As we land the show back to the City of Angels, Ryan discusses with Sebastian about three movies released over the past decade that effectively display the underbellies of Los Angeles' law enforcement (2012's "End of Watch"), local media (2014's "Nightcrawler") and art community (2019's "Velvet Buzzsaw"), all of which star native Angeleno Jake Gyllenhaal. While playing three radically different characters, Gyllenhaal's performances reflect their own sides of the city which anyone from SoCal can ...
Dec 11, 2020•1 hr 4 min•Season 1Ep. 46
Almost without hesitation, we give our 11-minute tangent about Spotify Wrapped and people's obsessions with it. Oy vey. Now onto today's episode: We scrutinize the thought process behind and reaction to "Music," a vanity project by the musician Sia. This film (based on the trailer) about a young woman with autism on the outset feels rather stereotypical and quite tropey. Sia also pulled a Hollywood and did not cast an actress who has autism, and her retorts on Twitter to autistic actors is appal...
Dec 04, 2020•1 hr 1 min•Season 1Ep. 45
This week, we take a more self-reflective tone as we weave through the history and content of Seabass, Sebastian's YouTube channel. Throughout his videos, one can find various creepypastas, urban legends set in Disneyland or Chuck E. Cheese, as well as short films characterizing generational personas that run rampant in our society. We also delve into our love for some of Cartoon Network's shows, which Sebastian has incorporated into his work, and we even reflect on our first attempt at a podcas...
Nov 27, 2020•1 hr 11 min•Season 1Ep. 44
Connery... Sir Sean Connery. This week, we take a look at the career of the first actor to don the tux and Walther PPK as Agent 007 aka James Bond. We look at Connery's impact on the character and how much he influenced future Bond actors. We also discuss his various roles, including in "Highlander," "The Untouchables," "The Hunt For Red October," and how his "Murder on the Orient Express" co-star Albert Finney not only paid some tribute to Connery in "Skyfall" but also how Finney relates to "Ma...
Nov 20, 2020•1 hr 13 min•Season 1Ep. 43
Sebastian is here to chew bubble gum and kick ass... and he's all out of bubble gum. In the climactic finale to our final analysis, we steamroll the outcome of the election as we enter a rinse/dry/repeat period nearly identical to the results of the 2008 Presidential Election. While we hope we've made our frustrations clear, the point must be made: history is in the process of repeating itself, even in these uncertain times. For the last half hour, we discuss with Genise the impact of Kanye West...
Nov 14, 2020•1 hr 39 min•Season 1Ep. 42
Results have slowly rolled in, and the tea leaves for the 2020 Election overall look positively bleak. We discuss, dissect, criticize and pontificate on perhaps the wildest election since 2000 (or 1876?). Ben Shapiro, Nate Silver, Jordan Peterson and Slavoj Žižek also make pre-show appearances. (Recorded on November 4) Social media: Mars on Life: @marsonlifeshow on Twitter and Instagram Sebastian Schug: @drsebby (Instagram) and Seabass on YouTube Ryan Mancini: @mancinira (Twitter) and @manciniry...
Nov 07, 2020•1 hr 15 min•Season 1Ep. 41
Forty episodes later, here we are. "Mars on Life" takes one last swing at the 2020 Election, taking a deep dive into what's at stake and what's worth getting worked up over. Our outstanding panel helped us on this fantastic voyage. ASL teacher and fellow Matador Ryann Perkins joins returning guests Genise Sherrill and Steven Elias as they deliver their thoughts on the election, while Sebastian and Ryan give their final diagnoses at the end of the episode. (Recorded on October 28) Social media: M...
Nov 04, 2020•1 hr 31 min•Season 1Ep. 40
For Mars on Life's first Halloween episode, the guys review the 1990 horror sequel "The Exorcist III." Each host has his own take on the movie, what follows can determine if you want to check it out. Social media: Mars on Life: @marsonlifeshow on Twitter and Instagram Sebastian Schug: @drsebby (Instagram) and Seabass on YouTube Ryan Mancini: @mancinira (Twitter) and @manciniryan (Instagram) Artwork by Zachary Erberich (@zacharyerberichart) "Space X-plorers" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licens...
