BIRD PROTOCOL

This week, we’re talking one of the absolute best films of the last twenty years and Otis’ birthday pick, Paul Thomas Anderson’s exploration of greed, family, religion, madness, and the rot at the soul of America, “There Will Be Blood”! Yes, it is time for the Bird Boys to repeatedly shout “I ABANDONED MY BOY! I DRINK YOUR MILKSHAKE! DRAINAGE! DRAINAAAGE!” while we talk earnestly about this near-perfect film. Released in 2007 to widespread critical acclaim, this is an authentic and auteurist vision realized from top to bottom through incredible direction, cinematography, writing, performances, thematic depth, and a powerful score. It has aged so well and, in the current climate, speaks to what is really to blame for a lot of the stuff happening just south of us. Talk about being prescient.

Daniel Day-Lewis and Paul Dano give generational performances as Daniel Plainview (an oil man) and Eli Sunday (an evangelical preacher), two sides of the same rotten coin, with the former deservedly winning an Oscar for it. Honestly, pretty much everyone’s character is deeply flawed in this movie, but it is so delicious to watch. Plus, multiple oil-related deaths! There’s an oil well engulfed in flames! H.W. tries to light a guy on fire! Paul Dano gets beaten to death with a bowling pin! Daniel Day-Lewis becomes "predatory greed" personified! This is pure cinema, baby!

More than this, “There Will Be Blood” is a deliberate and methodical account of the descent into madness fueled by greed (both in terms of money and religious control) and a character study of the soul of America. It builds to a crescendo of insanity that is uncomfortable and complex, rich in theme and criticism. This movie is a dissertation on what is wrong with society, but it’s so well made and impeccably performed that it only gets better with every viewing. The score, composed by Johnny Greenwood of Radiohead, adds lush and frenetic layers to meticulously crafted sequences and shots. This movie is a prime example of masters of their craft moving in lockstep to service a creative vision. It’s breathtaking.

In this episode, we discuss the film and its legacy, deep dive into some of our favourite scenes, unpack the film’s themes, discuss what we think PTA was trying to say, marvel at the performances from Day-Lewis and Dano, and share some fun trivia about the film’s production. We also discuss the critical response to the film, the 2007 Oscars and the amazing year for film that was 2007, how “There Will Be Blood” has aged like fine wine, and more. We love this movie, so we got in our bag talking about it.

Next week? We review Ryan Coogler’s “Sinners” and discuss his career and filmography.

Listen to “When This Is Over, Let’s Go Dancing” by Anxiety Weekend on…

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/album/060CSCe5yQiIv3a1SpQzHY?si=B87eI8WURqqoWpNd6hL9sw

Apple Music: https://music.apple.com/ca/album/when-this-is-over-lets-go-dancing/1796328195

Bandcamp: https://anxietyweekend.bandcamp.com/album/when-this-is-over-lets-go-dancing

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After a two week break, the Bird Boys are back on Easter to share some of our thoughts, opinions, and reviews with another Lazy Bird episode! Also, Happy 4/20 to all the big time stoners out there! As usual, we kick it for a chat about what’s been going on in our lives, what we’ve been watching/listening to, and whatever thoughts are rattling around in our heads. Tap in and enjoy the ride.

We kick things off with a recap of Otis’ awesome show with Tim Butterly and his subsequent trip to Nashville. Otis shares some anecdotes and experiences from the trip including a visit to Jack White’s Third Man Records shop. We also discuss some of the differences between Canada and the USA including how friendly Americans are, how different driving is, and the intellectual differences between the two countries. From there, we discuss the current Canadian election and the issues we have with politics in general (sorry lol). We urge everyone to go make their voice heard in this election and discuss the strange state of things in geopolitics.

