Sneaky Dragon

Hello, partygoers! Happy New Year and welcome to a special episode of the Listening Party.

This week we are listening to a playlist of some of Dave’s favourite albums of 2019. He has said that he doesn’t want it to be called a “Best of 2019” – more of a “this is some of his favourite music he heard last year.” So, if you’re curious what Dave has been listening to lately rather than our usual five years ago or so, pull up a chair, get comfy and let’s have a party!

Here’s what’s on Dave’s list:

* Omni – “Sincerely Yours” – Networker, 2019* Weyes Blood – “Something to Believe” – Titanic Rising, 2019* The Pernice Brothers – “Lullabye” – Spread the Feeling, 2019* Modern Nature – “Nature” – How to Live, 2019* White Denim – “NY Money” – Side Effects, 2019* Aldous Harding – “The Barrel” – Designer, 2019* Cate Le Bon – “Here It Comes Again” – Reward, 2019* Garcia Peoples – “High Noon Violence” – Natural Facts, 2019* Shannon Lay – “Death Close By” – August, 2019* Julia Jacklin – “Don’t Know how to Keep Loving You” – Crushing, 2019

Bonus tracks:

* Mountain Goats – “Younger” – In League with Dragons, 2019* The Unthanks – “The Night is Darkening Around Me” – Lines Pt.3 – Emily Brontë, 2019* Hobo Johnson – “Subaru Crosstrek XV” – The Fall of Hobo Johnson, 2019

Thanks for listening. Party on!

Hola, Sneakers, and happy Boxing Day! And, as is our Boxing Day tradition, Ian and Dave are joined this week by David’s cousin, Jason Dedrick, for a real Dedrick Family Boxing Day!

On the agenda this week: family imitations; the reviews are out; the annual Rich Little’s Christmas Carol guessing game; camp America; the oldest filmed version of A Christmas Carol; Who played Scrooge; let’s go a-wassailing; hungry for apples; trash cocktails; making eggnog; Christmas carolling; harmony in our heads; pure Canadian TV; leaching it; charm; burn the dead; the surprising Roddy McDowell; that darn Cat from Outer Space; you should see Fright Night; some Art Carney love; no, people do like light sabre battles; The Rise of Skywalker feelings; Mando theories; kill the parents; fear based tourism; missing out; obligatory movie watching; Question of the Week – Sneakers respond; more dry turkey; a rubber scrotum; the Mickey Mouse Christmas Carol guessing game; clueless fun; talking to heroes; visiting narcissists; no sense of humour; more eggnoggery; and, finally, an unhelpful cat.

Question of the Week: What’s your favourite version of A Christmas Carol? Sub-question: Have you ever seen a famous person, but were to afraid to approach them? Sub-sub-question: Have you ever lined up outside a store?

Thanks for listening.

Please give a listen to Jason Dedrick’s fine podcast The Gentlemen of Elegant Leisure for a fun mix of cocktails and conversation.

Curious about the picture Mick sent? Well, here it is!

Thanks again, Mick!

Here is the Rich Little Christmas Carol, and you can thank us later:

Here is Jason at the beginning of a Robson Arms episode:

Ciao, cinemaphiles! With the release of the newest Star Wars film, Ian and Dave thought it would be fun to look back at the two and two-thirds of trilogies that make up the Star Wars story.

So, sit back, give yourself a lot of spare time, and listen to Ian and Dave fansplain Star Wars.

Thanks for listening.

Hola, Sneakers! Welcome to Episode 420 of Sneaky Dragon. It’s a significant number, but I’m not sure why. I am kind of hungry though.

This week on the show: blaze it: we can’t stop talking; Dave’s favourite pizza; old-timey; Christmas tree shortage; decorating; 2008 trivia; weird Christmas movie; A Christmas Carol; overblown traditions; baby Santa Baby; creepy Christmas Carol; sensible Dickens novels; horse antics; powerful crotch; lepers; comedy; throw mediocrity out; a package from Australia; taste-testing; Question of the Week – Sneakers respond; Whamaggedon; ghoulish Beatles songs; cooking Turkey opinions; family Christmas; and, finally, chewing.

Question of the Week: How do you do your turkey? Fixings, etc. And if you don’t do turkey, what do you do? Sub-question: Fill in the blank: All I want for Christmas is __.

