Needless Things

By Phantom TroublemakerLeisure

Needless Things episodes

August 22, 2014 Needless Things Podcast Episode 31: Dragon Con Puppetry Track & National Puppet Slam
this episode I welcome Mr. Beau Brown back to the Podcast, this time
not as my co-host, but as a guest! He’s here in his role as
Director of the Dragon Con Puppetry Track.
You’ve
heard Beau talk about his passion for Masters of the Universe, but
today we turn the spotlight on the true great love of his life –
puppetry. Join us and our guests Stacey Gordon and Madison J. Cripps
as we discuss the National Puppet Slam coming to Dragon Con, as well
as the specifics of the Puppetry Track.
We
also learn about Stacey and Madison’s backgrounds in puppetry and
the roles they will be playing at Dragon Con this year.
So
listen in as we talk puppets, scheduling, busking, and – yes –
just a bit of Masters of the Universe. Because Beau is still Beau.
And thanks goodness for that.
“Procrastibate”
by LeSexoflex.com
“The
Young New Mexican Puppeteer” by Tom Jones
1 hr 44 min
August 14, 2014 Needless Things Podcast Episode 30: Dragon Con American Sci-Fi Classics
It’s
no secret that I adore Gary Mitchel and Joe Crowe – the men behind
Dragon Con’s American Sci-Fi Classics Track. A large part of that
adoration is the fact that they so wholly embrace the way that I
present myself and my opinions on pop culture. I’m not above
letting my ego influence my likes. Or anything else, for that matter.
My
respect for these two guys goes far deeper than that. Sure – it’s
great that they like me. But what they do at Dragon Con every year is
nothing short of a miracle. Joe and Gary take a bunch of wildly
varying, disparate franchises and turn them into an ongoing
experience that brings all kinds of very different people together as
one. And they manage to jam so
much
into the weekend.
I’ll
be honest – before I saw any American Sci-Fi Classics panels I was
very dismissive of fan panels. To a certain extent I still am. But
this track finds the best selection of presenters. Everybody that’s
part of the track has a ton of personality and passion. I have yet to
see a panel that was anything less than thoroughly entertaining.
It
was my honor and privilege to talk to Joe Crowe and Gary Mitchel
about their history at Dragon Con and how they came to be in charge
of what is widely recognized as one of the best fan tracks at Con. So
listen in, learn a thing or three, and have some fun with three big
dorks.
You can hear more from Joe and Gary at RevolutionSF.com.
“Procrastibate”
by LeSexoflex.com
“Airwolf
Main Theme” by Rick Patterson
1 hr 33 min
August 08, 2014 Needless Things Podcast Episode 29: Dragon Con 2014 - Sean Patton & DJ Spider
Time
to get these Dragon Con episodes underway, Phantomaniacs!
Last
year Beau and I talked to DJ Spider about cosplay and conventions.
She was so delightful we knew we wanted to have her back this year.
I’ve
been wanting to have Sean Patton of SMP Designs
on since the first time I spoke to him. He’s the guy that sparked
my desire to learn more about cosplay and feature it like I did
during last year’s Dragon Con coverage. This year we managed to
schedule some time before Con to talk.
Join
me and Beau as we chat with Spider and Sean about cosplay and Dragon
Con in the first Needless Things Dragon Con episode of 2014! Plus,
find out more about what Needless Things will be doing at Con.
“Procrastibate”
by LeSexoflex.com
“Lame
Claim to Fame” by Weird Al Yankovic
2 hr 1 min
August 01, 2014 Needless Things Podcast Episode 28: San Diego Comic Con 2014
It
is time once again for the Knights of Needless Things to assemble and
discuss the goings-on at the biggest media event on the planet –
San Diego Comic Con!
Sadly
Reverend Dan Wilson and The Oncoming Josh were unable to join us due
to calamitous acts of one form or another. But we sallied forth with
Phantom Troublemaker, our lovely co-host Mr. Beau Brown, the Belligerent Monkey, and Sir Ryan of House Schweck.
In
this roundtable discussion we cover the SDCC reveals from our
favorite toy lines – Star Wars, TMNT, DC Collectibles, Marvel
Legends, Masters of the Universe Classics, and many more! This one
went a little long and we still
weren’t able to cover everything. But we did get in a bit of movie
and television talk.
Tune
in now and see what the Needless Things Irregulars had to say about
the Comic Con toy scene.
“Procrastibate”
by LeSexoflex.com
“The
Toys Go Winding Down” by Primus
3 hr 5 min
July 01, 2014 Needless Things Podcast Episode 27: Heroes Con 2014
You
guys – it rained on us again
while we were driving to Charlotte for Heroes Con. That makes three
years in a row.
This
year’s deluge wasn’t the sort of violent meteorological upheaval
that the prior years had provided, but we did encounter some very
heavy rain and lightning. Thankfully it was brief and did not impede
our travel to the only proper comic book convention that I attend.
If
you don’t know, Heroes Con is a specifically comic book-oriented,
family-friendly convention. The guests are comic book creators and
independent artists. You will not find actors, athletes, or other
types of personalities at the guest tables. You also won’t find
adult-themed prints and media littering the floor for kids to see.
The folks that run the con are very serious about maintaining an
all-ages atmosphere. That’s why my family makes a point of going
every year.
This
year I only managed to get interviews with three creators before the
con floor got too busy to allow for it. In this episode I chatted
with JordanT. Neves,
Brad McGinty,
and Box Brown.
I also sat down with the ESO Network’s “Howdy” Mike Gordon and
Cousin
Bill
about the con itself.
Finally,
I share a story about a terrifying, atrocious thing that happened to
me over the Heroes Con weekend this year. This harrowing tale is not
for the faint of heart or the weak of stomach. So sit back, grab
yourself a bottle of Pepto, and enjoy some interviews and
reminiscences from Heroes Con 2014!:
“Procrastibate”
by LeSexoflex.com
1 hr 37 min
June 24, 2014 Needless Things Podcast Episode 26: LEGO Master Builder Chris Steininger
Everything
really is awesome.
Today's
Needless Things Podcast continues my special LEGO coverage that is
leading up to this weekend's LEGO KidsFest at the Cobb Galleria Centre. I had the opportunity to talk to somebody that I consider to
be a true superhero of the toy industry – LEGO Master Builder Chris
Steninger.
Chris
has been a Master Builder for five years now and has worked for the
LEGO company for seven. If you don;t know, the Master Builders are
the guys that design and build the large-scale LEGO displays you see
in malls, amusement parks, and various exhibitions around the world.
And there are only seven of them.
I
talk to Chris about his career, his love of LEGO, and the various
aspects of the modern and classic LEGO toy line. It's a very
interesting conversation about one of the most legendary and
high-quality toy lines ever!
When
you're done listening, be sure to check out the LEGO Kids Fest website and see what's going to be going on this weekend.
“Procrastibate”
by LeSexoflex.com
“Everything
is Awesome!!!” by Tegan and Sara feat. The Lonely Island
53 min
June 09, 2014 Needless Things Podcast Episode 25: Tim Clarke
Join
Phantom Troublemaker and Mr. Beau Brown as we talk with Tim Clarke!

