Listen to Gobbledygeek Episode 479 – “Sad & Weird”

Gobbledygeek episode 479, “Sad & Weird,” is available for listening or download right here, on Spotify, and on Apple Podcasts.

For another freestyle, Paul and Arlo are getting weird. As in “Weird Al” Yankovic, whom Arlo recently saw with their good buddy Kenn Edwards. Arlo recounts the concert moment he’d been waiting for all his life, then Paul discusses the joys and frustrations of the first-ever virtual Slayage conference. Plus, brief ruminations on Nope, Thor: Love and Thunder, and The Rehearsal; and we remember our friend Chelsea Hawk.

NEXT: TBD.

LINKS

MUSIC

  • “We Would Be Building” by John Fahey, Days Have Gone By, Vol. 6 (1967)
  • “Lame Claim to Fame” by “Weird Al” Yankovic, Mandatory Fun (2014)

GOBBLEDYCARES

Listen to the ‘Gobbledygeek’ Bonus Episode “Feels Like the First Time”

The original Bat-Turkey, an extremely poor fusion of clip art and Arlo’s less than rudimentary MS Paint skills.

The Gobbledygeek bonus episode “Feels Like the First Time” is available for listening or download right here and on iTunes here.

Once upon a time, three idiots did a podcast. Their names were Paul Smith, Arlo “AJ” Wiley, and Joseph “Will Penley” Lewis. And no, we’re not talking about Gobbledygeek episode 400–we’re talking about the very first episode, recorded a full decade ago. This painful, awkward reminder of where it all began has been lost to time and/or the BlogTalkRadio servers for at least a few years now. Now, it has been restored–but never remastered–to its proper glory. Relive the earliest day of the podcast, with discussion of Alice in Wonderland, Lost, Joss Whedon, Kevin Smith, and a whole bunch of random nerd shit they did not have the faculties to properly critique. Enjoy?

Listen to Gobbledygeek Episode 386 – “Gobbledyween: The Cabin in the Woods”

Anna Hutchinson, Chris Hemsworth, Kristen Connolly, Jesse Williams, and Fran Kranz in Drew Goddard’s ‘The Cabin in the Woods’ (2011).

Gobbledygeek episode 386, “Gobbledyween: The Cabin in the Woods,” is available for listening or download right here and on iTunes here.

Leaves are on the ground, blood is on the screen. It’s time once again for Gobbledyween, that most beloved of Gobbledygeek institutions–and one that has not reared its horrific head in full since 2015! All month long, Paul and Arlo will be discussing horror or horror-adjacent movies, starting with one they actually discussed seven years ago: Drew Goddard’s mega-meta 2011 genre critique The Cabin in the Woods. The boys reveal why they’re revisiting the film (hint: it involves sheer incompetence!), break down Goddard and co-writer/producer Joss Whedon’s refutation of horror stereotypes, compare Cabin’s prevailing sense of nihilism to the pragmatic hope on display in Buffy and Angel, and go nuts trying to name all the monsters we see on screen.

Next: the night, it’s deafening. A/V writer-director Joseph Lewis joins us to discuss–finally–Kathryn Bigelow’s 1987 vampire Western Near Dark.

THE BREAKDOWN

Total Run Time: 01:43:03

  • 00:00:35  – Intro
  • 00:11:12  – The Cabin in the Woods
  • 01:40:36  – Outro / Next

THE MUSIC

  • “Horror Movies” by Dickie Goodman (1961)
  • “Last” by Nine Inch Nails, Broken (1992)

THE LINKS

Listen to ‘Gobbledygeek’ Episode 348, “Spider-Man: Origin of the Hobgoblin (feat. Jed Waters Keith)”

Art from ‘Spider-Man: Origin of the Hobgoblin’ by John Romita Jr., John Romita Sr., and Andy Yanchus.

Gobbledygeek episode 350, “Spider-Man: Origin of the Hobgoblin (feat. Jed Waters Keith),” is available for listening or download right here and on iTunes here.

