Curmudgeon's Corner

On this week's Curmudgeon's Corner Ivan is away, but Sam bumps into Emily at No Kings 2, and she joins him for the rest of the show. They talk about movies and TV before jumping to discussion of what makes an effective protest movement, what the options are for those in opposition, and how the next few years are likely to play out. Plus a bonus discussion explaining "Abulsme" after the end!

Show Details:

Recorded 2025-10-18

Length this week 2:09:58

0:00:24 - Intro

0:04:11 - Media

Movie: Citizen Kane (1941)

Movie: The Bridge on the River Kwai (1957)

TV: Outlander (2014-Present)

Movie: All the King's Men (1999)

Movie: Saltburn (2023)

0:44:11 - No Kings 2

Effective Protests

Accelerationism vs Community

Convictions vs Constraints

2024 Revisited

Optimism vs Pessimism

Government Shutdown

The Curmudgeon’s Corner theme music is generously provided by Ray Lynch.

Our intro is The Oh of Pleasure (Amazon MP3 link)

Our outro is Celestial Soda Pop (Amazon MP3 link)

Both are from the album Deep Breakfast (iTunes link)

Please buy his music and support his GoFundMe.

This week on Curmudgeon's Corner Ivan and Sam revisit a prediction Sam made about self-driving cars 10 years ago on this very show. Sam was wrong. Ivan was right. Ivan takes great joy in this. They will revisit the issue here in another ten years. Oh, and they also talk about a bunch of other things, including all the main news stories of the week. Because that is what they do.

Show Details:

Recorded 2025-10-10

Length this week 2:09:44

0:00:26 - But First

2015 Self-Driving Prediction

Family Calendars

Wrong Way Driving

Movie: Spider-Man: Across the Spider Verse (2023)

0:43:08 - But Second

Trump DC Hotel Grift

Weaponized DoJ

1:14:09 - Lightning Round

iPhone and iPad Stories

AI Slop and Profitability

Gaza and Argentina

The Power of Lies

The Portland Frog

Trump Watches

The Curmudgeon’s Corner theme music is generously provided by Ray Lynch.

Our intro is The Oh of Pleasure (Amazon MP3 link)

Our outro is Celestial Soda Pop (Amazon MP3 link)

Both are from the album Deep Breakfast (iTunes link)

Please buy his music and support his GoFundMe.

On this week's Curmudgeon's Corner Ivan and Sam talk about the US government shutdown, as well as Trump and Hegseth's speeches to the Generals and Admirals along with related issues. But before that, health and travel updates, and a discussion of a movie about homelessness. And that be that!

Show Details:

Recorded 2025-10-04

Length this week 1:43:55

0:00:28 - But First

Ivan Health

Ivan Guyana

Sam Canada

Movie: Dark Days (2000)

0:45:00 - Shutdown

Less Concern

Blame Game

Paths Out

Messaging

1:06:17 - Trump & Hegseth

Trump Coin

Hegseth Speech

Trump Physical Health

Trump Mental Health

The Curmudgeon’s Corner theme music is generously provided by Ray Lynch.

Our intro is The Oh of Pleasure (Amazon MP3 link)

Our outro is Celestial Soda Pop (Amazon MP3 link)

Both are from the album Deep Breakfast (iTunes link)

Please buy his music and support his GoFundMe.

This week on Curmudgeon's Corner Ivan and Sam do a lightning round of current events in the second half of the show. Comey. Russian drones in Europe. The impending Government Shutdown. More tariffs. All that sort of thing. But first, Ivan is tired and busy, and Sam talks about meeting other local podcasters at the Snohomish Podcast Network. Plus something about coconuts.

Show Details:

Recorded 2025-09-27

Length this week 1:56:35

0:00:27 - But First

Everyone Tired

Busy Busy Busy

Snohomish Podcast Network

Um Sir Podcast

Podcast Longevity

0:48:30 - Newsy Stuff

JukePodder

Comey Indictment

Airspace Incursions

Impending Shutdown

More Tariffs

Coconut Scare

The Curmudgeon’s Corner theme music is generously provided by Ray Lynch.

Our intro is The Oh of Pleasure (Amazon MP3 link)

Our outro is Celestial Soda Pop (Amazon MP3 link)

Both are from the album Deep Breakfast (iTunes link)

Please buy his music and support his GoFundMe.

On this week's Curmudgeon's Corner Sam goes solo. First up, iPhones and birthdays and movies. But then the more serious stuff, with a segment on all the signs of accelerating down the slippery slope with all of the Trump administration's recent abuses of executive power. Then a little bit of a follow up on the killing of Charlie Kirk. And that's a show. Woo!

Show Details:

Recorded 2025-09-20

Length this week 1:48:51

0:00:26 - But First

Line Patience

Birthday Stuff

Movie: Astro Boy (2009)

Movie: Les Miserables (1958)

0:34:26 - Slippery Slope

Phone Update

Kimmel

Everybody does it?

Bondi Message

Tom Homan

Overload

1:29:28 - Kirk

Assassin's Motives

Lionization

Zuck's Glasses

The Curmudgeon’s Corner theme music is generously provided by Ray Lynch.

Our intro is The Oh of Pleasure (Amazon MP3 link)

Our outro is Celestial Soda Pop (Amazon MP3 link)

Both are from the album Deep Breakfast (iTunes link)

Please buy his music and support his GoFundMe.

