Radio vs. the Mailbag: Duuuuuh! DUHN! Duuuuuhh! DUHN!

Posted on October 23, 2014 by Mike Gillis

When people talk about the great songs of all time, often neglected are theme songs from television and film. While most popular songs need only be likeable and catchy for their brief radio lifespan, a memorable theme tune is often expected to stay relevant for several years.

Some theme songs have even transcended the popularity of the films or shows they opened for, and have become permanent pieces of the pop culture landscape. Some become internet memes, some are used by sports and news programs as incidental music, and some even escape the boundaries of television and become hit songs in their own right.

That prompts this month’s question:

“What do you feel is the greatest and most iconic television or film theme song?”

Here’s what our hosts had to say…

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Episode 13 – Blade Runner

Posted on October 12, 2014 by Mike Gillis

We’ve….seen things you people wouldn’t believe!

Mike and Casey fire up our Spinners, and blast off to great new lives in the Off World Colonies with Sci-Fest L.A.‘s Matt Goodman, and writer Micah Krabill! This month we’re talking about 1982’s Ridley Scott sci-fi classic: Blade Runner!

Join us as we discuss how a financially disastrous art film about a future cop hunting androids went on to become a major cult favorite, and one of the most culturally influential science fiction movies of all time. We talk about the nature of humanity and artificial life, the proper pronunciation of the word “robot,” the morality of Rutger Hauer’s Roy Batty, and which of the film’s multiple versions is its most definitive.

Music:

“Memories of Green/End Title Theme” from Blade Runner by Vangelis

Previously titled: “A Sandwich from the God of Biomechanics”

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Mike’s Guest Appearance on the Fire and Water Podcast

Posted on September 28, 2014 by Mike Gillis

A couple of months ago, Mike recorded a guest-hosting spot over at the Fire and Water Podcast, a weekly show dedicated very specifically to a pair of DC Comics superheroes, Aquaman and Firestorm.

The episode is now live for your listening pleasure!

The Fire and Water Podcast is a really fun show and probably has the best interactive community of any podcast I’ve ever heard. They talk about their respective favorite characters in particular, and usually DC Comics in general. But this time they did something a little different.

Mike sat down via Skype with Rob Kelly – of the Aquaman half of the show – to talk about a weird and complicated issue: comic book continuity.

In short, Mike make the argument that comics would be all the better for dropping a line-wide shared universe where everything is supposed to fit together, and just letting the creators interpret the characters and stories in their own ways.

The new episode is now live and available for your listening pleasure! Give it a listen and let Mike know how wrong you think he is!

Radio vs. the Mailbag: It Never Gets Old

Posted on September 22, 2014 by Mike Gillis

There are a lot of eye-rolling fictional cliches and tropes that we’re beyond tired of.

But some of them are like comfort food to us. We don’t dread them at all. We bask ourselves in their familiar glow. They put a smile on your face or give you a warm, tingly feeling, even though you’ve seen them a thousand times before.

And that prompts this month’s question:

“What fictional cliches are you never sick of, no matter how many times you see them?”

Our hosts had this to say:

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Episode 12 – Conan the Barbarian

Posted on September 17, 2014 by Mike Gillis

Travel back, O Listener, to an age undreamed of!

Hither came Mike and Casey, swords in hand, to tread the jeweled thrones of the Earth under sandaled feet with Greg Hatcher of Comics Should Be Good! and our friend Pól Rua of Mike and Pól Save the Universe!

That’s right. This month, the panel is talking about Robert E. Howard’s legendary fantasy anti-hero, Conan the Barbarian! From his pulp magazine beginnings in 1932 to the character’s explosion into comic books, newspaper strips, cartoons, and feature films. Conan’s impact on modern fantasy fiction — and popular culture itself — is deep and often unsung. Join us in a discussion of jocks versus nerds, power fantasies and the infectious “fuck yeah!” moment.

So heft your weeping red broadsword, and whisper a prayer to Crom, because we’re telling you of the days of high adventure!