Then, it’s time to talk about what we’ve been watching. PALMREADER has recently seen Bong Joon Ho’s “Mickey 17” and enjoyed it for what it is (even if it isn’t as good as some of his other films). Otis has finally seen “The Equalizer” and understands the hype. PALMREADER also rewatched “Independence Day” and reaffirms that it still goes hard… even if it’s kinda dumb. Speaking of dumb movie-related stuff… what is going on with the Chicken Jockey craze and “Minecraft” screenings? Is this a Chinese psy-op or are kids taking back control of the franchise slop? We also talk about some TV shows we’ve been watching including “The Pitt”, “Daredevil: Born Again”, “The White Lotus”, “The Studio”, and more. Then, we do a quick shout out to some new music from FIDLAR, Corbin, Skrillex, Bon Iver, 156/Silence, Know Good, and a local homie saintjame. Check out his latest release, “Gabriel And The Angel Of Precious Stones”, on all streaming platforms now!

That’s all for this week! We’ll be back next week to do Otis’ birthday pick… “There Will Be Blood”!

Listen to “When This Is Over, Let’s Go Dancing” by Anxiety Weekend on…

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/album/060CSCe5yQiIv3a1SpQzHY?si=B87eI8WURqqoWpNd6hL9sw

Apple Music: https://music.apple.com/ca/album/when-this-is-over-lets-go-dancing/1796328195

Bandcamp: https://anxietyweekend.bandcamp.com/album/when-this-is-over-lets-go-dancing

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Ayo! It’s time for us to unveil another BIRD PROTOCOL playlist! This time, we took a trip down memory lane and curated a collection of indie rock rippers that range from the aughts to the present day. Indie rock is somewhat of an umbrella term and this playlist could have probably been double or triple in size but we narrowed it down to eighteen songs (many of which are from Canadian indie artists) that we love. Boy, doing this reminded us of an easier time. Remember when indie rock videos were on Much Music every day? Sigh. We’re getting old.

We have a quick conversation about indie rock as a genre. It’s so wide-ranging that we will probably make another one at some point. After some litigation, we get right to breaking down our choices and sharing why we picked what we did. Lots of personal nostalgia and admiration, especially because indie rock was hugely popular during our younger years. When you press play on this collection, you’ll hear bands like Stars, Iron & Wine, Bloc Party, The Format, Islands, Radiohead, Arcade Fire, Alvvays, LCD Soundsystem, Rilo Kiley, Mates Of State, The Shins, The Strokes, Death Cab For Cutie, Tokyo Police Club, and more.

This description has a lot of extra links today, so we’re keeping it short. We hope you enjoy the songs and maybe find someone new or reconnect with an artist you love. We close out the episode with a discussion of Otis’ upcoming comedy show (Get tickets here: https://simpli.events/e/670df2) and say farewell for a few weeks as Otis travels abroad. See you in April!

Listen to the playlist on…

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/2aSkssq11DdjL0mvh3D5Vx?si=ee587a9f4a4747ad&pt=e7215ad9422e74a03ceeb16afa82a4f4

Apple Music: https://music.apple.com/ca/playlist/bird-protocols-springtime-indie-rock-playlist/pl.u-xlyNqZWupYGEy1

Listen to “When This Is Over, Let’s Go Dancing” by Anxiety Weekend on…

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/album/060CSCe5yQiIv3a1SpQzHY?si=B87eI8WURqqoWpNd6hL9sw

Apple Music: https://music.apple.com/ca/album/when-this-is-over-lets-go-dancing/1796328195

Bandcamp: https://anxietyweekend.bandcamp.com/album/when-this-is-over-lets-go-dancing

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We’re back with part two of our Gene Hackman double feature with a movie that goes super hard and basically laid a new foundation for modern cinema… William Friedkin’s 1971 neo-noir action thriller “The French Connection” starring Gene Hackman, Roy Scheider, and Fernando Rey! This critically acclaimed crime movie won a bunch of awards including Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Actor (for Hackman). It is one of them ones. If you haven’t seen it, we highly recommend that you watch it before the episode.

