Bardic Community College

On this week's episode, we took a look at 1992 Joe Pesci vehicle, My Cousin Vinny (dir. Jonathan Lynn). Featuring the struggles of visiting the Deep South, does this 90s courtroom comedy still hold up? Do good grits take more than 5 minutes to cook? Content Warning: Strong Language, Suggestive Material Created by Derek Delago and Jordan Hester Music by Jack Ellis --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/bardiccommunitycollege/support

We're back with another monster length music episode on guitarist Eric Johnson. Famed for his dreamy guitar tones, exquisitely crafted instrumentals and general guitar wizardry, we take a look at his 80s and 90s output (Tones, Ah Via Musicom, and Venus Isle) plus one of his more recent albums, Up Close. Content Warning: Strong Language Created by Derek Delago and Jordan Hester Music by Jack Ellis --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/bardiccommunitycollege/support

We take a trip back to the SNES for Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island, the premier babysitting platformer where you play as a green dinosaur. Remembered for its coloring book aesthetic, banging soundtrack, early 3D graphics, and bizarre place in the Mario canon, Yoshi's Island is a wonderfully different Mario game that remains a platformer classic. Content Warning: Strong Language Created by Derek Delago and Jordan Hester Music by Jack Ellis --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/bardiccommunitycollege/support

We're back with a look at Anthony's Bourdain's memoir Kitchen Confidential: Adventures in the Culinary Underbelly. Taking a break from science fiction and fantasy, we take a "warts and all" look into Bourdain's life, career, and the bizarre world of restaurants. Content Warning: Strong Language, Adult Themes Created by Derek Delago and Jordan Hester Music by Jack Ellis --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/bardiccommunitycollege/support

Taking a detour over to Jersey, today's episode is on the punk band The Bouncing Souls. With all the classic punk joys of 45 second songs, bouncy guitar riffs, and sophomoric lyrics, The Bouncing Souls did carve out a respectable niche in the 90s. Is it enough for punk-averse Derek to get on board? Content Warning: Strong Language Created by Derek Delago and Jordan Hester Music by Jack Ellis. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/bardiccommunitycollege/support

Live from Jordan's house, and just in time for Christmas, we cover Shane Black's directorial debut, Kiss Kiss Bang Bang. It's a weird little meta detective movie, wherein Robert Downey Jr. and Val Kilmer team up to to solve a murder in the mean streets of Los Angeles. Content Warning: Strong Language, Abuse Created by Derek Delago and Jordan Hester Music by Jack Ellis

We take a journey to the future of 2032, where Taco Bell has crushed all other fast food restaurants, for Marco Brambilla's 1993 sci-fi action comedy Demolition Man. Starring Sylvester Stallone as a cowboy cop and Wesley Snipes as a criminal mastermind, both characters are transported to the utopian future where everybody is extremely peaceful, sanitized, and unbelievably lame. Content Warning: Strong Language, Police Created by Derek Delago and Jordan Hester Music by Jack Ellis

This week we're taking a look at Megacrit's indie roguelike deckbuilding game, Slay the Spire. In it, you climb a randomly generated tower and build a randomly generated deck to fight hordes of random generated monsters (sorta) with your choice of fire, poison, lightning or anger. Content Warning: Strong Language Created by Derek Delago Music by Jack Ellis

Taking another step into horror video games, today we tackle the psychological horror masterpiece, Silent Hill 2. Remembered for its foreboding atmosphere, terrifying imagery, and strong storyline, not to mention iconic and terrifying enemies, Silent Hill 2 has remained a classic in the genre. Content Warning: Strong Language, Horrific Imagery, Sexual Violence Created by Derek Delago and Jordan Hester Music by Jack Ellis

We're back with everybody's favorite reggae-infused punk band, The Police. Featuring future Spyro music composer Stewart Copeland on drums, former session musician Andy Summers, and some guy called Sting, The Police only put out five albums but had a huge impact on the 80s sound, in addition to immense success. Content Warning: Strong Language Created by Derek Delago and Jordan Hester Music by Jack Ellis

Continuing our streak of bizarre high-concept 80s films, for this week's episode we took a chance on Pee-wee's Big Adventure (1985, dir. Tim Burton). In the first screen depiction of Paul Reuben's kitschy manchild, Pee-wee Herman, we follow his surreal antics in recovering a missing bicycle across an equally strange America. Content Warning: Strong Language, Suggestive Content Created by Derek Delago and Jordan Hester Music by Jack Ellis

