Gobbledygeek

If you're seeing double--do not adjust your set. Paul and Arlo, podcasting's own dynamic duo, have done a Geek Challenge involving dos doppelganger dramas. Well, drama might be a strong word for such a picture as Peter Medak's 1981 spoof Zorro, The Gay Blade, starring George Hamilton as Don Diego Vega and his brother Ramon Vega, who are charged with taking up their father's mantle of El Zorro. That's Paul's challenge to Arlo, of course--and Paul's challenge to himself (listen and find out!) is Krzysztof Kieslowski's 1991 film The Double Life of Veronique, a mysterious and possibly supernatural film featuring Irène Jacob as Polish singer Weronika and French music teacher Veronique, who share an indefinable connection. Get ready to swash some buckles and contemplate some existences!

NEXT: after a week off, it's that time again. Leaves are on the ground and blood is on the screen. It's time for Gobbledyween. Greg Sahadachny joins us to discuss The Autopsy of Jane Doe.

BREAKDOWN

00:00:32 - Intro / Guest

00:07:20 - Zorro, The Gay Blade

00:57:25 - The Double Life of Veronique

01:58:41 - Outro / Next

LINKS

• "In 'Joker' Do We Think The Wayne Family Enjoyed 'Zorro, The Gay Blade'?" by Mike Ryan, Uproxx

• "The Double Life of Véronique: Through the Looking Glass" by Jonathan Romney, The Criterion Collection
• "The dizzying hall of mirrors that is The Double Life Of Veronique" by Tasha Robinson, The Dissolve

• "Fantasy, emotion, and the unsolved mysteries of Double Life of Veronique" by Noel Murray, Keith Phipps, Tasha Robinson, and Scott Tobias, The Dissolve

• "The Depths of What We Cannot Know: On 'The Double Life of Véronique'" by Jessica Ritchey, RogerEbert.com
• "Behind the Curtain: The Double Life of Véronique" by David Braga, Bright Wall/Dark Room
• "Have you ever felt strangely as if you were somewhere else?" by Roger Ebert, RogerEbert.com

MUSIC

"It Takes Two" by Rob Base & DJ E-Z Rock, It Takes Two (1988)

"I Think I'm a Clone Now" by Weird Al Yankovic, Even Worse (1988)

GOBBLEDYCARES

• Support Black Lives Matter and find anti-racism resources: https://blacklivesmatters.carrd.co/
• Help teachers and classrooms in need: https://www.donorschoose.org/
• Do your part to remove the burden of medical debt for individuals, families, and veterans: https://ripmedicaldebt.org/
• Register to vote: https://vote.gov/

For all you kids at home with a copy of Webster's New Universal Unabridged Dictionary Deluxe Second Edition taking pride of place on your bookshelf--boy, do we have a treat for you! Paul and Arlo are back on their bullshit, running at the mouth about anything they damn well please. This week's subjects include: the extreme metal-ness of childbirth, Spider-Man: Miles Morales swinging onto the brand spankin' new PS5, covert earbuds, Infinity Train heading to the station on HBO Max, a treatise on The Searchers and Apocalypse Now, and so much more.

NEXT: Zorro, the Gay Blade spends a day in The Double Life of Veronique for a doppelganger-centric Geek Challenge.

LINKS

The Infinity Train Comes and Goes, Leaves Audience Feeling Empty in the Best Way Possible, by Alexander Lewis, Loyola Phoenix

Raised By Wolves Review: Ridley Scott Among the Androids, by Mike Hale, New York Times

Gameplay Footage from Marvel's Spider-Man: Miles Morales (PS5)

MUSIC

"Doin' It" by LL Cool J, Mr. Smith (1995)

"Piece of Me" by Britney Spears, Blackout (2007)

GOBBLEDYCARES

• Support Black Lives Matter and find anti-racism resources: https://blacklivesmatters.carrd.co/
• Help teachers and classrooms in need: https://www.donorschoose.org/
• Do your part to remove the burden of medical debt for individuals, families, and veterans: https://ripmedicaldebt.org/
• Register to vote: https://vote.gov/

For another freewheeling freestyle extravaganza, Paul and Arlo cast their minds to everything from billionaire playboy Bruce Wayne to the inevitable end of all things. They wonder how they might write The Deli Counter of Justice in the harsh light of 2020 before the conversation mutates into a treatise on the relative fascism of Batman, an update on Arlo's progress through Andy Mulvihill's Action Park book, the boys reacting to the Dune trailer because that shit always gets mad hits on YouTube, and eventually a rumination on whether or not human life should even exist. What a fun pop culture podcast.