Oct 31, 2020•36 min•Season 1Ep. 39
The episode you've (really we've) been waiting for. "Mars on Life" crosses over with the podcasting masters of "Touchdowns & Tangents," the first place you probably heard about our show. The prelude to the show goes over this final phase of the 2020 Presidential Election (of which Ryan is TDTs' political correspondent) and a tease for next week's election episodes and panel. Finally we talked with them about their show, its inception, how they have adjusted covering sports despite the pandem...
Oct 31, 2020•1 hr 33 min•Season 1Ep. 39
Journalist, illustrator and friend of the show Thomas Gallegos returns to bring some cultural context to living in quarantine with a solid list of films to watch, "Outbreak," "Contagion," "2001: A Space Odyssey," and the original "Dawn of the Dead"; Ryan suggests another modern classic, the 2016 Toho film "Shin Godzilla." Not only do they cover the apocalyptic element we've seen this year, but also the societal, racial and political ramifications caused by such any crisis. In the same context, S...
Oct 24, 2020•1 hr 14 min•Season 1Ep. 38
Voice actor, writer and podcaster Andrew Roos joined the Mars crew for a laughingly good time talking about his talent as an impressionist, growing up in SoCal and developing his skills, eventually leading to his work on podcasts including "Chort N Chitty." As Ryan predicted, the flood gates didn't stand a chance with the impressions that ensue... Bane, Adam Sandler and Boomhauer from "King of the Hill," among others, also make appearances. There may be some audio issues, that's something we hop...
Oct 17, 2020•1 hr 29 min•Season 1Ep. 37
Another debate, another guest. Friend of the show Xavier Ramos joins us to share his thoughts on how Sen. Kamala Harris and Vice President Mike Pence held their own in the VP debate, while Sebastian engages with Xavier on the world of stocks and trades and clearing the blurred line between being a Timothy Sykes and being a Grant Cardone. It's a discussion not to be missed. Why does Ryan sound so slap-happy? F-L-Y Social media: Mars on Life: @marsonlifeshow on Twitter and Instagram Sebastian Schu...
Oct 09, 2020•1 hr 13 min•Season 1Ep. 36
Musician and indomitable comrade Steven Elias joins Mars as we give our exasperated take on the first presidential debate of the 2020 Election. Rather than conduct an autopsy on this universally-denounced "sh*tshow," we look at it with a lens based on the aesthetics of the debate. We also spoke with Steven about his music, his band and the Orel Foundation. We recorded this episode before the president's Covid-19 diagnosis early Friday morning. To learn more about the Orel Foundation, go to: http...
Oct 03, 2020•1 hr 5 min•Season 1Ep. 35
Journalist and friend of the show Emily Alvarenga arrives on Mars to talk about how it is to work as a reporter in the age of Covid-19, while also covering wildfires in Southern California, the state of the journalism industry and the lengths reporters need to go in covering breaking news story after story, and confronting misinformation about the pandemic on social media. As mentioned at the start of the show, you can now rep our show's beautiful artwork "Happy Mars" on whatever merch you like ...
Sep 25, 2020•59 min•Season 1Ep. 34
The guys wade into the waters of the Bella Thorne controversy. "I mean, the country has just gone to new lengths of just being the most asinine place on the planet. It's like f**king Disneyland... point blank." - Seb Social media: Mars on Life: @marsonlifeshow on Twitter and Instagram Sebastian Schug: @drsebby (Instagram) and Seabass on YouTube Ryan Mancini: @mancinira (Twitter) and @manciniryan (Instagram) Artwork by Zachary Erberich (@zacharyerberichart) "Space X-plorers" Kevin MacLeod (incomp...