Department of Corections:

Dave was incorrect in his naming of the children huddled under The Ghost of Christmas Present’s robe. They were Want and Ignorance, not Want and Hunger (which is a little redundant).

Thanks for listening.

Here is the animated Christmas Carol that gave young Ian the willies:

Hello, Party-goers! Time to pull out the garland, deck the halls, and put some jingle bells on your sleigh because we are going o’er some hills and laughing all the way with our guest David M.

Yes, David returns with a fresh batch of Christmas tunes to help Mary and Dave find their true Christmas Spirit!

So, with that preamble out of the way, here is this episode’s fine selection of songs:

* Kate Rusby – Big Brave Bill Saves Christmas – Angels and Men, 2017* The Killers (feat. Dawes) – “Christmas in L.A.” – single, 2013* Tracey Thorn – “Joy” – Tinsel and Lights, 2012* John Legend with Stephen Colbert – “Nutmeg” – A Colbert Christmas: The Greatest Gift of All!, 2008* Sparks – “Christmas Without a Prayer” – single, 2015* Sting – “Bethlehem Down” – If on a Winter’s Night…, 2009* Argent – “Christmas for Free” – single, 1973* Dwight Twilley – Christmas Night – Have a Twilley Christmas, 2005* The Christmas Jug Band – “Santa Lost a Ho” – Uncorked, 2002* Aimee Mann and Michael Penn – “Christmas Time” – from the soundtrack to Hard Eight, 1996* John Prine – “Silent Night All Day Long” – A John Prine Christmas, 1994* Sam Ulano – “Santa and the Doodle-I-Boop” – single, 1955* Natalie McMaster and Alison Kraus – “Get Me Through December” – In My Hands, 1999* Eels – “Christmas Is Going to the Dogs” – Dr. Suess’ How the Grinch Stole Christmas: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack, 2000* Mel Blanc – “I Tan’t Wait Till Quithmuth Day” – single, 1953* No Fun – “Elf Toymaker” – The Five Wenceslases, 2015* The Cast of Futurama – The Elf Song (The Elves Have Rescued Christmas) – “A Tale of Two Santas”, 2001* Robin Gibb – “Noel” – My Favourite Christmas Carols, 2006

Thanks for listening. Have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Hola, Sneakers! Welcome to Episode 419 of SNeaky Dragon – the only dragon-themed podcast not related to Dungeons and Dragons!

This week: getting comfortable; having feelings; a tribute to a swell guy; when is Christmas?; time to talk Halloween music; “The Monster Mash” is all we need: vampire rules; seasonal songs; thoughts on “Last Christmas”; the proposal trap; touching stories; “Love is…” weird; Ziggy’s dark thoughts; the better Tom Wilson; sleep activities; meta dreams; a Ghostbusters theory (and some side theories); believe it or not: a silly joke: technology vs storytelling; old vs new video games; limitations are the strength; practical and CGI effects; editing in animation; when CGI becomes who cares; it’s good because it rhymes; cool leftovers; a chair-based movie; TV crisis; body control; Question of the Week – Sneakers respond; scrupulous ethics and morals; more insanity; more dentistry; mirror, mirror; round circles; and. finally, old and blind.

Question of the Week: Can you name a film or TV series improved by technology? Sub-question: What is your favourite era of animation?

Thanks for listening.

Here is the video with the incredible dancer Dave mentioned during the show:

Ciao, cinemaphiles! Please join Ian and Dave as they don their Inverness capes and deerstalker caps, and whip out their over-sized magnifying glasses to examine the clues and solve the mystery: Is Rian Johnson’s Knives Out any good?

Well, we’ll let Ian and Dave fansplain it for you.

Thanks for listening.

Hola, Sneakers! Welcome to Episode 418 of the unpopular podcast Sneaky Dragon!

This week, things go like this: unrehearsed insanity; aphorisms; metaphor mix; laziness is the answer; judgemental; May-December romance; age of consensus; fake outrage; the ugly truth; prevaricating; judge actions, not looks; shared cultural touchstones; missed opportunity; endorsing sex; he reads it for the articles; decadence; groupies; ethics vs. morals; sexual power; anti-Puritan; fire your boss; the ocean is dangerous; wee-wee watching; Question of the Week – Sneakers respond; family; for the win; lucky granny; lucky VCR; gravelly, and, finally, humble brag.