Next: more fun.

MUSIC

"The End" by The Doors, The Doors (1967)

"The End of the Line" by Traveling Wilburys, Traveling Wilburys Vol. 1 (1988)

GOBBLEDYCARES

• Support Black Lives Matter and find anti-racism resources: https://blacklivesmatters.carrd.co/
• Donate to the Milwaukee Freedom Fund in support of the protesters in Kenosha: https://supportwomenshealth.salsalabs.org/mkefreedomfund/index.html
• Register to vote: https://vote.gov/
• Support the California Wildfire Relief Fund: https://www.calfund.org/wildfire-relief-fund/
• Help teachers and classrooms in need: https://www.donorschoose.org/
• Support RIP Medical Debt and remove the burden of medical debt for individuals, families, and veterans: https://ripmedicaldebt.org/
• After the tragic passing of Chadwick Boseman, educate yourself about colorectal cancer, and get screened if you're at risk: https://www.cancer.org/cancer/colon-rectal-cancer.html

As Hamilton taught us, everything is legal in New Jersey. So we shouldn't be surprised that it was once home to Action Park, the most dangerous amusement park in the world. Eugene Mulvihill's vision of a lawless hellscape with pleasure as its only principle is the American Dream in miniature, with a guest appearance by Donald Trump himself! Paul and Arlo discuss the new HBO Max documentary Class Action Park, which brought the Mulvihill legend to their attention; some ancillary material available on YouTube, including one insane post-credits sequence; how Paul would love to bean somebody with a flaming tennis ball; and their respective childhoods, one as a latchkey kid in the '70s/'80s and one as a cowardly nerd in the '90s/'00s. Will they emerge unscathed? Tune in and find out!

Next: another episode of your favorite podcast. No, not that one. This one. Wait. Come back.

THE BREAKDOWN

Total Run Time: 01:24:00

• 00:00:30 - Intro / Main Topic
• 01:21:07 - Outro / Next

THE MUSIC

• Action Park commercial (1983)
• "Don't Talk to Strangers" by The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Turtle Tunes (1994)

THE LINKS

• The Most Insane Amusement Park Ever (Video)
• Defunctland: The History of Action Park (Video)
• TMNT: Don't Talk to Strangers (Video)

Paul and Arlo are doin' good, they're on some new shit: actually talking at length about music! A/V director and founding Gobbler Joseph Lewis joins the boys to rave about Taylor Swift's newest (and best) album, Folklore. The gang discusses how Folklore offers a more mature and introspective look at Swift's pop star persona, how the collaboration with The National's Aaron Dessner enhances her sonic palette, the drama of the Teenage Love Trilogy, the beautiful video for "cardigan," and more.

Next: slippin' and slidin' with Class Action Park.

BONUS MUSIC RECOMMENDATIONS:

Joe

• Manic by Halsey
• Punisher by Phoebe Bridger
• Gaslighter by The Chicks
• Tourist Season by Miel
• The New Abnormal by The Strokes
• Run-On Death Sentence by Alex Jonestown Massacre

Arlo

• Every Bad by Porridge Radio
• Rough and Rowdy Ways by Bob Dylan
• Song for Our Daughter by Laura Marling
• Once I Was an Eagle by Laura Marling
• Fetch the Bolt Cutters by Fiona Apple

Paul

• Louie 99 by Pet Rocks and Fake Flowers
• Imploding the Mirage by The Killers
• Twelfth by Old 97's

THE BREAKDOWN

Total Run Time: 02:46:30

• 00:01:00 - Intro / Banter
• 00:07:14 - Our histories with Taylor Swift
• 00:28:38 - Track-by-track review of folklore
• 02:31:28 - Other new music recommendations
• 02:42:50 - Outro / Next

THE MUSIC

• "the 1" by Taylor Swift, folklore (2020)
• "cardigan" by Taylor Swift, folklore (2020)
• "exile" by Taylor Swift, folklore (2020)
• "seven" by Taylor Swift, folkky8lore (2020)
• "august" by Taylor Swift, folklore (2020)
• "illicit affairs" by Taylor Swift, folklore (2020)
• "betty" by Taylor Swift, folklore (2020)
• "hoax" by Taylor Swift, folklore (2020)

