musical

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Listen to Gobbledygeek Episode 493 – “RRR”

Ram Charan and N.T. Rama Rao Jr. in RRR (2022), directed by S.S. Rajamouli

Gobbledygeek episode 493, “RRR,” is available for listening or download right here, on Spotify, and on Apple Podcasts.

Time to rise, roar, and revolt as Paul and Arlo engage in some extreme piggybacking with S.S. Rajamouli’s RRR. This alt-history epic is the rare Indian film to make a splash in the Western world, and our boys approach it as only two ignorant white guys can: with almost no knowledge of Indian culture or film! Nevertheless, they are in love with the movie, which reimagines Indian revolutionary figures Komaram Bheem and Alluri Sitarama Raju as superheroes who can outrun tigers, shoot a British bastard from a mile away, and stop motorcycles with their bare hands. The boys praise stars N.T. Rama Rao Jr. and Ram Charan, admire Rajamouli’s craft, and weep in awe at the insane shit happening in every single scene. Plus, there’s a trailer for The Flash and Arlo has finally gone back to reading old Superman comics.

NEXT: TBD.

BREAKDOWN

  • 00:00:44  –  Intro / Guest
  • 00:18:04  –  Main Topic
  • 02:03:24  –  Outro / Next

LINKS

MUSIC

  • “Dosti” by Amit Trivedi, RRR (Original Soundtrack) (2022)
  • “Naacho Naacho” by Vishal Mishra & Rahul Sipligunj, RRR (Original Soundtrack) (2022)

GOBBLEDYCARES

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Listen to Gobbledygeek Episode 490 – “Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio”

Pinocchio fan poster by Aleks Phoenix (IG: aleks_phoenix)

Gobbledygeek episode 490, “Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio” is available for listening or download right here, on Spotify, and on Apple Podcasts.

Is that a tree branch on your face, or are you just lying to me? An extra-long Gobbledygeek season finale takes root with a discussion of Guillermo del Toro and Mark Gustafson’s new stop-motion adaptation of Pinocchio. Paul and Arlo discuss the numerous ways del Toro has made Carlo Collodi’s immortal tale his own, chiefly by making it a study of mortality–oh, and fascism too. The boys rave about Ewan McGregor’s take on the Cricket, the awe-inspiring puppetry and animation on display, and Arlo’s pot-addled epiphany. Plus, tributes to Angelo Badalamenti and Stephen ‘tWitch’ Boss, as well as a look at the Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse trailer.

NEXT: happy holidays, y’all. We’ll be back in 2023.

BREAKDOWN

  • 00:00:45  –  Intro
  • 00:17:18  –  Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio
  • 02:10:16  –  Our brief, incomplete list of Best of 2022
  • 02:33:17  –  Outro / Next

LINKS

MUSIC

  • “Twin Peaks Theme” by Angelo Badalamenti, Soundtrack from Twin Peaks (1990)
  • “Big Baby Il Duce March” by Gregory Mann, Pinocchio (Soundtrack from the Netflix Film) (2022)

GOBBLEDYCARES

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Listen to Gobbledygeek Episode 489 – “Geek Challenge: White Christmas vs. Eyes Wide Shut”

Top: Rosemary Clooney, Danny Kaye, Bing Crosby, Vera-Ellen, and many more in White Christmas (1954), directed by Michael Curtiz / Bottom: Tom Cruise and many, many more in Eyes Wide Shut (1999), directed by Stanley Kubrick

Gobbledygeek episode 489, “Geek Challenge: White Christmas vs. Eyes Wide Shut,” is available for listening or download right here, on Spotify, and on Apple Podcasts.

Hang your stockings by the chimney, roast some chestnuts on that open fire, and prepare yourself for a very special Twisted Christmas installment. Our annual yuletide derangement has morphed into a Geek Challenge, featuring two obviously similar films: Paul has challenged Arlo to Michael Curtiz’s holly jolly classic White Christmas (1954), and in turn Arlo has thrust upon Paul Stanley Kubrick’s festive psychosexual nightmare Eyes Wide Shut (1999). Paul has some harsh words for Kubrick’s orgy, Arlo cringes at old-timey patriotism, and both of our boys come away filled with a little less Christmas cheer. Oh, and who is Danny Kaye again?

