Discerning Geeks Portal

While not coming out in March as originally intended, this week's review is of the 1984 sci-fi comedy-adventure, "Ice Pirates." This is the last of four reviews we were doing specifically to honor our late friend & co-host, Dave Teague. Check out the other reviews in this series: "Godzilla (2014)," "Conan: The Barbarian (1982)," and "Robot Jox." We've also recently released our two long-lost practice episodes, #000.0 & #000.5 (a.k.a. #122 & #125). And, since it's currently out in theaters, we also squeezed in a NON-spoiler review of "Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves." But, more about "Ice Pirates"...

- Which co-host had a landmark birthday during the week we recorded?

- Which letter of the alphabet is the sponsor of this episode?

- What farm animal does one co-host sound like when giving his first impression of the movie?

- Which of the Geeks described this movie as a "cinematic masterpiece" and somehow compared it to Shakespeare -- and was he serious either way?

- What did the Geeks think about the robots in this movie?

- Did one or more of the Geeks actually succeed in "digging deeper" into this movie's reflection of historical context & social issues, or did he just dig himself a hole to fall into?

- What C-word was said an uncomfortable amount in the middle of this review?

- What was the lead male character's true intentions with the lead female character -- honorable, dishonorable, or somewhere in between?

- Which movie previously reviewed by this podcast has footage in the background, during a scene in this movie?

- What did the Geeks think about the story, tone, special effects, grand finale, etc.?

- Does this movie deserve (good or bad) to be in a category with "Logan's Run," "Krull," and "Beastmaster"? And, how does it compare to "Spaceballs"?

- How much did one co-host love Robert Downey Jr. and Chris Rock in this movie? (Note: They're not actually in the movie.)

- Mostly importantly, what line spoken in this movie was both loved and better said by our late friend & co-host, Dave Teague, and one of the main reasons Dave S. chose this movie for our series of reviews honoring him?

- And, what did we think Dave Teague would have rated it?

Listen now for the answers to these and other futuristic, cheesy, 80s-funtastic questions, as we steal some time for..."Ice Pirates."

Stay tuned at the end of the episode for a montage of the five commercials the podcast has done for letters of the alphabet: O, E, V, A, and I.

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Please rate or review us wherever you listen to podcasts.

Welcome to another special unearthed episode, recorded 17 June 2020 and the 2nd of two practice episodes that Dave, Dave, and Todd, did before releasing their review of "The Martian" as their episode #001 in July of that year. Finally edited and ready for release, this episode explores the co-hosts' geeky interests and what they hoped for out of the podcast.

- Which co-host was shopping for a cave to retreat to?

- Which co-host actually had definitions of "discerning" ready to go?

- Can someone be geeky about something like sports or history? One co-host explained.

- What were the thee main things that Todd said he looks for in great TV shows?

- Which co-host stated being a big fan of Charles Dickens?

- What movie scene does one co-host claim might be the best moment in cinematic history?

- What life lessons did the Geeks get out of Ally McBeal and N.C. State basketball coach Jim Valvano?

- What TV show's ending did the Geeks equate with a messy divorce?

- And, how long have the Geeks known each other (technically, it's been longer than the number of years mentioned)?

Listen now for the answers to these and other -- finally unearthed -- questions as we go back in time...to one month before the start off of the podcast with Episode #000.5 And, check out Episode #122, which is actually #000.0, the first of the two practice sessions and the one where the Geeks actually named the podcast.

Movies, TV shows, games, and other geeky things -- good or bad -- that get mentioned in this less-than-an-hour episode include...

