The Good Art Friends

Little change in the episode order, as we'll be covering TJ Klune's We Burned so Bright for June instead of The Ending Writes Itself by V.E. Schwab and Cat Clarke. With that said, we did want to gush on the works of V.E. Schwab, so there's a quick primer on her genre-bending bibliography. And for our local listeners, you can catch Schwab in October at NC State!

Theme music by Practical Dinosaur

Send us a message at [email protected], or connect on Bluesky at @goodartfriends.bsky.social‬.

American Football released their fourth LP, so it’s our sworn duty to cover this ethereal album. The episode starts with some background on the band and Jonathan’s history with them, before diving into the specifics of the LP at 14:40 when we break down our favorite lyrics, musical moments, and songs from this wonderfully weird record. 

Other art discussed in this episode: Playoff hockey; Prince Daddy and the Hyena; Indiana Jones and the Great Circle; Tactical Breach Wizards; Cast n Chill; Oracle of Ages.   

Next month’s topic: The Ending Writes Itself by Evelyn Clarke. 

Theme music by Practical Dinosaur

Send us a message at [email protected], or connect on Bluesky at @goodartfriends.bsky.social‬.

Is 2025’s Eephus the quintessential baseball movie? That’s the question that Spencer and Jonathan discuss alongside returning guest Stephen (who is a host of the wonderful Batting Around podcast). The trio discuss the poignant and humorous moments from this delightful film and unpack how it captures the essence of baseball. This isn’t really a movie that can be spoiled, but, for what it’s worth, the theoretical spoilers start at 13:20.

Other art discussed in this episode: 

• Can We Hang Out Sometime by Good Kid

• Gregg Araki’s Movies

• The seasons, generally

• Baseball in the Garden of Eden by John Thorn

• Disco Elysium

• Under the Island

• Here Comes the Pizza!

• Northwoods Baseball Sleep Radio

Next Month: LP4 by American Football

Theme music by Practical Dinosaur (EP out now!)
Send us a message at [email protected], or connect on Bluesky at @goodartfriends.bsky.social‬. Catch Batting Around on Bluesky at @battingaround.bsky.social

Amaze! Amaze! It’s time to talk about Project Hail Mary, both the book by Andy Weir, and the movie by Lord & Miller starring Ryan Gosling. The episode starts with some spoiler-free discussion about space fiction and the works of Andy Weir, before soaring into the plot, production, and performances at 16:40. 

Other art discussed in this episode: Origami Angel, Super Nintendo by Keza MacDonald, On a Sunbeam, Baseball in the Garden of Eden by John Thorne, Cowboy Bebop, Seveneves and Anathem by Neal Stephenson, Cosmicomics by Italo Calvino, The Murderbot Diaries by Martha Wells. 

Theme music by Practical Dinosaur

Send us a message at [email protected], or connect on Bluesky at @goodartfriends.bsky.social‬.

After a couple of seasons of talking about enjoying art, it’s time to talk about making art. In the first half, Spencer interviews Jonathan about his band Practical Dinosaur. Then Jonathan turns the tables and asks Spencer about the books he has published (29:25). Along the way, they discuss what drives them to create, where they find inspiration, as well as their favorite and least favorite part of the process. We hope this episode will compel you to make and share some art of your own!

Check out Jonathan’s music here and Spencer’s writing here. 

Other art discussed in this episode: 

• Wellness by Last Dinosaurs

• Ahead of the Beat by Summerfuss

• It’s (probably) not rocket science podcast by The University of New Mexico

• Agnes Aubert's Mystical Cat Shelter by Heather Fawcett

Send us a message at [email protected], or connect on Bluesky at @goodartfriends.bsky.social‬.

Spencer and Jonathan are joined by Tyler and Ellie for the 2026 draft! Before turning their sights towards this year, they reflect on their 2025 picks. Then at 8:35 they take turns picking their most anticipated releases in the following categories: Movies, music, shows, and miscellaneous. Just how many Bill Lawrence properties will be selected? Tune in to find out!