THE LINKS

• "Who Is Rebekah Harkness, Star of Taylor Swift's 'The Last Great American Dynasty'?" by Brenna Ehrlich, Rolling Stone

• "Betty" Pop Punk Cover

He wasn't going to get away that easy. Just in time for his biennial torture session, Chance Mazzia has been roped into another episode of Gobbledygeek. Since his last go-round, Chance has become a high school teacher, thereby automatically becoming a more productive member of society than either Paul or Arlo. Chance tells us about the esports team he coaches at school, Paul and Arlo share a rare moment of commiseration by not knowing any of the games Chance mentions, the gang is bummed out by the latest developments concerning Netflix's live-action Avatar remake, and Paul and Arlo are surprised to fall in love with Harley Quinn.

Next: Taylor Swift delivers the best album of her career with Folklore.

THE MUSIC

• "Multiplayer" by Barbie, Video Game Hero (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) (2017)
• "Spare Change" by Pet Rocks and Fake Flowers (2020)

THE LINKS

• "Avatar: The Last Airbender Creators Just Left the Live-Action Netflix Adaptation" by Beth Elderkin, Gizmodo
• "Spare Change" by Pet Rocks and Fake Flowers

They'll tear you a new puppet hole, bitch! The worlds of Charles Band and Don Mancini collide in a pre-Gobbledyween Geek Challenge. Paul sends Arlo a psychic alert letting him know to watch 1989's Puppet Master, the first of producer Band's direct-to-VHS Full Moon Features and the source of approximately one trillion sequels. In turn, Arlo goes meta and has a doll voiced by him call Paul while the real Arlo is tied to a bed behind him, commanding Paul to watch 2004's Seed of Chucky. Paul recounts the joy of watching Full Moon Features in his 20s, Arlo launches a full-throated defense of Mancini's vision, and they are both just completely miserable. Plus, the boys have nothing but nice things to say about Taylor Swift's Folklore.

Next: we're off, then we're not.

THE BREAKDOWN

Total Run Time: 01:49:34

• 00:00:25 - Intro / Banter
• 00:16:56 - Puppet Master
• 01:03:15 - Seed of Chucky
• 01:45:00 - Outro / Next

THE MUSIC

• "Master of Puppets" by Metallica, Master of Puppets (1986)
• "Doll Parts" by Hole, Live Through This (1994)

THE LINKS

• "How 'Child's Play' Became The Funniest, Most Reliably Surprising, And Queerest Slasher Series" by Louis Peitzman, BuzzFeed

• "Queer Underworld: SEED OF CHUCKY (2004)" by Leigh Monson, Birth.Movies.Death.

• "Why Seed of Chucky holds a special place in my heart" by Sam Mauro, Little White Lies

• "Seed of Chucky" by Roger Ebert, RogerEbert.com

• "We Watched and Ranked Every Single 'Puppet Master' Film" by Daniel Kurland, Bloody Disgusting

2020 may be an absolute shitshow, but thanks to Disney+, we can all be in the living room where it happens: the filmed performance of Hamilton, recorded in 2016 with the original Broadway cast, is now available to stream. Paul and Arlo may have talked about Hamilton, oh, once or twice or 18 times since its debut five years ago, but luckily über-fan Sarah Kosheff is on hand to help them find new things to say. Arlo talks about getting to see an actual production of Hamilton for the first time, Paul relays the time he was sprayed with Groff sauce, the gang discusses the up-close nuance of the troupe's acting, and they address some of the political and cultural criticisms of the show.

Next: we get all dolled up for a Geek Challenge featuring Puppet Master and Seed of Chucky.

THE BREAKDOWN

Total Run Time: 02:15:20

• 00:00:18 - Intro / Guest
• 00:01:34 - Main Topic
• 02:09:40 - Outro / Next

THE MUSIC

• "Alexander Hamilton" by Original Broadway Cast of Hamilton, Hamilton (Original Broadway Cast Recording) (2015)
• "Who Lives, Who Dies, Who Tells Your Story" by Original Broadway Cast of Hamilton, Hamilton (Original Broadway Cast Recording) (2015)

THE LINKS

• The Podcast Where It Happens

• "We got comfortable with Hamilton. The new film reminds us how risky it is." by Alissa Wilkinson, Vox