Sep 19, 2020•1 hr•Season 1Ep. 33
Sebastian received a note from a "get rich quick" kind of guy, resulting in this discussion on how this mentality has become the scourge of our society and has levied responsibility off the backs of all those gullible enough to fall for it. It must pay when the chief example of this dopey thinking rests with the biggest trust fund baby in the country, also known as our commander-in-chief. Social media: Mars on Life: @marsonlifeshow on Twitter and Instagram Sebastian Schug: @drsebby (Instagram) a...
Sep 14, 2020•21 min•Season 1Ep. 32
Returning guest Mike Beck talks with the guys about his on-the-ground observations and actions at countless protests along the west coast. Despite concerns about BLM losing national support and messages seeming mixed, Mike provides his firsthand accounts of protests and his views on people he's met, police brutality in action, BLM and its place in whatever the future might look like, and what drives him to continue what he does. Help out Mike's comrade Jay, he was assaulted by LAPD egged on by a...
Sep 11, 2020•1 hr 10 min•Season 1Ep. 32
Writer and amateur astrologer Deja Magee joins the show to talk about her career writing and reporting at Cal State Northridge's newspaper (before graduating), dealing with social media trauma porn, life under Covid-19, the recent passings of Dijon Kizzee and Chadwick Boseman, "Moonlight" and how her observations on life influence her work. The connection was a bit iffy throughout the episode, but the call thankfully did not drop while we recorded. Social media: Mars on Life: @marsonlifeshow on ...
Sep 05, 2020•1 hr 7 min•Season 1Ep. 31
The political discussion from our recent bonus episode intensifies as Ryan and Seb talk about politics and its involvement with artists and activists and how it diverges into a type of reverse-reactionism seen among liberals. The guys also cover their earliest political involvement in high school and how they fought back against monotony and sameness among their peers when speaking their thoughts on political matters. It won't be one to miss. NOTE: We did say last week that this episode would st...
Aug 29, 2020•58 min•Season 1Ep. 30
This "Mars on Life" compendium of thought by host Sebastian Schug expresses an embedded wish to turn off. It's not quite as sanctimonious as you think when you consider the weight of history and how we manipulate ourselves to care through monotonous apps and social media (taking TikTok a tick). All the same, the national focus is categorically off the rails and Sebastian sweeps through. Social media: Mars on Life: @marsonlifeshow on Twitter and Instagram Sebastian Schug: @dr_sebby (Twitter) and ...
Aug 26, 2020•12 min•Season 1Ep. 29
Sebastian and Ryan take a breather ahead of a few full months before the season's final episodes. They kick back and share their final words on "The Rise of Skywalker," feelings about political humor and streaming. Shows like "Doctor Who" and "Mozart In the Jungle" are discussed, tying together the purpose left in television series while they last. To see Sebastian's recent films, click here for "Doomer" and here for "Bloomer." To access his YouTube page, visit https://www.youtube.com/c/Seabasso...
Aug 22, 2020•58 min•Season 1Ep. 29
Previously titled "The One Where Schugzy Loses It," we discuss the anointing of Sen. Kamala Harris as former VP Joe Biden's running mate... ok? Cool? We guess? Does it matter? We engage on the matter and how it might stack up with the president's chances. We also return to the topic of "Hamilton" and its wanton usage by liberals as a crux in their drive to "resist" the current administration, placing their support for Biden and now Harris alongside their "admiration" for Washington (slave owner)...
Aug 15, 2020•1 hr 16 min•Season 1Ep. 28
Sebastian and Ryan are joined by a legend in political cartooning. Thomas Gallegos journeys to Mars to talk about his career in journalism, beginning at Cal State Northridge's The Sundial and ultimately leading to a brief tenure at LA Weekly amidst new ownership and standing up to the face of media corporatism and the ills in which the president has plagued society, culminating in his work at LA Taco. We also discuss life in quarantine and the inequities of freelance journalism. The Sundial line...