This week on Curmudgeon's Corner, Sam and Ivan talk travel and coincidences and movies before they start getting into the serious stuff. The big one was the killing of Charlie Kirk and the subsequent reactions. Then Epstein's book, the Fed Governor's mortgages, Trump's health, security for politicians, some international coverage, and a bit about the revival of some old defunct companies. Woo!

Show Details:

Recorded 2025-09-13

Length this week 2:04:41

0:00:44 - But First

Travels

Theater Coincidence

Movie: Some Like It Hot (1959)

Movie: Ouija (2014)

0:23:47 - Charlie Kirk

Blame Game

Possible Motives

Right Wing Calls for War

Left Wing Calls for Peace

0:46:32 - Lighting One

Epstein Birthday Book

Fed Governor Mortgages

Trump Health

Politician Security

1:29:14 - Lightning Two

Nepal

Venezuela

Poland

Company Revivals

The Curmudgeon’s Corner theme music is generously provided by Ray Lynch.

Our intro is The Oh of Pleasure (Amazon MP3 link)

Our outro is Celestial Soda Pop (Amazon MP3 link)

Both are from the album Deep Breakfast (iTunes link)

Please buy his music and support his GoFundMe.

On this week's Curmudgeon's Corner Ivan and Sam discuss tariffs, immigration raids, the Venezuelan boat, deterioration of the rule of law, damage from RFK Jr, Trump/Epstein, and triggered by all this, Ivan's possible escape plan from the US. Before that though, on the lighter side, some movies and Alex's suggestions on how to monetize this podcast. And a song triggered by technical difficulties!

Show Details:

Recorded 2025-09-06

Length this week 2:03:15

0:01:35 - But First

Tire Blowout

Getting Spanish Citizenship

Red Lines

Movie: Star Wars (1977)

Movie: Wicked: Part I (2024)

Monetization

1:03:06 - But Second

Tariff Impacts

Immigration Raids

Venezuelan Boat

Rule of Law

RFK Jr

Trump/Epstein

The Curmudgeon’s Corner theme music is generously provided by Ray Lynch.

Our intro is The Oh of Pleasure (Amazon MP3 link)

Our outro is Celestial Soda Pop (Amazon MP3 link)

Both are from the album Deep Breakfast (iTunes link)

Please buy his music and support his GoFundMe.

This week on Curmudgeon's Corner Sam goes solo while Ivan enjoys the holiday weekend. Sam talks about movies, the feeding frenzy around Trump's health, and the general descent into authoritarianism we are right smack in the middle of. Plus some stories about going to the fair, and moving a car over a few feet. And that is that.

Show Details:

Recorded 2025-08-30

Length this week 1:47:40

0:00:36 - But First

Just Me

Going to the Fair

Movie: King Kong vs Godzilla (1962)

Movie: All About Eve (1950)

0:31:29 - Trump Health

Fair Report

Rumor/Hype Spiral

Remote Diagnosis

Sticking to the Known?

0:58:49 - Getting Bad

National Guard / ICE

Targeting Opponents

Destroying the CDC

Administrative State

The Curmudgeon’s Corner theme music is generously provided by Ray Lynch.

Our intro is The Oh of Pleasure (Amazon MP3 link)

Our outro is Celestial Soda Pop (Amazon MP3 link)

Both are from the album Deep Breakfast (iTunes link)

Please buy his music and support his GoFundMe.

On this week's Curmudgeon's Corner, Sam and Ivan are joined by Pete, who has been begging for weeks to talk about Superman. So they talk about Superman. Specifically, the intention is to talk about the 2025 Superman movie, but to get there, they talk about lots of older Superman too. And then, yes, after that, they do move on to the news of the week for the second half of the show.

Show Details:

Recorded 2025-08-23

Length this week 2:12:18

0:00:00 - Cold Open

0:03:49 - Superman

Ivan Injuries and Ailments

Histories of Superman Consumption

Why Discuss Superman?

Previous Superman Movies

Superman 2025

Sam's Algorithms

1:07:54 - News

Trump's Health

Trump Targets Black Women

NYC Mayor Race

Newsom vs Trump

Conventional Democrats

Trump/Putin/Zelenskyy

The Curmudgeon’s Corner theme music is generously provided by Ray Lynch.

Our intro is The Oh of Pleasure (Amazon MP3 link)

Our outro is Celestial Soda Pop (Amazon MP3 link)

Both are from the album Deep Breakfast (iTunes link)

Please buy his music and support his GoFundMe.

This week on Curmudgeon's Corner Sam and Ivan do hit the main news and politics of the week. That is of course the Trump/Putin summit, the Feds in DC, Gerrymandering, Newsom stepping up, Dem leadership failing to meet the moment, and all that stuff. And before that, long names, cars, and of course a movie. Woo! You can't want more than this, can you?

Show Details:

Recorded 2025-08-16

Length this week 2:00:53

0:01:19 - But First

Long Names

Juana Car Choice

Fast Charging

Movie: Guarding Tess (1994)

0:41:44 - Trump/Putin Summit

Summit Optics

Possible Agreements

Trump Loses

Putin Wins

1:12:58 - But Third

Feds in DC

Newsom

Gerrymandering

Dem Leadership

The Curmudgeon’s Corner theme music is generously provided by Ray Lynch.

Our intro is The Oh of Pleasure (Amazon MP3 link)

Our outro is Celestial Soda Pop (Amazon MP3 link)

Both are from the album Deep Breakfast (iTunes link)

Please buy his music and support his GoFundMe.