Gobbledygeek

For this month's Four-Color Flashback, Paul and Arlo tackle a blindspot from one of their favorite writers. Gene Luen Yang, author of Gobbledyfaves like American Born Chinese and Avatar: The Last Airbender, tells the brutal story of the Boxer Rebellion in Boxers & Saints. The graphic novel duology delves into complex subjects like faith, spirituality, nationalism, and fascism; we cover 'em all, hopefully in something resembling depth. Plus, Arlo returns to the city of Metropolis for more Superman comics, including mega-event The Death and Return of Superman and Grant Morrison & Mark Waid's JLA run.

NEXT: we find our inner Greenwich Village folksters with a Geek Challenge featuring Noah Kahan's Stick Season and Bob Dylan's Blood on the Tracks.

BREAKDOWN

00:00:30 - Intro / Arlo's Adventures of Superman

00:36:45 - Boxers & Saints

02:20:14 - Outro / Next

MUSIC

• "The Boxer" by Simon & Garfunkle, Bridge Over Troubled Water (1970)

• "It's Hard to Be a Saint in the City" by Bruce Springsteen, Greetings from Asbury Park, N.J. (1973)

GOBBLEDYCARES

• National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: https://suicidepreventionlifeline.org/

• Abortion Funds in Every State: https://bit.ly/AbortionFundsTwitter

• Support AAPI communities and those affected by anti-Asian violence: https://www.gofundme.com/c/act/stop-aapi-hate

• Support the AAPI Civic Engagement Fund: https://aapifund.org/

• Support Black Lives Matter and find anti-racism resources: https://blacklivesmatters.carrd.co/

• The Trevor Project provides information and support to LGBTQ youth: thetrevorproject.org

• Trans Lifeline: https://translifeline.org/

• • US (877) 565-8860

  • Canada (877) 330-6366

• National Center for Transgender Equality: transequality.org

• Advocate for writers who might be owed money due to discontinuance of royalties: https://www.writersmustbepaid.org/

• 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/

Love can spread like a fungus throughout the soul, eradicating any shred of self-control. For a thorough depiction of that sentiment, we turn to HBO's The Last of Us, a TV adaptation of the blockbuster video game series. Joining Paul and Arlo to talk everything mushroom are authors and pop culture enthusiasts Dale and Ensley Guffey, stopping by the show for their first visit in years. The gang discusses the game's transition to television, how the show breaks new ground for the zombie apocalypse genre, the incredible chemistry between Pedro Pascal and Bella Ramsay, and much more.

NEXT: a long-delayed Four-Color Flashback discussion of Gene Luen Yang's Boxers & Saints.

BREAKDOWN

00:00:48 - Intro / Guests

00:03:00 - HBO's The Last of Us

01:59:42 - Outro / Next

LINKS

• Dale's NON-pop culture blog: Splendor in the Sticks

MUSIC

• "Never Let Me Down Again" by Depeche Mode, Music for the Masses (1987)

• "Long Long Time" by Linda Ronstadt, Silk Purse (1970)

GOBBLEDYCARES

• National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: https://suicidepreventionlifeline.org/

• Abortion Funds in Every State: https://bit.ly/AbortionFundsTwitter

• Support AAPI communities and those affected by anti-Asian violence: https://www.gofundme.com/c/act/stop-aapi-hate

• Support the AAPI Civic Engagement Fund: https://aapifund.org/

• Support Black Lives Matter and find anti-racism resources: https://blacklivesmatters.carrd.co/

• The Trevor Project provides information and support to LGBTQ youth: thetrevorproject.org

• Trans Lifeline: https://translifeline.org/

• • US (877) 565-8860

  • Canada (877) 330-6366

• National Center for Transgender Equality: transequality.org

• Advocate for writers who might be owed money due to discontinuance of royalties: https://www.writersmustbepaid.org/

• 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/

You remind me of the pod…the pod with the geeks. Paul and Arlo fall down the rabbit hole of another Geek Challenge, this time pitting Jim Henson's 1986 cult classic Labyrinth against Jan Švankmajer's 1988 headtrip Alice. Henson's film finds Jennifer Connelly dancing with David Bowie and a variety of Muppets as she attempts to rescue her baby brother, while Švankmajer's finds Kristýna Kohoutová assailed by a variety of bizarre stop-motion creations and a taxidermied rabbit. It should be obvious who picked which movie. Topics of discussion include codpieces, sellouts, practical effects, and weird sex, among others.

