Gobbledygeek

You may have heard that AJ, Paul, and Eric have been cooking up a special project. That project is the forthcoming superhero short story anthology The Deli Counter of Justice, and they are thrilled to finally star talking about. In this first behind-the-scenes podcast, they discuss the project's silly Twitter genesis, its overall concept (superhero hangs up his cape and opens a deli, as you do), and what you can expect from the book. Also, they're still looking for an author or two! If you're interested, or have any questions, please shoot 'em an e-mail at [email protected].

After our adventures with clown dolls, Reagan-era values, and disgusting eating habits with Poltergeist, Gobbledyween continues on with ghosts of a different sort in Peter Jackson's The Frighteners. Paul and AJ are joined by frequent guest/utter masochist Eric Sipple to discuss the underrated 1996 horror-comedy, yet another cult classic which Universal botched, moving it from a perfect Halloween release to date to a summer during which it had to contend with Independence Day. The boys are happy to discover that it holds up, that its elaborate special effects are still impressive, and that it's actually pretty damn disturbing. How well Jackson balances the darker stuff with some very broad laughs is another matter, and here's another: does that opening scene need to exist? We have the answer. Plus, Paul almost died! For real! Not an imaginary story!

Next: rev your chainsaws and put on your prettiest skin-mask, boys and girls, because Gobbledyween is taking a look back at the original Texas Chain Saw Massacre.

It's late. Your dad's asleep in his chair. The national anthem plays. Static blares from your TV set. You place your hands on the screen, lean in close, and are confronted with the most nightmarish vision possible...the new episode of Gobbledygeek! Scary, I know. Paul and AJ kick off the month of horror that is known as Gobbledyween with a look back at Tobe Hooper's 1982 classic Poltergeist, joined by long-time friend of the show Valerie Clark in her first (1st!) appearance. Does the movie hold up? Did Hooper really direct it, or was it all writer/executive producer Steven Spielberg? Is the film really one long treatise on Reagan-era values versus traditionalism? Are the characters' food habits the most disturbing thing about the movie? All these questions and more will be answered! Plus, the gang talks Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.

Next: Gobbledyween continues to terrify, as the putrid Eric Sipple returns to chat Peter Jackson's The Frighteners.

Paul and AJ are joined this week by return guest Anna Williams, who has brought along her...cohort? partner-in-crime? mistress?...Kitty Chandler. Kitty writes the words; Anna edits those words. They discuss their forthcoming collaboration, the "braided anthology" Black Ice, along with wacky tales of purple diaries and sad cosplaying. Then there's Murderboarding, which is the two of them analyzing TV to an insane--and insanely detailed--degree.

Next: Gobbledyween 2013 kicks off with the Tobe Hooper (but c'mon, we all know it was Spielberg) classic Poltergeist.

Comics! They're good for you! But wait, no! They're also bad! This is an accurate description of the emotional roller-coaster Paul and AJ strap themselves into this week. First up, there's X-Men: Battle of the Atom, an event the boys are surprised to enjoy chiefly because it's one of the Big Two's dreaded "events"; then there's The Superior Spider-Man, about which there is much rage and sadness and talk of poop. There's a lot of poop talk. Plus, Jurassic Park and Harry Potter are both going back to the well, and the boys pimp themselves and friends. They're just a coupla classy guys.

Next: yet more Gobbledy-wonderment.

It’s an even-numbered episode, which theoretically puts Paul in the drivers seat for this week, but he completely phones it in, so AJ Wiley takes the reins and redeems himself, more or less, for many of his prior podcast failures. He welcomes foul-mouthed fiddle player Anna Williams to the show to school the boys on how to talk about music. Also pet gender, cast announcements for Fifty Shades of Grey, and Gobbledygeek being so bad it’s driven Hayao Miyazaki into retirement. Meanwhile, Paul’s only contribution is the pitch for League of Extraordinarily Awkward Auteur Directors.

Next: the boys continue to fail at this job.

Esteemed writer of words Mere Smith and goddess of pain Eric Sipple have returned to Gobbledygeek! They discuss pitching their wares at the forthcoming Word on the Street Festival in Toronto, the crazy logistics that go into planning an event of that magnitude, the books they'll be hawking there, and the level of collaboration made possible by the Internet. Plus, Paul and AJ have a sane and measured response to the casting of Ben Affleck as Batman, and AJ lavishes praise upon The World's End.

Next: who knows!

The people have spoken! Fan-favorite bastard Jason Tabrys, winner of the Gobbler’s Choice Award for Most Chaotic Fun guest, returns to the show at last. This time he and the boys talk about Batman’s hard-earned sexual gratification, scholarly tweets, reading ebooks in front of the real books, and Paul tries to defend his love of dance. Also, midget Gary Oldman. No words I can put here could ever possibly prepare you for the glorious chaos of this episode. Wade in and enjoy.

Next: Mere Smith returns! (Oh, and Sipple too.) As they prepare for the upcoming Toronto Word On The Street festival, the dynamic duo join us to talk about artistic collaboration.

Did you know that Paul and AJ sometimes disagree on things? It's true! They've kind of sort of made a career out of it, albeit one where no one pays them anything. The only reward they earn is the mutual corrosion of their souls. Continuing in that time-tested tradition, AJ invited Paul to revisit Gremlins 2: The New Batch, a film AJ contests is one of the most underrated sequels ever. It's also one Paul hated when he saw it in theaters 23 years ago. Has his opinion changed?

Next: more corrosion of the soul, perhaps featuring guests.

Paul and AJ have newfound allies in writer Magdalena Burnham and director Andrew Ruiz, who join them to discuss their television pilot project Allies. They've taken to Kickstarter to fund a pilot about the queer teen experience, following members of the gay/straight alliance at a Montana high school. That's right: independent TV, it's a thing! Magdalena and Andrew discuss the dearth of LGBTQ characters on TV, their influences, and their goals (Kickstarter and otherwise). Plus, the boys are excited about the return of Saga and AJ is disturbed by Berberian Sound Studio.

Next: they warned you, remember the rules, you didn't listen. But now you'll have to listen to AJ and Paul revisit Gremlins 2: The New Batch.