“The French Connection” is a tight, gritty, procedural, and tense look at drug enforcement centered around a $32 million heroin deal in New York. It is the fictionalized version of Robin Moore’s nonfiction book of the same name that leans into a documentary style of filmmaking and trims the fat that often came with movies in this genre at the time. The pacing, editing, cinematography, and performances are all excellent. With one of the best car chase scenes in all of cinema, Gene Hackman dressed as Santa beating on drug dealers, villainous French dudes, a daytime assassination attempt, someone commandeering a subway by force, many scenes shot on location, and more… this movie is just plain awesome. It is a slowly simmering cat-and-mouse game through the city of New York (which acts almost as a character in this movie) that builds and builds to a fever pitch without losing its gritty documentary style. The tension ramps up to an explosive crescendo and an ambiguous neo-noir ending that hits just right. Plus, Gene Hackman as an extremely driven, street-worn, yet hard-as-nails alcoholic cop? Hell yeah.

In this episode, we share what we love about the movie, give some context to the film, discuss some of our favourite sequences, unpack why the performances of Hackman and Scheider are far more complex than they seem at first glance, suggest why people who haven’t seen this movie (or any 70’s movies) should stick through the slower first half, and break down how William Friedkin was a filmmaking freak that bent the rules and pushed the envelope (and, of course, how much he loves to talk shit). Plus, a look at the clandestinely made car chase sequence that was highly illegal but changed everything, the influence of the actual cops who worked the real-life version of this case, the French drug smugglers as antagonists, the impact and legacy of the movie, the devotion to New York crime-fighting realism and the use of the city as a character, and more!

We close things out with a preview of our next episode and some updates on what we've got going on in our lives and our schedule going forward for March. It’s a good time spent talking about a great film. Tap in.

Listen to “When This Is Over, Let’s Go Dancing” by Anxiety Weekend on…

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/album/060CSCe5yQiIv3a1SpQzHY?si=B87eI8WURqqoWpNd6hL9sw

Apple Music: https://music.apple.com/ca/album/when-this-is-over-lets-go-dancing/1796328195

Bandcamp: https://anxietyweekend.bandcamp.com/album/when-this-is-over-lets-go-dancing

Get tickets to see Otis Morris open for Tim Butterly here: https://simpli.events/e/670df2

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Instagram: @palmreadr @otismorrisdude

What’s good, homies? Welcome to another pod! This week, we’re kicking off a two-part series to honour the late Gene Hackman with a revisionist Western masterpiece and an honest-to-goodness ripper of a film, Clint Eastwood’s 1992 Best Picture winner “Unforgiven”! “Unforgiven” is a critically beloved and perfectly executed movie that delivers genuine characters, beautiful cinematography and iconic settings, nuanced performances, and a story that keeps you on the edge of your seat. It is simultaneously a thematically layered, complex, and subversive film that has a lot to say about the genre, masculinity, violence, and the American West while being a damn good watch.

“Unforgiven” was directed and produced by Clint Eastwood (earning him a Best Director win) and stars Eastwood, Gene Hackman, Morgan Freeman, Richard Harris, Jaimz Woolvett, and Saul Rubinek. Written by David Webb Peoples, who also co-wrote films like “Blade Runner”, it is a look into the morally ambiguous and dangerous world of the West filled with flawed and complex characters, sudden violence, and no real winners. It’s an investigative allegory for the genre itself, a look at the truth about masculinity and violence in the West, and a meta-textual exploration of Eastwood as a star. It’s a gut punch of a film that features incredible performances across the board, especially from Eastwood and Hackman (who won an Oscar for Best Supporting Actor for his role as Little Bill).

In this episode, we break down the plot, explore the aforementioned theme and subversions, and share what makes this film so impactful and important to the genre. We explore some of our favourite moments from the jailhouse scene to the final shootout, discuss how the characters act as contrasting thematic duos, and break down what a revisionist Western film is. Ultimately, we marvel at how genuinely great this movie is and, conversely, discuss how easily it is for subversive films to fall short in delivering something both intellectual and enjoyable. Thankfully, “Unforgiven” goes hard in all aspects. Although we try not to get too academic, it’s hard not to when talking about such a beloved, complex, and important film. Now, you might say we don’t deserve to pod like this. To that, I say, “Deserve’s got nothing to do with it.”