NEXT: Paul and Arlo ride through The Last of Us' post-apocalypse with the inestimable Dale Guffey and Ensley F. Guffey

BREAKDOWN

00:00:52 - Intro / Reminiscence on Vomit

00:42:07 - Alice

01:19:20 - Labyrinth

02:11:50 - Outro / Next

LINKS

• To Solve the Labyrinth: An Essay Film About a Fantasy Film by J.D. Hansel

• INTERVIEW WITH JAN ŠVANKMAJER by Virginie Sélavy, Electric Sheep

MUSIC

• "Magic Dance" by David Bowie, Labyrinth (Original Soundtrack) (1986)

• "Alice" by Sisters of Mercy (1982)

GOBBLEDYCARES

• National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: https://suicidepreventionlifeline.org/

• Abortion Funds in Every State: https://bit.ly/AbortionFundsTwitter

• Support AAPI communities and those affected by anti-Asian violence: https://www.gofundme.com/c/act/stop-aapi-hate

• Support the AAPI Civic Engagement Fund: https://aapifund.org/

• Support Black Lives Matter and find anti-racism resources: https://blacklivesmatters.carrd.co/

• The Trevor Project provides information and support to LGBTQ youth: thetrevorproject.org

• Trans Lifeline: https://translifeline.org/

• • US (877) 565-8860

  • Canada (877) 330-6366

• National Center for Transgender Equality: transequality.org

• Advocate for writers who might be owed money due to discontinuance of royalties: https://www.writersmustbepaid.org/

• 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/

Time to rise, roar, and revolt as Paul and Arlo engage in some extreme piggybacking with S.S. Rajamouli's RRR. This alt-history epic is the rare Indian film to make a splash in the Western world, and our boys approach it as only two ignorant white guys can: with almost no knowledge of Indian culture or film! Nevertheless, they are in love with the movie, which reimagines Indian revolutionary figures Komaram Bheem and Alluri Sitarama Raju as superheroes who can outrun tigers, shoot a British bastard from a mile away, and stop motorcycles with their bare hands. The boys praise stars N.T. Rama Rao Jr. and Ram Charan, admire Rajamouli's craft, and weep in awe at the insane shit happening in every single scene. Plus, there's a trailer for The Flash and Arlo has finally gone back to reading old Superman comics.

NEXT: TBD.

BREAKDOWN

00:00:44 - Intro / Guest

00:18:04 - Main Topic

02:03:24 - Outro / Next

LINKS

• RRR: How S.S. Rajamouli Created an Action Movie Phenomenon – Tollywood Style by Gene Ching, Den of Geek

• 'RRR' Director S.S. Rajamouli Talks About His Spectacular Action Epic And Reveals That The Ecstatic U.S. Reception Has Inspired A Sequel: "Nothing Is Impossible" by Damon Wise, Deadline

• These 'difficult actors' said 'RRR' couldn't be done. Their director proved them wrong by Carlos Aguilar, Los Angeles Times

• RRR is an incredible action movie with seriously troubling politics by Ritesh Babu, Vox

MUSIC

• "Dosti" by Amit Trivedi, RRR (Original Soundtrack) (2022)

• "Naacho Naacho" by Vishal Mishra & Rahul Sipligunj, RRR (Original Soundtrack) (2022)

GOBBLEDYCARES

• National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: https://suicidepreventionlifeline.org/

• Abortion Funds in Every State: https://bit.ly/AbortionFundsTwitter

• Support AAPI communities and those affected by anti-Asian violence: https://www.gofundme.com/c/act/stop-aapi-hate

• Support the AAPI Civic Engagement Fund: https://aapifund.org/

• Support Black Lives Matter and find anti-racism resources: https://blacklivesmatters.carrd.co/

• The Trevor Project provides information and support to LGBTQ youth: thetrevorproject.org

• Trans Lifeline: https://translifeline.org/

• • US (877) 565-8860

  • Canada (877) 330-6366

• National Center for Transgender Equality: transequality.org

• Advocate for writers who might be owed money due to discontinuance of royalties: https://www.writersmustbepaid.org/

• 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/

Got a hankerin' for god meat? Well, pull out your giant lightsaber knife and feast on a new Four-Color Flashback! For the first FCF of 2023, Paul and Arlo set out at warp speed to seek enlightenment with Al Ewing and Simone Di Meo's We Only Find Them When They're Dead. The BOOM! Studios series, whose 15-issue run wrapped in December, is set hundreds of years from now, when the primary industry is extracting proteins, enzymes, and minerals from the corpses of massive deities. Evocative title and crazy premise aside, the book is chock full of theosophical enigmas that our boys try to solve. Beyond the elusive quest for concrete answers, though, this comic certainly makes them feel a whole lot. Dig in. Plus, some bellyaching about the new slate of DC movies.

