Needless Things

Needless Things

By Phantom TroublemakerLeisure
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Needless Things episodes

  • Needless Things Podcast Episode 12 - The GI Joe: A Real American Hero Panel

    This is the big one,

    Phantomaniacs.

    You’ve heard the action figure panel.
    That one is really my pride and joy because it is the first Dragon
    Con panel that I was responsible for. Obviously I love action figures
    and toys and it was a blast to blather on about them with Gary and
    Geena for an hour. I’m pretty sure we’ll do it again next year in
    some form.

    You’ve heard the He-Man panel.
    That one was special because me and Beau got to do our Needless Thing
    in front of an audience and… sometimes my phrasing is really bad.
    Gary was with us on that one, too, because Gary is awesome. But the
    awesomest awesomeness was the fact that we got to talk with William
    Stout. That made that panel extra special. And I’m so glad I got to
    record it. I learned my lesson about recording panels after being on
    a fantastic Elementary
    panel at TimeGate with (dude) and it having a single shred of
    evidence from it.

    But now it’s time for
    my passion. It’s time for the panel about the toy line and cartoon
    and comic book that ruled my childhood above all others. Yes, even
    above Star Wars.

    The GI Joe panel wasn’t
    technically mine to run like the others, but I felt just as
    proprietary about it. Much like Beau and the Masters panel, I knew I
    had a valuable resource to tap for the Joe panel – Gnoll. That guy
    knows 80s pop culture like you wouldn’t believe. And Hasbro
    properties are a specialty of his.

    Joining us were
    Award-Winning Bobby Nash and the walking Trivial Pursuit: Nerd
    Edition known as Gary Mitchel.

    Guys – this panel was
    electric and it wasn’t just us (thought we were probably
    important). We had an unbelievable audience for this one. Despite the
    fact that it was 7 PM on the final full night of Dragon Con, the room
    was packed – literally standing room only – with enthusiastic Joe
    fans. In all honesty the whole thing was pretty emotionally charged
    for me. To be sharing that space with the talent at the table and so
    many fans was a powerful thing. And we had a great discussion about
    GI Joe. Check it out.

    “Procrastibate” by
    LeSexoflex.com

    “GI Joe: The Movie
    Theme” by Robert J. Walsh & Jon Douglas

    -Phantom

    1 hr 15 min
  • Needless Things Podcast Episode 11 - The Masters of the Universe Panel with William Stout

    By the Power of the

    American Sci-Fi Classics Track… I HAVE THE POWER!

    Fabulous powers were
    revealed to me when I held aloft my mic and started running my mouth
    about dork shit.

    Seriously – that’s
    how I got the panel gig. I’ve told the story before here on Needless Things, but after working with the fantastic American Sci-Fi Classics
    crew (and publicly referring to them as “fantastic” many, many
    times) last year at Dragon Con I was invited to more panels this
    year. And my casual aside mentioning how much I’d like to run a toy
    panel at Dragon Con was taken seriously. I basically got an e-mail a
    few months ago that said, “Here’s your toy panel and a list of
    others you might want to participate in. Oh, and you should probably
    just run this Masters of the Universe panel, too.”

    Mrs. Troublemaker has
    said I’m pretty much insufferable since then.

    The first thing I did was
    ask if I could bring my Needless Things Podcast co-host Mr. Beau
    Brown. I know Masters well enough to on for an hour (or more), but
    it’s Beau’s franchise. Masters of the Universe is his
    thing. I knew he would not only have all of the facts, but would
    probably be thrilled to have an opportunity to talk about He-Man at
    Dragon Con.

    Then I got the other essage asking if we should have William Stout on the panel.

    Oh, fuck.
    I know people – myself included – use this term all the time; but
    shit
    just got real.

    Just meeting the man
    behind the one thing about the 1987 Masters
    of the Universe
    movie that is unassailable – the production design – would have
    been hugely exciting. But Beau and I were going to get to be on a
    panel with him. To just chit chat about Masters. The mind boggles.

    Boggle no more, because
    here for your listening pleasure is Masters
    of the Universe: 30 Years of the Power
    LIVE from Dragon Con in its entirety.

    “Procrastibate” by
    LeSexoflex.com

    “He-Man and the Masters
    of the Universe Theme” by Shuki Levy (I think)

    Remember - you can download the Needless Things Podcast from iTunes and listen in on Stitcher!

    -Phantom

    1 hr 8 min
  • Needless Things Podcast Episode 10 - The Toy Panel

    I am so frazzled I'm not
    even sure what to write at the moment.

    I'm getting over Con
    Crud, which I think delayed my, “Holy shit that was a busy and
    productive Dragon Con and how did I get so much done and
    FUUUUUUUU...” reaction. I was diagnosed with Acute Pharyngitis
    (which translates to “sore throat and tons o snot”, which is a
    palindrome) and basically spent all of last week laying around
    watching Sons
    of Anarchy
    and not thinking very much.