Paul and Arlo continue to swing through this year’s superheroic Four-Color Flashback to discuss Spider-Man: Origin of the Hobgoblin, joined by FreakSugar managing editor Jed Waters Keith. This early ‘80s story, primarily written by Roger Stern and drawn by John Romita Jr., finds Peter Parker faced with the emergence of a horrific new villain in the grotesque figure of the Hobgoblin. Who is this masked man? Who knows! In true Parker fashion, Spidey tries to unmask Hobby while snapping pix for the Bugle and juggling his crazy love life. The gang discusses the convoluted behind-the-scenes drama surrounding the Hobgoblin’s identity, the evolution of JRJr, how Peter Parker is kind of a huge ladies’ man for being such a dork, and more. Plus, Paul attended this year’s Slayage conference, while Arlo and Jed are reading a whole mess o’ comics.

Next: Jurassic World 2: Even Assic-er.

(Show notes for “Spider-Man: Origin of the Hobgoblin.”)

Listen to a Very Special ‘Gobbledygeek,’ “The Wiley Wedding Aural Experience (feat. Everyone)”

This bonus episode of Gobbledygeek, “The Wiley Wedding Aural Experience (feat. Everyone),” is available for listening or download right here and on iTunes here.

Everyone loves aural after a wedding. An aural document of said wedding, that is! That’s right, Arlo and Amber tied the knot, and Paul was on hand to witness the entire drunken event. So were Joseph Lewis, completing the Three Heathens reunion; Kenn Edwards, whose new EP rules; longtime friend of the show but first-time guest Darryl James, who challenges Arlo to a Buffy trivia quiz; and newbie Gabe Hochstetler, who finds himself the sole positive voice during a brief review of Solo: A Star Wars Story. Video game bars, shots, impolite tailors, shots, poorly choreographed “Gangnam Style” dances, shots, impromptu mowing, and oh yeah, shots. It was a wild ride, and you are formally invited.

Next: let your magical umbrella take you to Romania for a musical Geek Challenge featuring Mary Poppins and The Lure.

(Show notes for “The Wiley Wedding Aural Experience.”)

Listen to ‘Gobbledygeek’ Episode 325, “Y: The Last Man – Vol. 8: Kimono Dragons (feat. Chance Mazzia)”

Art from ‘Y: The Last Man – Vol. 8: Kimono Dragons’ by Pia Guerra, Jose Marzan Jr., Zylonol, and Clem Robins.

Gobbledygeek episode 325, “Y: The Last Man – Vol. 8: Kimono Dragons (feat. Chance Mazzia),” is available for listening or download right here and on iTunes here.

This week, Paul and Arlo return to their Four-Color Flashback exploration of Brian K. Vaughan and Pia Guerra’s Y: The Last Man with Vol. 8: Kimono Dragons. Joining them for the first time in a while is once and future 90 700 Club host Chance Mazzia. Frustrated by some of the detours this Japanese misadventure takes, the gang gets around to asking the question that’s hung over this entire FCF series: nearly a decade removed from publication, is Y: The Last Man still as great as they thought it was? To find the answer, they discuss Vaughan’s writing style, how each volume reads compared to the whole, and what if anything Y contributed to the evolution of the comics medium. Plus, Justice League arrives in theaters (leading to a breakthrough in Paul and Arlo’s relationship), the Avengers assemble for the Infinity War trailer, and Arlo is delighted by The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel.

Next: the Geek Challenge rides again, with a retro kick. Paul will force Arlo to watch Joe Johnston’s 1991 superhero cult classic The Rocketeer, and Arlo will force Paul to watch Gary Ross’ colorful 1998 film Pleasantville.

(Show notes for “Y: The Last Man – Vol. 8: Kimono Dragons.”)

Listen to ‘Gobbledygeek’ Episode 320, “Dunkirk: Beach Battle Bingo”

Gobbledygeek episode 320, “Dunkirk: Beach Battle Bingo,” is available for listening or download right here and on iTunes here.