- A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood

- A Christmas Carol

- The A-Team

- Ally McBeal

- Babylon 5

- Battle: Los Angeles

- Battleship

- Battlestar Galactica

- Breaking Bad

- Conan: The Barbarian

- Critters

- Dead Poets Society

- Dragon Con

- The Dukes of Hazzard

- Dungeons & Dragons

- Firefly

- Fringe

- Game of Thrones

- Ghostbusters

- Gilmore Girls

- The Green Mile

- Gremlins

- Killer Klowns From Outer Space

- Lord of the Rings: Return of the King

- Magic: The Gathering

- The Mandalorian

- The Martian

- The Matrix

- N.C. State basketball coach, Jim Valvano

- Outlander

- Parenthood

- Quantum Leap

- Saving Mr. Banks

- SpongeBob SquarePants

- Star Trek: Deep Space Nine

- Star Trek: Enterprise

- Star Trek: The Next Generation

- Star Wars: Destiny

- Toy Story 3

- Toy Story 4

- Vulcan, the fictional planet from Star Trek (and the real-life star, 40 Eridani A, that it orbits)

- The Walking Dead

- The West Wing

NOTE: Sorry for the delay on the "Ice Pirates" review, which was intended for release in March. Due to competing schedules, it was recorded later than expected and could not be edited as quickly. It should be released by the middle of April. There is likely one more "unearthed" episode, a Star Wars discussion recorded in October 2020, which will probably be released sometime between "Ice Pirates" and a new discussion about the Best & Worst Star Wars Movies (which is probably our next topic to record), followed by a review of "Highlander," three TV topics, and whatever else we randomly roll along the way (exact order to be determined). Stay tuned, and thank you for listening.

You can contact us at...

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- Twitter:  @discerninggeeks

Please rate or review us wherever you listen to podcasts.

This week, we give a NON-spoiler review of a movie that came to theaters...today, 31 March 2023...Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves. Dave, Preston, and Todd, already saw it two Sundays ago as part of an Amazon Prime-exclusive early preview, and Todd saw it again last Sunday as part of an additional early preview. And, spoilers...it's a great movie. It's so refreshing to be able to say that after being in the weeds for a while.

- Which co-hosts felt like this was the best movie to come out in several years, at least since Covid?

- How well did the Geeks think the movie handled being an homage to the game but also being a movie -- feeling like a role playing game but without feeling like campaign notes translated to the screen.

- Which co-host(s) felt like the movie still felt like a role playing session and could feel the moment that a Dungeon Master might be directing the story or where the adventuring group might be flailing?

- Which locations, creatures, character classes, and other elements of the game (or cartoon) did the Geeks appreciate the most from the movie?

- What quibbles with the Druid character does one co-host have?

- How much do the Geeks appreciate each character arc in the movie? Do the Geeks feel like there's sufficient closure for each one?

- Which co-host most appreciate the ending and the surprising emotional payoff in this movie -- not the kind of movie where you'd expect that much emotional response?

- Which co-host felt like the movie was a little predictable, and how much, if at all, did that hurt his enjoyment?

- Should this movie stand on it's own? Should it be the beginning of a movie series? Is the truth somewhere in the middle, and where does each co-host land?

- If there are future movies, what direction could the next one go?

- One co-host compared the risk & reward of turning a movie into a franchise using the same movie for an example of both? Which movie was the example?

- And, how did the Geeks' positive opinions translate into their final scores for the movie?

Show some Initiative, and listen now for the answers to these and other Insight-ful questions -- no Perception check required -- as we Perform an Investigation on the Nature of..."Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves."

Note: Due to a few factors, including the time-sensitive nature of reviewing a movie just coming out in theaters, this episode is being released before our last "March" movie review honoring our late friend & co-host Dave Teague. Our review of "Ice Pirates" is recorded (in March), will be edited (hopefully) soon, and will come out in early (maybe mid) April. Also coming in the near future is a release of Episode #000.5, another practice episode Dave, Dave, and Todd, did before publishing their first episode. That might come out before "Ice Pirates." If you haven't already, check out our previous March releases -- reviews of "Godzilla" (2014), "Conan: The Barbarian" (1982), and "Robot Jox," as well as Episode #122, which is really Episode #000.0, the first practice session in which Dave, Dave, and Todd, first named the podcast. Stay tuned for one other "lost" episode before we get back on track with a discussion of our favorite Star Wars movies, a review of the movie "Highlander," and several discussions about our favorite TV episodes & seasons.

You can contact us at...

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- Twitter:  @discerninggeeks

Please rate or review us wherever you listen to podcasts.

This time, on the Discerning Geex Portal, we review the 1990 sci-fi flick about giant fighting robots and the people that pilot them into battle..."Robot Jox."

