In which Thom & Andru chew over new releases and old obsessions, and twist themselves into merit badge-worthy knots trying to segue between them. The socialization of video gaming, the proud tradition of alternate universes, the sweet spot between honoring and subverting storytelling tropes, the reasons why some remakes work better than others, and the fine line between expressing dislike and protesting too much are all on the conversational menu, as well as trailers priming us for 2012’s su...
Dec 13, 2011•58 min
In which Thom & Andru bob and weave, joust and parry, and barrel with reckless abandon through a rambling conversation concerning all manner of pop-cultureminutia with guests Julie Kroll and Shaked Berenson. On tap: the monkey interlopers of Angry Birds, the shirtless crazy of True Blood, the not-quite-full glass that is Hugo, the oddly similar genre rules for horror movies and chick flicks, and the awkwardness of drawing a blank on favorite films of 2011, all presented in glorious mono soun...
Dec 06, 2011•1 hr
In which Thom & Andru analyze the filters through which we perceive art and entertainment, concluding that being dated doesn’t make something bad, being novel doesn’t make something good, not everything that’s slow is a burn, and not everything that’s broke needs to be fixed. Plus, video game reviews, and our last recap of The Walking Dead... for now.
Nov 29, 2011•57 min
In which Thom & Andru invite Robbie Rist and Chris Jackson from The Spoon back for this week’s Walking Dead recap, which is then nearly left out of the show amid a flood of shipper snark, box office jousting, animation academia, and pitches for new reality TV concepts. Plus, bonding over a surprisingly strong Simpsons season, career rehab advice for Danny Elfman, and lots of disgruntled ranting about Star Wars (‘cause, y’know… nerds.) Music by Sons Of Nothing
Nov 22, 2011•58 min
In which Andru returns to the show in feisty form after atwo-week hiatus at the American Film Market, Thom offers mea culpas to his Stygian compadres and hosannas to the genius of Weird Al, andspecial guest Emma Jacobs, though no slouch in the nerd department herself, still has to restrain herself from some eye-rolling over the hardcore dorkitudeon display this week: Tron weather patterns, Hans Gruber as a giant spider, disproportionate joy over video game repair… you get the idea. Plus, reviews...
Nov 15, 2011•58 min
In which Thom & Ingrid Oliansky brave the dangers of rebellious furniture, treacherous fruit, and several TV shows which teeter on the knife-edge between ending too soon and overstaying their welcome (semi-spoilers for the end of LOST, if you're twitchy about that sort of thing.) Also, a review of In Time, a plea for Buckarooo Banzai sequels, a view of the world through zombie-colored glasses, and the show now has a Twitter account, for to communicate better with the peoples. Or something. M...
Nov 08, 2011•1 hr
In which Thom struggles vainly to prevent the proceedings from mutating into an ad hoc episode of The Spoon, with Robbie Rist and Chris Jackson sitting in and NDR's dark whimsical overlord Johnny Dam making his debut on the show. Appropriate to Halloween, the show is concerned largely with the method and madness of horror movies, with brief excursions into xenomorph fan-fiction, Klingon metal bands, and Rob's unholy adoration of Fairuza Balk. Also, this week's Wakling Dead recap, and many more s...
Nov 01, 2011•1 hr
In which Thom & Andru get excited about Joss Whedon's new Shakespeare project and the possibilities of the coming micro-studio age, while special correspondent Dayle Dermatis reports from the Nathan Fillion book signing at Golden Apple Comics. Also, a recap of this week's Walking Dead, Ben Affleck might direct The Stand, Weird Al turns 53, the Chronicle trailer looks pretty awesome, and Thom unleashes his inner dungeon master after a crash course in silly villains.
Oct 25, 2011•57 min
In which Thom & Andru use their review of The Walking Dead's season premiere as a conversational springboard into an ocean of disaster tropes, character etymology, collaborative chemistry, spoiler navigation, medium adaptation, the nasty business of how TV sausages are made, and the inescapable truth that a disgruntled fan is still a fan. Also, the fallacy of auteur theory, the silliness of geek machismo, and a plan to render the Happy Feet movies watchable by scoring them with Hatebeak song...