Listen to “When This Is Over, Let’s Go Dancing” by Anxiety Weekend on…

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/album/060CSCe5yQiIv3a1SpQzHY?si=B87eI8WURqqoWpNd6hL9sw

Apple Music: https://music.apple.com/ca/album/when-this-is-over-lets-go-dancing/1796328195

Bandcamp: https://anxietyweekend.bandcamp.com/album/when-this-is-over-lets-go-dancing

Get tickets to see Otis Morris open for Tim Butterly here: https://simpli.events/e/670df2

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Instagram: @palmreadr @otismorrisdude

Yo, yo! It’s time for another episode of Bird Protocol! This week, the Bird Boys sit down and chat about everything they’ve been watching, playing, and listening to as well as all the crazy and fun things going on in the world. It’s a new Lazy Bird episode for your head tops!

We start the episode off with a short tribute to a fallen friend, PALMREADER’s best pal Tucker, who has now gone on to his next big adventure somewhere beyond the veil. Speaking of someone important to us passing, another titan of cinema is suddenly gone and it sucks. Rest in peace to the extremely talented Gene Hackman. We take some time to reflect on his impact on film as a whole and his outstanding on-screen career from “The Conversation” to “The French Connection” to “Unforgiven” to “The Royal Tenenbaums” and more. Then, Otis shares some tales of his recent experience of seeing John Cena turn heel and side with The Rock at the WWE Elimination Chamber event in Toronto. He had hell of a time at a historic night of wrestling (minus a few morons).

Following this, we break down this year’s Oscars… Who were the night’s big winners? Who should have won but didn’t? What did we think of the nominees? Is “Amelia Perez” a good movie? Why don’t people give proper respect to the technical awards? All these questions and more are answered to the best of our knowledge. Then, we pivot to what we’ve been watching, including “The Pitt”, “Daredevil: Born Again”, “Kneecap”, “Reacher”, “A Complete Unknown”, “Treme”, and more. We also discuss some of our recent listens including 2 Chainz, Larry June, and The Alchemist’s “Life Is Beautiful”, Architect’s “The Sky, The Earth, & All Between”, The Strokes’ “Is This It” and the early 2000’s New York indie rock scene, Paris Texas’ new album “They Left Me With The Sword” and the accompanying “They Left Me With A Gun” EP, Big Hit’s “Free Big Hit”, Reason’s “I Love You Again”, L. S. Dunes’ “Violet”, new PUP, Spy’s “Seen Enough” EP, and more.

To close things out, we get a little political and discuss the importance of voting, searching out the proper information on the parties and their platforms, and why you DEFINITELY should be voting this year. Considering all the political craziness going on in the world, don't let your voice go unheard.

Thanks for hanging with us! See you next week!

Listen to “When This Is Over, Let’s Go Dancing” by Anxiety Weekend on…

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/album/060CSCe5yQiIv3a1SpQzHY?si=B87eI8WURqqoWpNd6hL9sw

Apple Music: https://music.apple.com/ca/album/when-this-is-over-lets-go-dancing/1796328195

Bandcamp: https://anxietyweekend.bandcamp.com/album/when-this-is-over-lets-go-dancing

Listen to “The Otis Morris Benefit Show” here:

https://open.spotify.com/show/1pC1y6mzWGQ4067IGIkFqq?si=77db8326a5b3482a 

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There have been some cold, snowy, and dark days lately and the world feels like it’s being run into the ground by criminal idiots. It’s the perfect time to watch something… but what? Great news! Otis has the answer! This week, we revisit a modern classic from the talented and influential filmmaking duo Joel and Ethan Coen. It’s time to discuss the 1996 black comedy crime film “Fargo” starring Frances McDormand, William H. Macy, Steve Buscemi, and Peter Stormare. Oh, you betcha!

Directed by Joel and written by both Ethan and Joel Coen, this critical darling and modern classic honed in on what the brothers do best and refined their formula for the masses. In many ways, it (like the films of many other filmmakers in the 90s) helped usher in the world of movies we know and love today. “Fargo” is a hilariously dark, twisted, and quaint comedy of tragic errors and stupid people getting caught beyond their depth. Plus, there's explosive violence and funny accents! What more could you want? With excellent and nuanced performances from all the leads, cinematography from the G.O.A.T. Roger Deakins, music from frequent collaborator Carter Burwell, a near-perfect runtime and pacing, and moments of genuine deadpan absurdity that will make you laugh out loud… what more is there to say?