    Now I am thinking again.
    I am planning panels for next year. I am planning panels for other
    conventions. I am thinking about how flat-ass broke I am and being
    thankful that there was this crazy glut of toys right before Con
    (this always happens for the back-to-school season) so I have enough
    toys to review to keep me going through November. I am also thinking
    about 31 Days of Halloween, which starts very soon and which I have
    no posts banked for. Argh. But I have already made arrangements for
    some Guest Posts and of course we'll have a new, spookily appropriate
    Best Cartoon Ever (of the month) from Kalan.

    For now, I'm just going
    to focus on Kung-Fu Grip: Action Figures of the 70s – 90s and
    Beyond! panel that I put on at Dragon Con (it's kind of hard to not
    hashtag that).

    I
    was joined by Gary Mitchel and Geena Phillips to discuss the modern
    history of action figures. In and hour. As Zach Oat told me, “it
    seems daunting.” Yes, it was. But I went in armed with visual aids
    from Diamond Select Toys and a ton of vintage stuff from Billy's
    Toys & Comics and that helped a lot. The room was packed and the
    audience was fun; ready for a panel about toys. I think ready for a
    lot
    of panels about toys. We gave them as much as we could in the time
    that we had. I hope you enjoy hearing it now!

    “Procrastibate” by
    LeSexoflex.com

    “Batman: Brave and the
    Bold Theme” by Andy Sturmer

    -Phantom

    1 hr 8 min
  • Needless Things Podcast Episode 9: CALABRESE

    If you don’t know,

    Calabrese is a horror rock band out of Phoenix, AZ that I first
    discovered at Dragon Con back in 2009. “Midnight Spookshow” was
    the first song I heard and it was a revelation. I love music very
    much, but I just don’t follow it like I used to. So finding out
    that there was a band out there making this incredible music about
    vampires, zombies, darkness, and all of the horror stuff I love was
    great. The fact that they were also one of the tightest rock outfits
    I had heard amazes me to this day.

    I’m happy to say that
    I’ve now had 2/3 of Calabrese on and we did a little exploring.
    Jimmy and Bobby came on and were absolutely awesome to talk to. I got
    into the history of the guys, their interests, their plans for the
    future, and what makes them tick, tock, and rock as a band. I had a
    blast talking with them and I think we covered some good ground. I
    hope you enjoy the show and pay careful attention – there’s a
    special announcement about Dragon Con towards the end.

    For now, though, learn a
    little bit more about the band before you experience the Traveling
    Vampire Show LIVE!

    “Procrastibate” by LeSexoflex.com

    “Midnight Spookshow”
    and “Born With A Scorpion’s Touch”, by Calabrese

    -Phantom

    1 hr 13 min
  • Needless Things Podcast Episode 8: DJ Spider

    It’s time for the next
    thrilling installment of the Needless Things Podcast!

    After the magic of Heroes
    Con I knew I was going to have to do a full episode with the
    magnificent DJ Spider. I got to enjoy an excellent conversation on
    costuming with her and some other folks at Heroes and I wanted to do
    my best to recapture it in podcast form. Aside from the fact that we
    were all sober this time I think it worked out pretty well.

    If you don’t know, DJ
    Spider is one of the premiere cosplayers of the Southeast. She is
    renowned for not only her skills, but the humor and wit that she
    puts into many of her costumes. Half of what she makes is based on
    dares. The other half is Dazzlers. If you’ve seen an excellent Big
    Barda walking around at one of the Southeastern cons, that’s
    probably Spider. Not only is she an amazing talent, she is also more
    than willing to share her knowledge and love of the hobby of
    costuming.

    So sit down with me, Mr.
    Beau Brown, and the lovely DJ Spider as we dive into the world of
    costumes and cosplay.

    “Procrastibate” and
    “Marriot Cock Squat” by LeSexoflex.com

    “Justice
    League Unlimited” by Michael
    McCuistion

    -Phantom

    1 hr 50 min
  • Needless Things Episode 7: San Diego Comic Con 2013
    Surprise! It's time for another Needless Things Podcast!
    I hadn't expected to be doing another one quite so soon, but when my co-host Mr. Beau Brown wants to talk Masters of the Universe, I have learned it is best to get on the ball and make things happen. And there was a lot of MOTU news to talk about coming out of this year's San Diego Comic Con. Mattel probably had their best showing yet.
    But it wasn't all about Masters, or else it would be called San Diego Masters of the Universe Con. No, there was also news from Hasbro, NECA, and all of the other toy companies, as well as a few movie announcements.
    Join me - Phantom Troublemaker, my co-host Mr. Beau Brown, Jay Hornsby (The Belligerent Monkey), and Ryan Schweck as we run down some of our favorite - and not-so-favorite - reveals and bits of news from SDCC.
    Here's Episode 7 of the Needless Things Podcast!
    "Procrastibate" by LeSexoflex.com
    "Suppose the Doomsday Cults Were Right" by Kill, Baby... Kill!
    -Phantom
    1 hr 46 min
  • Needless Things Episode 6: LIVE From Odin's Comics

    No – the live recording of Needless Things Podcast Episode 6 did not fill up the Odin’s parking lot or Media Room and certainly didn’t make Bobby Nash and Jay Hornsby rich men. But we did have a great time hanging out and recording and the trial by fire of the Olympus W-802 Digital Voice Recorder was a success.