Oct 18, 2011•57 min
In which Thom & Andru enumerate the many differing types of personal bond that humans develop to technology, while swapping stories of home computer evolution, trying to make sense of the latest Netflix weirdness, speculating on the future of The House That Steve Built, and reviewing Real Steel. Also, the latest in Andru's Trek Revisited, and Thom is drowning in TiVo-land. Again. Still. Whatever.
Oct 11, 2011•59 min
In which Thom & Andru spend a wibbly wobbly timey wimey hour with Ingrid Oliansky and Joshua Friedman, talking all things Whovian. With the sixth season of the current series wrapped up and the show's 50th anniversary on the way, what does the future (or the past, or present, for that matter) hold for our dear Doctor? Also, thoughts on sci-fi growing up with its audience, a semi-review of Terra Nova, and the iPhone incident that inspired tonight's show title.
Oct 04, 2011•1 hr
In which Thom & Andru split a box of Red Vines withactor/musician/man of a jillion voices Quinton Flynn, and proceed to hold court on Facebook fashions, Netflix nuisances, Anime adventures, tales from the set of MegaSpider (or…whateverthey end up calling it) and, of course, classic movie candy. Also, relativelyspoiler-free reviews of Moneyball and Drive.
Sep 27, 2011•59 min
In which Thom & Andru are joined by the multi-talented, hyper-loquacious Robbie Rist on the subjects of post-modern entropy, comedic etymology, regionalism vs tribalism, and the daunting challenge that artists face in separating the demons from the angels. It's a fairly heady stew, but we also have the soft chewy center of South Park and the badassery of Peter Dinklage --both on screen and off -- for pudding, so dig in!
Sep 20, 2011•1 hr
In which Thom & Andru take part in the radio equivalent of a bottle episode, flying solo (well, duo) and divesting themselves of nerdy detritus and cleansing their pop culture palates in an attempt to distract themselves from the disappointment of missing the 30th anniversary screening of Raiders Of The Lost Ark. Highlights include: paintball on movie sets, the history of leeches, tips for navigating Los Angeles, plot twist fatigue, the evolution of video distribution, the endless feedback l...
Sep 13, 2011•1 hr
In which Thom & Andru welcome back the show's very first guest Brian Peck, for a spoileriffic, Ape-tastic discussion in which everyone learns that good remakes are possible in 2011, but only if your source material featured Roddy McDowell. Also, praise for SportsNight, disdain for Don't Be Afraid Of The Dark, a shameless plug for MegaSpider, and which bad films have the members of our panel walked out on? The answer...may surprise you.
Sep 06, 2011•59 min
In which Thom & Andru chat with actress/comedian/cosplay enthusiast Ruby Leigh Young about the journey from Austin to LA, the ins and outs of improv, the ambivalence of geek mainstreaming, the awesome influential power of The Maxx, and the distressing lack of cat ears on Anne Hathaway. Also, Google+ gets shuffled off to "meh" territory, and there's a good chunk of D&D talk for the second week running. Huzzah! Music by Paul & Storm
Aug 30, 2011•1 hr
In which Thom & Andru answer listener e-mail, explain the show's logo, and address their heretofore lack of on-air gaming conversation, all in one fell swoop! Also, an amiable chat with special guest Mitch Iverson on big bads and boss battles, the puzzle of box office prognostication, and the joy of turning stereotypes into surround sound...er, types. Music by Connor Anderson.
Aug 23, 2011•59 min
In which Thom and Andru face down the future (both distant and not-too) with confidence and zen, secure in the knowledge that while Apes may rise, music sales may fall, and shared reality may wither away into quaint anachronism, the universal constant of re-packaging and re-releasing Star Wars will continue unabated. Also, where have all the non-evil aliens gone?
Aug 16, 2011•59 min
In which Thom & Andru delve into both the golden age of radio and the current undead rennaiscance with special guest Shane Salk, one of the minds behind Zombie Podcast/We'reAlive. Also on tap: contrasting, spoiler-filled reviews of Cowboys And Aliens and Attack The Block, the show receives its second successful phone call, and some major -- and we mean major! -- pointing chops are unleashed. Music by Paul & Storm
Aug 09, 2011•59 min
In which Thom & Andru chat with special guest Michele Ivey about the sublime, ridiculous, and genuinely life-saving benefits garnered through a lifetime of intense TMNT fandom. Also, a spoiler-ish review of Captain America, celebrity sightings, censorship weirdness, nerd-fleecing at its most -- and least -- appropriate, and the story behind Andru's go-to vociferation is revealed!