- What classic tabletop strategy game about robot combat did Dave, Dave, and Todd, play in high school, sometimes all night? The game gets several mentions in this episode.

- Which of the Geex can pretty much sum up his opinion of this movie with one word, and what is that word?

- Which of the Geex had issues with the acting, dialogue, sets, costumes, and/or special effects?

- Which of the Geex was surprised & impressed by how serious the story was?

- Which parts of the story & production still come off as cheesy? Was the movie too cheesy, not cheesy enough, or just right?

- What were the co-hosts' opinions of the spy subplot?

- Was Andruw, being the youngest, critical of the late '80s special effects, or would he have accepted even more primitive effects if it meant much more robot screen time?

- Were any of the Geex able to extract any deeper meanings from the story or setting?

- What did the Geex think about the robot designs?

- Groin saw? Yay or nay?

- Which of the Geex was bothered that the female character wasn't given the full chance to pilot the robot?

- What rating did the Geex think Dave Teague would have given the movie?

Listen now for the answers to these and other robotic questions as we run diagnostics on..."Robot Jox."

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And, stay tuned all March as we pay tribute to David Charles Teague, who we greatly miss.

(This particular episode is being published at approximately 11:55 PM on March 22, exactly one year after he passed away.)

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Please rate or review us wherever you listen to podcasts.

Welcome to "Starlite Starbrite: Special Unearthed Episode #000.0: The Naming of the Podcast."  Recorded on June 10, 2020, this is the first of two practice sessions that Dave, Dave, and Todd recorded to prove that the podcast could become a reality -- six weeks before publishing their movie review of "The Martian" as episode #001 on July 21, 2020.  In this first unearthed episode, the Geeks discussed & decided on the name of the podcast.

 - Which possible podcast names did each Geek advocate for, and which names got shot down?

 - Which Geek came prepared with a color-coded spreadsheet of over 60 possible names to work from (this should be an easy guess)?

 - How fast did the Geeks come to a decision, and how did each Geek contribute to a portion of the final name?

 - After the decision was made, how did the discussion turn to the movie "Battle: Los Angeles," which the Geeks eventually reviewed in episode #086?

 - How did the discussion then turn to favorite sci-fi TV characters, and which characters were mentioned?  Which co-hosts mentioned their #1 favorites, and who were they?  You may know the answer to this question if you tuned in to our Favorite Sci-Fi TV Characters topic in episodes #037 & #039 (not a typo; we published a "WandaVision" review between Parts 1 & 2 of the characters discussion).

 - And, why does the name of this bonus episode start off "Starlite Starbrite" -- a reference to the trailer park (and neighboring convenience store) in the movie "The Last Starfighter," which we reviewed in episode #033?  Hint:  It's in honor of Dave Teague.  Listen to the first few minutes of the episode for context.

We hope you enjoy this stroll down memory lane, appreciate a peak behind the scenes at our process for naming the podcast, and forgive us for the sound quality of recording from 2020 Discord chat using our first set of microphones.

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And, stay tuned all March as we pay tribute to David Charles Teague, who we greatly miss.

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You can contact us at...

- E-Mail:  [email protected]

- Facebook:  #DiscerningGeeksPortal

- Twitter:  @discerninggeeks

Please rate or review us wherever you listen to podcasts.

Public domain music used in the episode includes...

 - "A Good Bass for Gambling" by Komiky via FreePD.com

 - "the-beginning-of-the-story-110942" by Leonid Timachev ("AmarantaMusic") via Pixabay.com

Thousands of years ago, before Florida was drunk by the sea and New York crumbled into the ocean, four brothers ride into battle, to discuss, "Conan the Barbarian."   Yes, this movie is another Dave Teague pick as we celebrate his life during March, almost one year since his passing.  Andruw moderates as this was his selection among Dave Teague picks, with Andruw being a huge Arnold Schwarzenegger fan.

 - How long has the Conan character been around in literature -- long before he was even a character in movies or TV?  How much did the movies help revitalize the character?