Question of the Week: What’s a way you make the world a better place? Sub-question: What’s more important: ethics or morals?

Thanks for listening.

We didn’t mention it during the show, but we had a response to our request that a listener draw up a film poster for Nina’s inspired guesses at the plots of various so-so Disney films. Here is Louise’s poster:

Louise adds: “Nina’s version of The Computer Wore Tennis Shoes could be set no earlier than 1972 as that was the year Pong debuted.  Also pictured are makes of cars my family drove and the brand of shoes I wore back then.”

Thanks, Louise!

Here is a picture of the gravestone from the beginning of Kurt Vonnegut’s Breakfast of Champions, which Dave mostly got wrong:

Dave would have been more correct to stick to the quote from the Sermon on the Mount from Matthew: ‘Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves. You will know them by their fruits. Are grapes gathered from thorns, or figs from thistles? In the same way, every good tree bears good fruit, but the bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Thus you will know them by their fruits.’ But we still think Vonnegut was right!

Here is the Playboy cover cleverly transformed into a Sneaky Dragon title card way back for Episode 99:

Hello, partygoers! Ho, ho, ho! And a merry holiday season to you!

For this whole month, we’ve handed over control of the old gramophone to our friend David M. – whose band No FUn has been featured a couple of times on the Listenig ng Party. David, a true-blue Christmas music maniac, has put together two mixtapes of some of his favourite holiday songs.

So, if you love Christmas, and you love Christmas music, and you love the idea of David, Mary and David talking about Christmas music, then you’re going to love the Listening Party this month!

Please enjoy:

* The Beatles – “Christmas Time is Here Again” – Free as a Bird EP, 1995 (Originally recorded November 1967)* Mindy Smith – “Santa Will Find You” – My Holiday, 2007* Andrea Perry – “Christmas with Fat Aunt Bette” – Ho Ho Ho Spice: A Hospice Awareness and Benefit Project, 2002* Kate Rusby – “Cornish Wassailing” – The Frost is All Over, 2015* Lyle Lovett – “Christmas Morning” – The Road to Ensenada, 1996* Poly Styrene – “Black Christmas” – Black Christmas, 2010* The Goons – “I’m Walking Backwards for Christmas” – The World of the Goons, 1978* The Christmas Jug Band – “Don’t They Know It’s Christmas” – Uncorked, 2002* The Len Price 3 – “It’s Christmas Time, Ebenezer” – Christmas a Go-Go, 2008* Sandra Bernhard – “White Christmas” – Without You I’m Nothing, 1987* Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert – “Can I Interest You in Hanukkah?” – A Colbert Christmas: The Greatest Gift of All, 2008* The Malibooz – “Carol of the Swells” – A Malibu Kind of Christmas, 1992* T.V. Smith – “Xmas Bloody Xmas” – Xmas Bloody Xmas, 2000* Buckcherry – “Christmas is Here” – Christmas is Here, 2010* Tracey Thorn – “Tinsel and Lights” – Tinsel and Lights, 2012* Glasvegas – “A Snowflake Fell (and It Felt Like a Kiss)” – A Snowflake Fell (and It Felt Like a Kiss) EP, 2008* Emerson, Lake and Palmer – “Nutrocker” – Pictures at an Exhibition, 1971

Thanks for listening. Carol on!

Hola, Sneakers! This week on the show, Ian and Dave are joined by the third Dragon, Nina Matsumoto, for her 5th annual birthday appearance!

This week on the show: Nina’s teeth; braces; dental surgery fun; pain thresholds; radioactive; dental imbalance; duck teeth; negging works; British faces; teeth aesthetics; floss your corn; boring roller-coaster; interruptions; table reading; lax studio security; meeting and re-meeting Matt Groening; Hank Azaria fangirl; comic book introduction; character murder; writer v. artist; competing gods; lavatory physics; amazing murderess; more Black Hole???; more carnage in kids’ films; Nina guesses film plots, and much, much more, but I don’t have time to write it out because I’m going to a dinner party!

Question of the Week: Quickly sketch out a poster design for one of Nina’s imaginary movies. Sub-question: What’s your worst dental experience?

Thanks for listening.