and we highly recommend you do so, not only to find cool new music to enjoy, but also to give attention to these unique, unpredictable oases in the bland media desert. - Search up your local college and community stations and then listen and pledge them some money, because they probably need it! And they most likely play cool stuff that you don't hear on the other dumb stations.
This week, we're talking about one of our favorite records ever, "De La Soul is Dead"! It was De La Soul's second album, after their first album's single "Me Myself and I" was a huge hit. We talk about the frame stories, the hilarious comedy interludes, the fantastic sampling, and the general amazingness of this big deal album.
NOTES / DON'T @ US: - We know that diss tracks weren’t invented in 1995 or whatever. For instance, here's an awesome one from 1981 where Kool Moe Dee destroys Busy Bee: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=86XG7gw4RIA - We know we did some broad brush characterization of 80s and 90s rap. There were a ton of MCs who weren't arrogant and a ton of DJs who had creative samples. We were talking about the Top 40 and MTV stuff that we (and the general public) were aware of. - There’s a whole epic legal story of samples and record companies and catalogs being bought and sold surrounding the lack of De La Soul’s online availability. We kind of gave both sides of the argument in our sloppy way, but, as we said, we don’t know enough of the details to have a good opinion on it. Google it. - It should be noted that though this is my (Dan's) favorite DLS album, their next one, "Buhloone Mindstate", was probably their strongest. And the one Trugoy and Posdnuos did with French DJs Chokolate and Khalid in 2012, "Plug 1 & Plug 2 Present... First Serve" is their funkiest. "First Serve" is their rap opera of a duo's rise to fame and it freaking bangs. It's slamming. - The clips are from "Afro Connections at a Hi 5 (In the Eye of the Hoodlum)", "Millie Pulled a Pistol on Santa", "A Roller Skating Jam Named 'Saturdays' ", "Ring Ring Ring (Ha Ha Hey)", "Bitties in the BK Lounge", "Skit 2", and "My Brother's a Basehead", all from "De La Soul is Dead" and with legally complicated copyright attribution. (Again, Google it.) Clips used under Fair Use for criticism purposes. Please buy De La's albums because they rule.
This week we're talking about the Swiss artist HR Giger. Giger is most well-known for his artwork that became the basis for the xenomorphs in the "Alien" franchise. He also created album art for various bands, had significant success as an exhibiting artist, and published an art book, "Necronomicon", that made a big impact in the worlds of art and Hollywood.
Giger is known for his mixtures of the body and technology. His work often blurs the line between humans and machines, as well as often incorporating designs inspired by insects, mollusks, genitals, and other less-than-wholesome items.
NOTES / DON'T @ US: - We incorrectly said he was German, but corrected ourselves about halfway in, so it's a draw. - Debbie Harry was in the original version of "Hairspray", not the remake. - We found clips of Jello Biafra, Tipper Gore, and others debating obscenity from a couple of episodes of Oprah, but not the clip Aaron mentioned where the comparison is made between dirty words, depictions of violence, and the crucifix imagery in churches. We're sure it's out there, but don't care enough to track it down. It could also very well be Gwar, since they're into that topic too. Ice-T made good points as well.
This week, Aaron is to the moon and back over Syd Mead. Mead was a concept artist for US Steel whose futuristic designs inspired many science fiction movies, including some he worked on himself. This is another in our series of concept artists who are fantastic.
NOTES / DON'T @ US: - The 64bit video game console from Apple in the early 90s might have been the Pippin.
- For tons of Mead's brilliant art, go to http://www.sydmead.com
This week, Aaron is crazy about Chesley Bonestell, the groundbreaking Hollywood matte painter and space concept artist! His art is simply breathtaking, and played a big role in capturing the public's imagination and understanding of space exploration. Do an image search for his work and lose a couple of hours. It's wonderful stuff.
NOTES / DON'T @ US: - Apollo ended with 17, not 15
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I think we corrected ourselves on the rest
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There are several books collecting Bonestell’s art. Here are some Google Shopping search results: https://www.google.com/search?q=chesley+bonestell+art+book&hl=en-us&prmd=sinxv&source=lnms&tbm=shop&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjygbizhOjyAhXOFVkFHS3oDbcQ_AUoAXoECAIQAQ&biw=375&bih=553
This week, Aaron is really into the 1985 novel "Eon" by Greg Bear. It's the story of a hollowed-out asteroid that holds a futuristic series of chambers that become something incredible. By the way, nothing but spoilers.
Aaron read the book and loved it. Dan read the Wikipedia page and goes on a bunch of tangents rather than being helpful. So, you know, a typical episode. We tie it into sci-fi series in general, Godzilla, Arthur C. Clarke's "Rama" series, hard vs soft science fiction, Dune, X-Men, and how we interact with media.
NOTES / DON'T @ US: - We pretty much corrected ourselves within the show this time. Yay, us!
- "Eon" is copyright Greg Bear and Bluejay Books. We didn't quote it or anything, so I don't have to include the usual disclaimer! High five!