[CORRECTION: Greg writes new pulp adventures for Airship 27. My apologies.]

Music:

“The Battle of the Mounds from Conan the Barbarian” by Basil Poledouris

Previously titled: “A Jock’s Wet Dream”

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Our New Radio Ad!

Posted on August 27, 2014 by Mike Gillis

Because we don’t want to leave you with nothing this month, we’re going to share our new advertisement with you!

Our friends over at Ask an Atheist have already been playing it on the radio, but if you’d like to share it on your radio show or podcast, we’d greatly appreciate it!

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Radio vs. the Mailbag: Rooting for the Bad Guys

Posted on August 23, 2014 by Mike Gillis

Let’s face it. Sometimes the good guys just suck.

More than once in fiction, we’ve been asked by a novel, television show, comic book or movie to get behind a hero who is insufferable, obnoxious, morally repugnant or just plain awful.

And sometimes, we’re given a villain who isn’t. Sometimes we get antagonists who are more interesting, nuanced, or….actually morally justifed in their actions. Bad guys that we want to see win in the end.

This month, listeners, we have a doozy of a question for you:

“Have you ever found yourself cheering for villain to win (and the hero to lose) in a work of fiction?”

This is a question comes with an important qualifier.

We are not asking for you to name your favorite villain. Fiction has plenty of excellent, compelling, or hilarious villains who outshine their respective heroes. And we’re not talking about stories like Breaking Bad or the Sopranos where the main character is a “bad guy.”

We’re specifically asking about villains who you wanted to see defeat the main characters and win at the end of the story.

Our hosts had this to say:

Continue reading →

Everything is on Fire (feat. an Apology)

Posted on August 18, 2014 by Mike Gillis

As fans of the show on Facebook know, this month, Radio vs. the Martians! was scheduled to release an episode about that famous slayer of monsters and men, Conan the Barbarian starring our good friends, Greg Hatcher and Pól Rua.

We sat down for this episode tonight, and it was fucking amazing. So good that I wish we had successfully recorded it.

Due to a computer error that none of us still understand, that conversation is lost to the ages.

It is physically painful for me to report that we won’t be releasing a podcast episode of our show this month. Scheduling conflicts sadly make this impossible.

But fear not! A Conan panel you were promised, and a Conan panel you shall receive!

This same panelists will be back to record this panel discussion (again) in early September! And although this technical glitch was beyond anyone’s control, I still feel that I need to apologize for the lack of episode this month.

I am terribly sorry, and I promise that the extra wait will be worth it.

And, while you may not get a new panel this month, we will have a brand new Radio vs. the Mailbag question that will be released.

Until then, I can only ask for your patience and forgiveness.

Radio vs. the Mailbag: Rip Off!

Posted on July 22, 2014 by Mike Gillis

One of the harshest — and most common — epithets in fandom is to label a work of media as a rip-off.

“Star Trek: Deep Space Nine is a rip-off of Babylon 5!” “The Hunger Games is a rip-off of Battle Royale!” “Captain Marvel is a rip-off of Superman!” “The Island is a rip-off of Parts: the Clonus Horror!”

(Okay, that last one is definitely true.)

But not all derivative works are intrinsically inferior. Some actually transcend the quality of their media muses as pieces of art that stand the test of time.

So, dear listener, this month, we’re asking you:
“What derivative works of art are superior to the works that inspired them?”

Our hosts had this to say:
Continue reading →

Episode 11 – Hayao Miyazaki

Posted on July 17, 2014 by Mike Gillis

Totoro

Mike and Casey hitch a ride on the Catbus with our friend Roslyn Townsend and animator and storyboard artist Lauren Montgomery (Justice League: Doom, Wonder Woman) to talk about the legendary animator who is often referred to as “Japan’s Walt Disney,” Hayao Miyazaki.

They discuss Miyazaki’s decades-long filmography from Princess Mononoke to My Neighbor Totoro. They dive into topics like giant killer insects, nature spirits, witches, animated violence, children, and what it is about the man’s work that is so iconic, memorable, gorgeous and often unsettling.

