this is us

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Listen to Gobbledygeek Episode 472 – “FCF: Smile”

Art from Smile (2010) by Raina Telgemeier.

Gobbledygeek episode 472, “FCF: Smile,” is available for listening or download right here, on Spotify, and on Apple Podcasts.

Sit back and say ‘Aaaahhhh!’ For this month’s Four-Color Flashback, Paul and Arlo take a trip to the dentist with Raina Telgemeier’s 2010 autobiographic novel Smile. Raina looks back on how her orthodontic woes served as a marker for her adolescence, from the loss of her two front teeth in 6th grade circa 1989 through finally ditching those braces in freshman year ‘92. This prompts Paul and Arlo to recount their own dental dramas in dramatic (traumatic?) detail before praising Telgemeier’s skillful cartooning, her incisive rendering of middle school social mores, the way historical events are set against the backdrop of teen life, and more. Plus, the boys have thoughts on the This Is Us series finale.

NEXT: more drama, more trauma.

BREAKDOWN

  • 00:00:23  –  Intro / This is Us
  • 00:35:17  –  Smile
  • 01:35:33  –  Outro / Next

MUSIC

  • “Dentist!” by Steve Martin, Michelle Weeks, Tichina Arnold & Tisha Campbell, Little Shop of Horrors (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) (1986)
  • “Braces” by Robbo, A Kid’s Life (2000)

GOBBLEDYCARES

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Listen to Gobbledygeek Episode 469 – “FCF: The Many Deaths of Laila Starr”

Art from The Many Deaths of Laila Starr (2021) by Filipe Andrade & Inês Amaro

Gobbledygeek episode 469, “FCF: The Many Deaths of Laila Starr,” is available for listening or download right here, on Spotify, and on Apple Podcasts.

What happens when a child is born who will invent immortality? According to Ram V and Filipe Andrade’s The Many Deaths of Laila Starr, Death is fired from her job, is cast into a mortal body, and attempts to find and murder this child. Oh, she also dies a lot. On this month’s Four-Color Flashback, Paul & Arlo discuss the book’s unique approach to Indian mythology, Andrade’s beautifully distorted figures, V’s ability to be self-serious without being pretentious, and more. Plus, Paul gets into Severance, the boys aren’t feeling This Is Us‘ final season, and Arlo reads more Superman.

NEXT: it’s an MCU catch-up session. The boys will discuss the trifecta of Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, Eternals, and Spider-Man: No Way Home.

BREAKDOWN

  • 00:00:34  –  Intro / Banter
  • 00:27:39  –  The Many Deaths of Laila Starr
  • 01:32:20  –  Selecting the next FCF
  • 01:36:03  –  Outro / Next

LINKS

MUSIC

  • “(I Just) Died in Your Arms Tonight” by Cutting Crew, Broadcast (1986)
  • “(Don’t Fear) The Reaper” by Blue Oyster Cult, Agents of Fortune (1976)

GOBBLEDYCARES

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Listen to Gobbledygeek Episode 434 – “The Shorter Stick Up Arlo’s [Bleep]”

Kurt Russell in Escape from New York (1981), directed by John Carpenter

Gobbledygeek episode 434, “The Shorter Stick Up Arlo’s [Bleep],” is available for listening or download right here, on Spotify, and on Apple Podcasts.

This is a freestyle episode, so you better believe Paul and Arlo talk about all manner of goofy shit, but–there’s also kind of a topic too? Look, we make this stuff up as we go along, get that look off your face. Arlo watched John Carpenter’s 1981 cult classic Escape from New York for the very first time, and he absolutely loved it. He and Paul rave about the movie, its highly relatable cynicism, and its amazing music…which leads Arlo to proffer a shocking apology. The stick up his ass, it’s gotten a little shorter over the years. Plus, an in-depth breakdown of This Is Us’ timeline and an exploration of why roasts suck. Sponsored by the adult toy purveyor of your choice!

NEXT: indie filmmaker Austin Allan James joins us to discuss his debut feature, Who’s With Me?

MUSIC

  • “Escape from New York (Main Title)” by John Carpenter, Escape from New York (Original Film Soundtrack) (1981)
  • “Bandstand Boogie” by Les Elgart (1954)

GOBBLEDYCARES

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Listen to Gobbledygeek Episode 421 – “Drop the Boom On This F#@%ed-Up World”

Britney wins!!!!!!!

Gobbledygeek episode 421, “Drop the Boom On This F#@%ed-Up World,” is available for listening or download right here and on Apple Podcasts here.

We’re still here. The world spins on, at least for a time. In the aftermath of Election Day 2020, there are many variables. Will that loser leave the White House? Will the GOP’s slow-rolling coup pay off? Will a Trumpian shadow militia form, leading to an actual Civil War II? As is the norm, Paul and Arlo have no answers, but they ponder these questions and many others. The boys recount their Election Night spirals; Arlo gets tested for COVID; Paul goes to the severe county of Sevier County; and they discuss some pop culture too, like why the kitchen-sink melodrama of This Is Us works, why Baby Yoda being a monster on The Mandalorian is cool and good, and why Paul hates The Simpsons.

NEXT: for the penultimate episode before our pregnancy-induced hiatus, Vickie Willis Navarra joins us for a Four-Color Flashback discussing Sandman Mystery Theatre: Book One by Matt Wagner, Guy Davis, John Watkiss, and R.G. Taylor.

MUSIC

  • “FDT (feat. Nipsey Hustle)” by YG, Still Brazy (2016)
  • “Three Little Birds” by Bob Marley & The Wailers, Exodus (1977)

GOBBLEDYCARES