The Flopcast

We've been threatening to do a whole show about creepy songs for quite a while... and here we are. The history of pop music is just lousy with inappropriate songs, and this week we're counting down our favorites (?) in a very creepy Top 4 1/2 List. Why, even Springsteen strayed into creepy territory in the mid-80s when he asked, "Hey little girl, is your daddy home?" And of course, back in the 60s, there was Gary Puckett, who scored one creepy hit after another (mostly about young girls, such as the subtly titled "Young Girl"). Even our beloved Monkees are not so innocent. So hop in your creepy Chevy van, and join us as we achieve maximum creeptitude. We're sorry.

In our first official installment of Kornflake On the Road, Kornflake checks out Chris's Comics in Seabrook, New Hampshire, and we recall the first comic book shops we ever visited. (We recommend Starship Excalibur in Providence, Rhode Island, assuming you can get yourself back to 1984.) Our comic book talk also includes some old favorites (Blue Devil, Swamp Thing, Y: The Last Man) and a new one (Cover, by Brian Michael Bendis and David Mack). Plus: Kornflake prepares for MarsCon! Capes or Apes! Weird new jobs for everyone from Beverly Hills 90210! And we celebrate National Retro Day by suspecting that everything is secretly controlled by 80s pop band The Jets. It would explain a lot, you know.

It's a short show, because Kornflake called in sick, and the rest of us should have. But Kevin and the Mayor of Chickentown are still here, all miserable and confused, for a quick goofy conversation. Subjects include: The big Doctor Who convention, Gallifrey One! (Hey, isn't the Mayor supposed to be there right now? Oops.) The Bugs Bunny Film Festival! The Old School Game Show! Quiz-o-Tron! ESO Riffs! Spooky Dudes! And more! But not much more! Okay, time to collapse.

It's miserably cold here in Chickentown, and we just can't take it anymore, but we still managed to prepare a goofy little show for you. Including: Kevin reviews The Van, a dreadful 1977 movie with Danny DeVito (and a weird Brady Bunch connection)! Kornflake has questions about yacht rock! (Don't we all?) Jennifer Aniston has a birthday! We preview two more upcoming conventions: Gallifrey One and MarsCon! Plus Kornflake goes snow tubing, Kevin donates blood, and we invent a disgusting new Olympic competition.

Once again we braved the horrifying winter weather to cover Arisia, Boston's long-running (30 years!) science fiction and fantasy convention. We were there for you. (We were also there because we're huge geeks.) This year's report features: A weird new hotel! Why Kornflake couldn't be there! Kevin's panels (about comic books, 1980s nostalgia, Pulp Fiction, GLOW, and the Star Wars Holiday Special)! Other panels (about Clerks, Sesame Street, Batman, and the Great Molasses Flood)! Performances we wanted to see, but missed, including Jim's Big Ego and Minusworld! Performances we actually saw, including Dr. Horrible and harpist Sara Henya! Cosplay figure drawing! How to play the theremin! Matches Malone! Robolar from Mars! And even more! 'Twas a lovely weekend, and we hope to return next year, assuming we've thawed by then. Also: Seth Green's birthday, the dangers of Powerpoint, the soft rock of Bread, the truth about Mr. Belvedere, and the Fantasy Island riots of 1983.

Just a big weird mix of stuff this week, including: Patton Oswalt's birthday, the Big Chicken in Atlanta, storytelling at The Moth, the 100th anniversary of Boston's Great Molasses Flood (as observed by our friends The Great Molasses Flood), another round of Capes or Apes (featuring some intense gorilla talk), another round of The Pudding Pages (featuring a weird trend from the 90s), and some previously unknown trivia involving Kornflake and a boy band. Next week: Our full report from Arisia. Yes, it will involve Wookiees.

This week we wrap up our tribute to all the pop culture stars we lost in 2018. (And just in time, since our 2019 list is already growing...) From the music world, we say goodbye to a Cranberry, a Bay City Roller, way too many drummers, the guy who wrote the Wonder Woman TV theme song, and the Queen of Soul. From animation and kids TV, we recall some of the folks behind SpongeBob, Sesame Street, Far Out Space Nuts, the California Raisins, and Schoolhouse Rock. Our list of writers and directors includes people who worked on Star Wars, The Princess Bride, Mazes and Monsters, Howard the Duck, and yes, Cop Rock. Then we have our beloved 1980s wrestlers, including members of the Hart Foundation and the British Bulldogs, our favorite Soviet bad guy, and one of the original Gorgeous Ladies of Wrestling. Plus we remember stars from radio, comedy, science, and lots more. (If you thought we'd forget the host of Commander USA's Groovie Movies, you must be new around here.) So grab a coffee and join us. Next week we'll get back to Flopcast business as usual. (That is, giggling about stupid stuff.)

As we start a weird new year, it's time to look back at all the pop culture legends we lost in 2018. Now last year's memorial show turned into our longest episode ever; we were so dizzy and confused that we almost forgot to stop. So this year we're splitting our list into two episodes (but they're still rather long, and we're still rather dizzy). Our first category is actors, including Charlotte Rae (Mrs. Garrett!), Penny Marshall (Laverne!), David Ogden Stiers (Major Winchester! And the Martian Manhunter!), Ken Berry (the guy in The Cat From Outer Space!), and yeah, our Lois Lane, Margot Kidder. This week we also cover comic books and strips, including the creators of Beetle Bailey, Ghost Rider, Judge Dredd... and of course, Steve and Stan, the guys who gave us Spider-Man. (We forgot to say it during the show, so let's throw an "Excelsior!" in right here.) Next week we'll keep going, with stars from music, cartoons, wrestling, and more. Join us, and as always, bring very strong beverages.

A goofy new year means goofy New Year's Resolutions for your Flopcast hosts! Kornflake intends to hit the road and explore strange new places, possibly in a talking dune buggy. Meanwhile Kevin's plans might be more vague, but they're no less weird. Stick around for a ridiculous 2019; we'll get through this together. We're also celebrating National Milk Day. Coffee milk, maple milk, bizarre and disgusting school cafeteria milk... all are welcome. And we launch a whole new Flopcast segment! With a name that regular listeners will recognize! And this week that segment involves both Aquaman and Jabberjaw... so it's all downhill from here.

For our final show of 2018, we're just relaxing in the studio, enjoying our crazy black coffee, and looking back at a long strange year of Flopcasting. This year we covered a bunch of conventions (while dressed like Cloris Leachman, of course), even more concerts (yes, we saw Christopher Cross, because we're so cool), several Top 4 1/2 Lists (sometimes involving giant robots, as all lists should), and even a few old issues of Dynamite magazine (especially when they put Shaun Cassidy on the cover). Also: Kornflake's movie project, one more National Whatever Day, the 2019 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductees, our Fish Heads bet, the new Earth Station One: Tales of the Station anthology, a beverage mishap, and our weird new plan involving frog suits. This should have been a sitcom-style clip show, with harp music transitions, as we recall past episodes while trapped in a walk-in freezer. But it's not. Yikes, that would have taken a lot of effort to produce... and we are us. See you in the goofy new year.