Overthinking It Podcast

By Overthinking ItComedy TV & Film Society & Culture Education Arts

Overthinking It Podcast episodes

September 11, 2023Episode 793: That’s What the Bread is For
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Matthew Belinkie, Mark Lee, Jordan Stokes, and Matthew Wrather discuss an interview with Bernie Taupin, Elton John’s longtime lyricist, in which he disses the work of one William Martin Joel, going back to “Piano Man” and claiming that “tonic and gin” is bad lyric writing. The crew overthink the highs and lows of Billy Joel’s songwriting, and talk about the interplay of meaning, rhythm, melody, and harmony that makes song lyrics good or bad.
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Further Reading (Lyrics)
“Piano Man”
“Old Time Rock and Roll”
“Crocodile Rock”
“The Gambler”
“It’s Still Rock and Roll to Me”
“The River of Dreams”
“Uptown Girl”
“You May Be Right”
“Scenes from an Italian Restaurant”
“Miami 2017”
“The Longest Time”
Episode 793: That’s What the Bread is For originally appeared on Overthinking It, the site subjecting the popular culture to a level of scrutiny it probably doesn't deserve. [Latest Posts | Podcast (iTunes Link)]
1 hr 3 min
September 04, 2023Episode 792: DTMFAVille
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Peter Fenzel, Mark Lee, and Matthew Wrather overthink Labor Day plans, the back to school season, and the meaning of fresh starts and clean slates. They consider utopian social projects, which will all fail because they lack social roles for the villains of AITA posts.
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Further Reading
“A California Land Mystery Is Solved. Now the Political Fight Begins.” (NY Times)
Episode 792: DTMFAVille originally appeared on Overthinking It, the site subjecting the popular culture to a level of scrutiny it probably doesn't deserve. [Latest Posts | Podcast (iTunes Link)]
1 hr 10 min
August 28, 2023Episode 791: What is Plinko but a Novel Pachinko?
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Peter Fenzel, Mark Lee, and Matthew Wrather overthink The Price is Right as a tribute to Bob Barker (1923–2023). They play Showcase Showdown, and then consider the essential characteristics of the game shows, arriving at:
The Game Show has a Prize that matters; people watch the Game Show for the Prize.
The Game Show has a Host, who imparts a distinctive tone on the show.
Contestants on the Game Show are distinguished by their distance from the tone.
The Game Show embodies an idea of the Good Life.
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Further Reading
Bob Barker and The Price is Right (Wikipedia)
Showcase Showdown
Yamaha WaveRunner FX CRUISER® HO
Nvidia GeForce RTX 4090
A New Car! Caterham Seven 170 Kit Car
The Price Is Right During Covid
News Piece
Podcast
Mark Lee on Ask Me Another
Episode 791: What is Plinko but a Novel Pachinko? originally appeared on Overthinking It, the site subjecting the popular culture to a level of scrutiny it probably doesn't deserve. [Latest Posts | Podcast (iTunes Link)]
1 hr 5 min
August 21, 2023Episode 790: We Are All Weaker than the Water
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Peter Fenzel, Mark Lee, and Matthew Wrather overthink recent storms that Matt and Pete have experienced. They are all over the place, but the nut is that there is a great difference between the various symbolic uses to which we put water and the reality of encountering its destructive force.
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Further Reading
“During Wind and Rain” by Tho(mas) Hardy
Episode 790: We Are All Weaker than the Water originally appeared on Overthinking It, the site subjecting the popular culture to a level of scrutiny it probably doesn't deserve. [Latest Posts | Podcast (iTunes Link)]
1 hr 7 min
August 14, 2023Episode 789: Sell Everything You Own and Get in a Spaceship
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Peter Fenzel, Mark Lee, and Matthew Wrather overthink The Guardians of the Galaxy: Vol. 3 which is about animal cruelty, oh and humans too. (Don’t be fooled when Matt calls it a romp!) The crew discuss the film’s themes, from the duty of care we owe one another to the benefits of being rag-tag to Pete’s surprising contention that this is the most Christian movie in current release.