NEXT: for our season finale, we become real boys for Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio.

BREAKDOWN

  • 00:00:52  –  Intro / Paul and Arlo’s Holiday Spirit
  • 00:11:15  –  Eyes Wide Shut
  • 01:12:40  –  White Christmas
  • 02:02:00  –  Outro / Next

LINKS

MUSIC

  • “Baby Did a Bad Bad Thing” by Chris Isaak, Forever Blue (1995)
  • “Masked Ball (1999 Extended Mix)” by Jocelyn Pook, Flood (1999)
  • “Musica ricercata, II (Mesto, rigido e cerimoniale)” by Dominic Harlan, Eyes Wide Shut (1999)
  • “The Best Things Happen While You’re Dancing” by Danny Kaye, Selections from Irving Berlin’s “White Christmas” (1954)

GOBBLEDYCARES

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Listen to Gobbledygeek Episode 464 – “West Side Story (2021)”

Ariana DeBose and David Alvarez in West Side Story (2021), directed by Steven Spielberg

Gobbledygeek episode 464, “West Side Story (2021),” is available for listening or download right here, on Spotify, and on Apple Podcasts.

Somethin’s comin’, somethin’ good: this week, Paul and Arlo pirouette through a discussion of Steven Spielberg’s new take on West Side Story, nominated for Best Picture at this year’s Oscars. Is it a spoiler to say they love it? The boys discuss how Spielberg and screenwriter Tony Kushner’s changes enrich the text, why choreographer Justin Peck’s bold choice to discard Jerome Robbins’ iconic choreography was the right move, what it means for the Sharks to be played by Latinx actors, and the joy of watching Spielberg treat every musical number like his and Janusz Kaminski’s playground. Plus, Taco Bell sends Arlo spiraling into an existential crisis, and the boys chat about this year’s other Best Picture nominees.

NEXT: Si Spurrier and Jeff Stokely’s Six-Gun Gorilla is locked and loaded for this month’s Four-Color Flashback.

BREAKDOWN

  • 00:00:53  –  Intro
  • 00:06:39  –  Interminable Oscars Discussion
  • 00:37:43  –  A Look Back to Episode 402
  • 00:47:04  –  West Side Story (2021)
  • 02:14:52  –  Outro / Next

LINKS

MUSIC

  • “Something’s Coming” by Ansel Elgort, West Side Story (2021 Motion Picture Soundtrack) (2021)
  • “Somewhere” by Rita Moreno, West Side Story (2021 Motion Picture Soundtrack) (2021)

GOBBLEDYCARES

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Listen to ‘Gobbledygeek’ Episode 454 – “Gobbledyween: Rockula (feat. Eric Sipple)”

Dean Cameron in Rockula (1990), directed by Luca Bercovici

Gobbledygeek episode 454, “Gobbledyween: Rockula (feat. Eric Sipple),” is available for listening or download right here, on Spotify, and on Apple Podcasts.

Gobbledyween has come to a close for another year–and we’re going out with a fang! To round out our month of frightening films, we’ve chosen a movie most people have probably never heard of: Rockula, a vampiric musical from 1990 starring Dean Cameron as the bloodsucking Ralph, cursed to try and win back the love of his immortal life every 22 years. We have also chosen to torture none other than Mimesis author Eric Sipple, who has been forced to endure this film with Paul and Arlo. The gang discusses mirror selves, farting bats, resentful stars, and of course, Bo Diddley.

NEXT: enough inner darkness, how about some Outer Darkness? For our next Four-Color Flashback, we explore the interstellar terror of John Layman and Afu Chan’s 2018-19 Image series.

