I Don't Even Own a Television

With special guest Bill Hanstock, J. and Collision pull on their boots and step inside the squared circle to wrestle with pro-wrestling lifer "Hardcore" Bob Holly's memoir, The Hardcore Truth. Holly was known for not pulling his punches in the ring, and he definitely brings the same approach to these pages. Even if you don't care about pro wrestling, this one is a good journey to take, a book about a young man who discovers that all the machinery making modern television isn't so open-hearted, it's coldly charted. He wanted to believe in the freedom of wrestling, but glittering prizes and endless compromises shattered his illusions of integrity.

Also! We announce our Contest Winner in a thrilling crossover between our Letters and Dramatic Reading segments!

SPECIAL NOTES:We have a live show taping coming up! February 21, 2016, 2:00 p.m., at Stage Werx Theater, 446 Valencia St., San Francisco, California, a block away from the 16th St. BART station! Be there! It's just ten bucks!

Tickets available at Brown Paper Tickets!

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Get your wings, along with J. and Collision, as the author of definitive 70s artifact Jonathan Livingston Seagull struggles to follow up his mega-hit with...this.  In this thin volume, Richard Bach teaches us all that the best thing about flying is that it lets you look down on everyone.  Bach proves that he's hella hardcore, as he teaches us to Rise Above (Black Flag style) while At the Movies like Bad Brains!  This book is for everyone who ever wanted to feel good about themselves for no particular reason, and this episode is for everyone who met somebody like that and was all like...dude...seriously...take it down a notch.

SPECIAL NOTES:

* Buy a t-shirt!* We have a live show taping coming up!  February 21, 2016, 3:00 p.m., at Stage Werx Theater, 446 Valencia St., San Francisco, California, a block away from the 16th St. BART station!  Be there!

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Friends! Enter the new year like we'd enter the dragon: terrified, trembling, tipsy (a little) and accompanied by 50 Cent! Lose your fears and embrace loathing everyone around you because they are all out to get you. Enjoy getting yelled at and buried under a never-ending tumble of unsourced historical anecdotes, for such is the way of Robert Greene and The 50th Law.

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Sometimes you want to go where every pun will cause you pain -- so grab your wallet, stoke your thirst, and join J. and Collision in Spider Robinson's Callahan's Crosstime Saloon, where every man gets his chance to be heard, every pun gets its chance to get aired, and several women step up to help a man laugh, love, live, and learn just a little bit about himself and his feelings. Come to Callahan's for the booze, but stay for what some listeners are calling the greatest musical segment in podcast history.

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Some years back, Paulo Coelho transmuted bad advice and a child's sense of story into a massive bestseller. And today, Collision and J. magically transform a terrible book into a good podcast as they tackle...The Alchemist! If you liked Wild Animus, but were all like "Hey, this would be great if we could some more sheep in the mix!" then this may be the book for you. Topics addressed this time around include t-shirts, voiceover technique, anime as an adult, project management, and men who leave. Extraordinarily special run-in at the very end by Centa Schumacher, as the voice of reason!

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There's a single question that has driven most of the great books in history: "What would happen if young, unpleasant people acquired property?" That's the question at the heart of this book, a searing indictment of MFA graduates everywhere. Come for interesting, well-drawn characters like the magical elf-woman who can't use a coffee maker, check voicemail, or use a dimmer switch on a light, but STAY for comforting mentions of bands you remember and some of 2005's sickest burns. It's a thin premise for a mediocre mumblecore movie, and an even thinner excuse for a 160-page book. Join us in...the Condominium.

Recommendations:Godspeed, Lynn BreedloveChronic City, Jonathan Lethem

Music:"Suburb Party" by The Majesticons"New York I Love You But You're Bringing Me Down" by LCD Soundsystem"Campus" by Vampire Weekend"Deception" by Blackalicious

In this episode, the fish truly don't fry in the kitchen, and the beans don't burn on the grill.  It's a sizzler this time around, as J. and Collision read Anthony Bourdain's Kitchen Confidential, the memoir that dares to combine dirty dishes with Motley Crüe's The Dirt.  Sit down with Extremely Cool Guy Anthony Bourdain as he explains to you -- over and over again -- how extremely and ultimately cool he is.  Plus a recap of the IDEOTVPOD team's trip to beautiful Minneapolis to hang out with The F Plus and way, way more puns than normal.  Apologies if that's not to your taste!  

What happens when Star Wars creator/destroyer George Lucas hires X-Men writer Chris Claremont to make a trilogy in the style of Lord of the Rings?  An incomprehensible, sodden mess, as it turns out.  A gritty reimagineering of slash sequel to a schlocky, shticky, slapsticky non-hit children's movie called Willow, Shadow Moon nearly brings J., Collision, and special guest Tricia Ellis to their knees in this rollicking, pain-filled episode.  Grab your favorite Renaissance Faire outfit, crank the ocarina to eleven, and join us, won't you?

NOTE: Our guest this week had some unfortunate audio issues with her recording and we had to get a bit creative with editing. Please forgive the occasional crackle and the lack of dramatic reading. Thanks!

Recommendations:Station Eleven, Emily St. John MandelMankind: Have a Nice Day, Mick FoleyA Wizard of Earthsea, Ursula Le Guin

Music:"Whip My Hair" by Willow Smith"Holy Diver" by Dio"Weed Brownies" by Wiz Khalifa"Far, Far Away" by Ultimate Fakebook