• "Hamilton's Secret Character: How Death Appears Throughout The Show" by Hannah Shaw-Williams, Screenrant

• "Eliza's Gasp at the End of Hamilton Has the Internet Divided" by Elena Nicolaou, Oprahmag.com

• "Hamilton is fanfic, and its historical critics are totally missing the point" by Aja Romano, Vox

• "Why Hamilton is as frustrating as it is brilliant — and impossible to pin down" by Aja Romano, Vox

• "Hamilton True Story: What Did Lin-Manuel Miranda Change?" by Laura Potier, Screenrant

• "Hamilton and the Historical Record: Frequently Asked Questions" by Jennifer Schuessler, New York Times

• "Hamilton Movie Sees Renewed Calls to 'Cancel' Show Over Depiction of Slavery" by Staff, Inside Edition

• "In Defense of Hamilton" by Michael McLean, We're History
• "Hamilton felt revolutionary in 2015 — but it strikes a different chord today" by Cate Young, Today

A deadly virus rages across the world. The U.S. is in shambles. Despite the imminent threat, humans have started to turn on one another. And in other news, this week Paul and Arlo are talking about Naughty Dog's highly anticipated zombie apocalypse sequel The Last of Us Part II. Joining them for a discussion of this brutal, beautiful game is none other than Alex Jonestown Massacre guitarist Kenn Edwards. The gang discusses how the game departs from its predecessor, the incredible acting of Ashley Johnson and Laura Bailey, how writer-director Nate Druckmann forces the player to confront the consequences of their actions, and more. Also, Arlo didn't actually play it! Plus, Kenn tells us about AJM's new album Run-On Death Sentence and his Lost rewatch podcast Pushing the Button.

Next: there's hope for our ass after all. Sarah Kosheff joins us to discuss the filmed performance of Hamilton.

THE BREAKDOWN

Total Run Time: 02:55:47

• 00:01:24 - Intro / Banter
• 00:06:43 - Kenn's new podcast
• 00:16:25 - Kenn's new album
• 00:30:24 - The Last of Us Part II
• 02:45:45 - Outro / Next

THE MUSIC

• "Future Days" by Troy Baker (2020)
• "Take On Me" by Ashley Johnson (2020)
• "Millennial Whoop" by Alex Jonestown Massacre, Run-On Death Sentence (2020)

THE LINKS

• Pushing the Button: A Chronologically LOST Podcast

• Alex Jonestown Massacre - Bandcamp - Spotify

• "Drinking the Kool-Aid with The Alex Jonestown Massacre" by Alicen Hackney, RVA

• "The Last of Us Part II Is a Dark Game for a Dark Time" by Conor Dougherty, New York Times
• "Neil Druckmann and Halley Gross Open Up About the Biggest Twists of The Last of Us Part II" by David Ehrlich, IndieWire

• "The Last of Us Part II boldly reckons with its predecessor and its own violent design" by A.A. Dowd, AV Club

• "The Last of Us Part II: How Naughty Dog made a classic amidst catastrophe" by Sam White, GQ

• "Last of Us 2's Ending Explained - What Happens and Why When the Game Ends" by Phil Hornshaw, Gamespot

• "The Last of Us 2 epitomizes one of gaming's longest debates" by Chris Plante, Polygon

• "The Last of Us Part II points toward a more honest portrayal of religion in gaming" by Gene Park, Washington Post

• "The Last of Us (The Movie)" edited by Andy Gilleand

• "The Last of Us: Left Behind (The Movie)" edited by Andy Gilleand

• "THE LAST OF US 2 All Cutscenes (Full Game Movie) PS4 Pro 1080p HD" edited by Gamer's Little Playground

The beauty of Gobbledygeek freestyle episodes is that Paul and Arlo will hop on the microphone and start yammering about something or other, then next thing you know, bam, it's been a tight 45 on the Child's Play franchise. Killer doll movies, killer German time travel shows (what up, Dark), killer longings for idealized video stores of yesteryear, killer viruses--this episode's got it all. It will kill you.

Next: speaking of somebody who got killed, Hamilton: An American Musical comes to Disney+.

THE BREAKDOWN

Total Run Time: 01:49:40

• 00:00:20 - Intro
• 01:45:06 - Outro / Next

THE MUSIC

• "Chucky Rap" by Daddyphatsnaps, Chucky Rap (2019)
• "The Buddi Song" by Mark Hamill (2019)