Just in time for Halloween, we took a look at Junji ito's surreal horror manga series, Uzumaki. Known for body horror and a preoccupation with all things "spiral," this manga ain't for the faint of heart. Content Warning: Strong Language, Horror Imagery Created by Derek Delago and Jordan Hester Music by Jack Ellis

In today's lesson we talk about the 2020 Olympics, the disintegrating political system, and of course, psychic children. Of course, we're talking about the groundbreaking 1988 animated film, Akira. In addition to covering the complex characters, complicated story, and rife amounts of body horror, we also talk about the animation industry in the late 80s and how Akira influenced the next decade (and more). Content Warning: Strong Language, Discussion of Graphic and Sexualized Violence Created by Derek Delago and Jordan Hester Music by Jack Ellis

For today's show, we take a trip to the Baker mansion in Resident Evil 7: Biohazard. The most recent mainline Resident Evil game took the series back to basics by having you fight against "evil residents" and innovated by adopting a first person perspective, in a series famed for it's third-person gameplay. Content Warning: Strong Language, Horror Imagery Created by Derek Delago and Jordan Hester Music by Jack Ellis

Join us for the low down on the Soggy Bottom Boys...er the Coen Brother's comedy O Brother, Where Art Thou? Painting a loving (if occasionally) critical picture of the American South pre-World War II, O Brother, Where Art Thou? is a gold mine of quips and references to mythology, if lacking some of the dramatic or satirical teeth of other Coen films. Content Warning: Strong Language, Discussion of Hate Groups Created by Derek Delago and Jordan Hester Music by Jack Ellis

For our episode today, we take a visit to the grotesquely cute roguelike indie game, The Binding of Isaac. Liberally mixing biblical horror, classic dungeon delving, and a whole lot of black comedy, The Binding of Isaac proved to be the breakthrough hit of indie game maker Edmund McMillen, later spawning a remake called Binding of Isaac Rebirth. Content Warning: Suggestive Material, Strong Language Created by Derek Delago and Jordan Hester Music by Jack Ellis

Taking a detour to harder sci-fi, we take a look at Robert Heinlein's The Moon is a Harsh Mistress. A fitting title, considering all the craziness that happens when a fight for independence occurs on 2075's premier penal colony: the moon. Content Warning: Suggestive Content, Strong Language, Politics Created by Derek Delago and Jordan Hester Music by Jack Ellis

For today's show, we're taking a look at Disco Elysium, a bizarre narrative RPG developed by ZA/UM. After surviving the bender to end all benders, you play an amnesiac detective investigating a murder. How (if?) you solve that murder is up to you as your emotions and thoughts tailor your strange journey through a town in the midst of chaos and corruption. And yes, you can continue to do drugs, punch children, and worse on the way to the truth. Content Warning: Suggestive Material, Strong Language Created by Derek Delago and Jordan Hester Music by Jack Ellis

For today's show, we take a look at Nobuhiko Obayashi's House, a bizarre horror classic. Created with input from Obayashi's young daughter, the film juggles bizarre and horrific imagery with extremely goofy setups and asides, creating a dreamlike atmosphere that manages to be both uncanny and hilarious. Content Warning: Strong Language Created by Derek Delago and Jordan Hester Music by Jack Ellis

For this iteration of Music Class, we're covering the retro-inspired soul artist, Mayer Hawthorne. Known for his geeky aesthetic in a sensual genre, Hawthorne has evolved from a one-man band to an Indie darling, combining retro mo-town with modern tricks. Content Warning: Strong Language, Sexually Explicit Lyrics Created by Derek Delago and Jordan Hester Music by Jack Ellis

After a sudden hiatus, we're back with an episode on the 1986 fantasy classic, Redwall by Brian Jacques. With a series stretching over 25 years, the Redwall books have certainly secured themselves a place in libraries all over the world, but Jordan knows not a thing about an abbey of peace-loving mice. Content Warning: Strong Language Created by Derek Delago and Jordan Hester Music by Jack Ellis

This week is all about the world's most successful musical parodist, Alfred "Weird Al" Yankovic. Straight out of Lynwood, California, Weird Al is arguably the only artist from the 80s still as relevant now as they were then., creating a huge catalog of song parodies and original comedic works. Also, Black Lives Matter and Defund the Police. Content Warning: Strong Language Author's Note: This episode is super long, a little janky in some spots, and has more tangents than anything before. Also, fuck Devo. Created by Derek Delago and Jordan Hester Music by Jack Ellis