NEXT: a discussion of S.S. Rajamouli's action epic RRR, which presumably concerns reading, writing, and arithmetic.

BREAKDOWN

00:00:30 - Intro / Banter

00:21:25 - We Only Find Them When They're Dead

01:58:36 - Outro / Next

MUSIC

• "For Whom the Bell Tolls" by Metallica, Ride the Lightning (1984)
• "Mystery Jack" by King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard, Float Along - Fill Your Lungs (2013)

GOBBLEDYCARES

• National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: https://suicidepreventionlifeline.org/
• Abortion Funds in Every State: https://bit.ly/AbortionFundsTwitter
• Support AAPI communities and those affected by anti-Asian violence: https://www.gofundme.com/c/act/stop-aapi-hate
• Support the AAPI Civic Engagement Fund: https://aapifund.org/
• Support Black Lives Matter and find anti-racism resources: https://blacklivesmatters.carrd.co/
• The Trevor Project provides information and support to LGBTQ youth: thetrevorproject.org
• Trans Lifeline: https://translifeline.org/
• • US (877) 565-8860
  • Canada (877) 330-6366
• National Center for Transgender Equality: transequality.org
• Advocate for writers who might be owed money due to discontinuance of royalties: https://www.writersmustbepaid.org/
• 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/

We're back, baby! After a longer than expected hiatus, Gobbledygeek has returned for season 14. That's right, we're up to 14 seasons of Paul and Arlo babbling on about any manner of nonsense–which they continue to do in this freestyle season premiere. 2023 has come in like a lion and is likely to go out like one, so we find our boys licking their wounds, recounting the real-life horrors that delayed their return to the mic, and generally complaining about everything. Including pop culture! Lest you forget that's what they're here for, Paul and Arlo sauté some thoughts on the mushroom apocalypse of HBO's The Last of Us adaptation; rave about the movies they've caught up with, like The Fabelmans, RRR, and Aftersun; and decide to get high-brow by reading books that don't have any pictures. Plus, a pitch for the inevitable Gobbledygeek TV series.

NEXT: okay, but we really like books that do have pictures in them. This year's Four-Color Flashback series kicks off with Al Ewing and Simone Di Meo's We Only Find Them When They're Dead.

MUSIC

• "At Last" by Etta James, At Last! (1960)
• "This Will Be Our Year" by The Zombies, Odessey and Oracle (1968)

GOBBLEDYCARES

• National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: https://suicidepreventionlifeline.org/
• Abortion Funds in Every State: https://bit.ly/AbortionFundsTwitter
• Support AAPI communities and those affected by anti-Asian violence: https://www.gofundme.com/c/act/stop-aapi-hate
• Support the AAPI Civic Engagement Fund: https://aapifund.org/
• Support Black Lives Matter and find anti-racism resources: https://blacklivesmatters.carrd.co/
• The Trevor Project provides information and support to LGBTQ youth: thetrevorproject.org
• Trans Lifeline: https://translifeline.org/
• • US (877) 565-8860
  • Canada (877) 330-6366
• National Center for Transgender Equality: transequality.org
• Advocate for writers who might be owed money due to discontinuance of royalties: https://www.writersmustbepaid.org/
• 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/

Is that a tree branch on your face, or are you just lying to me? An extra-long Gobbledygeek season finale takes root with a discussion of Guillermo del Toro and Mark Gustafson's new stop-motion adaptation of Pinocchio. Paul and Arlo discuss the numerous ways del Toro has made Carlo Collodi's immortal tale his own, chiefly by making it a study of mortality–oh, and fascism too. The boys rave about Ewan McGregor's take on the Cricket, the awe-inspiring puppetry and animation on display, and Arlo's pot-addled epiphany. Plus, tributes to Angelo Badalamenti and Stephen 'tWitch' Boss, as well as a look at the Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse trailer.

NEXT: happy holidays, y'all. We'll be back in 2023.