Send us a message at [email protected], or connect on Bluesky at @goodartfriends.bsky.social‬.

Your favorite holiday tradition has returned, as it’s time for the second annual GARTS! That’s right, Spencer and Jonathan return to share their favorite art from 2025. Here are the nominees:

• Music: Forever is a Feeling by Lucy Dacus; Send a Prayer My Way by Julien Baker and Torres; NEVER ENOUGH by Turnstile; I've Felt Better by Dinosaur Pile-Up; Straight Line Was a Lie by The Beths; TOY by Dear Seattle

• Movies: Zootopia 2; Sinners; F1; Super-Man; Good Fortune; Ballad of Wallis Island; The Phoenician Scheme; Flow; Relay

• Shows: Abbott Elementary; Pluribus; Andor; The Studio

• Video Games: Hades 2; Tiny Bookshop; Donkey Kong Bananza; Spindle; Two Point Museum; He Is Coming; Ball x Pit

• Books: The Paradox Hotel by Rob Hart; Katabasis by R.F. Kuang; Bury My Bones in the Midnight Soil by V.E. Schwab

• Miscellaneous: Shohei Ohtani’s NLCS Game 4; Art In Bloom at NCMA; The Good Art Friends

Tune in to hear which won in each category!
Send us a message at [email protected], or connect on Bluesky at @goodartfriends.bsky.social‬.

Your favorite podcasters were so preoccupied with whether or not they could cover Guillermo Del Toro’s Frankenstein, that they didn’t stop to think if they should. We hope that we did not create in vain as we discuss a film that seems like it was destined to be made the moment that Mary Shelley penned her story of a modern Prometheus 200 years ago. The episode starts off with Spencer and Jonathan sharing their experiences with Del Toro’s previous work and the character of Frankenstein. The spoilers start at 14:34 when we provide our general impressions, rate the performances, and unpack the political reflections. Tune in to hear us discuss a movie that begs the question “what if everyone was nicer to each other?!?”

Other art discussed in this episode: Katabasis, Pluribus, Saturdays at Your Place, Carly Cosgrove, and Riley!

Send us a message at [email protected], or connect on Bluesky at @goodartfriends.bsky.social‬.

Shameless plug time! Spencer has published a novella called Marley’s Christmas. 
Bookshop | Amazon | Kobo | Apple | Barnes & Noble

Join us as we travel to the unknown this month in covering Patrick McHale’s timeless 2014 miniseries Over the Garden Wall. After sharing what’s good (Hades II and Kiki’s Delivery Service), we chat generally about the show’s origins. The spoilers start at 14:17 as we breakdown our favorite themes, episodes, and frog names.  

To engage with the fandom, we recommend swinging by r/overthegardenwall. Here’s the post on favorite episode that we referenced in the episode. 

If you enjoyed Over the Garden Wall (which you undoubtedly did), consider checking out these tonally-similar works:

• Centaurworld

• Welcome to Night Vale

• Gravity Falls

• A Monster Calls

• The Decemberists

Send us a message at [email protected], or connect on Bluesky at @goodartfriends.bsky.social‬.

Shameless plug time! Spencer has published a magical realism novella called Marley’s Christmas.
Bookshop | Amazon | Kobo | Apple | Barnes & Noble

We sail the seas hunting for the elusive podcasting shards as we discuss The Wind Waker! We start off with some spoiler-free chatter, sharing our early impressions of the Switch 2, and our history with Zelda (the beloved Nintendo series, that is, not F. Scott Fitzgerald’s mercurial spouse), before diving into the details of this timeless game at 14:40. Along the way, we touch upon the once-bemoaned, now-celebrated art style, which gameplay mechanics have and have not stood the test of time, and the structure of the story. 

Other art discussed in this episode: 

• Saturdays at Your Place

• The many many books of Brandon Sanderson

• Legendary Adventures’ The Development of the Wind Waker

Send us a message at [email protected], or connect on Bluesky at @goodartfriends.bsky.social‬.