Mt. Rushmore Podcast

Michael, Richard and Jeff want to discuss the merits of all of the fun recess activities they did as kids. But since they are all old, they realized they needed a recess expert who is a little bit closer to the target audience and has recent firsthand knowledge of the finer points of Recessology.

With that in mind, welcome our first Guest Judge - Richard's daughter Vivian (age 8). She's on board to lay down the law and teach the grown-ups a thing or two about how kids like to spend their free time.

There's nothing more special than the relationship between a father and his son. Well, maybe the relationship between a mother and daughter. Or a boy and his dog. OK, let's start again.

Few things are more special than the relationship between a father and his son. Fathers can be tough and difficult to please, but they can also provide a tremendous amount of support and caring. This week we take a look at some of the most famous pairings that show the whole gamut of relationships between kids and their dads.

If you are making a film, TV show or book and need an instant villain - just add a rich person. You automatically have a source of conflict with the "common people" and a character that the audience already feels like they know. Of course, not all rich characters are evil, because these are works of fiction that can be different than real life.

In this episode we explore the many different types of rich people. And Michael shows just how little he does at work by coming up with a comprehensive 3D graph plotting different types of rich people.

Are you ready to get RADICAL? How about grinding some rails and hitting some WICKED front side 180s? Do you think I have any clue what I'm talking about? OF COURSE NOT!

But that doesn't mean that we all can't appreciate a good skateboarding scene. Whether it shows the balletic nature of pros doing it right or are laughably bad, a good skateboarding scene can improve any movie. So strap on your helmet, kneepads and elbow pads (safety first) as those thrashin' dudes Jeff, Michael and Richard take on the most iconic skateboarding scenes around.

Laurel & Hardy. Martin & Lewis. Chips & Salsa.

Partnerships bring out the best in each other. At their best, partners support each other and provide something that the other person lacks. At their worst, they eventually want to kill each other, which is still high entertainment.

We'll let you be the judge on which side Richard & Michael fall on. Listen as Jeff plays marriage counselor and helps them decide the Mt. Rushmore of "&" Partnerships.

The Looney Tunes characters are among the most beloved and long-lasting in all of entertainment. Generations of children and adults have laughed at the perfect mix of sly satire and outright silliness shown when a character like Bugs Bunny or Daffy Duck has to match wits with a nemesis like Elmer Fudd or Yosemite Sam.

But all Looney Tunes stories could rely on the main stable of bad buys. In fact, some of the best Looney Tunes shorts featured evil-doers who might be somewhat forgotten today.

We're setting out to right these wrongs as we take a look at the Mt. Rushmore of Secondary Looney Tunes Villains. Make sure you stick around to the end for one of the most SHOCKING decisions Jeff has ever made.

The "Great Lost Band" is a white whale, except usually with more addiction problems than Moby Dick. Everyone has their favorite band that, for whatever reason, didn't achieve the type of long-term commercial success they should have. In some cases, being pushed to the fringes let these bands explore more unusual creative elements and created a cult of hardcore fans.

We take a look at the bands that, in our opinion, should have been much more successful than they were in their times. So come aboard our musical Peaquod and wait, what happened to the boat at the end? Yikes! Never mind. Well, we just hope you enjoy the show.

Show Notes

Michael's Picks:

The Kinks

• "Why Were the Kinks Banned From Playing in the United States in the '60s?" - Rule Forty Two
• "Brawls and Bans - The History of the Kinks' Troubles in America" - Ultimate Classic Rock
• "Imaginary Man" Ray Davies Documentary

Elastica

• "Elastica Limits" Interview with Justine Frischmann - The Guardian

The Walkmen

• "Slow Burn, Slow Fade: Inside the Walkmen's Final Days" - Stereogum
• Pitchfork's "Bows and Arrows" Review (where they talk about "The Rat" basically everything they had put out before)

The Smiths

• "'Mozipedia' Author Simon Goddard on the Enigma of Morrissey" - Wall Street Journal
• Morrissey and Marr being interviewed by kids on the children's show "Datarun" in 1984

Richard's Picks

The Replacements

• "The Replacements: The Greatest Band That Never Was" - Rolling Stone
• "Telling the True Story of the Replacements" - MTV

Big Star

• "Four Years After Death, Alex Chilton Is Finally a Big Star" - NPR
• "Big Star: Nothing Can Hurt Me" Documentary Website
• "The 10 Best Big Star Songs" - Stereogum

Jellyfish

• "Your Next Favorite Band: Jellyfish" - Defending Axl Rose
• "God's Gift to Oxygen: A Brief History of Jellyfish" - RogerJosephManningJr.com

Sir Douglas Quintet

• "Doug Sahm & the Sir Douglas Quintet Complete Mercury Recordings" Review - No Depression Magazine
• Live Performance of "Mendocino" on "Playboy After Dark"
• Doug Sahm Bio - Texas State Historical Society

We have a connection with video games that goes beyond entertainment. The best video games can forge a deep emotional connection with us that lasts a lifetime. Sometimes, this also means that video games can break your heart.

By Jeff's request, Michael and Richard dredge up painful childhood memories to go over the video game moments that still haunt them today.

SHOW NOTES

General Lousy Video Gaming

• The 50 Most Frustrating Moments in Video Games – Nerd Approved
• 10 Most Annoying Video Game Characters Ever – WhatCulture.com
• The Worst of the Worst NES Accessories – The Wonder Twins

Richard's Picks

• Mike Tyson's Punch-Out
  • 16 Hard-Hitting Facts About Mike Tyson's Punch-Out – Mental Floss
• Dragon's Lair
  • Every Scene From Dragon's Lair
  • 1983 News Footage of Dragon's Lair
• Tony La Russa's Baseball
  • Tony La Russa's Baseball – the Best Bad Baseball Game Ever – GameFaqs.com
• E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial
  • A Golden Shining Moment – the True Story Behind Atari's ET, the Worst Video Game Ever – The Guardian
  • General Custer Misunderstood – The Atari Times

Michael's Picks

• Matt Silverstein
  • IGN Presents the History of Street Fighter – IGN.com
• The Eggplant Wizard from Kid Icarus
  • Eggplant Wizard – Divinica
• Mario Kart Blue Shell
  • As Foretold in Revelations – Penny Arcade
• 7th Guest
  • 7th Guest – A Condemned Classic - GameSpot

Whether or not you're a fan of the sports ball teams such as the foot ball or the base ball or the hockey ball, there's a good chance that you're a fan of sports movies. At their best, they showcase the ability of a group of teammates to band together and overcome obstacles to win the championship. At their worst, Joey from "Friends" makes a chimpanzee look like John Houseman. Join non-sports fan Jeff as he probes the best fictional sports teams with Michael and Sports Jeopardy! Champion Richard. Buckle up your jockstraps and get ready for a home run dunk touchdown thing!

How many of the Wonders of the World were built by aliens? Probably a lot of them! We're debating the Mt. Rushmore of the Wonders of the World – whether they are manmade or natural, ancient or modern. And SPOILER ALERT – the actual Mt. Rushmore didn't make either of our lists.