BREAKDOWN

  • 00:00:40  –  Intro / Guest
  • 00:09:36  –  Rockula
  • 01:29:46  –  The Box Office Game!
  • 01:52:26  –  Outro / Next

LINKS

MUSIC

  • “Rockula” by Los Straitjackets, Damas y Caballeros (2001)
  • “Rockula” by Jesse Cutler, Test of Time (2008)

GOBBLEDYCARES

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Listen to Gobbledygeek Episode 409 – “Hamilton (feat. Sarah Kosheff)

Daveed Diggs, Okieriete Onaodowan, Anthony Ramos, and Lin-Manuel Miranda in ‘Hamilton’ (2020), directed by Thomas Kail.

Gobbledygeek episode 409, “Hamilton (feat. Sarah Kosheff),” is available for listening or download right here and on Apple Podcasts here.

2020 may be an absolute shitshow, but thanks to Disney+, we can all be in the living room where it happens: the filmed performance of Hamilton, recorded in 2016 with the original Broadway cast, is now available to stream. Paul and Arlo may have talked about Hamilton, oh, once or twice or 18 times since its debut five years ago, but luckily über-fan Sarah Kosheff is on hand to help them find new things to say. Arlo talks about getting to see an actual production of Hamilton for the first time, Paul relays the time he was sprayed with Groff sauce, the gang discusses the up-close nuance of the troupe’s acting, and they address some of the political and cultural criticisms of the show.

Next: we get all dolled up for a Geek Challenge featuring Puppet Master and Seed of Chucky.

THE BREAKDOWN

Total Run Time: 02:15:20

  • 00:00:18  –  Intro / Guest
  • 00:01:34  –  Main Topic
  • 02:09:40  –  Outro / Next

THE MUSIC

  • “Alexander Hamilton” by Original Broadway Cast of Hamilton, Hamilton (Original Broadway Cast Recording) (2015)
  • “Who Lives, Who Dies, Who Tells Your Story” by Original Broadway Cast of Hamilton, Hamilton (Original Broadway Cast Recording) (2015)

THE LINKS

 

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Listen to Gobbledgyeek Episode 403 – “Normal People Like Peanut Butter”

Patrick Stewart does not deserve this, but we do.

Gobbledygeek episode 402, “Normal People Like Peanut Butter,” is available for listening or download right here and on iTunes here.

Another week, another reckoning with the apocalypse. As the country gears up to reopen, Paul and Arlo discuss how their home states of Alabama and Ohio are handling things. They are not optimistic! Crowds packed close, restaurants teeming with teens, maskless mugs–these things, and more, contribute to our hosts’ reluctance to get this society back on the road. After they’re done ruminating on our impending doom, Paul raves about Hulu’s Normal People; Arlo recommends two more Hulu series, PEN15 and Ramy; they’re both excited about the forthcoming Sandman audio drama; and the announcement of a much sooner release date for the filmed performance of Hamilton leads Arlo to go negative on negativity. Plus, bones slathered in peanut butter.

Next: senior British correspondent Wesley Mead updates us on life in Boris Johnson’s UK.

THE BREAKDOWN

Total Run Time: 01:37:20

  • 00:01:00  –  Intro? (Time has no meaning anymore…)
  • 01:34:30  –  Outro / Next

THE MUSIC

  • “Theme From Cheers (Where Everybody Knows Your Name)” by Gary Portnoy (1982)
  • “Peanut Butter Sandwich” by Raffi, Singable Songs for the Very Young (1976)

THE LINKS

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Listen to Gobbledygeek Episode 402 – “West Side Story”

‘West Side Story’ (1961) directed by Jerome Robbins and Robert Wise

Gobbledygeek episode 402, “West Side Story,” is available for listening or download right here and on iTunes here.