This week, we take a rocket jump into Valve's class based first-person shooter (or hat simulator), Team Fortress 2. Known for breaking the mold in multiplayer FPS design, jump-starting the trend of micro-transactions in multiplayer games, and for having some of the craziest lore, Team Fortress 2 has shaped the modern game industry like few before. RIP Rick May Content Warning: Strong Language Created by Derek Delago and Jordan Hester Music by Jack Ellis

Dare! Dare to believe that today we're covering the 1986 nostalgia fest, Transformers: The Movie. Jordan's a huge transformers buff, whereas Derek only knows about the franchise from the live action films, internet memes, and incredibly hazy memories of Toonami. Will Derek walk away from an 84 minute toy commercial with more than apathy? Content Warning: Strong Language Created by Derek Delago and Jordan Hester Music by Jack Ellis

We return to book reviews with Patrick Rothfuss's fantasy novel The Name of the Wind. Styled as a fantasy novel told from the perspective of its own hero, we follow the youth of one Kvothe as he gets embroiled in ancient conspiracies, magical universities and other DnD shenanigans. While we here at BCC clearly love our fantasy, does The Name of the Wind offer something more than the standard fare? Content Warning: Strong Language Note: Derek's got a new microphone! Also, we're gonna try to read books faster. Created by Derek Delago and Jordan Hester Music by Jack Ellis

Jordan's choice for a musical act ended up being modern country artist Sturgill Simpson. Known for a shocking win at the 59th Grammy awards and idiosyncratic lyrics, we take a look at pretty much his entire discography. Content Warning: Strong Language, Suggestive Lyrics Note: As of now this is our longest episode! If this one goes on too long, let us know. Created by Derek Delago and Jordan Hester Music by Jack Ellis

We're taking another dive into cosmic horror with the 2016 independent horror film, The Void. Written and directed by Canadian filmmakers Steven Kostanski and Jeremy Gillespie, The Void had a successful crowdfunding campaign to be able to feature some impressive practical effects, but does the rest of this movie hold up to its monster(s)? Content Warning: Strong Language Created by Derek Delago and Jordan Hester Music by Jack Ellis

Turning to the next most famous Sega franchise after Sonic, today we talk Yakuza 0 and Yakuza Kiwami, the prequel to the series and the remake of the original respectively. Known for dense crime stories, violent brawling, bizarre sidequests and a lotta heart, the Yakuza series has steadily risen in prestige since its debut in 2005. Also Derek can't stop mispronouncing "Yakuza." Content Warning: Strong Language Created by Derek Delago and Jordan Hester Music by Jack Ellis

On today's episode we take a look at John Carpenter's horrifying film, The Thing. Opening to mixed reviews in '82, this science fiction horror film raised the bar on disgusting special effects. The two of us consider this to be one of the best movies ever made, and we're not afraid to share why! Content Warning: Strong Language Note: This episode is a little shorter than normal: there's only such we can praise about it without repeating ourselves. Go watch this movie! Created by Derek Delago and Jordan Hester Music by Jack Ellis

This week we're looking at Andrei Tarkovsky's Stalker. Probably the artsiest movie we've watched for the show so far, it's a science fiction film where three men journey into "The Zone" a strange place warped by an extraterrestrial event. This is the first foreign film we've picked for the channel (and hopefully not the last). Content Warning: Strong Language Created by Derek Delago Music by Jack Ellis

This week, we're back talking about another video game from the Super Nintendo Era: the square soft classic, Chrono Trigger. Generally considered among the best RPGs ever made, one of the best SNES games ever, and far more dearly, it's one of Jordan's favorite games. But is this time travel adventure enough to sway Derek, having barely touched an RPG made before 2000? Content Warning: Strong Language Created by Derek Delago and Jordan Hester Music by Jack Ellis

We're going back to the early seventies to look at the highly influential but criminally overlooked rock group Budgie. In a reversal of Brand New, we're looking at a group that Derek absolutely loves while Jordan is but a stranger. Content Warning: Strong Language Created by Derek Delago and Jordan Hester Music by Jack Ellis

