The Flopcast

This week we conclude our look back at last month's concert by After These Messages, a weird new band (Kevin is the lead singer, sort of) that only plays TV theme songs, and may never play again. (You're welcome!) The second half of the concert included plenty of classic sitcom themes (such as Happy Days, Three's Company, Silver Spoons, and WKRP), another ridiculous duet (Family Ties), a Billy Joel cover (thanks to Tom Hanks in a dress), a Schoolhouse Rock medley, an eerily accurate Peter Brady impression, and a song that no one could possibly remember (unless they're a Flopcast listener). It was a magic night. There were no survivors. Also: We celebrate National Grouch Day, we receive a surprise turxt, and we agree upon the stakes of our Fish Heads bet. The Vegas oddsmakers must be freaking out.

That show we'd been plugging for months finally happened, and the town of Haverhill, Massachusetts will never be the same. Kevin (your Flopcast co-host) was joined by Ed (his tricky partner from The Sponge Awareness Foundation), Mike (from Vortex, Tricycle, and more), and Carl (from Duck Duck, The Shods, and even more). Together, for one night only in late September, they formed a supergroup (well, a group) known as After These Messages. And they subjected The Lasting Room in Haverhill to a silly evening of TV theme songs, performed live, along with trivia, prizes, and a killer Edith Bunker impression. Kornflake was there too, lost in the crowd of screaming superfans (well, fans) (well, humans). So this week, we run through the set list from the first half of the show and discuss. Some of our band's live versions were pretty faithful to the TV versions (The Jeffersons, Perfect Strangers, Diff'rent Strokes), while others were a bit longer, with extra verses never used on TV (Golden Girls, Growing Pains, Facts of Life). In fact, a few of these songs have unknown verses that range from weird to downright problematic (Cheers, All in the Family, Mary Tyler Moore). We also tackle the eternal Gilligan's Island theme song question: "And the rest" or "The Professor and Mary Ann"? Plus: Happy Birthday to Chevy Chase (a Griswold, an Amigo, and a golfer among gophers). Next week: The rest of the After These Messages set list. It was a long night.

This week we celebrate Elisabeth Shue's birthday, and consider dressing up like a shower to take her to a Halloween dance; Kornflake reports on her August movie (we're a little late), When Harry Met Sally; there's a new Mystery Science Theater 3000 comic book, just as the Mads (TV's Frank and Dr. Forrester) visit Boston; Kevin has concert reports on synthpop legend Gary Numan (yeah, the "Cars" guy) as well as the Bust Out Boston Music Festival with Stars Like Ours, Petty Morals, and VQnC; we enjoy a delightfully chicken-themed "What's in the Bag" segment; and we look forward to Super Megafest, October 13-14 in Framingham, Massachusetts, with stars from Lost in Space and Leave it to Beaver. (Suddenly we want to see a death match between Dr. Smith and Eddie Haskell...)

It's Flopcast movie night! All year long, Kornflake has been catching up on movies she should have seen long ago. So this week we watch and discuss one of Kevin's favorite movies from back in 1991, The Commitments. (Because if you want to experience genuine soul music... you go to Ireland.) We talk about the cast (hey, there's Star Trek's Chief Miles O'Brien!), the music (could Joey the Lips really play that trumpet?), trying and failing to rent the movie at Blockbuster, scary twins, Kornflake's collection of Corrs albums (on cassette!), and the time Kevin saw the Commitments live in concert. (Which actual cast members were in the touring version of the band? You'd be surprised...) Also, listen in horror as Kornflake is attacked by a vole or a pocketbook or both. (Note: This episode was recorded way back in March, during St. Patrick's Day weekend, appropriately. We've had it on reserve since then, waiting for just the right time to share it with you. That time is now. Enjoy. Now where did you hide our Lucky Charms?)

It's our end-of-summer spectacular! (Disclaimer: May not actually be spectacular, but it's all we have...) Kornflake visits a zoo and amusement park, spends quality time with capybaras (they're giant rodents!) and weird birds (they're weird and they're birds!), appreciates elephants, gets kicked out of bounce houses, and has strong opinions about fried dough, salt water taffy, and a mysterious scary item known as "beach pizza." Meanwhile, pre-DragonCon (but we're just getting around to discussing it), Kevin and the Mayor road-trip all the way to Philadelphia for an amazing concert by Jeff Lynne and the Electric Light Orchestra. (Just how obsessed with Xanadu are we? You have no idea.) While there, we are gifted with a beautiful Flash Gordon notebook from Rich's Really Cool Notebooks, and we're pretty sure it will save every one of us.