This week, we're closing out our trilogy of Old Weirdos with the Argentine-German composer Mauricio Kagel. Kagel's work is a combination of impressive musicality, performance art, and pantomime. Kagel’s pieces can be really funny, quite serious, or just plain weird. We dive into it (in the shallow end, though, as we only just found out about him recently) and tie him into the traditions of nontraditional artforms. It was a lot fo fun!
NOTES / DON'T @ US: - We most likely used the word "dada" wrong. We go into some depth about our intellectual failings in this matter, so we've got it covered. Dan just finished a fascinating book by Sue Roe about the Dada and Surrealist artists called "In Montparnasse", the follow-up to her book "In Montmarte" about the cubists and modernists. They're stupendous books and it turns out almost everybody involved is insufferable! - The samples of "Rrrrrr" came from this performance by Bruno Lo Bianco (Argentina)and Sebastián Pereira (Uruguay): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c30y0ROrK-I - The samples from "Match" came from this performance by Michael Unterman and Jan Mueller-Szeraws (cello) and I-Jen Fang (percussion):https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yYW8SWzEOwE - Samples used sparingly for critical purposes under Fair Use. Please support any performers you get a chance to see, especially if it’s something by an amazing weirdo like Mauricio Kagel!
This week, we discuss FT Marinetti and Fillia's Futurist Cookbook. This very strange book from 1932 combines the Manifesto of Futurist Cooking, various contemporary newspaper and magazine responses to the futurists' culinary experiments, and many, many recipes and futurist-inspired scenes of possible meals.
As we say at the front, the futurists were giant, enthusiastic fascists with terrible ideas, and we're not saying that's ok. This weird little book, however, is a bizarre delight. Ignoring the underlying desire to keep Italy as strong as possible so they could conquer the world, the food and presentation are so unpleasant and nonsensical that many debate whether Marinetti and Fillia were serious or kidding.
NOTES / DON'T @ US: - The version we have is the 2014 edition from the "On the Table" series from Sternberg Press in Berlin. Charlotte Birnbaum is the series editor and Barbara McGilvray is the translator. - Just in case you didn't read the previous paragraph: Hey, don't be a fascist! They're not cool or clever. Stupid internet turning kids into fascists. Grumble, grumble.
This week, we're talking about Alfred Jarry's novella "Exploits and Opinions of Dr. Faustroll, Pataphysician". It's the 1898 absurd story and philosophical ideas of a ridiculous, impossible man. It's not a very long book and is easy to find online. If you like metanarrative, dada, absurd satire, dirty jokes, or feeling like a real smart smartie, check this book out.
NOTES / DON'T @ US: - Jarry's plays about Pere Ubu are also a lot of fun. Those are about a dumb baby-man instead of an impossible genius, so they're kind of the "Waiting for Godot" to Faustroll's "Tristram Shandy".
- If you didn't follow the references in that last sentence, don't worry. It's just Mad Libs for overeducated dorkuses. But also, go read those, because they're great.
This week, we are ranting and raving about Mike Patton, one of the most diverse musicians around. We start with his 80s and 90s bands Mr. Bungle and Faith No More as well as his solo stuff and go into the more project-y projects like Fantômas, Tomahawk, Mondo Cane, and Peeping Tom. We also touch on his many, many collaborations, mentioning almost 1/10th of them! Patton can growl, croon, yelp, scream, and rock. We're big fans of not just his music, but also of his approach to creativity and craft.
If you liked Tomahawk’s first record, check out their new one. If you dug Lovage, check out Peeping Tom or Patton’s 2019 record with Jean-Claude Vannier (Serge Gainsbourg collaborator), “Corpse Flower”. If you liked Dillinger Escape Plan or “Angel Dust”, check out Dead Cross. One awesome project is his recent work with Anthony Pateras as tētēma. The general style is discordant electronic world music, like Peter Gabriel working with John Zorn. Really cool stuff!
And scroll through Ipecac’s catalog. There’s a ton of amazing non-Patton folks making loud or weird or gorgeous or just plain rad music there, like JG Thirlwell, Le Butcherettes, Farmers Market, Eyvind Kang, Zu, Messer Chups, and on and on and on. So be like me and listen to every record there that you haven’t heard and then dedicate the rest of 2021’s paychecks to getting them! https://ipecacrecordings.bandcamp.com
NOTES / DON'T @ US: - “The Real Thing” was Faith No More’s 3rd album, not 2nd. - Eureka, Ca is not in the Bay Area 😬. - Patton’s hand is numb from breaking glass on stage, not from falling on his back. - We confirmed that no, Mike Patton and Giorgio Moroder never worked together - We didn’t mention his gas mask vocals on Tomahawk’s first record! Dang it! He sang through a gas mask. It was super cool. You can see it here: https://youtu.be/0aA5NxTujqg - As we said in the show, you've gotta buy these albums and listen to them 1000 times.
