Episode 8 – So Bad, It’s Good

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miamiconnection_poster-final__smallWooden dialogue, cardboard sets, visible boom mics and terrible acting!

Mike and Casey dive into the best examples of the worst popular culture with Ask an Atheist‘s Sam Mulvey and first-time panelist Roslyn Townsend! Join us as we wrack our brains to answer the question: Why are some things so bad, they’re good? What makes some poorly made entertainment unintentionally hilarious, and others impossible to tolerate? Why do admittedly terrible movies like the Room, Plan 9 from Outer Space and Birdemic have huge legions of fans?

We dive into bad movies, bad food, bad literature, and even the bad arguments of North Korean state propaganda, to figure out why we love things that are objectively terrible.

Music: 
“Theme to Riki-Oh: the Story of Ricky” by Fei Lit Chan
“Against the Ninja” by Dragon Sound

Previously titled: “A Magical, Wonderful World of Utter Failure”

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Episode 7.5 – Unlicensed Nuclear Accelerators

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Ghostbusters

In the latest mini-episode, Mike and Casey aim for the flat top as we puzzle over our last big question: Are drivers legally obligated to pull to the shoulder of the road for the Ghostbusters’ Ecto-1?

We read your responses, and ask panelists Ryan Chaddock and Chris Walker their thoughts on the matter.

Is the Ecto-1 a licensed emergency vehicle? Are they breaking the law when they flash blue lights and blare a siren? Do the Ghostbusters even care about the potential danger of wielding totally unregulated, dangerous technology in a major city?

And for the next Radio vs. the Mailbag!: “What was the turning point that pushed geek culture into the mainstream of popular culture?”

We want to hear from you!

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Episode 7 – Dungeons & Dragons

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e6e7_dungeons_dragons

Roll for initiative and save vs. poison, because this month, Mike and Casey enter the Dread Lich’s tomb with game designer Ryan Chaddock, and Chris Walker of BJ Shea’s Geek Nation to unearth that oldest of fantasy role-playing games, Dungeons & Dragons!

We look into the game’s nearly forty year history, its current relevance, its many attempts to branch out in other media, and the laughable debunked claims that the game was responsible for murderous Satanic cults in the suburbs of the 1980s!

Music: 
“End Credits to the Dungeons & Dragons cartoon series” by Johnny Douglas
“Theme to the Dungeons & Dragons movie” by Justin Caine Burnett

Previously titled: “Nerd Karaoke”

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Episode 6.5 – Bustin’ Makes Us Feel Good!

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ecto-1In our latest mini-episode, Mike and Casey unveil our brand new segment, Radio vs. the Mailbag!  We’re tossing open questions to our listeners, and we want to hear from you!

This month: “Are drivers legally obligated to pull their cars over to the shoulder of the road for the Ghostbusters’ Ecto-1?”

Also, we answer some listener feedback, look at the legacy of Arnold’s the Last Action Hero, and hope to prove that Lando Calrissian was the real victim of betrayal in the Empire Strikes Back!

 

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Episode 6 – Arnold Schwarzenegger

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It’s not a tumor!

Mike and Casey get their asses to Mars with our theme song’s composer, Todd Maxfield-Matsumoto, and Ask an Atheist‘s Rebecca Friedman to talk about America’s favorite Austrian import, Arnold Schwarzenegger!

From cinematic machismo to the governor’s office of California, Schwarzenegger dominated the box office and ballot box for two decades. From Terminator to Twins, from Kindergarten Cop to Batman and Robin, few actors can match the cultural impact of the man who spawned a thousand catch phrases.

So crush your enemies, see them driven before you, and hear the lamentations of the women, because it’s time to talk about the man behind the muscles.

Music: 
“Theme to Total Recall” by Jerry Goldsmith
“Conan the Barbarian the Musical” by Jon and Al Kaplan

Previously titled: “Cousin Balki on Steroids”

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Episode 5.5 – I Wouldn’t Trust Hulk Hogan to Host a Tapeworm

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Hogan PastamaniaGet ready to Hulk out with the latest nerd rage-filled mini episode!

Mike and Casey discuss the nuclear fallout of the announcement that Ben Affleck will be wearing the cowl of Batman in the upcoming Man of Steel sequel. We give a spoiler-free look at the ending of Breaking Bad, and marvel at the hordes of the show’s fans trolling Lost‘s Damon Lindelof on Twitter. We anticipate Valve’s new console-free gaming console. And finally, we look on at horror as Hulk Hogan’s new web hosting company puts out an ad that will haunt your nightmares for all time.