BREAKDOWN

00:00:45 - Intro

00:17:18 - Guillermo del Toro's Pinocchio

02:10:16 - Our brief, incomplete list of Best of 2022

02:33:17 - Outro / Next

LINKS

• "Guillermo Del Toro's Pinocchio Reconceptualizes What it Means to be a 'Real Boy'" by Mustafa Yasar II, IGN

• "Guillermo Del Toro Shows Why Entertainment & Children Are Fascism's Greatest Tools" by Pramit Chatterjee, Digital Mafia Talkies

MUSIC

• "Twin Peaks Theme" by Angelo Badalamenti, Soundtrack from Twin Peaks (1990)
• "Big Baby Il Duce March" by Gregory Mann, Pinocchio (Soundtrack from the Netflix Film) (2022)

GOBBLEDYCARES

• National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: https://suicidepreventionlifeline.org/
• Abortion Funds in Every State: https://bit.ly/AbortionFundsTwitter
• Support AAPI communities and those affected by anti-Asian violence: https://www.gofundme.com/c/act/stop-aapi-hate
• Support the AAPI Civic Engagement Fund: https://aapifund.org/
• Support Black Lives Matter and find anti-racism resources: https://blacklivesmatters.carrd.co/
• The Trevor Project provides information and support to LGBTQ youth: thetrevorproject.org
• Trans Lifeline: https://translifeline.org/
• • US (877) 565-8860
  • Canada (877) 330-6366
• National Center for Transgender Equality: transequality.org
• Advocate for writers who might be owed money due to discontinuance of royalties: https://www.writersmustbepaid.org/
• 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/

Hang your stockings by the chimney, roast some chestnuts on that open fire, and prepare yourself for a very special Twisted Christmas installment. Our annual yuletide derangement has morphed into a Geek Challenge, featuring two obviously similar films: Paul has challenged Arlo to Michael Curtiz's holly jolly classic White Christmas (1954), and in turn Arlo has thrust upon Paul Stanley Kubrick's festive psychosexual nightmare Eyes Wide Shut (1999). Paul has some harsh words for Kubrick's orgy, Arlo cringes at old-timey patriotism, and both of our boys come away filled with a little less Christmas cheer. Oh, and who is Danny Kaye again?

NEXT: for our season finale, we become real boys for Guillermo del Toro's Pinocchio.

BREAKDOWN

00:00:52 - Intro / Paul and Arlo's Holiday Spirit

00:11:15 - Eyes Wide Shut

01:12:40 - White Christmas

02:02:00 - Outro / Next

LINKS

• "35 Surprising Things About 'White Christmas' That Even Movie Buffs Don't Know" by Asher Fogle and Janaya Wecker, Good Housekeeping

• "'Eyes Wide Shut' at 15: Inside the Epic, Secretive Film Shoot that Pushed Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman to Their Limits" by Amy Nicholson, Vanity Fair

• "Debunking the Myths Around Eyes Wide Shut, Stanley Kubrick's Final Film" by Katherine Jane Alexander, AnOther

MUSIC

• "Baby Did a Bad Bad Thing" by Chris Isaak, Forever Blue (1995)
• "Masked Ball (1999 Extended Mix)" by Jocelyn Pook, Flood (1999)
• "Musica ricercata, II (Mesto, rigido e cerimoniale)" by Dominic Harlan, Eyes Wide Shut (1999)
• "The Best Things Happen While You're Dancing" by Danny Kaye, Selections from Irving Berlin's "White Christmas" (1954)

GOBBLEDYCARES

• National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: https://suicidepreventionlifeline.org/
• Abortion Funds in Every State: https://bit.ly/AbortionFundsTwitter
• Support AAPI communities and those affected by anti-Asian violence: https://www.gofundme.com/c/act/stop-aapi-hate
• Support the AAPI Civic Engagement Fund: https://aapifund.org/
• Support Black Lives Matter and find anti-racism resources: https://blacklivesmatters.carrd.co/
• The Trevor Project provides information and support to LGBTQ youth: thetrevorproject.org
• Trans Lifeline: https://translifeline.org/
• • US (877) 565-8860
  • Canada (877) 330-6366
• National Center for Transgender Equality: transequality.org
• Advocate for writers who might be owed money due to discontinuance of royalties: https://www.writersmustbepaid.org/
• 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/

Now that rock star biopics have peaked with Elvis, what else can the genre do but get Weird? Dare to be stupid with Paul, Arlo, and Alex Jonestown Massacre guitarist Kenn Edwards as they discuss Weird: The Al Yankovic story. Everyone's favorite accordionist parodies Oscar bait bologna to tell a fact-free version of his own life story, starring obvious choice Daniel Radcliffe. The gang recounts their history with "Weird" Al, dives into the film's loving homage to early alt-comedy, and can't help but wonder what Madonna thinks of it all.