CREDITS: The songs we sampled(or sang badly) are credited below. We kept the clips real short for Fair Use critical purposes. - Fantômas, “Simply Beautiful” (NOT “Love and Happiness”, Dan, you idiot) from a live show, written by Al Green - Mike Patton, “Carne Cruda Squarciata Dal Suono Di Sassofono” from “Pranzo Oltranzista” - Mike Patton, “Robot Sex (Neon)” from “Adult Themes for Voice” - Lovage, “Stroker Ace” from “Music to Make Love to Your Old Lady By”, written by Dan the Automator, Mike Patton, and Jennifer Charles - Mike Patton, “Senza fine” from “Mondo Cane”, written by Gino Paoli - Mr. Bungle, “My Ass is on Fire” from “Mr. Bungle”, written by Trevor Dunn, Danny Heifetz, Mike Patton, and Trey Spruance - The teeth song we couldn’t remember the title of was “Carry Stress in the Jaw” off of “Disco Volante” by Mr. Bungle, and the lyrics are based on “Berenice” by Edgar Allan Poe - Mr. Bungle, “Violenza Domestica” from “Disco Volante”, written by Mike Patton, Trey Spruance, and Giorgio Tirabassi - Mr. Bungle, “Merry Go Bye-Bye” from “Disco Volante”, written by Trey Spruance - Mr. Bungle, “Platypus” from “Disco Volante”, written by Trevor Dunn and Trey Spruance - Mr. Bungle, “Goodbye Sober Day” from “California”, written by Mike Patton and Bär McKinnon - Fantômas, “The Godfather” from “The Director’s Cut”, written by Nino Rota - Fantômas, “Charade” from “The Director’s Cut”, written by Henry Mancini - Fantômas, “Rosemary’s Baby” from “The Director’s Cut”, written by Krzysztof Komeda - Fantômas, “Night of the Hunter” from “The Director’s Cut”, written by Walter Schumann - Fantômas, “Cape Fear” from “The Director’s Cut”, written by Bernard Herrmann - Mike Patton, “L'uomo che non sapeva amare“ from “Mondo Cane”, written by Elmer Bernstein, Mogol, Nico Fidenco, and Vito Pallavicini - Fantômas, “04/07/05 Motherhood and Beauty Day (Armenia), No Housework Day (USA)” from “Suspended Animation” - Faith No More, “Just a Man” from “King for a Day, Fool for a Lifetime”, written by Billy Gould, Roddy Bottum, Trey Spruance, and Mike Patton
In honor of our first anniversary, we're making a mix CD of stuff we're really into right now. We alternate tracks and don't know what songs the other has chosen. It was a lot of fun.
Here's the link to the playlist on YouTube: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLPW4Do1NagpGgGHm6lhPPr-5ZfkYFaLdL
NOTES / DON'T @ US: - We tried to keep the clips short to stay within Fair Use guidelines. Obviously you should buy the songs and albums you like and support the artists whenever possible.
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We hope to do this every June, assuming podcasts still exist and haven't been replaced by DingChats or Progviews.
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We made some pretty big mistakes on some facts. Those are amended here but if you don’t like spoilers, then SPOILERS!!!
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The Björk “Army of Me” remix is with Skunk Anansie, not Don Davis.
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“Central Park n West” wasn’t on the same album as “Cleveland Rocks”. It was two years later, in 1981.
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We called “Short Change Hero” by the wrong name, “No Place for a Hero”.
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The song “Jezahel” is pronounced “Yezahel”, like a Spanish pronunciation, not with a J like Dum-Dum Dan said.
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The Supergrass sing is called “I’d Like to Know”, not “Where the Strange Ones Go”.
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Hoo boy, Dan screwed up the “Late Night Anthem” a lot. Its from the 7th anniversary show, now the 5th. It’s Melissa Etheridge, not Bonnie Raitt. It’s also Patti Austin and neither Patti LaBelle nor Patti LuPone. ALSO ALSO! It has big talent Dan forgot to mention, like Tito Puente and Carlos Santana and McCoy Tyner and David Sanborn, as well as the best ever singer, Darlene Love!!!! Oh man, what an amazing lineup. At least he got Tom Jones and the Tower of Power horns right.
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If you spotted something we got wrong, congratulations! You know a thing! To claim your prize, write to the President of the United States of America and he'll get right on it.
It's Part 2 of Indie Comics! We're going from the 80s to today, covering Art Spiegelman, Dark Horse, Image, Johnny the Homicidal Maniac, Too Much Coffee Man, Milk and Cheese, Dork!, Bone, and the Tick!
We also talk about how many indie comics became big movies and TV shows that you have enjoyed and how one self-published comic became one of the 20th century's hugest franchises.
NOTES / DON'T @ US: - We know that we left out approximately two billion comics that you and we love. We note that and leave the door open for another round of "OMG this is good and this is awesome and I love this!" down the road. - We again gave credit to (I think) all the creators discussed. There are some other Big Two creators (especially artists) that felt like indies, worked a lot in indies, and moved their books away from Muscle Dude Punching Muscle Dude! styles that we should highlight besides the wonderful Bill Sienkiewicz (New Mutants), like Tom Mandrake (Spectre), Kelley Jones (Batman), and Rick Veitch and Tom Totleben (Swamp Thing), among others. - If you want to check any of these out, please go to your local comic book shop or local bookstore rather than clicking on the button on That Big Online Store That Has More Money Than Many Countries. Libraries are great, too.