 - Conan is one of several characters and fantasy franchises that helped lay the groundwork for other fantasy franchises.  How excited are Dave and Todd that a TV show will be made for Roger Zelazny's "The Chronicle of Amber" book series?

 - How important and successful was Arnold Schwarzenegger for this movie and vice versa?

 - What was the most memorable quote from the movie?

 - Which co-host felt the script for this movie was "solid," and how many other co-hosts feel the movie is "great, for what it is"?

 - Which co-host was caught off guard by a moment of shape shifting, sorcery, or mind control, by the main villain -- and which power was actually on display in that moment?

 - Which co-host is the only one to watch the 2011 version of "Conan the Barbarian" -- along with "Conan the Destroyer" and "Red Sonja"?  What were his opinions of the remake vs. the original?

 - Which two co-hosts have read some of the original Conan novels?  (This one is an easy guess.)

 - What did the Geeks think about the plot & characters in this movie?  Were they deep, and did they need to be?  If they weren't, is that okay for this type of movie?  Which co-host felt strongly that the plot & characters were deeper than most people give credit for?

 - Most importantly, did Arnold Schwarzenegger really punch that camel?

 - What were one co-host's nitpicks over the opening narration and closing subtitles?

 - Which co-hosts nitpicked some over the blood in the movie -- one for it being too fake, another for it being too much?

 - What were the co-hosts' final scores for this movie, and which one graded it the most harshly?

 - What did the co-hosts think Dave Teague would have rated it, in his special & unique grading system?

 - And, what two Dungeons & Dragons character classes should get inspiration from the two main Conan movies?

Listen now for the answers to these and other glistening, muscle-bound questions as we go on a quest with..."Conan the Barbarian."

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And, stay tuned all March as we pay tribute to David Charles Teague, who we greatly miss.

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You can contact us at...

- E-Mail:  [email protected]

- Facebook:  #DiscerningGeeksPortal

- Twitter:  @discerninggeeks

Please rate or review us wherever you listen to podcasts.

Public domain music used in the episode includes...

 - Intro, Part 1:  "Night Attack" by Rafael Krux via FreePD.com

 - Intro, Part 2 & Outro:  "heroes-on-a-journey-cinematic-action-theme-135281" by Dream-Protocol via Pixabay.com

 - Countdown Clock:  "warriors-from-another-time-free-epic-soundtrack-2562" by GioeleFazzeri via Pixabay.com

This March, we will be honoring our late friend and co-host, Dave Teague, by reviewing movies we know he liked or had previously suggested.  First up is the 2014 version of "Godzilla," the first movie in the WB/Legendary MonsterVerse and a movie Dave T. suggested for review at the end of episode #032, which was our review of "The Lake House."  This episode also marks Preston's first time taking the helm and moderating.

 - As a fan of wrestling, what nicknames does Preston give the Geeks during intros?

 - What two drinks did Dave S. prepare to help him through the review?  Does he finish one or both by the end?

 - Which co-host saw this movie with Dave Teague at a theatre in Myrtle Beach when it first came out?

 - Was there too much focus on monster destruction scenes, on the human characters, both, or not enough of either?

 - How many minutes into the movie did Godzilla finally show up, and was that too late?

 - Approximately how much screen time did Godzilla get, and was it enough?

 - In what way -- or multiple ways -- does Godzilla represent America?

 - What did the co-hosts think about sounds & music in the movie?

 - How great was the CGI, and was it worth the effort when cloaked in so much fog & shadow?

 - Do opinions about the movie change at all when thinking of it as a disaster movie instead of a monster movie?

 - Is there enough character development to care about more than just one or two characters -- or even that many?

 - Were the military in the movie portrayed as well-trained, unwise, or a little bit of both?

 - What is the one weapon that has ever been effective against Godzilla (in previous movies)?

 - What's more dangerous, Godzilla or a weapon that can defeat Godzilla in the hands of humans?  How much does that question contribute to the premise of Godzilla and what it might thematically represent?

 - Did this movie portray the right sense of terror, and how would the co-hosts feel if one or more giant monsters really did come onshore and attack our cities?

 - Which co-host cut his lightning round short because he ran out of things to say?