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Further Reading
The Guardians of the Galaxy: Vol 3 (Wikipedia)
Soundtrack Album (Wikipedia)
Adam Warlock (Wikipedia)
Family Romance (Wikipedia)
“The Creation of Adam” (Wikipedia)
Episode 789: Sell Everything You Own and Get in a Spaceship originally appeared on Overthinking It, the site subjecting the popular culture to a level of scrutiny it probably doesn't deserve. [Latest Posts | Podcast (iTunes Link)]
1 hr 11 min
August 07, 2023 Episode 788: Joy at Being Seen
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Peter Fenzel, Mark Lee, and Matthew Wrather overthink Matt’s trip to the Eras Tour. TL;DR: It was phenomenal. And Matt has seen Shakespeare the way it’s meant to be played.
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Episode 788: Joy at Being Seen originally appeared on Overthinking It, the site subjecting the popular culture to a level of scrutiny it probably doesn't deserve. [Latest Posts | Podcast (iTunes Link)]
1 hr 8 min
July 31, 2023Episode 787: What Marks the Spot?!
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Peter Fenzel and Matthew Wrather follow a treasure map to the meaning of “X,” a letter with a semiotic gravity all its own. As Pete describes it, it is the only letter which stretches from pornography to divinity, from X-Rated to Xmas.
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Further Reading
“Why are there continent-sized ‘blobs’ in the deep Earth?” (BBC)
Miss Waldron’s Red Colobus (Wikipedia)
“Adam’s Task” by John Hollander
“The Canonical Doctrine of Reception” (ARCC)
Episode 787: What Marks the Spot?! originally appeared on Overthinking It, the site subjecting the popular culture to a level of scrutiny it probably doesn't deserve. [Latest Posts | Podcast (iTunes Link)]
1 hr 6 min
July 24, 2023Episode 786: In Greek, Nostalgia Means “An Old Phaser Wound Which Does Not Heal”
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Peter Fenzel, Mark Lee, and Matthew Wrather finally get around to overthinking Star Trek: Strange New Worlds, the spin-off of a spin-off of a not very good idea to begin with. You know what? We like it.
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Further Reading
The Gorn (Memory Alpha)
Anson Mount: Trivia (IMDb)
“I’m Not a Girl… Not Yet a Woman” at its conception
God help us, here are the Star Trek Discovery recaps.
Episode 786: In Greek, Nostalgia Means “An Old Phaser Wound Which Does Not Heal” originally appeared on Overthinking It, the site subjecting the popular culture to a level of scrutiny it probably doesn't deserve. [Latest Posts | Podcast (iTunes Link)]
1 hr 13 min
July 17, 2023 Episode 785: An Uneasy Equilibrium
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Mark Lee and Matthew Wrather overthink the labor strife disrupting the entertainment industry, but we all know who the real disruptors are.
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Episode 785: An Uneasy Equilibrium originally appeared on Overthinking It, the site subjecting the popular culture to a level of scrutiny it probably doesn't deserve. [Latest Posts | Podcast (iTunes Link)]
1 hr 4 min
July 10, 2023Episode 784: He Wants to Die in Antiquity
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Peter Fenzel, Mark Lee, and Matthew Wrather overthink Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny, focusing on its multiple, contradictory theories of history which drive the plot and the characters’ relationships; noting the strange off-screen passing of Shia LaBoeuf; and celebrating the (sometimes glorious) mess that is the franchise’s sendoff of Harrison Ford.
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Further Reading
Episode 453: It’s Called Logan because That’s Wolverine’s Name
Episode 784: He Wants to Die in Antiquity originally appeared on Overthinking It, the site subjecting the popular culture to a level of scrutiny it probably doesn't deserve. [Latest Posts | Podcast (iTunes Link)]
1 hr 11 min