When you’re a geek, you’re a geek til ya die, from the stupid reviews to the heaviest sighs. And so, tonight, tonight, the geeks are out tonight–we’re talkin’ finger-snappin’, toe-tappin’ street gangs, daddy-o! Out of seemingly nowhere, Arlo pressures Paul into watching Robert Wise and Jerome Robbins’ 1961 adaptation of the 1957 Broadway show West Side Story by Arthur Laurents, Stephen Sondheim, and Leonard Bernstein. You might have heard of it! Somehow, though both of them love musicals–as documented extensively on this podcast–neither Arlo nor Paul had ever seen one of the most famous, and the most Oscar-adorned, musicals ever made. And so the boys discuss how, in true Romeo and Juliet fashion, Tony and Maria are kind of boring; George Chakiris and Rita Moreno being the film’s true stars; Robbins’ dynamic dance choreography; how you’ve just got to stay loose, boy, and accept the movie’s campy, colorful world; and more. Plus, a quarantine update and an exciting new behind-the-scenes development.

Next: T-B-muthafuckin’-D.

THE BREAKDOWN

Total Run Time: 01:48:58

  • 00:00:25  –  Intro
  • 00:17:20  –  Main Topic
  • 01:46:45  –  Outro / Next

THE MUSIC

  • “Cool” by Tucker Smith, West Side Story (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) (1961)
  • “America” by Rita Moreno, West Side Story (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) (1961)

THE LINKS

 

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Listen to the Gobbledygeek Season 10 Finale – “Twisted Christmas: Anna and the Apocalypse”

Ella Hunt in John McPhail’s ‘Anna and the Apocalypse’ (2017).

Gobbledygeek episode 393, “Twisted Christmas: Anna and the Apocalypse,” is available for listening or download right here and on iTunes here.

‘Twas the season 10 finale of Gobbledygeek, when all through the podcast,

Zombies were shuffling, Scottish dancers aghast.

John McPhail’s Anna and the Apocalypse was the topic du jour,

In hopes that Paul and Arlo would discuss the songs, the jokes, and maybe some more.

The movie does not foster too much discussion, alas;

While instead, talking about Christmas plans and getting high, our hosts had a blast.

Paul in his kerchief and Arlo in his cap,

Have settled their mics for a long winter’s nap.

Next: merry Christmas and happy New Year. We’ll see you in 2020.

THE BREAKDOWN

Total Run Time: 01:32:00

  • 00:01:18  – Intro
  • 00:04:32  – Main Topic
  • 00:48:05  – Holiday plans / Season 10 wrap-up
  • 01:28:50  – Outro / Next

THE MUSIC

  • “Break Away” by Ella Hunt, Sarah Swire & Malcolm Cumming, Anna and the Apocalypse (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) (2018)
  • “It’s That Time of Year” by Marli Siu, Anna and the Apocalypse (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) (2018)
  • “Human Voice” by Cast from Anna and the Apocalypse, Anna and the Apocalypse (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) (2018)
  • “Hollywood Ending” by Cast from Anna and the Apocalypse, Anna and the Apocalypse (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) (2018)

THE LINKS

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Listen to Gobbledygeek Episode 383 – “Salty Spiders”

Gobbledygeek episode 383, “Salty Spiders,” is available for listening or download right here and on iTunes here.

The Amazon is burning and all anyone cares about is Spider-Man. Yay! Welcome to another exciting episode of Gobbledygeek! After nixing a fash-bashing Geek Challenge because Paul absolutely could not sit through three hours of The Sound of Music, he and Arlo decide to freestyle it and, well, all is not well! The world’s on fire, the government is imploding, and Spider-Man might not get to be an Avenger anymore! As for that last one, the boys have deeply conflicted feelings about their love for the character and the Marvel movies with their disdain for Disney the Evil Empire. Plus, Arlo still won’t watch all the things Paul says he should watch, and Marc Maron chimes in.

Next: for even more lighthearted family fun, the boys have asked their The Deli Counter of Justice co-editor Eric Sipple to join them for a discussion of Art Spiegelman’s Pulitzer Prize-winning, extremely depressing yet extremely essential, Maus: A Survivor’s Tale.

(Show notes for “Salty Spiders.”)