In this episode, we discuss all the great things about this film and why it exemplifies the  Coen brothers’ formula. We also praise the performances (specifically William H. Macy and Frances McDormand), the characterization, the comedy, the pacing, and the excellent writing. We break down some of our favourite scenes, lines, and shots while also discussing the impact of this movie and its critical reception. We basically gush about this movie and the Coen brothers for an hour and a half because they rule. We also briefly discuss the brothers’ filmography, how this movie stacks up against their other films and the more recent and wildly successful “Fargo” TV show from Noah Hawley. Don’t like “Fargo’? Too bad. It rips. Plus, a little update on what we’ve got going on and a discussion about the world feeling a lot like the upside-down right now.

We’ll see you next week!

Listen to “When This Is Over, Let’s Go Dancing” by Anxiety Weekend on…

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/album/060CSCe5yQiIv3a1SpQzHY?si=B87eI8WURqqoWpNd6hL9sw

Apple Music: https://music.apple.com/ca/album/when-this-is-over-lets-go-dancing/1796328195

Bandcamp: https://anxietyweekend.bandcamp.com/album/when-this-is-over-lets-go-dancing

Listen to “The Otis Morris Benefit Show” here: https://open.spotify.com/show/1pC1y6mzWGQ4067IGIkFqq?si=77db8326a5b3482a 

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Ayo! We’re back with the first official episode of 2025! We’re both tired as hell but this week we’re happy to be covering one of our favourite artists of all time - the late, great Mac Miller! In this episode, we do our best to cover his career from his breakout mixtape “K.I.D.S.” to the most recent posthumous release “Ballloonerism”. Mac’s got a surprisingly deep and varied body of work and we both feel a deeply personal connection to his art so this episode was a long time coming. First, before all that, we discuss the general feeling of unease across the board and the state of the world. Spoiler alert: It kinda sucks! There is a silver lining to be found in the newfound unity growing here in Canada… but at what cost? Daily existential dread. Sigh.

From there, it’s all about Mac! We trace his artistry, career, and releases from his early days as the “frat rap” luminary to his creative evolution post-“Blue Slide Park” to his many awesome and underheard mixtapes to his various side projects to his multifaceted trio of final albums that prove just how amazing he was (and highlight what we’re missing now that he’s gone). Although we try to cover all his releases, we spend extra time discussing our favourites including “Watching Movies With The Sound Off”, “Faces”, “Swimming”, “Circles”, and the recently released lost album “Balloonerism”. Producer, rapper, singer, musician… Mac did it all and was on the way to becoming an even bigger and more important pillar of modern music. We discuss his legacy and impact, his frequent collaborators, how his music and passing impacted us, our favourite tracks, and more. He was a major part of our friendship and an inspiration to us both so we get a little emotional.

We close the episode with a short discussion about the passing of artists and how it can impact you, the difference between parasocial relationships and genuine admiration and appreciation when it comes to loss, the Grammy’s (neither of us watched the ceremony but we have some thoughts), new projects from the both of us including Otis’ new solo podcast and PALMREADER’s new Anxiety Weekend album, how Kanye and Elon Musk still stink, and some other ramblings. Are we living in an idiocracy? Maybe… sure feels like it.

Listen to “When This Is Over, Let’s Go Dancing” by Anxiety Weekend here:

https://anxietyweekend.bandcamp.com/album/when-this-is-over-lets-go-dancing

Listen to “The Otis Morris Benefit Show” here:

https://open.spotify.com/show/1pC1y6mzWGQ4067IGIkFqq?si=77db8326a5b3482a

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Instagram: @palmreadr @otismorrisdude

What’s good, homies? It’s time to close out our year-end round-up with the final part of our three-part Bird Report for 2024. This time, we’re covering some of the excellent TV series we watched last year. As always, this isn't a definitive or objective “best-of” list. Instead, we’re just sharing what we liked. Some of you may even disagree. With that being said, we hope you find something new to check out because there are some absolute bangers mentioned in this episode.