Tim
worked with Kermit Love and for Jim Henson as a puppet builder and
designer on Sesame
Street and
The
Muppet Show.
He worked on The
Dark Crystal
and Fraggle
Rock,
and is the man that built Uncle Traveling Matt. Tim also had a huge
hand in the toy industry in the 80s, as he was the creator of both
the Sectaurs and Boglins toy lines – two of the most original and
notable lines of an amazing era of toys.
In
this episode Tim regales us with stories of puppet and toy design and
fills us in on what he’s up to now – still designing truly unique
creations and even re-launching the Boglins! Listen now and enjoy!
After
you finish the episode, you MUST go and check out Tim's Instagram
feed TIMCLARKETOYS. It features his work on all of his projects,
including prototypes and the design process. You can also find
pictures of his unbelievable TOTIMS line. These are some of the
coolest looking designer toys I've seen. If I weren't such a cheap
bastard I'd buy some.
Also
be sure to check out the TOTIMS website, where you can find even more
awesome imagry.
“Procrastibate”
by LeSexoflex.com
1 hr 44 min
May 20, 2014 Needless Things Podcast Episode 24: Godzilla 2014
If
you listened to last week’s (LAST WEEK!) Episode 23 of the Needless Things Podcast,
then you know that we had a great time talking about the history of
the Godzilla franchise. We barely scratched the surface, though, so
there will be a sequel episode later this year.
After
we finished recording I was so excited by talking to Gary, Johnny,
and Scott that I asked if they would be interested in getting back
together after we had all seen the new movie. Everybody was in -
Shoot the Moon Comics’
Scott Stripling, The RevCast’s
Gary Mitchel, and pro wrestler and Godzillaologist Johnny Danger.
I
saw it at the IMAX in 3D Friday night with the family and the movie
blew me away. There were some minor issues, but overall I was just
amazed at what Godzilla
accomplished. I couldn’t wait to talk to the guys about it. We got
online Sunday night – a mere week after recording Episode 23 –
and had a great conversation about the movie.

