Pop Banzai

In the Banzai Boy’s third gamer set, they are pouring through the pages of Ernest Cline’s much anticipated follow-up to “Ready Player One”: “Ready Player Two”. After a brief summary, the boys discuss how Cline portrays the gamer archetype in his novel. Are Jay and Travis any closer to plugging into the gaming world? Tune… Continue reading Gamer Set Part 3: Ready Player Two

In the second episode of the “Gamer Set”, Jay and Travis take a look at Seth Gordon’s 2007 documentary “King of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters”. How do the persona’s of Stevie Wiebe and Billy Mitchell match up with the Banzai Boy’s real-world perception of gamers. Tune in to find out!

Lance Speroni of the “Couch Crunchers Podcast” joins the Banzai Boys, Jay and Travis, to kickoff their four part gamer set. And what better way to start off a conversation about gamer representation in pop culture than by re-visiting Edgar Wright’s 2010 film “Scott Pilgrim vs. the World”? Could Scott represent a subculture within a… Continue reading Gamer Set: Part 1 “Scott Pilgrim Vs. the World

In the final “Hotel Set”, Jay and Travis wrap up their discussion of hotels in the pop culture zeitgeist by creating a playlist that embodies the themes they have discussed about hotel living as well as filling in any missing holes. From Taco to Motorhead, this playlist has it all!Spotify Youtube

In part three of “The Hotel Set”, Jay and Travis pull into the seedy and dark world of highway motels as they unpack John Lees and Dalibor Talajic’s graphic novel anthology “Hotell”. What will these terrifying tales of transient living add to pop culture’s take on hotels? Tune in to find out!

For part two of their “Hotel Set”, Jay and Travis continue their quest down the murky corridors of hotels as seen through a pop culture lens. In this episode, the Banzai Boys break down the Eagle’s 1977 masterpiece song “Hotel California”. Speaking of rock and roll, the conversation evolves into a look at the famous… Continue reading Hotel Set: Part 2 “Hotel California” & “The Hyatt House Hotel”

In this first of a four part series, Jay and Travis take a look at the 1995 anthology film “Four Rooms”. If hotels are a eclectic mix of characters and stories, what better way to showcase this than by having four directors tell their wacky (often dark) tales of what goes on behind the closed… Continue reading Hotel Set : Part 1 “Four Rooms”

On this episode, Jay and Travis look at how passion can quickly devolve to violence and how violence can be portrayed with passion. The Banzai bros look a the 1986 Jonathan Demme film “Something Wild” and the 1996 Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds album “Murder Ballads” to talk about love and murder. Is Jeff… Continue reading Dark Passions Set

Jay and Travis are abducted by alien Glam Rockers and transported back to the 1970s to explore the odd, colorful, and deeply transformative world of Glam Rock. The Banzai Guys take a look at the 1998 film “Velvet Goldmine” and discuss the merits to fictionalizing biopics. Also, stay tuned as they discuss their favorite 10… Continue reading 70’s Glam Set

It’s been a strange year, and who does “strange” better than Bill Murray? That’s why this episode Jay and Travis are taking a look at the 1988 Richard Donner film, Scrooged. What makes Murray “Murray” and is “A Christmas Carol” all that great? Tune in to find out, and stay onboard as the boys discuss… Continue reading Scrooged Set