We are talking about indie comics, aka underground comix, aka alternative comics! In part 1 we start with their scandalous origins and get up to the 80s. Along the way we talk about R Crumb, The Fabulous Furry Freak Brothers, Harvey Pekar, Wimmen’s Comix, Bill Griffith, Lynda Barry, Life in Hell, Love and Rockets, Elfquest, and Cerebus.
For real, there are sooooo many other types of comics out there besides Muscle Man fighting Beefcake Boy. From the silly to the somber, autobiographical to fantastical, wholesome to obscene, there's something for everyone. Not liking comics is like not liking music or not liking movies. There's something for you.
Part 2 in two weeks!
NOTES / DON'T @ US: - Not a note, but a shout out to us for setting a new record in edit marks due to Allergies™️, the miracle product from Mother Nature, Inc.! When you want to sniffle for three hours while recording for public consumption, trust Allergies™️! - We gave credits whenever possible. I think we covered everybody. If not, sorry! - If you're interested in any of these, try to get them from your Local Comic Shop and not a big conglom-o place. LCSs were hurt by Covid just like all retail and that certain online site saw its profits soar, so they're doing fine.
This week, Aaron is talking about LGDs: Livestock Guardian Dogs. These are large working dogs who guard flocks and herds. They're also one of the earliest versions of a dog cooperating with humans. We also look at pictures of dogs and go awwwwwww.
NOTES / DON'T @ US: - Dogs are great! - Here are the links to the breed histories we discussed: https://janedogs.com/early-livestock-guardian-dogs/ https://www.ancient-origins.net/history-ancient-traditions/becerrillo-0014283 http://www.dogkangal.com/the-breed-history-2/ - Here’s an image search of maremma dogs and penguins: https://www.google.com/search?q=penguins+maremma&client=safari&hl=en-us&prmd=inmv&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjGwumFmanwAhUyElkFHdwXA3AQ_AUoAXoECAIQAQ&biw=375&bih=553
This week, Aaron is over the moon about Italian electronic music pioneer Giovanni Giorgio Moroder! Dubbed “the Father of Disco”, Moroder was hugely influential in the 70s, when his work with synthesizers attracted the attention of big deals like David Bowie and Donna Summer, who he later worked with in the super cool song “I Feel Love”.
His discography is wild, including big names like Blondie, Lady Gaga, and Kylie Minogue, lesser-known but important artists like Philip Oakey, and lots of film soundtracks like “Midnight Express”, “American Gigolo”, and “Top Gun”(!!!!).
NOTES / DON’T @ US: - The fantastic background music that sounds like a funky Mega-Man soundtrack is "Disco Con Tutti" by Kevin MacLeod. You can find it here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5vnD9r0Ef34
It's part two of Dan's love-fest for jazz drummer and bandleader Art Blakey! This time we're talking about the timeline of Blakey's life and how he was woven into the timeline of jazz as a genre.
NOTES / DON'T @ US: - Yes, it was Cab Calloway’s band that Dizzy Gillespie was kicked out of. Dan had heard it was because he got up and danced during shows, but apparently he stabbed Calloway in the leg during a rehearsal, which seems like much stronger grounds for dismissal. - Dan misnamed Ornette Coleman’s album “The Shape of Jazz to Come” as “The Sound of Jazz Yet to Come”. He has been fired. - No, Dan, Curtis Fuller didn’t write “Free For All”. Wayne Shorter did. Idiot. - Here's the duel between Art Blakey and Ginger Baker from 1973: https://youtu.be/qghrsBfSbgk - And here's the drum battle between Art Blakey, Elvin Jones, Max Roach, and Buddy Rich from the 1974 Newport Jazz Festival: https://youtu.be/LqsIcAVLsUU - “Round Midnight” and “In Walked Bud” written by Thelonious Monk - “The Gigolo” written by Lee Morgan - “Pretty Brown” written by Ernie Wilkins - Clips and descriptions used for critical purposes under Fair Use
This week, Dan is gushing about jazz drummer Art Blakey, the powerful and unique musician who not only inspired thousands of drummers, but also used his band The Jazz Messengers as a training ground for up-and-coming musicians, most of whom would go on to lead their own bands. Do yourself a favor and get some Art Blakey records. They're exciting examples of where jazz was at and where it was headed at any given time from the 50s and 60s. (His music in the 70s and 80s didn't follow the genre's path as much.)
This was another long one, so this is part 1. Part 2 will be up in two weeks.