***CAUTION:
There will be SPOILERS!***

“Procrastibate”
by LeSexoflex.com

1 hr 10 min
May 13, 2014 Needless Things Podcast Episode 23: Godzilla
I
am not a Godzilla fanatic.

I
do love Godzilla as a monster. I am awed by his place in cinematic
history. I think he is one of the best monster designs ever, in
movies or otherwise. And he has certainly been mimicked and paid
tribute to more than any other modern monster. He also has the best
rogues gallery of anybody, ever.

I
can’t tell you which Godzilla movie I saw first or when I saw it,
but I do know that the King of Monsters has been a part of my
consciousness since I was very small. I know this because he is still
a monster to me. As much as I love 60s Godzilla and his victory
dance, there’s a part of me that is still terrified of Godzilla.
And that fear must have been put there when I was young.

I
think that the fear will be back this Friday, because the new
Godzilla movie looks like it gets back to the roots of the 1954
original. It’s because of that impending release that I wanted to
gather some folks and talk about the Big G. I am fascinated by the
history of the monster, but hardly an expert. Also, I figured it
would be a cheap way to generate hits for the podcast – what better
way to get ears than to put up something related to a huge new movie?

That’s
enough out of me. I want to keep this brief because you really don’t
need to waste time reading it. Instead, go ahead and listen to me,
Shoot the Moon Comics’
Scott Stripling, The RevCast’s
Gary Mitchel, and pro wrestler and Godzillaologist Johnny Danger
for a discussion of the past, present, and future of the King of
Monsters and what he means to all of us:
“Procrastibate”
by LeSexoflex.com

“Godzilla”
by Blue Oyster Cult

“Godzilla”
by Racer X

“Godzilla Versus Mothra Theme” by Akira Ifukube
2 hr
May 12, 2014 Needless Things Podcast Episode 21: The Gorda
I’ve
known James T. Warbington for about two decades now and I find myself
hard-pressed to describe him. He’s a punk rocker, an entrepreneur,
a musician, a director, a redneck, an arranger of things, a
wrestlemaniac, a mentor, and one of the most unselfish people I’ve
ever met.
And
he writes like a loud insane person.
James
was the first subject of one of my 13
Questions
posts and I still feel like it’s the best one. He took full
advantage of the format to express himself and talk about his movie,
The
Black Earth.
Ever since that Q&A I’ve wanted to do an actual interview
because I thought it would be fascinating and hilarious.
Much
to my surprise James does not interview like he writes. He’s
thoughtful and almost quiet, in a way. We had a great conversation
about wrestling, life, and his new movie, The
Gorda;
which starts shooting in July.
About
halfway through the interview wrestler and comedian Matt “Sex”
Sells and his lovely wife, Jen, drop in to join us in discussing this
new Western that James is writing, directing, and producing and that
Sells has a feature role in.
We
had a great time talking and I’m definitely looking forward to
having these guys on again, but for now check out the new episode:
The Gorda on GoFundMe
Family Curse Films on Facebook
“Procrastibate”
by LeSexoflex.com
“You Can't Kill Me” by Mojo Nixon
"Live Wire (Kick Ass '91 Remix) by Mötley Crüe
1 hr 27 min

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Since 2013 Needless Things has been your one-stop hub for toys, movies, music, and all manner of pop culture dorkery.

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