Aug 07, 2020•1 hr 25 min•Season 1Ep. 27
Reviews were a-fluffle over "The Last of Us Part II" and its LGBTQ representation. Sebastian breaks the story down and leads to where it stands in the zombie genre. Though not a gamer, Ryan knows how toxic fandoms get. #letstalkaboutit To check out the stories Sebastian reads from, go to https://metro.co.uk/2020/06/28/why-last-us-part-2-bad-sequel-readers-feature-12909909/ and to https://www.forbes.com/sites/paultassi/2020/06/20/the-last-of-us-part-2-whats-the-problem-here-exactly/#6fab88705ec1 ...
Aug 01, 2020•1 hr 13 min•Season 1Ep. 26
Ryan and Heather release stress over the Karens and anti-maskers who have dominated the "culture wars" in the grim dystopian era of 2020. From Facebook trolls to eugenics-toting dullards, discourse has come a long way since Vidal v. Buckley. We also send our heartfelt wishes to the families of Grant Imahara, Joanna Cole and Michael Brooks. Rest proud. Here's Luke Savage's story on the futility of fact-checking conservatives: https://jacobinmag.com/2020/07/david-plouffe-citizens-guide-beating-don...
Jul 25, 2020•1 hr 14 min•Season 1Ep. 25
Ryan saw Sebastian's favorite movie, "Clerks"! To learn more about Jon Schnepp's documentary "The Death of 'Superman Lives'; What Happened?", head over to: https://thedeathofsupermanliveswhathappened.vhx.tv Friend of the show Amanda Sinks is getting her documentary underway. Listeners who grew up or live in the Santa Clarita Valley and want to provide their own testimonial or help produce and/or promote Amanda's documentary can reach out to her at filmqueenproductions@gmail.com. Social media: Ma...
Jul 17, 2020•1 hr 4 min•Season 1Ep. 24
Within a week of America’s 244th birthday the guys give their take on “Hamilton” and ponder over if it has some poor history, and they take apart Kanye’s new album vanity release new career choice campaign for president. Sebastian also shares his recent rip-off job interview. Social media: Mars on Life: @marsonlifeshow on Twitter and Instagram Sebastian Schug: @dr_sebby (Twitter) and @drsebby (Instagram) Ryan Mancini: @mancinira (Twitter) and @manciniryan (Instagram) Artwork by Zachary Erberich ...
Jul 11, 2020•1 hr 30 min•Season 1Ep. 23
The boys on Mars talk with student, photographer and filmmaker Amanda Sinks about racism in the city of Santa Clarita, which has seen a rise in protests and calls for action demanding the resignation of one of its council members who once referred to himself as a "proud racist" at an anti-immigrant rally in 2010. She talks with us about current and former students at the local high schools anonymously sharing their stories about dealing with bigotry and violence, and about her documentary which ...
Jul 04, 2020•1 hr 11 min•Season 1Ep. 22
A wild week of news culminates in a classic film review, then the craft of art restoration and its place among monuments to a racist past (bye bye, Junipero). Mount Rushmore has its own history worth telling, and you will get that here. (DISCLAIMER: GUTZON BORGLUM, WHO LED THE EFFORT TO SCULPT MOUNT RUSHMORE, WAS IN THE KU KLUX KLAN.) To subscribe to the Mars on Life YouTube channel, head to: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCoV7notGRUL9z7sJgvasb0w To read LA Taco's news story about the demoliti...
Jun 27, 2020•1 hr 12 min•Season 1Ep. 21
They say podcasts don't last this long... We're back and for this special occasion we muse over the minutiae of our time, including our vast territory with unspecified "lack of space," graduations, stock market cultists, narcissism caused by capitalism, protestors without the facts on their side, keyboard activism, #blackouttuesday and the use of very poor history. To subscribe to the Mars on Life YouTube channel, head to: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCoV7notGRUL9z7sJgvasb0w To check out the...
Jun 21, 2020•1 hr 10 min•Season 1Ep. 20
