Pulp Friction

Rocky and Alex come together once again to discuss Pixar in the A.D. (After Death) (of Steve Jobs) era. In some ways, it’s the depressing and slow death of a once-cherished creative force in American culture. In other ways, it’s an inevitable and much-deserved reckoning with the Great Man theory. In other ways, maybe things are on the right track? Persons of interest include John Lithgow.

Pulp Friction is available wherever pods are cast. Subscribe and share to support the show. Send riddles to [email protected].

Pulp Friction is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit pulpfriction.substack.com/subscribe

Turns out, it takes way more than 90 minutes to talk about all the epic highs and lows of Pixar. That’s why it’s getting 2. This time, Rocky and Alex cover the legacy of Pixar in the B.C. (Before Cars 2) era. Persons of interest include Michael Eisner, Francis Ford Coppola, and Shrek.

Pulp Friction is available wherever pods are cast. Subscribe and share to support the show. Send riddles to [email protected].

Pulp Friction is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit pulpfriction.substack.com/subscribe

Hey, did you guys know there was a Met Gala last week? We did, and we’re giving you a primer on some of the night’s best and worst fits, from lettuce to chips and princesses to pince-nezes. Who popped, who flopped, and what was the theme anyway? Persons of interest include Taylor Swift, Ice Spice, and Katy Perry, none of whom were in attendance for obvious reasons.

Pulp Friction is available wherever pods are cast. Find Simone on Twitter @parasocialyte. Subscribe and share to support the show. Send riddles to [email protected].

Pulp Friction is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit pulpfriction.substack.com/subscribe

A few years ago, Taylor Swift said everybody was a sexy baby. Today, she says everyone smells like either weed or little babies. What is the truth, TayTay? This week, Rocky is joined by resident Swiftie Brig to discuss what may be Taylor’s least defensible album to date. Is she bad? Is she mad? Is she… wise? Persons of interest include Katy Perry, Lana Del Rey, and DRAAAKE???

Intro (0:00)

Fortnight (17:10)

TTPD & My Boy Only Breaks His Favorite Toys (25:28)

Down Bad (31:11)

So Long, London (33:13)

Florida!!! (34:59)

But Daddy I Love Him (36:10)

Fresh Out the Slammer (39:09)

Guilty As Sin? (41:50)

Who’s Afraid of Little Old Me? (44:28)

I Can Fix Him (No Really I Can) (45:58)

loml (49:03)

I Can Do It With a Broken Heart (51:03)

Smallest Man Who Ever Lived (53:43)

The Alchemy (55:11)

Clara Bow (57:21)

The Black Dog (59:07)

imgonnagetyouback (1:04:47)

The Albatross (1:06:06)

Chloe or Sam or Sophia or Marcus (1:07:25)

How Did It End? (1:09:08)

So High School (1:10:37)

I Hate It Here (1:13:11)

thanK you aIMee (1:16:15)

I Look in People’s Windows (1:21:11)

The Prophecy (1:21:47)

Cassandra (1:22:08)

Peter (1:23:50)

The Bolter (1:24:43)

Robin (1:25:51)

The Manuscript (1:27:09)

Outro (1:28:34)

Pulp Friction can be found wherever pods are cast. Subscribe and share to support the show. Send riddles to [email protected].

Pulp Friction is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit pulpfriction.substack.com/subscribe

Noted Brit Alex Garland makes a film about American politics. What could go wrong? This week, Rocky (she/her) and Ruth (he/him) are fresh out of the theater to address the elephant in the room: Civil War is kinda interesting? Persons of interest include Jean-Claude Van Damme, Andy Ngo, and Brian De Palma.

Pulp Friction is available wherever pods are cast. Subscribe and share to support the show. Send riddles to [email protected].

Pulp Friction is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit pulpfriction.substack.com/subscribe

Niche internet celebrity Natalie Wynn is back in the niche internet news, and Rocky is joined by Cody, our resident expert on the online left (and right), to tell Contra’s side of the story. If her screen name leaves a bad taste in your mouth, this episode invites you to ask, “Why?” Persons of interest include Rian Johnson, Hillary Clinton, and the Westboro Baptist Church.

