zombies

by

Listen to the Gobbledygeek Season 14 Premiere – “In Like a Lion”

Gobbledygeek episode 491, “In Like a Lion,” is available for listening or download right here, on Spotify, and on Apple Podcasts.

We’re back, baby! After a longer than expected hiatus, Gobbledygeek has returned for season 14. That’s right, we’re up to 14 seasons of Paul and Arlo babbling on about any manner of nonsense–which they continue to do in this freestyle season premiere. 2023 has come in like a lion and is likely to go out like one, so we find our boys licking their wounds, recounting the real-life horrors that delayed their return to the mic, and generally complaining about everything. Including pop culture! Lest you forget that’s what they’re here for, Paul and Arlo sauté some thoughts on the mushroom apocalypse of HBO’s The Last of Us adaptation; rave about the movies they’ve caught up with, like The Fabelmans, RRR, and Aftersun; and decide to get high-brow by reading books that don’t have any pictures. Plus, a pitch for the inevitable Gobbledygeek TV series.

NEXT: okay, but we really like books that do have pictures in them. This year’s Four-Color Flashback series kicks off with Al Ewing and Simone Di Meo’s We Only Find Them When They’re Dead.

MUSIC

  • “At Last” by Etta James, At Last! (1960)
  • “This Will Be Our Year” by The Zombies, Odessey and Oracle (1968)

GOBBLEDYCARES

by

Listen to Gobbledygeek Episode 414 – “Batman and the Heat Death of the Universe”

Mentally, I’m here.
(Batman: Black & White Zombie statue designed by the legendary Neal Adams.)

Gobbledygeek episode 414, “Batman and the Heat Death of the Universe,” is available for listening or download right here and on Apple Podcasts here.

For another freewheeling freestyle extravaganza, Paul and Arlo cast their minds to everything from billionaire playboy Bruce Wayne to the inevitable end of all things. They wonder how they might write The Deli Counter of Justice in the harsh light of 2020 before the conversation mutates into a treatise on the relative fascism of Batman, an update on Arlo’s progress through Andy Mulvihill’s Action Park book, the boys reacting to the Dune trailer because that shit always gets mad hits on YouTube, and eventually a rumination on whether or not human life should even exist. What a fun pop culture podcast.

Next: more fun.

MUSIC

  • “The End” by The Doors, The Doors (1967)
  • “The End of the Line” by Traveling Wilburys, Traveling Wilburys Vol. 1 (1988)

GOBBLEDYCARES

by

Listen to Gobbledygeek Episode 408 – “The Last of Us Part II (feat. Kenn Edwards)”

Ellie (Ashley Johnson) in ‘The Last of Us Part II’ (2020).

Gobbleydgeek episode 408, “The Last of Us Part II (feat. Kenn Edwards),” is available for listening or download right here and on iTunes here.

A deadly virus rages across the world. The U.S. is in shambles. Despite the imminent threat, humans have started to turn on one another. And in other news, this week Paul and Arlo are talking about Naughty Dog’s highly anticipated zombie apocalypse sequel The Last of Us Part II. Joining them for a discussion of this brutal, beautiful game is none other than Alex Jonestown Massacre guitarist Kenn Edwards. The gang discusses how the game departs from its predecessor, the incredible acting of Ashley Johnson and Laura Bailey, how writer-director Nate Druckmann forces the player to confront the consequences of their actions, and more. Also, Arlo didn’t actually play it! Plus, Kenn tells us about AJM’s new album Run-On Death Sentence and his Lost rewatch podcast Pushing the Button.

Next: there’s hope for our ass after all. Sarah Kosheff joins us to discuss the filmed performance of Hamilton.

THE BREAKDOWN

Total Run Time: 02:55:47

  • 00:01:24  –  Intro / Banter
  • 00:06:43  –  Kenn’s new podcast
  • 00:16:25  –  Kenn’s new album
  • 00:30:24  –  The Last of Us Part II
  • 02:45:45  –  Outro / Next

THE MUSIC

  • “Future Days” by Troy Baker (2020)
  • “Take On Me” by Ashley Johnson (2020)
  • “Millennial Whoop” by Alex Jonestown Massacre, Run-On Death Sentence (2020)

THE LINKS

by

Listen to Gobbledygeek Episode 401 – “Texed”

Original art ‘Sam-Chan’ by CrispyToastYT.

Gobbledygeek episode 401, “Texed,” is available for listening or download right here and on iTunes here.

We’re all responding to quarantine (semi- or otherwise) in different ways. Paul seems to be practicing some sort of immersion therapy, living out the post-apocalypse in games like The Last of Us and shows like The Leftovers. Arlo, meanwhile, reaches for the comfort of old reliable favorites like the first Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles movie or the modern classic sketch comedy series Key and Peele. Have you ever realized they’re different people? The boys discuss texting syntax, Paul’s genuine repulsion at a certain aspect of The Leftovers, Arlo’s journey through old superhero comics, and so much (or at least a little) more.

