Alternative History Podcast

The movie Reign of Fire staring Matthew McConaughey and future Batman Christian Bale came out in 2002 and revolves around a group of English and American survivors of a Dragon-a-pocalypse that has turned the world in a dour, ashen landscape. Set in the year 2020, the population has been decimated by fire breathing dragons, famine, and lack of hygene, which sounds like the worst possible 2020 ever, until 2020 actually happened. Join us as we discuss the movie and determine if a 2020 rife with fire breathing dragons who use humans as hors d'oeuvre is preferable to the shit show we actually got.

Because the assaults on precincts one through twelve proved wholly uneventful, John Carpenter started with Assault on Precinct 13. Made in 1976 for just around $11,000.00 (which is $11,000 more than the budget for this podcast) the original quickly became a cult classic. In 2005, (aka the year of the remake of 1976 movies, e.g. King Kong, The Fog, The Bad News Bears) the movie was remade with Ethan Hawke and Laurence Fishburne. Come join us for our last episode of the season as we discuss both movies, explain how Ice Cube references are more difficult than sub zero weather, and discuss the future. Listen to this original episode on Assault on Precinct 13  before it gets remade!

Whether you do it in an open field, a body of water, in a pot, in the morning or at night, at work or play, in a diaper while sitting in your brother’s bed, or in a litter box and blame it on the cat, everybody poops. From the Ancient Romans to our current public restrooms, we discuss the history of the public restroom, along with the shame some of us feel while doing our duty in public. Should there be any shame doing something we all do, and should there be exclusivity in regard to which bathroom you can use? Join us as Brian retells a horrific Goodwill bathroom experience and Rodrigo talks about El Salvadorian bathroom cockroaches. Listen and get the straight poop on public restrooms!

The Fall of Troy, The Battle of Waterloo, Custer’s Last Stand, and Hillary’s loss in the 2016 Presidential Election. All crushing defeats. But, if you live in the state of Wisconsin, they all pale in comparison to the 2014 NFC Championship Game, where our beloved Green Bay Packers took a crippling loss to the Seattle Seahawks after blowing a 16-0 halftime lead, and losing a chance for a trip to the Super Bowl. Played on January 18, 2015 the game pitted Green Bay’s top scoring offense vs. Seattle’s vaunted defense. What ensued was nothing short of a Russian novel, and would leave the Green Bay Packer fan base utterly destroyed. Was it Devine Intervention? Was it Russell Wilson and his NanoBubbles? Or did the Packers just choke in the second biggest game of the season? (For information on choking in the biggest game of the season, see: Super Bowl XLIX). Should the Green Bay Packer’s have won the 2014 NFC Championship Game? Listen and decide!

Oh, you better watch out, you better not cry, you better not pout, I’m telling you why…no, that’s not a quote from our top review on iTunes, it’s lyrics from the classic Christmas song, Santa Claus is Coming to Town. Although, not everyone believes that Santa is coming to town. On this episode we get to the bottom of whether or not Santa Claus is real. Have parents all over the world been perpetrating the greatest ruse the world has ever seen on unsuspecting children, or is there a Jolly Old Elf, equipped with an endless sack full of gifts and eight flying reindeer, who slides down your chimney leaving you gifts free of charge, and does all of this in one night? Both seem rather far fetched, unless of course…magic, because well…magic. Come join us as we get down to the bottom of the realness of Santa Claus!

Are you not entertained? Yes? Wait, yes as in you are not entertained, or yes as in you are entertained? Never mind, it’s a rhetorical question. Here’s a question that’s not rhetorical: Is Gladiator a better movie than Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon? The Academy Award voters in 2001 thought so (but they also thought Shakespeare in Love is better than Saving Private Ryan, so what the hell do they know?). Both movies came out in 2000, and both deal with warriors seeking revenge, but while Gladiator murders its way to redemption, Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon shows the perils of seeking revenge and not being true to yourself. Should Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon have won the Best Picture Oscar, or did the academy get it right with Gladiator? Crouch your tigers and hide your dragons, because this episode is going to make you vexed, terribly vexed!

While you are spending the day turning Tom the Turkey into a delicious centerpiece for your Thanksgiving feast, listen on how the turkey became the ultimate symbol of Thanksgiving (hint: Sarah Josepha Hale, and the fact that turkey goes well with gravy). This is an updated version of a previous episode, so after you have stuff yourself into a new waist size, and are barely holding on to consciousness, enjoy our left over…um, throwback episode on Thanksgiving and turkeys. Happy Thanksgiving!

Didn’t I (Blow Your Mind This Time) is not only what this podcast does to you with every episode, but is also the name of one of the best songs every recorded by The Delfonics. But, did you know that it didn’t win the 1971 Grammy for best record? No, you didn’t, because unless you are music nerd like Rodrigo, you don’t care who wins the Grammy for best record, but we are here to tell you why you should care. America in 1970 was coming off two very tumultuous years filled with war, protests, a presidential election, bombings, and some very, very good music. The music of 1970 in some ways reflected the zeitgeist of the time, in particular Bridge Over Troubled Water by Simon and Garfunkel, and Let it Be by The Beatles. Bridge Over Troubled Water ultimately won the best record Grammy, but is Didn’t I (Blow Your Mind This Time) the better song and a better fit for the tumult of the times? Listen and decide!

In anticipation of the upcoming NFL season (and due to Brian's lousy back), please enjoy this throwback episode of the 1998 Minnesota Vikings, quite possibly the greatest team to never win a Super Bowl (other every Green Bay Packer team that hasn't won a Super Bowl, except for the 80's, the Packers sucked in the 80's). So, sit back, take a knee, lay down, or whatever you do to relax, and enjoy this episode and the NFL season!

Way back in 2017, ABC dared to air a sitcom with a grumpy Dad who espoused the value of hard work, personal responsibility, and family values, (no, we're not talking about The Goldberg's, or Fresh of the Boat, or Black-ish, or come to think of it just about every sitcom on ABC) that show was Last Man Standing starring Tim Allen. Running from 2011 to 2017 Last Man Standing followed the trials and tribulations of Mike Baxter, just your run of the mill, hardworking, misunderstood white male, trying to make sense of this crazy world! In 2017 the show was canceled by ABC and some cried foul. Was it canceled because of its conservative values and themes? Should it have even been canceled in the first place? Is all of this a moot point because it was picked up by FOX for the 18-19 season? Listen as Brian struggles mightily with years (he ain't so good with numbers), and Rodrigo refuses to believe that the Bruce Willis movie, Last Man Standing, is terrible. Standing or sitting, man or woman, come check out Episode 21!