We start the episode with a brief conversation about being stoned at bizarre slightly sad comedy shows and a music release we missed two weeks ago. After that’s out of the way, we dive straight into our lists. Included in this episode are shows like “Shogun”, “The Bear”, “Fallout”, “The Vince Staples Show”, “The Penguin”, “The Gentlemen”, “Chef’s Table”, “Mr. & Mrs. Smith”, “Tires”, “Masters Of The Air”, “Arcane”, “What We Do In The Shadows”, “Curb Your Enthusiasm”, “Dune: Prophecy”, “F*ck, That’s Delicious”, “Tokyo Vice”, and a whole lot more. It was a good year for TV and there is a lot to talk about.

We close out the episode with a personal recap of the tumultuous year that was 2024 and some reflection. We had some very special and wonderful moments, dealt with a few truly bewildering twists, wiled our way through some seriously dark times, and experienced tons of personal growth. Yeah, it wasn’t everything we expected when we ended our Bird Report last year but, ultimately, that’s okay. We realize that smooth seas never made skilled sailors and we’ve grown as people. We reminisce on some of the highlights, the challenges and personal struggles, movies we've seen together, and we look forward with cautious optimism for the future. We also share our hopes for the new year, personal creative and personal goals, and projects we have cooking for 2025. Also, is it time to ditch social media? Probably. Elon Musk sucks.

Whatever happens, at least we know we made it through 2024. Take care of yourselves and protect your peace. If things get too overwhelming, put the phone down and seek out the things that make you happy and the people you love. We hope you enjoyed the Bird Report for 2024. Let us know if we missed anything! We’ll see you next week (probably).

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Aye! We’re back with part two of our three-part Bird Report for 2024! This week, we're talking about our favourite movies and movie-going experiences of 2024. Once again, this is not an objective “best-of” list. Instead, our picks are based on what we’ve actually seen and personally enjoyed. Before we start on our lists, though, we share our thoughts on the passing of a titan in the world of filmmaking, David Lynch, and his impact on the medium and society at large. We lost a real one. May he rest in power.

Then it’s time to share our favourite movies from the last year. We do our best to give a little context as to why we picked what we did without spoiling too much in case you haven't seen them yet. Surprisingly, we only overlapped a bit which led to a long conversation about a wide variety of movies across many genres. Included in these lists are movies like “Twisters”, “Dune: Part Two”, “The Substance”, “Anora”, “Nosferatu”, “Challengers”, “Conclave”, “Sing Sing”, “Civil War”, “Queer”, “Kinds Of Kindness”, “Rebel Ridge”, “The Bikeriders”, “The Apprentice”, “Evil Does Not Exist”, “Hundreds Of Beavers”, and more. We also list some of the movies that one, or both of us, have yet to see and want to including “The Brutalist”, “The Last Showgirl”, “A Real Pain”, “Oh, Canada”, “A Complete Unknown”, “Cuckoo”, and more.

We realize (while recording) that the episode has gone on for so long that we’ll have to do TV next week... so, instead, we take the end of the episode to unpack some of our honourable mentions from the year (movies that were good but didn’t necessarily crack the top of our lists) including “Monkey Man”, “Alien: Romulus”, “Gladiator 2”, “Love Lies Bleeding”, “I Saw The TV Glow”, “Hitman”, “Y2K”, “Furiosa”, “Late Night With The Devil”, “Longlegs”, “Kingdom Of The Planet Of The Apes”, “Beetlejuice Beetlejuice”, “Maxxxine”, and more. We also talk about some absolute stinkers including "Red One" (The Rock slap-boxing Krampus?) and "Roadhouse" (Cocaine McGregor might be the worst actor alive?).

A lot of good stuff was released last year! What were some of your favourites from 2024? Let us know in a comment on Spotify or hit us up on Instagram! We’ll be back next week with our top TV series of 2024 and a general recap of the year.

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