Aug 02, 2011•1 hr
In which Thom lives vicariously through Andru and special guest Chris Jackson (co-host of The Spoon and brand manager for ACME Archives Ltd) as they recap their Comic-Con 2011 adventures, laying out the good, the bad, and the ugly from both the fan and exhibitor perspectives. Also, the heartbreak of iPhone drainage, the disappearance of Asian Alvin, tips on milking a cult success, Stan Lee might be a cyborg, and there's a phantom fly in the studio that apparently only Thom can see.
Jul 26, 2011•56 min
In which Thom & Andru cover early pop-culture memory, the hidden danger of DVD commentary, fandom as religious allegory, antidotes to the blockbuster mentality, and Comic-Con correspondence possibility, all on their way to reviewing Harry Potter & The Deathly Hallows pt2 ...eventually. Music by Tessa Netting .
Jul 19, 2011•1 hr
In which Thom & Andru dispense with the need for origin stories, prepare to survive Carmageddon, and delve ever further into the meteoric rise of Whovian culture with special guest Joshua L Friedman while barely scratching the surface of talking about his gig at the Playboy Mansion. (WTF, is this show run by a bunch of nerds, or something?) Music by Two Ball Loo.
Jul 12, 2011•58 min
In which Thom & Andru discover the joys of Skypecasting, catch up on each other's pop-cultural pursuits, contemplate the YouTubian approach to storytelling, and chat with Kielen King about his awesome electro-soul sci-fi concept album, Star Pilot's Lament .
Jul 05, 2011•58 min
In which Thom, Andru, Rob , and Chris delve into the digital future and the grindhouse past as they contemplate the hubris of artists, the art of the bad movie, and the necessary parameters of art itself. Also, talk of Space Nazis. Tune in to Episode 042 of The Spoon for the epic origin of this mad experiment!
Jun 28, 2011•1 hr
In which Thom & Andru chat with artist/musician/entrepreneur Ryan Morris about his lifelong obsession with the paranormal, and his channeling it through such projects as UFORadar and the Flying Saucers Cafe. Also, some decidedly mixed feelings about Green Lantern, annoyance at silly nerd rivalries, and speculation that this entire show might be a secret Dharma experiment. Music by Jonathan Coulton
Jun 21, 2011•1 hr
In which Thom & Andru attempt to shove 10lbs of talk into a 5lb show while keeping up with Grae Drake of The Popcorn Mafia, whose presence infuses the proceedings with a mighty dose of verbal sparkle and thump. Buried somewhere in the swirling conversational chaos is a spoiler-filled review of Super 8, chopped up into several non-linear puzzle pieces in accordance with the wishes of Mr Abrams. Good luck with that.
Jun 14, 2011•59 min
In which Andru returns from Maker Faire 2011 covered in techno glory, which inspires a gadget-centric discussion ranging from the laser cutters of today to the food replicators of tomorrow. Also, movie remakes that we actually want to see, thoughts on the latest X-Men & Pirates offerings, trying to make sense of the DC Universe reboot, how to break a Genius Bar employee, and shows that spooked us (perhaps a little too easily) as kids. Music by Scattered Suns.
Jun 07, 2011•1 hr
In which Thom narrates a special "best of" The Geek Agenda while the NDR studios are closed for Memorial Day. Highlights from the show's first nine episodes, including chats with guests Brian Peck, Peter Zachos, Dayle Dermatis, Ingrid Oliansky, and Patrick McGrath. We will return live next week, June 6th! Music by Sons Of Nothing.
May 31, 2011•58 min
In which Thom and special guest Ingrid Oliansky catch up on Who-related happenings, recount recent adventures in percussion, and ponder the proper amount of influence that a parent should have over their child's pop culture literacy. Also, the CDC gets into the zombie groove, the space shuttle gets a nerdy serenade, and pro wrestling mourns the loss of an icon. Plus, a new drinking game: take a shot every time Thom says the word "gravitas." Music by Jonathan Coulton
May 24, 2011•1 hr