Kevin spent a long crazy Labor Day weekend in Atlanta for DragonCon, and shares a full report on our favorite convention with Kornflake and the Mayor of Chickentown! Highlights include: A Sesame Street reunion (with Luis, Bob, Gordon, and Big Bird); panels with stars from Mystery Science Theater 3000, Smallville, and all the DC Arrowverse shows; music from Tom Kenny and The Hi-Seas, and The Doubleclicks; The Newbie Walking Tours (because we like to be exhausted on day 1); the Geek Girls Run (because we still weren't quite exhausted enough); the ESO Network Meet and Greet (which may have involved pie); the science of The Last Jedi (should you barbecue your Porgs?); the Council of Michaels; late night fun with Wicked Geeky; the debut of the new book Earth Station One: Tales of the Station Volume 3 (with a weird new story by Kevin!); and a magic moment in the American Sci-Fi Classics Track room featuring the music of Bonnie Tyler. We also cover all of Kevin's panels, on subjects like Arrow, Krypton, Gotham, Flash, Classic Sci-Fi Legends, Roll-a-Panel, The Incredible Hulk, Classic Sci-Fi Court (aka The Revenge of Howard the Duck), The Cat from Outer Space (!), and Schoolhouse Rock. Now the rumor is that for the Schoolhouse Rock panel, and for the first time ever, Kevin finally wore a costume at DragonCon! But that probably isn't true. And if it is true, the costume probably wasn't weird and stupid. You shouldn't even bother searching for photographic evidence. Move along. Move along.

We're busy at DragonCon this week, but the podcast must go on! So we prepared this silly little show in advance, just for you. And what could be sillier than flipping through another old issue of Dynamite magazine? We selected an issue from 40 years ago based on the cover alone: It's Shaun Cassidy and Chewbacca, together at last. (Fun fact: Chewbacca came very close to co-starring with Shaun on The Hardy Boys, but then Parker Stevenson just nailed the audition by not being a Wookiee.) Inside the magazine we find not just articles about Star Wars and Shaun, but also Count Morbida's puzzle pages (hey, the Count has a delightful new girlfriend, Horribella), a card trick from the all-powerful Magic Wanda, Dynamite Bummers, and more. There's even a report on a jelly bean taste test, if you can stand that kind of excitement. We sure can. In fact, we were inspired to try another Flopcast taste test of our own, with a weird new bag of lobster-flavored potato chips. Now Kornflake loves lobsters... but will she love lobster chips? Listen to us chomp, and learn the shocking truth.

As usual, Kevin will be in Atlanta over Labor Day weekend for DragonCon, surrounded by 80,000 other very weird humans. This giant convention has an amazing guest list again this year, including cast members from Sesame Street, Mystery Science Theater 3000, Star Trek, Black Lightning, Stranger Things, and lots more. Musical guests include Flopcast favorites The Doubleclicks, Mikey Mason, Tom Smith, and Rhiannon's Lark. And you'll find many of our favorite writers, artists, costumers, scientists, skeptics, and podcasters, including plenty of ESO Network personnel! We break it all down for you this week, plus we run through Kevin's schedule of panels and events, on subjects like School House Rock, Lost in Space, Gotham, Arrow, and of course, The Cat from Outer Space. (If you thought DragonCon's American Sci-Fi Classics Track would overlook the 40th anniversary of the most important movie in history, you haven't been paying attention.) Please note: A few event times and locations have already changed since we recorded this show. Check the official schedule, and watch for updates from us. If you can find us, you'll get a goofy Flopcast badge ribbon! (We know that's all you really care about.) See you in Atlanta. Be sure to wear a bow tie, a chicken suit, or (ideally) both.

We have yet another retro concert report, as Kevin and the Mayor enjoyed an evening of Chicago-style (and Karate Kid-style) soft rock with Peter Cetera. (We did it all for the glory of being stuck in the mid-80s.) We also attended a screening of the new Mr. Rogers documentary Won't You Be My Neighbor?, with a special guest: Mr. McFeely himself, David Newell! This inspired a silly little exercise for this week's show, as we attempt to cast a hypothetical Neighborhood of Make-Believe movie. (Do we want Wil Wheaton to play Prince Tuesday? OF COURSE WE DO.) Also: Happy Birthday to Kenny Rogers. As always, we consider ourselves honorary cowards of the county.

Our summer retro concert reviews continue as Dennis DeYoung (the voice of Styx) visits historic Lexington, Massachusetts to rock our faces and our Mr. Roboto Kilroy masks. Meanwhile, Kornflake catches up on her 2018 movie project with Steve Martin's L.A. Story, National Whatever Day almost goes into reruns, and the new list of inductees in the Podcasters Hall of Fame includes a couple of very familiar names. (Are we on the list? What do you think? Keep in mind that chickens are still not allowed to vote.)