Gobbledygeek episode 499, “Geek Challenge: Xanadu vs. Mulholland Drive,” is available for listening or download right here, on Spotify, and on Apple Podcasts.
You have to believe Gobbledygeek is magic. Or at the very least, that Paul and Arlo will revel in cinematic magic on the latest Geek Challenge. Robert Greenwald’s infamous 1980 flop Xanadu is paired with David Lynch’s acclaimed 2001 masterpiece Mulholland Drive for a fantastical discussion of filmic fantasy. The boys argue that Xanadu should not be seen as a failure, interpret Mulholland Drive‘s many cryptic symbols, bask in the radiance of Olivia Newton-John, and laud Naomi Watts’ raw emotion. Plus, our bodies continue to deteriorate.
NEXT: five hundo.
BREAKDOWN
- 00:00:39 – Intro
- 00:15:49 – Xanadu
- 01:04:15 – Mulholland Drive
- 01:57:26 – Outro / Next
MUSIC
- “Magic” by Olivia Newton-John, Xanadu (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) (1980)
- “Llorando” by Rebekah Del Rio, All My Life – Toda Me Vida (2003)
GOBBLEDYCARES
- National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: https://suicidepreventionlifeline.org/
- Abortion Funds in Every State: https://bit.ly/AbortionFundsTwitter
- Support AAPI communities and those affected by anti-Asian violence: https://www.gofundme.com/c/act/stop-aapi-hate
- Support the AAPI Civic Engagement Fund: https://aapifund.org/
- Support Black Lives Matter and find anti-racism resources: https://blacklivesmatters.carrd.co/
- The Trevor Project provides information and support to LGBTQ youth: thetrevorproject.org
- Trans Lifeline: https://translifeline.org/
- US (877) 565-8860
- Canada (877) 330-6366
- National Center for Transgender Equality: transequality.org
- Advocate for writers who might be owed money due to discontinuance of royalties: https://www.writersmustbepaid.org/
- Help teachers and classrooms in need: https://www.donorschoose.org/
- Do your part to remove the burden of medical debt for individuals, families, and veterans: https://ripmedicaldebt.org/
- Register to vote: https://vote.gov/
Next time you need a cool job for a character, I suggest skimming some episodes of Abstract on Netflix.
BTW, I adore Xanadu. When I was in third grade I tried to change my name to Olivia.
For reasons.
~NYPinTA