 - Preston gave Dave Teague's rating on the movie instead of his own.  How did Preston know Dave Teague's rating?

 - And, what are the reasons Todd, Andruw, and Dave S. selected "Robot Jox," "Conan the Barbarian," and "Ice Pirates," respectively, to honor Dave Teague this month?

Listen now to the answers to these and other city-leveling questions as we attempt to fight, drive off, or at least survive..."Godzilla."

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And, stay tuned all March as we pay tribute to David Charles Teague, who we greatly miss.

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You can contact us at...

- E-Mail:  [email protected]

- Facebook:  Discerning Geeks Portal

- Twitter:  @discerninggeeks

Please rate or review us wherever you listen to podcasts.  NOTE:  We could really use your help with this.  On Apple Podcasts, we got our first non-perfect review, and it's brought our average down to 4.7.  We'd love to get that closer to 5 again.

Public domain music used in the episode includes, all via Pixabay.com...

 - Intro, Part 1:  "japan-koto-folk-background-music-124876" by "Music_Unlimited"

 - Intro, Part 2:  "down-with-tokyo-3455" by "GabrielDouglas"

 - Countdown Clock:  "japan-origami-113045" by Francesco Biondi ("FreeGroove")

 - Bumper Addition:  "asia-oriental-logo-139061" by "AlexiAction"

 - Outro:  "japanese-garden-139092" by "moodmode"

Thanks to the returning Andruw, this episode is brought to you by the letter A, and it's about...anything.  We start off catching up with what Andruw's been doing, and we gradually transition into more geeky topics from there.

 - Preston asked what food in movies or TV would we most like to eat?  Preston had good answers.  Andruw had a weird example.  Todd didn't have a favorite example, off the top of his head, but had a couple random examples...one from "Babylon 5" (shocker).  This topic also led to tangents of a bug-eater from a "Everybody Loves Raymond" episode, Subway product placement on "Chuck," and the Pixar movie "Ratatouille."

 - What stunt did the funny & sarcastic "Red Letter Media" YouTube channel pull that was comedic, semi-educational, and very charitable, all at once?  Just how many thousands of dollars did their stunt raise and for which two charities?

 - What did Preston have to say about "The Last of Us" on HBO, "Lockwood & Company" on Netflix, and "Wednesday" also on Netflix?

 - What did Todd have to say about the "Quantum Leap" revival on NBC, "Willow" season 1 on Disney+, "National Treasure: Edge of History" season 1 also on Disney+, and "Kaleidoscope" on Netflix?  And, what extent did he have to go to not have this segment being mostly him rambling on for way too long?

 - What did Andruw have to say about "The Office: Superfan" on Peacock?

 - Which co-host is a fan of "The Simpsons" and "The Last Drive In With Joe Bob Briggs"?

 - Were the Geeks looking forward to "Ant-Man & The Wasp: Quantumania" at the time of this recording?

 - What do the Geeks think about James Gunn's line up of DCU "reboot" movies & TV shows?

 - Is Todd going to give modern Star Trek another try with "Star Trek: Picard" season 3?

 - And, will Todd finish writing the summary of this episode before his laptop battery runs out while sitting in the Barnes & Noble cafe long after finishing his white chocolate mocha and breakfast croissant (that he ate as a late lunch)?

Listen now for the answers to these and other random questions (well, except for the Barnes & Noble cafe part) in this month's improvised & eclectic Whatcha' Doin'? episode.

You can contact us at...

- E-Mail:  [email protected]

- Facebook:  Discerning Geeks Portal

- Twitter:  @discerninggeeks

Please rate or review us wherever you listen to podcasts.

Public domain music used in this episode includes...

 - Intro to Episode:  "A Good Bass for Gamblin" by Komiku via FreePD.com

 - Transition to Commercial for the Letter A:  "Vintage Party" by Rafael Krux via FreePD.com

 - Todd's Lightning Round Countdown Clock:  "Inventing Flight" by Bryan Teoh via FreePD.com

 - Outro:  "deep-space-adventure-sci-fi-orchestra-1258" by Phillip Dillow ("Phill_Dillow") via Pixabay.com

This week, we're down one Dave but back up one Andruw (plus a returning Preston; and we can't seem to get rid of Todd for an episode), as we review the MCU Phase 2 movie, "Ant-Man."