Pulp Friction is available wherever pods are cast. Subscribe and share to support the show. Reach out to Rocky or [email protected] with any inquiries.

Pulp Friction is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit pulpfriction.substack.com/subscribe

This is the big one, folks. Rocky and Blurry are talking about Zoomer Nickelback themselves, the band everyone loves to hate, Imagine Dragons. Were they always this bad? Were they lightning before the thunder? Is there actually something of value in their catalog? And most importantly, are they still Mormon or what? Persons of interest include Brendon Urie, Jesus, and Spider-Man.

Pulp Friction is available wherever pods are cast. Find Blurry’s animations @ Paranimate Productions on YouTube. Subscribe and share to support the show. Reach out to Rocky or [email protected] with any inquiries.

Pulp Friction is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit pulpfriction.substack.com/subscribe

What if you could watch a whole movie… on a screen? The screenlife films of Timur Bekmambetov imagine this twisted world, and Rocky is joined by Violet this week to look at the likes of Unfriended, Unfriended: Dark Web, Searching, and Missing. Persons of interest include Justin Bieber, Drake, and Roger Corman.

Pulp Friction is available wherever pods are cast. Subscribe and share to support the show. Reach out to Rocky or [email protected] with any inquiries.

Pulp Friction is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit pulpfriction.substack.com/subscribe

Each year, dozens of teens all over the world are driven mad with beguilement by the Beatles’ riddle. Rocky, Sam, and Leon are within a country mile of cracking it, and we need your help to continue our Beatle studies. For just riddles a day, you can promote this vital academic work.

Pledge a recurring riddle donation, or simply share whatever riddles you have, by reaching out to Rocky, the Pulp Friction Discord server, or [email protected].

You can donate riddles on a weekly, monthly, or even quarterly basis. Every riddle you submit will be read live on-air by our esteemed experts, and high-volume donors will receive special perks like:

* A one-of-a-kind custom tote bag

* A chance to appear on a future episode

Or whatever. So give a riddle. Just a little. Today.

Pulp Friction is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit pulpfriction.substack.com/subscribe

[CORRECTION: The song featured in Anatomy of a Fall is 50 Cent’s “P.I.M.P.,” not Jay-Z’s “Big Pimpin’”.]

The movies are back in a big way this year, and Rocky (she/her) and Ruth (he/him) are looking back at a great year for cinema. Superheroes will die! Beau will be afraid! Canada will be nominated for Best International Feature!

Check out the full list of winners below, or listen to the episode if you don’t want it spoiled. Listen to Pulp Friction wherever pods are cast. Subscribe and share to support the show. Reach out to Rocky or [email protected] with any inquiries.

Pulp Friction is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.

Worst Picture: Haunted Mansion

Best Sequel: Magic Mike’s Last Dance

Best Action: John Wick: Chapter 4

Scariest Movie: Skinamarink

Funniest Movie: Dicks: The Musical

Best Animated Picture: The Boy and the Heron

Best International Film: BlackBerry (Canada)

Best Cinematography: Haris Zambarloukos (A Haunting in Venice)

Best Use of an Existing Song: “Push” by Matchbox Twenty (Barbie)

Best Original Song: “Dear Alien (Who Art in Heaven)” (Asteroid City)

Best Score: Leo Birenberg & Charli XCX (Bottoms)

Best Original Screenplay: Wes Anderson & Roman Coppola (Asteroid City)

Best Adapted Screenplay: Christopher Nolan (Oppenheimer)

Best Cameo: Martin Scorsese (Killers of the Flower Moon)

Best Ensemble: Killers of the Flower Moon

Breakout Performer: Alyssa Sutherland (Evil Dead Rise)

Best Supporting Actress: Catalina Saavedra (Rotting in the Sun)

Best Supporting Actor: Mark Ruffalo (Poor Things)

Best Lead Actor: Jason Schwartzman (Asteroid City)

Best Lead Actress: Lily Gladstone (Killers of the Flower Moon)

Best First Feature: A.V. Rockwell (A Thousand and One)

Best Director: Christopher Nolan (Oppenheimer)

Best Picture: Oppenheimer

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit pulpfriction.substack.com/subscribe