Next: TBD, as per ush.

THE BREAKDOWN

Total Run Time: 01:58:01

  • 00:00:27  –  Intro
  • 01:55:00  –  Outro / Next

THE MUSIC

  • “Gunfight Epiphany” by Robert Duncan, Gunfight Epiphany (Theme from Terriers) (2010)
  • “Let the Mystery Be” by Iris DeMent, Infamous Angel (1992)
by

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

by

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

by

Listen to Gobbledygeek Episode 378 – “The Dog Ate My Sleep”

He only looks innocent.

Gobbledygeek episode 378, “The Dog Ate My Sleep,” is available for listening or download right here and on iTunes here.

We’re tired. So tired. That’s what you want to hear when you’re about to fire up a podcast, right? You are reading this, aren’t you? Buried among such illuminating subjects as the coffee Arlo’s drinking, Paul’s underhanded behind-the-scenes manipulations, and the boys’ general unprofessionalism, there is indeed some pop culture palaver and parley. The boys are digging HBO’s troubled teens drama Euphoria despite being approximately 400 years too old to say things like “that’s a mood”; Arlo is losing faith in The Handmaid’s Tale; Paul remembers Yesterday; and they both are in awe of Toy Story 4 being so much more than a cynical cash-grab.

Next: Toby Maguire now vanquished, Jake Gyllenhaal finally makes his way into a Spider-Man movie, donning a fishbowl for Spider-Man: Far From Home.

(Show notes for “The Dog Ate My Sleep.”)

by

Listen to ‘Gobbledygeek’ 356, “Gobbledyween: Creepshow (feat. Greg Sahadachny)”

Gobbledygeek episode 356, “Gobbledyween: Creepshow (feat. Greg Sahadachny),” is available for listening or download right here and on iTunes here.

Gobbledyween returns! Again! Greg Sahadachny, once and future host of The Debatable Podcast, returns! Again! To close out our truncated season of horror happenings, Paul, Arlo, and Greg flip ahead to George A. Romero and Stephen King’s kooky 1982 splash page Creepshow. Indebted to old EC horror comics, Creepshow has become a cult classic in its own right, as silly and lowbrow as it is reverent and artful. The gang discusses why the meeting of these two horror masters may not be what you would expect; the underrated craft of Romero’s filmmaking; how tough it is to view Leslie Nielsen as anything other than the Naked Gun guy these days; and Ted Danson’s head in a tank. Plus, Paul travels to the fantastical world of Hilda; Arlo checks into The Haunting of Hill House; and forgive us, Carpenter, for we have synth-ed.

Next: the show blows up.

(Show notes for “Gobbledyween: Creepshow.”)

by

Listen to ‘Gobbledygeek’ Episode 319, “War for the Planet of the Apes: War for the Podcast of the Primates (feat. Kenn Edwards)”

Gobbledygeek episode 319, “War for the Planet of the Apes: War for the Podcast of the Primates (feat. Kenn Edwards),” is available for listening or download right here and on iTunes here.

War for the Planet of the Apes! Huh! Who is it good for? The answer would be cinephiles searching for an intelligent, emotionally and politically resonant blockbuster. Welcome to Paradise’s Kenn Edwards joins Paul and Arlo to discuss Matt Reeves’ final installment in the so-called “Caesar Cycle,” which may be the bleakest monkey movie in history. (Also, they’re not monkeys. Just ask Arlo’s fiancée.) The gang delves into the genius of the film’s visual effects, Andy Serkis’ Oscar-worthy performance, the Apocalypse Now riffs, and how or if these films tie into the original Planet of the Apes series. Plus, Kenn finds a new way to watch Jaws, Paul comes down with The Big Sick, the Doctor is a lady, and the gang commemorates George Romero and Martin Landau.

Next: Christopher Nolan goes to war sans apes with Dunkirk.

(Show notes for “War for the Podcast of the Primates.”)

by

Listen to ‘Gobbledygeek’ Episode 247, “Just Sort of Rotting”

deadcomet

Gobbledygeek episode 247, “Just Sort of Rotting,” is available for listening or download right here and on iTunes here.

Gobbledyween comes early with the one-two zombie punch (right through some poor lady’s skull) of Peter Jackson’s 1992 gorefest Dead Alive AKA Braindead, one of several gonzo films which made the New Zealander perhaps the least likely contender to ever helm The Lord of the Rings; and 1984’s cult classic Night of the Comet, wherein the world ends and the burden of society is placed upon two teen sisters and their new pal Hector. In true Geek Challenge fashion, Paul and AJ find themselves baffled by these selections. Paul swims through Dead Alive‘s rivers of fake blood, while AJ finds himself stranded in Night of the Comet‘s nearly zombie-free desert. Will our heroes find common ground and come to understand one another? Never.

Next: death is but a door. Time is but a window. We’ll be back.

(Show notes for “Just Sort of Rotting.”)