    The point is that everybody involved had fun and we got a good conversation out of it. I learned several things that I will put into effect for the next live show on August 17th. I’m going to focus more on the show itself than trying to make any kind of event out of it. The bottom line is that we can record whether people show up or not. And as Bobby and I determined after the event, it’s pretty much always better recording in person, whether you have an audience or not. The interaction is more immediate and real and the conversation has a much better flow.

    So here’s Needless Things Episode 6 – LIVE From Odin’s Cosmic Bookshelf. Myself, Mr. Beau Brown, the Belligerent Monkey, and Bobby Nash talk about our dork roots and the state of DC Comics’ media empire. I hope you enjoy it.

    -Phantom

    "Procrastibate" by LeSexoflex.com

    "Icky" by They Might Be Giants

    1 hr 32 min
  • Needless Things Episode 6: LIVE From Odin’s Comics


    No – the live recording of Needless Things Podcast Episode 6 did not fill up the Odin’s parking lot or Media Room and certainly didn’t make Bobby Nash and Jay Hornsby rich men. But we did have a great time hanging out and recording and the trial by fire of the Olympus W-802 Digital Voice Recorder was a success.


    The point is that everybody involved had fun and we got a good conversation out of it. I learned several things that I will put into effect for the next live show on August 17th. I’m going to focus more on the show itself than trying to make any kind of event out of it. The bottom line is that we can record whether people show up or not. And as Bobby and I determined after the event, it’s pretty much always better recording in person, whether you have an audience or not. The interaction is more immediate and real and the conversation has a much better flow.


    So here’s Needless Things Episode 6 – LIVE From Odin’s Cosmic Bookshelf. Myself, Mr. Beau Brown, the Belligerent Monkey, and Bobby Nash talk about our dork roots and the state of DC Comics’ media empire. I hope you enjoy it.


    -Phantom


    "Procrastibate" by LeSexoflex.com


    "Icky" by They Might Be Giants


    1 hr 32 min
  • Needless Things Episode 5: HeroesCon 2013

    Hey Phantomaniacs - welcome to another somewhat unexpected episode of the Needless Things Podcast!

    I went into HeroesCon hoping to score a few interviews with some of the guests there and ended up with seven excellent segments that I cannot wait for you guys to hear. I got to sit down with Jennifer of Handmade Stuffs, Kyle Starks, Jamie Cosley, Hashim of Silver Panther Studios, and even ended up with a surprise interview with Jim Rugg. Everybody was very cool and I feel like I did a pretty decent job of interviewing. I’m sure I’ll get better over time, but the most important thing to me this go-round was to not ask everybody the exact same questions. I think I tailored each session to the particular artist for the most part.

    Plus, I talk to Award-Winning Bobby Nash and Fan-Tiki-Tastic Mike Gordon of the ESO Network in the wrap-up segment. It's ballin'!

    P.S. - Jim Rugg's Supermag is fucking insane and brilliant. Hunt it down.

    -Phantom

    "Procrastibate" by LeSexoflex.com

    "Theme from Superman" copyright Warner Bros. Music

    1 hr 18 min
  • Needless Things Episode 4: Toy Panel Live from TimeGate 2013
    Surprise! I had no idea I was going to be posting another podcast this week. I was fortunate enough to run  a toy panel at my personal favorite sci-fi convention - TimeGate. It's focused around Stargate and Doctor Who, but this year the emphasis was definitely on Doctor Who. Between the 50th Anniversary and the presence of an actual Doctor - Colin Baker - for the first time, things couldn't have gone down any other way.
    I pretty much decided on my own that I was going to run the toy panel because that's what I do. Director Faber of the ESO Netowrk was there to assist me and also was kind enough to record the whole thing, so I decided to make a podcast out of it.
    I listened to it first to make sure it was suitable for publishing. I think it is. Even without the many visual aids I had at the panel I think it's an enjoyable discussion of the history of Doctor Who toys.
    Oh, and the intro and outro sound like crap because I am still getting used to using my laptop instead of my desktop. My desktop fell victim to... something... and Jeffistopheles mostly fixed it but the display is still jacked up. Anyway, I forgot to switch the Audacity audio input to my headset mic so the whole thing recorded on my laptop mic. It doesn't sound awful so I didn't see any reason to re-record it. But it doesn't sound great.
    Here's the first con panel I ever ran. Hope you enjoy it!
    -Phantom
    "Procrastibate" by LeSexoflex.com
    58 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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