NOTES / DON'T @ US: - Dan kept saying “Live at Birdland” instead of “A Night at Birdland” for some reason. He’s been flogged. - Art Blakey solo from a concert in Paris in 1959 - Blakey speaking from “Now’s the Time” off “A Night at Birdland vol 2” by the Art Blakey Quintet - “Free For All” written by Wayne Shorter - Clip of Art Blakey changing the toms’ pitch from “Split Kick” by Horace Silver off “A Night at Birdland vol 1” by the Art Blakey Quintet - Drum solo from “Free For All” - Pee-Wee Marquette clip from the opening of “A Night at Birdland Vol 1” by the Art Blakey Quintet - “Moanin’” written by Bobby Timmons - “Dat Dere” written by Bobby Timmons - “A la Mode” written by Curtis Fuller - “Mosaic” written by Cedar Walton - Charles Mingus’ “Moanin’” by Charles Mingus, totally different from the Art Blakey version - All clips and descriptions used under Fair Use for critical purposes
This week, Dan talks about the 1965 Italian western cartoon comedy "West and Soda" by Bruno Bozzetto. It debuted almost a year after "A Fistful of Dollars", but began production earlier and so co-invented the spaghetti western genre. It's a hilarious movie, similar in technique (though not style) to the howlingly funny series "Roger Ramjet". Dan was so happy talking about it that he left out some of his favorite bits, so be sure to watch it somehow. We also talk about how the animation industry evolved from about 1940 on and what a jerk Walt Disney was.
NOTES / DON'T @ US: - "West and Soda" is currently streaming on Amazon Prime as of February 2021. - Bozzetto also did the Mr. Rossi shorts, "VIP: My Brother Superman", and "Allegro Non Troppo". People post them on YouTube occasionally and they might be streaming somewhere. - “Honcho” comes from Japanese, not Spanish, Hawaiian, or a Native American language. - "The Adventures of Rocky and Bullwinkle" debuted in 1959, not 1961. - This was recorded about three weeks before we collectively found out what a big racist Dr. Seuss was or we would have commented on that when he came up. Gross. - Calculus was invented in parallel by Newton and Leibniz, not Newton and Spinoza. - The cartoon studio Dan forgot towards the end was Nelvana, not Nezela. - Most of Dan's knowledge of cartoon history comes from him being an obsessive weirdo but a recent chunk comes from the 2020-2021 comic book series "The Comic Book History of Animation" by Fred Van Lente and Ryan Dunlavey. It's really terrific. They also did "The Comic Book History of Comics" and "Action Philosophers!", which are also delightful infotainment. (Ew I said infotainment 🤮.) - Clips of "West and Soda" used for critical purposes under Fair Use.
This week, Aaron tells us about nuclear-powered cars, trains, and planes, a weird fad in the 50s and 60s. They might seem like bad ideas, and they are! Also submarines, which turn out to be pretty good ideas.
NOTES / DON'T @ US: - There's about 10 minutes of solid facts before Dan the Idiot takes us on nuclear-powered tangents for an hour. The conversation kept derailing. Hey, that’s a train joke! Huzzah! - The origin of the "slap a chicken real hard to cook it" thing seems to be this Reddit thread: https://www.reddit.com/r/NoStupidQuestions/comments/aqk9la/if_kinetic_energy_is_converted_into_thermal/ - The Ink Spots were a phenomenal vocal band of the 30s and 40s. Here's the song Aaron was talking about from Fallout at the beginning, "I Don't Want to Set the World on Fire": https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6l6vqPUM_FE - Sorry we kept knocking into the mics while we talked. We're just so CA-RAZY and out of control! Whoaaaa!!!!!
This week Dan overflows with joy about the charming faux-sport of Jelle's Marble Runs, a YouTube account with many, many videos where marbles compete in races and Olympic events. It is seriously the best.
Their channel is here: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCYJdpnjuSWVOLgGT9fIzL0g
NOTES / DON'T @ US: - The theme music is "Light Utopia" by FormantX, which they provide free of copyright and can be found here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Iu2mXESoiN0
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Jelle's Marble Runs is the brainchild and production of Jelle and Dion Bakker and you should support it by buying lots of shirts and hoodies and stuff.
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They also have a Patreon here: https://www.patreon.com/Jelles
We continue our fanning out on the landmark studio musicians for Stax Records and accomplished band in their own right, Booker T & the MGs. We’re around 1970 at this point, which means more soul classics, the Blues Brothers, the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, and victory laps celebrating their greatness.
NOTES / DON’T @ US: - Sorry for all the typing noises. Aaron thought Dan would edit it out and Dan thought Aaron was gonna edit it out. Our collective bads.
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Here’s that Jesse Thorn interview with Bill Withers that Dan talks about, one of the best you’ll ever hear: https://maximumfun.org/episodes/bullseye-with-jesse-thorn/bullseye-jesse-thorn-bill-withers/
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Here's Booker T's NPR Tiny Desk Concert Aaron mentions: https://www.npr.org/2011/05/02/135840639/booker-t-jones-tiny-desk-concert
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Here are the two versions of “Time is Tight” that Aaron mentions. The first is likely the original "just get it on tape" version - straightforward, no variation in tempo, just a straight beat-by-beat Booker T and the MGs song: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Xgn1oZucKM — the second has the organ input and a slower tempo followed by a jump in tempo when the band comes in: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WuEKmt-w0P0
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The background music is “R&B Soul Music _ Rainy mood” from SoundCloud user No copyright music for you❤️. It can be found here: https://soundcloud.com/user-909504386/no-copyright-music-rb-soul-music-rainy-mood
This week Aaron brings us Booker T & the MGs. They had a few big hits, most notably “Green Onions”, and were the studio band for Stax Records (aka Satellite Records). Along with other studio session bands like The Funk Brothers, The Wrecking Crew, and the Muscle Shoals Rhythm Section, they provided the music for some of the biggest songs of the era.