NEXT: I'm dreaming of a Geek Challenge featuring the holy jolly classic White Christmas and the yuletide wet dream Eyes Wide Shut.

BREAKDOWN

00:00:38 - Intro / Guest / Theater Trauma

00:15:37 - A brief history of our heroes histories with "Weird Al"

00:34:35 - Weird: The Al Yankovic Story

01:41:00 - Outro / Next

LINKS

• The Alex Jonestown Massacre on Spotify

MUSIC

• "The Weird Al Show Theme" by "Weird Al" Yankovic, Running with Scissors (1999)
• "Now You Know" by "Weird Al" Yankovic, Weird: The Al Yankovic Story (2022)

GOBBLEDYCARES

• National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: https://suicidepreventionlifeline.org/
• Abortion Funds in Every State: https://bit.ly/AbortionFundsTwitter
• Support AAPI communities and those affected by anti-Asian violence: https://www.gofundme.com/c/act/stop-aapi-hate
• Support the AAPI Civic Engagement Fund: https://aapifund.org/
• Support Black Lives Matter and find anti-racism resources: https://blacklivesmatters.carrd.co/
• The Trevor Project provides information and support to LGBTQ youth: thetrevorproject.org
• Trans Lifeline: https://translifeline.org/
• • US (877) 565-8860
  • Canada (877) 330-6366
• National Center for Transgender Equality: transequality.org
• Advocate for writers who might be owed money due to discontinuance of royalties: https://www.writersmustbepaid.org/
• 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/

Aho, podcast listeners! To celebrate Native American Heritage Month, Paul and Arlo check in on the latest season of Reservation Dogs, possibly the best show on TV. It would be hard to top Rez Dog's freshman year, a revelatory season filled with joy, pain, and a whole bunch of shitasses. Yet that's exactly what Sterlin Harjo and his collaborators have done, deepening the themes of loss and community that made the first season so resonant. The boys rave about the show's core cast–Devery Jacobs, D'Pharaoh Woon-A-Tai, Lane Factor, and Paulina Alexis—while lauding Harjo's ability to shine an even brighter light on supporting players like Zahn McClarnon, Jana Schmieding, and Lily Gladstone. Skoden.

NEXT: Alex Jonestown Massacre guitarist Kenn Edwards is back and ready to get Weird: The Al Yankovic Story.

BREAKDOWN

00:00:34 - Intro

00:08:00 - Reservation Dogs: Season 2

01:42:03 - Outro / Next

LINKS

• "Sterlin Harjo Is Not Afraid to Sacrifice a Good Idea" by Kathryn VanArendonk, Variety
• "Reservation Dogs Creator Sterlin Harjo on Balancing Jokes and Tears in the Season 2 Finale, and Not Caring About Emmy Snubs" by Ariel LeBeau, GQ
• "The Ending Of Reservation Dogs Season 2 Explained" by Merri Palmer, Looper
• "Reservation Dogs ends a high-spirited second season with a California dream and cinematic realism" by Melanie McFarland, Salon

MUSIC

• "Going to California" by Led Zeppelin, Led Zeppelin IV (1971)
• "I Still Believe (Great Design)" by Tim Cappello, The Lost Boys (1987)

GOBBLEDYCARES

• National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: https://suicidepreventionlifeline.org/
• Abortion Funds in Every State: https://bit.ly/AbortionFundsTwitter
• Support AAPI communities and those affected by anti-Asian violence: https://www.gofundme.com/c/act/stop-aapi-hate
• Support the AAPI Civic Engagement Fund: https://aapifund.org/
• Support Black Lives Matter and find anti-racism resources: https://blacklivesmatters.carrd.co/
• The Trevor Project provides information and support to LGBTQ youth: thetrevorproject.org
• Trans Lifeline: https://translifeline.org/
  • US (877) 565-8860
  • Canada (877) 330-6366
• National Center for Transgender Equality: transequality.org
• Advocate for writers who might be owed money due to discontinuance of royalties: https://www.writersmustbepaid.org/
• 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/