Sun, spray, bullets, and blood: Christopher Nolan’s Dunkirk recounts the worst beach trip in history, as 400,000 Allied troops were trapped by the Nazis in Dunkirk, France. The word Paul and Arlo keep coming back to as a descriptor is “relentless.” 107 minutes of third-act intensity, Dunkirk may be the purest expression of Nolan’s watchmaker-precise skill. The boys discuss the film’s three interweaving time strands, the lack of overt character development (except for that moment), Hans Zimmer’s ticking time bomb of a score, and why the movie never names or shows its Nazi enemies. Plus, Arlo is convinced the rest of the world is experiencing a mass delusion regarding Arrested Development season 4; and the boys take a look at the SDCC trailers for Ready Player One, Justice League, Thor: Ragnarok, Stranger Things, and The Defenders.

Next: it’s another Four-Color Flashback, as Ensley F. Guffey, co-author of Wanna Cook? The Complete Unauthorized Guide to Breaking Bad, joins Paul and Arlo to discuss Y: The Last Man – Vol. 7: Paper Dolls.

(Show notes for “Dunkirk: Beach Battle Bingo.”)

Listen to ‘Gobbledygeek’ Episode 316, “Y: The Last Man – Vol. 6: Girl on Girl”

Art from ‘Y: The Last Man – Vol. 6: Girl on Girl’ by Goran Sudžuka and Zylonol.

Gobbledygeek episode 316, “Y: The Last Man – Vol. 6: Girl on Girl,” is available for listening or download right here and on iTunes here.

Landlubber Yorick Brown sets sail for Australia in Y: The Last Man: Vol. 6 – Girl on Girl, and Paul and Arlo are on hand to detail his nautical adventure. Now that their year-long Four-Color Flashback journey through Brian K. Vaughan and Pia Guerra’s beloved comic book is more than halfway over…the boys have an existential crisis and ponder why it’s been so difficult to discuss their journey. Is a series like Y: The Last Man built for this kind of volume-by-volume analysis? Every comic book is different, so is it fair for the boys to place it under the same scrutiny they did The Sandman? Besides making a classic of the medium sound surprisingly shitty, the boys do mine discussion from Girl on Girl, particularly about how the women in Yorick’s life realize they’re trapping themselves inside his narrative. They swear they love this book. Really. Plus, Arlo forced Amber to watch Firefly and Serenity.

Next: put pedal to the metal as Edgar Wright drops the needle on Baby Driver.

(Show notes for “Y: The Last Man – Vol. 6: Girl on Girl.”)

Listen to Our Hiatus Special, “2016: The Buffy Season 6 of Years”

fuck2016

The Gobbledygeek hiatus special, “2016: The Buffy Season 6 of Years,” is available for listening or download right here and on iTunes here.

We’re back! Sort of. Before Gobbledygeek‘s official return next month, Paul and Arlo explain the terrible real-life circumstances that led to the hiatus. The boys discuss grief, loss, tragedy, depression, and a whole bunch of other super fun and upbeat things! To end things on a positive note, they also discuss some happy news and the pop culture they’ve enjoyed during the hiatus (Westworld! Arrival! Moonlight!).

Next: the show returns toward the end of next month to make another journey to a galaxy far, far away with a discussion of Rogue One: A Star Wars Story.

(Show notes for “2016: The Buffy Season 6 of Years.”)

Listen to ‘Gobbledygeek’ Episode 228, “The ‘Man Was Not Meant to Meddle’ Medley”

ageofultron

Gobbledygeek episode 228, “The ‘Man Was Not Meant to Meddle’ Medley,” is available for listening or download right here, and on iTunes here.

Killer robots. Mind-controlling witches. Suits of armor from space. Dudes with frosted tips. All of this and so! much! more! is contained within Avengers: Age of Ultron, the highly anticipated sequel to Joss Whedon’s 2012 extravaganza. The reception has been decidedly less rapturous than that which accompanied the first film, so Paul and AJ dig into what works about the movie, what doesn’t, whether or not Whedon goofed up Black Widow, and just how much creative control a filmmaker can have over one of these things. Plus, AJ makes a case for a much smaller film, Seymour: An Introduction.

Next: Paul got AJ a present. Ominous!

(Show notes for “The ‘Man Was Not Meant to Meddle’ Medley.”)