We decided to start splitting the ones that go really long (such as the Buster Keaton episode), so this is part one of two. Enjoy!
NOTES / DON’T @ US: - We got one of the Stax founders wrong. It was Estelle Axton, who was Jim Stewart’s sister. We got our wires crossed with Stewart and there being some relation between them. The rest of the anecdote was right, though. Her husband Everett didn’t factor into it.
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We never really gave an accurate account of their recording in the late 50s and early 60s. The ones we listed were mostly from the mid-to-late 60s. The Stax recordings for that period include the Veltones, Rufus and Carla Thomas, the Mar-Keys (an earlier, larger version of Booker T & the MGs), and the Chips.
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“Green Onions” is copyright Booker T & the MGs, Stax Records and Atlantic Records. Clip used for criticism under fair use.
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The background music is “R&B Soul Music _ Rainy mood” from SoundCloud user No copyright music for you❤️. It can be found here: https://soundcloud.com/user-909504386/no-copyright-music-rb-soul-music-rainy-mood
This week, Dan is talking about Ernie Kovacs. Kovacs and his wife, Edie Adams, had several short-lived comedy programs in the 1950s and early 60s, on NBC, CBS, ABC, and the DuMont network. Ernie's humor was chaotic, experimental, silly, and masterful. It's one of the few programs where you really had no idea what was going to happen next.
NOTES / DON'T @ US: - Most of the surviving recordings are copyright by Ediad Productions. We assume the various networks retained some rights. - There are several terrific box sets, any of which would be a fantastic addition to your collection. Do yourself a favor and buy some Ernie Kovacs DVDs! - Clips used under Fair Use
This week, Dan is talking about Thomas-Alexandre Dumas Davy de la Pailleterie, the remarkable French general and father of the famous novelist Alexandre Dumas. He inspired much of his son's stories with his daring military adventures, experiences as a prisoner and son of a slave, and years-long feud with none other than Napoleon himself!
NOTES / DON'T @ US - We cannot recommend Tom Reiss' biography, "The Black Count", highly enough. It really is one of the best books of the 2010s, period. It should be pretty easy to find, so read it and be immensely happy. There's way more to Dumas' story than this episode covers. - There's a little more background noise than usual this episode. Sorry about that.
This week, Aaron tells us all about the history of satellite communications and we demonstrate that we are both the smartest guys in the world and the dumbest guys in the world. From Arthur C. Clarke's 1945 article that first proposed the idea through today's world of SpaceX and GPS, we discuss how it works and how it developed. It's fascinating stuff! Also, we crack each other with our usual goofery.
NOTES / DON'T @ US: - This site has the Clarke article both as scans and plain text: http://lakdiva.org/clarke/1945ww/ - The second Aaron mentions Sputnik, Dan stops talking because he's looking up Ray Ellington singing "Beep Beep" about 19:20 into this episode of The Goon Show: https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00f6gsn - We want to emphasize that it's true, Dan really did know an old dude whose uncle beat up Frank Sinatra in New Jersey before he was famous because he angered some mob guys - And here's that awesome site where some guy named Gunter tracks upcoming space launches: https://space.skyrocket.de/
Aaron takes us on a wild ride through the world of ground effect vehicles! He also explains what those are, so don't worry. We go into the Lun-Class Ekranoplan, the Bartini Beriev, and the Alexiev A-90 Orlyonok. These are low-flying, bizarre-looking monstrosities that adhere to the laws of physics and then go crazy. Do yourself a favor and look them up, preferably when they appear in the show so you can share Dan's shock and delight.
NOTES / DON'T @ US: - Early on, Aaron talks about planes landing and what they do in the last few hundred miles. Obviously, he meant feet, yards, or meters. Something sensible. - If you like this sort of thing, go over to Reddit. There are subreddits dedicated to all kinds of specific vehicles. One is r/weirdwings, which is an offshoot of r/weirdwheels. Both are just pictures of strange planes / cars. Good, clean fun.
This episode, Dan goes on at great length about Buster Keaton, a truly phenomenal filmmaker and silent era comedy star. His comic imagination and the unbelievable punishment he'd put himself through in order to realize it are unmatched to this day. Almost all of his movies (as well as Roscoe Arbuckle's) are on YouTube, so go check those out!