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Episode 5 – Superman

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SupermanFaster than a speeding bullet! More powerful than a locomotive!

In this super-sized episode, Mike and Casey take to the skies of Metropolis with returning panelists Pól Rua of Mike and Pól Save the Universe! fame, and Sam Mulvey of the Ask an Atheist radio show! Our topic? The Man of Steel, Superman!

We explore the character’s origins, his cultural relevance, his symbolism, from the glorious insanity of his Silver Age comic books to the modern attempts to make the character darker and “more realistic.”

Music: 
“Love Theme to Superman: the Movie” by John Williams
“Main Theme to Superman: the Movie” by John Williams

Previously titled: “Because I’m a Fucking Super Hero!”

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Episode 4.5 – Wilford Brimley Battles an Orc with a Scimitar

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diabeetusIn the aftermath of our George Lucas panel, Mike and Casey discover that a certain oatmeal pitch man did star in an Ewoks television movie!

We also look at the total reversal by Microsoft after the backlash the XBOX One received, we discuss the announcement of a new lead for Doctor Who,  we debate whether Orson Scott Card’s anti-gay activism should prompt us to boycott the Ender’s Game movie, and we remember a cinematic history of low budgets and high fantasy!

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Episode 4 – George Lucas

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george-lucas-carbonita74-751182A podcast six months in the making!

Mike and Casey reserve a booth in the Mos Eisley cantina with the composer of our show’s theme song, Todd Maxfield-Matsumoto, and Ryan Chaddock, creator of the Pantheon live action role-playing game, to talk about the filmmaker who has both attained geek sainthood, and reviled as one of its most controversial villains.

We’re talking about George Lucas, the man who gave us Star Wars… and then kept messing with it. We’ll explore the impact that Lucas’ work has had on our lives, and the post-prequel backlash that he’s still enduring, even more than a decade later.

Does he deserve it? Did we over-react? Show us on the bantha doll where George Lucas touched your childhood!

Music: 
“Leia’s Theme” by John Williams
“Howard the Duck Theme” performed by Dolby’s Cube featuring Cherry Bomb

Previously titled: “Kids Love Trade Embargoes”

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Episode 3.5 – The Crocodile Tears of Castamere

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martinIn our third mini-episode, Mike and Casey break open a cask of the latest geek news and drink deeply.

We commiserate about the public relations disaster that is the new XBOX One. We experience schadenfreude at the recent fan meltdown over Game of Thrones. We lament the growing wave of post-apocalyptic paranoid fetishism. And, we look at your feedback on the topic of spoiler warnings, the spoiled, and those that spoil them.

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Episode 3 – Zombies

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They’re coming to get you, Barbara….

Mike and Casey join forces with author and Seattle Vine columnist, Libbie Grant, and Ian Gould, the owner of Ace Comics and Games, to pillage the ravaged post-apocalyptic wasteland and argue about those ubiquitous walking corpses!

That’s right, we’re talking about zombies! We discuss their social relevance, the often derivative nature of zombie fiction, and why they shouldn’t be romantic leads. Ever.

Check yourself for bites and be sure to aim for the head!

Music:
“Main Title Theme to the Walking Dead” by Bear McCreary
“The Gonk” by Herbert Chappell

Previously titled: “Rotting Corpse Dick”

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Episode 2.5 – Le Morte d’Macho Man

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macho manIn our second mini-episode, Mike and Casey read your feedback about our professional wrestling episode, and announce our next panel episode!

Plus,  they discuss the closure of LucasArts, the latest Bioshock game, and how “the Macho Man” Randy Savage saved us all from certain doom.

Oooh yeah! Dig it!

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Episode 2 – Professional Wrestling

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Mike and Casey step into the squared circle with Living After Faith’s Rich Lyons, and Pól Rua of Mike and Pól Save the Universe. The topic: Professional Wrestling.

We discuss the history of this carnival attraction turned billion dollar industry, the toll it takes on its performers, the ugly business dealings of Hulk Hogan and Vince McMahon, and everyone’s favorite technicolor lunatic, the Ultimate Warrior. Feel the destrucity!

Music:
“Stone Cold Steve Austin Theme” by Jim Johnston
“Real American” by Rick Derringer

Previously titled: “Skin Like a Laminated Hot Dog”

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Episode 1.5 – Star Trek 90210

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384px-J.J._Abrams_by_David_Shankbone

Photograph by David Shankbone

In this mini-episode of Radio vs. the Martians, Mike and Casey answer your listener feedback, discuss the J.J. Abrams takeover of Star Wars, and announce our next panel show topic!

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