Music:

“Theme from My Neighbor Totoro“ by Joe Hisaishi

Previously titled: “All Children are Born Completely Drunk”

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Radio vs. the Mailbag: Of Sorcerers and Spaceships

Posted on June 26, 2014 by Mike Gillis

The Mailbag is back! And this time, we’re jumping into one of the most divisive issues of fandom: genre.

Many geeks contend that the differences between the genres of science fiction and fantasy cannot be any more dissimilar in terms of artistic intent, overarching themes and subject matter.

Others argue that science fiction and fantasy tell similar stories, but just use different settings, props and popular tropes.

So, what do you think, listeners? This month. we ask:

“Are the genres of science fiction and fantasy truly opposites in meaningful thematic ways, or are their differences merely cosmetic?”

Our hosts had this to say…

Continue reading →

Episode 10 – Planet of the Apes

Posted on June 20, 2014 by Mike Gillis

It’s a madhouse! A MADHOUSE!

Mike and Casey invade the Forbidden Zone with our theme song’s composer Todd Maxfield-Matsumoto and Comics Should Be Good!‘s Greg Hatcher. This month we’re talking about the classic film franchise: the Planet of the Apes!

We talk about the film’s long-lived popularity, its relevance as socially-aware science fiction, its totally insane comic book adaptations in the 1970s, and its subsequent reboots.

We also try to wrap our minds around how an ostensibly family-friendly adventure series includes bloody religious imagery, nudity, babies shot with handguns, and total nuclear devastation.

Music:

“The Hunt from the Planet of the Apes” by Jerry Goldsmith

Previously titled: “Two-Fisted Misanthrope”

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Radio vs. the Mailbag: Childhood Nightmare Fuel

Posted on May 25, 2014 by Mike Gillis

In the inaugural blog edition of Radio vs. the Mailbag!, we’re asking you to re-experience the fictional traumas of your childhood.

We all experienced media as kids that drove us to tears, gave us nightmares or forever colored the way that we saw the world. Some of those old feelings are still with us when we rewatch, reread or re-examine this media as adults.

This month, we ask:

What frightening or disturbing moment of popular media scared you as a child and has really stuck with you into adulthood?

Our hosts had this to say…

Continue reading →

Episode 9 – Nintendo

Posted on May 14, 2014 by Mike Gillis

Sorry, Mario! Your podcast is in another castle!

Mike and Casey pull on their Power Gloves and strap on their Virtual Boys because, it’s time to save the Mushroom Kingdom with Ask an Atheist‘s Sam Mulvey and Bob Mackey of the Retronauts podcast! This month, we’re talking about the video game company that practically served as a fifth food group for an entire generation: Nintendo!

We discuss the company’s multi-decade dominance of the video game market, its legacy, and how it pulled the industry out of the nosedive of Atari’s implosion in the early 1980s. We talk about how visionary game designer Shigeru Miyamoto created the canvas of our childhoods, and how the company went from standing atop the wreckage of Sega to becoming the Switzerland of the modern day console wars.

Music:

“Opening Theme from the Legend of Zelda” by Koji Kondo

“Overworld Theme to Super Mario Bros. 2” by Koji Kondo

Previously titled: “On the Altar of Saint Miyamoto”

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Episode 8.5 – Rise of the Planet of the Nerds

Posted on April 17, 2014 by Mike Gillis

In an age where jocks wear T-shirts with Iron Man on them, and mainstream audiences pack theaters to watch three-hour adaptations of the Hobbit, the world has become a very different place for geeks over the last few years. Somehow, geekdom has become as mainstream as American football.

So Mike and Casey have posed the question to our listeners on the latest installment of Radio vs. the Mailbag: “What was the turning point that pushed geek culture into the mainstream of popular culture?”

We dig into your answers, and put the question to recent panelists Sam Mulvey and Roslyn Townsend to give us their thoughts on the matter.

And finally, Mike and Casey make an earth-shattering announcement that will forever change this podcast! Listen….if you dare!

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