NOTES / DON'T @ US: - For the first chunk, Dan had a mean mic that ate up the ends of some words. It was eventually beaten into submission and surrendered. Alternatively, Dan was leaving the ends off of words because he’s super cool and trendsetting. - Aaron’s mic was also acting up, switching from mono to stereo, and Dan is dumb and doesn’t know how to fix it so enjoy the sporadic bonus sound, free of charge! - Buster and Arbuckle's boss at UA was Joseph Schenck, not Max Schenck. Schenck went on to co-found and run 20th Century Fox and also go to prison for tax evasion. Classic movie mogul. - Roscoe Arbuckle died the night after signing the second contract of his comeback, not the first. It was his first contract for feature-length pictures. - Dan said the animated / live action short "You Ought to Be in Pictures" starred Bugs Bunny and Daffy Duck, but it was Porky Pig and Daffy. His brain meant that, but his mouth was playing a cruel prank on him. Whadda maroon! Also, that wasn’t the first mixture of live action and animation. There were lots. Google it! They’re neat!
The clips are from 1) "Parlor, Bedroom, and Bath" (MGM), 2-3) "Grand Slam Opera" (Educational Pictures), and 4) "Mooching Through Georgia" (Columbia Pictures).
This week, Aaron brings us the ginormous genre of giant robots, aka mecha! From its origins in Japanese cartoons and live action sci-fi, to its trek across the Pacific and subsequent reinvention as toy commercials, to its 90s era of...well, horniness. We talk about Astroboy, Ultraman, Gundam, kaiju robots, Transformers, Voltron, Mazinger Z, Neon Genesis Evangelion, Pacific Rim, and about a million other shows and why they all rule.
NOTES / DON'T @ US: - I think we nailed it! But then, it's Dan typing this and I don't know anything about mecha except that the Soundwave toy was rad, so maybe Aaron screwed up real bad. If he did, don't @ us!
Today Dan is gushing about comics writer Kelly Sue DeConnick. Most well-known for reimagining Captain Marvel as well as for her creator-owned comics Pretty Deadly and Bitch Planet, Kelly Sue is a feminist pusher of boundaries in a field long dominated by men. And even if you ignore all that, she's also just a darn good writer! She's currently wrapping up her work on Aquaman, which has garnered critical and commercial acclaim.
NOTES / DON'T @ US I think we actually didn't screw up too badly this time!
We tried to eliminate background noise but it was raining and we have dogs and families and stuff, so long story short sorry for the background noise. Hopefully it’s atmospheric and not annoying.
At one point early on, Dan says Matt Fraction wrote the Iron Man arc that a big chunk of the movies are based on, but that was wrong. His second guess was right, that it was a certain gross dude who wrote good comics but is also gross and did gross things and we're not going to talk about him when there are way better people to talk about.
All of Kelly Sue DeConnick's comics are (obviously) written by her. Her Avengers and Captain Marvel work (art by a zillion people) is through Marvel Comics. Bitch Planet (art by Valentine De Landro) and Pretty Deadly (art by Emma Ríos) are through Image Comics. Aquaman (art by Miguel Mendonça) is through DC Comics.
Oh man. Dan and Aaron talk about the best thing ever made. Probably the greatest bringer of joy to our lives (sorry, our kids!), Mr. T's 1984 motivational video for kids, "Be Somebody...or Be Somebody's Fool!"!!! It's the best. It's your favorite.
A classic of "passing around videotapes to your friends" culture, this 51-minute tape is hilarious and corny, goofy and inspiring, but most of all it's 80s as hell. We talk about how Mr. T and this tape have improved our lives and brought us hours and hours of happiness over the decades. Mr. T is the best and if you haven't seen this video, watch it on YouTube right now.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zv0m1YzRu4M
NOTES / DON'T @ US: Dan said it was made in 1982, but it's 1984.
We couldn't remember the breakdancer with a "Popsicle" shirt's name. It's Popsicle. Popsicle Delfin. We're dumb.
Aaron said “Milkshake” was by Fergie instead of Kelis. Yay! He messed up instead of Dan for once! Woo hoo! In your face, Aaron!
"Be Somebody...or Be Somebody's Fool!" was written by Peter Elbling, Paul Raley, and Paul Wilson and directed by Jeff Margolis. It stars Mr. T, New Edition, The Dimples, and some surprising kids who would become big stars that we get bug eyes about in the beginning of the episode.
Copyright MCA Home Video. All clips used under Fair Use for critical purposes. If you can find a copy of this, buy it and have a great life.
Dan and Aaron gush about the brilliantly stupid, trendsetting weirdo shows that Cartoon Network had starring Space Ghost, Zorak, Brak, and Moltar. From "Space Ghost Coast to Coast" to "Cartoon Planet" to "The Brak Show", it's a love letter to strange little cartoons in the middle of the night that helped pioneer Adult Swim and make the comedic landscape a little more bizarre.
NOTES / DON'T @ US: Dear Aaron, Sorry for leaving my laptop 11-12 minutes into this episode to do something else so it sounds like I ghosted you. Love, Dan
At one point, Dan confused Mr. Thundercleese’s voice with the grumbling static of Metallus, so he sounds pretty confused near the end. Idiot.