 - Which co-host appreciated the aspect of the movie in which Scott Lang had trouble using his skills for a real career.

 - What did the guys think about the character of Scott Lang?

 - Was Scott Lang's backstory pretty standard, pretty unique, or a little of both, depending on your perspective?

 - This is a Marvel heist movie.  How well were the heist aspects handled?

 - What were some of the Geeks' favorite moments?

 - Were the Geeks okay with the adaption of the Hope Van Dyne character, which wasn't a direct translation from the comics?

 - Which co-host compared the movie to biscuits and cookies?

 - How many ways should Todd be eating his Chipotle burrito bowls differently?

 - And, what topic did the Geeks roll for an upcoming episode?

Listen now for the answers to these and other tiny questions as we shrink down for a closer look at..."Ant-Man."

You can contact us at...

- E-Mail:  [email protected]

- Facebook:  Discerning Geeks Portal

- Twitter:  @discerninggeeks

Please rate or review us wherever you listen to podcasts.

This week, we review a movie slightly older than all of us (well, okay, *significantly* older than guest host Preston and soon-to-return Andruw; Todd & Dave really are old).  It's the 1975 kind-of-futuristic, kind-of-sci-fi sports film, "Rollerball."  This was recently chosen randomly on our still-unnamed-season-3-portal, but it's a season 2 leftover Wheel of Insanity pick chosen by our late friend & co-host, Dave Teague.

 - Why did the guys start the episode talking so much about microphones?  (No, seriously, why?)

 - Why did Dave Teague pick this movie for us to review?  (No, seriously, why?  ...We'll explore & theorize.)

 - Which drug does one co-host think might have enhanced the viewing of this movie (if he were in to that sort of thing...which he's not...or so he claims...we're not around him all the time, so how do we know)?

 - What did the co-hosts think of the "futuristic" 2018 depicted in this movie compared to the actual 2018 we got?

 - How does that future setting reflect or differ from our society today?

 - What is the point of the Rollerball game itself?

 - Which co-host(s) have read "Tale of Two Cities"?  If you guessed Todd, you need to listen to more episodes.

 - What deeper meanings were the Geeks able to get out of this movie?

 - How did Preston help make the review more intellectual and coherent?

 - How creepy was it, three grown men spending almost 1.5 minutes debating go-go dresses vs. summer sun-dresses?

 - And, what upcoming topic did we randomly roll on the portal this week?

Listen now to score the answers to these and other questions as we circle around the topic of..."Rollerball."

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In honor of Dave Teague.

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You can contact us at...

 - E-Mail:  [email protected]

 - Facebook:  Discerning Geeks Portal

 - Twitter:  @discerninggeeks

Please rate or review us wherever you listen to podcasts.

Public domain music used:

 - Intro (1st half):  "Toccata_et_Fugue_BWV565" by Johann Sebastian Bach in the public domain, downloaded from https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Toccata_et_Fugue_BWV565.ogg

 - Intro (2nd half):  "be-on-my-way-109191" by Sergei Chetvertnykh ("SergeQuadrado") via Pixabay.com

 - Unfunny Presidential Reference:  "Hail to the Chief" in the public domain

 - Drug Trip Reference:  "weeknds-122592" by DayFox via Pixabay.com

 - Go-Go Dress Reference:  "funky-turn-on-113880" by Oleksii Kaplunskyi ("Lesfm") via Pixabay.com

 - Creepy Go-Go Dress vs. Summer Sun-Dress Debate:  "Pickled Pink" by Kevin MacLeod via FreePD.com

 - Lightning Round Clock (Preston's & Todd's):  "energetic-upbeat-vintage-funky-pop-groove-dance-party-114502" by Dmitry Taras ("SoundGalleryByDmitryTaras") via Pixabay.com

 - Lightning Round Clock (Dave's):  "piano-blues-and-gospel-sisters-choir-humming-9067" by JuliusH via Pixabay.com

 - Outro:  "funkalicious-10403" by BeachVibesMusic via Pixabay.com