We also misremembered that the “rapping space goblin” was on with Ice-T, but it was actually Chuck D. Wrong deadly serious rapper. Sorry. It’s been like 20 years since we’ve seen these shows.
The shows discussed starred George Lowe, C. Martin Croker, Andy Merrill, and Don Kennedy and were created by Mike Lazzo (SGC2C, Cartoon Planet),Keith Crofford (Cartoon Planet), Jim Fortier (Brak Show), Andy Merrill (Brak Show), and Pete Smith (Brak Show).
Copyright Cartoon Network. Clips used under Fair Use for critical purposes. “Space Ghost Coast to Coast” and “The Brak Show” are available on HBO Max. Or you can get the DVDs and albums. Seriously, do it and give these hilarious people some money.
Dan and Aaron talk about one of their favorite rock bands, The Hives! (You are legally required to use exclamation marks when referring to The Hives!) If you don't know the name, you've probably heard their music in a commercial or action / sports montage. Trust us, you love them.
NOTES / DON'T @ US: We listed a few other 90s/00s garage bands, but here are some more to check out: The Woggles, Man or Astroman?, Mono Men, The Fleshtones, The Mortals, Satan's Pilgrims, and The Dukes of Hamburg. Some are surfier or fuzzier, but they're all super fun and great.
An excellent quote from Howlin' Pelle Almqvist about their style: "Grunge started happening and we were not interested in that at all. We liked some of that energy where there was energy, like Nirvana and stuff, but we couldn't really understand what was the problem half of the time. Being from a rough town, I think we wanted something more sort of happy to be alive, because that's how we felt when we played music."
The Hives are Howlin' Pelle Almqvist, Nicholaus Arson, Chris Dangerous, The Johan and Only (Dr. Matt Destruction on the albums), and Vigilante Carlstroem. Their songs are written by Randy Fitzsimmons except "Find Another Girl", written by Jerry Butler and Curtis Mayfield. Clips used for critical purposes under fair use. Seriously, go buy their albums and support a fantastic band!
This week, Aaron brings a favorite industry gag of his: the Turbo Encabulator! An inside joke among engineers and other techy / mechanical people over the decades, the Turbo Encabulator is the most amazing iteration of its kind to date. We also veer off into related topics such as Darth Vader and the collaboration between Jim Henson, Raymond Scott, and IBM.
NOTES / DON'T @ US: - Here's a link to "The Paperwork Explosion" on the Jim Henson Company YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_IZw2CoYztk
Clips used for critical purposes under fair use.
Dan and Aaron talk about one of Dan's favorite things, "The Goon Show"! It was a 1950s BBC radio comedy that changed comedy and molded the sensibilities of an entire generation.
This will probably be the longest episode by far because Dan is obsessed with this show, despite its occasional cringe-inducing dips into racism (which we discuss).
NOTES / DON'T @ US: We couldn't find the really impressive Fred the Oyster sound effect, so instead we included the scene where the racetrack announcer talks about the food Neddie's digesting.
We recorded this right before the protests and discussions following the murder of George Floyd, so Dan made an ignorant comment about British racism. Since then the two us of have learned that while British racism lacks the bloody history America has, black people are definitely treated worse there than people of other backgrounds, so the comparison to cultural bickering between European countries was wrong. Sorry about that.
"The Goon Show" stars Spike Milligan, Harry Secombe, and Peter Sellers, with Ray Ellington, Max Geldray, and Wallace Greenslade. It was written by Spike Milligan, Larry Stephens, Eric Sykes, Maurice Wiltshire, and John Antrobus. Copyright held by BBC, clips used for critical purposes under fair use.
Aaron introduces Dan to the fascinating world of Numbers Stations, where seemingly random frequencies carry seemingly random bursts of numbers at seemingly random times. It's all very mysterious and covert. We talk about what they might be used for, how they could disrupt or be disrupted, and why governments may want to leave them alone.
Dan and Aaron open the podcast with something we can both gush about for hours: "The Young Ones"! A 12-episode comedy from the early 80s, it exploded the possibilities of television and helped a generation of British comic actors get deservedly famous. There's a great DVD set that includes both seasons as well as episodes of "Bottom" and "Filthy, Rich, and Catflap" and a making-of documentary.
NOTES / DON'T @ US: - We didn't know until after recording this that Mayall is pronounced "Mail" and not "May-all". Rest assured, we know now and are flagellating ourselves appropriately. - We mention Ade and Nigel's play, "Vulcan-7" and hope we can see it, but they did it in 2018 and it's not likely to be available. - Jennifer Saunders' character on "Absolutely Fabulous" (which you love, right?) is Edina, not Edna, Monsoon. Dan's mouth was going faster than his brain.
"The Young Ones" stars Ade Edmondson, Rik Mayall, Nigel Planer, Christopher Ryan, and Alexei Sayle. It was written by Ben Elton, Rik Mayall, and Lise Mayer, with additional material by Alexei Sayle. Clips are copyright of the BBC, used for critical purposes under fair use.