We return to video games with a look at the Nintendo classic: Super Metroid! Derek's barely played any of this Metroid stuff, but there's a lot beneath the surface to this mid 90s platformer. Content Warning: Strong Language Note: There is a brief segment where another video clip played in the background. It's very brief at about the 46 minute mark. Created by Derek Delago and Jordan Hester Music by Jack Ellis

Featuring our special guest Dani, this week's episode covers Alfred Hitchcocks's thriller Rope (1948). Analyzed and remembered for the homosexual undertones between the two killers and the film's game attempt to appear as one continuous "take," Rope is relatively obscure outside of film circles and Hitchcock fans. Content Warning: Strong Language, Sexually Explicit humor Created by Derek Delago and Jordan Hester Music by Jack Ellis

For this week's episode, we're back with Jordan's choice for a music group: Brand New. An emo/alternative rock group is outside Derek's usual wheelhouse but will he walk away more or less indifferent than when he started? Content Warning: Strong language, Suggestive Content Created by Derek Delago and Jordan Hester Music by Jack Ellis

Continuing our delves through science fiction and fantasy, we turn our sights to Phillip Pullman's The Golden Compass. While considered a YA classic, Derek and Jordan are a little more skeptical. Content Warning: Strong Language Note: Experimenting with how we do spoiler tagging. This episode starts with a spoiler warning, then we do a second one later one as we get towards the end. Created by Derek Delago and Jordan Hester Music by Jack Ellis

We've got the mania! We take a look at the blue blur's 2017 retro retraux Sonic Mania, along with share our stories about where we stand with the Sonic the Hedgehog franchise. Content Warning: Strong Language Created by Derek Delago and Jordan Hester Music by Jack Ellis Note: The ending theme for this episode (which might become a staple) was inspired by the special stages of Sonic games. Thanks Jack!

We're back after a lengthy holiday-induced coma to bring the first episode of 2020: a look at Ridley Scott's Legend. Recorded at Jordan's house (making us sound the most consistent yet), we re-watched the 80s fairy tale and found it to be better and worse than we remembered. Content Warning: Strong Language Created by Derek Delago and Jordan Hester Music by Jack Ellis

A new movie review out while it's still in theaters! We take a look at the Rian Johnson mystery comedy film, Knives Out, and manage to dig ourselves into a hole we could never escape: Star Wars tangents. Content Warning: Strong Language, Left-leaning politics, Star Wars Created by Derek Delago and Jordan Hester Music by Jack Ellis Note: Holmat and timeliness caused this episode to be a bit rushed

On this music episode, we take a listen to the legendary progressive rock group, Yes. Tackling The Yes Album, Fragile, 90125, and Union for this episode, Derek gushes and Jordan willingly tolerates the group's highest highs and probably their lowest low. Unless you really don't like Tales From Topographic Oceans... Content Warning: Strong Language Note: Jordan came in really low for this recording, so his audio has been raised in some sections. Note 2: Recording somehow had 8 minutes cut at the end, which has now been restored! Created by Derek Delago and Jordan Hester Music by Jack Ellis "Roundabout" belongs to Yes.

We're back to the books with Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency by Doulas Adams. Dirk Gently is a bizarre science fiction comedy about ghosts, Samuel Taylor Coleridge, and finding the time to watch television. Content Warning: Strong Language Created by Derek Delago and Jordan Hester Music by Jack Ellis

In this episode Jordan introduces Derek to MF Doom, an alt rapper with exquisite taste in samples. While far out of his element, Derek gives it the old BCC try. Content Warning: Strong Language Created by Derek Delago and Jordan Hester Music by Jack Ellis

For this bonus episode, BCC discusses the merits of cult cartoon miniseries, Over the Garden Wall. Featuring special guest Connor Love. Content Warning: Strong Language Created by Derek Delago and Jordan Hester Music by Jack Ellis

For the first talk on video games, Derek and Jordan tackle Prey (2017). Frequent references to System Shock abound! In video game talks, we'll discuss the experience of playing the games and what makes them stack up against their peers. Content warning: Strong Language Created by Derek Delago and Jordan Hester Music by Jack Ellis

Jumping back to 1986, Jordan and Derek discuss a formative film for both: Highlander. Lots of gushing, but also a look at the aspects that haven't entirely held up. Content Warning: Strong language, Discussion of sexual violence Created by Derek Delago and Jordan Hester Music by Jack Ellis

Derek and Jordan are joined by guest lecturer Adam to talk about Neil Gaiman's The Graveyard Book. In the literature series, we'll discuss individual novels and provide inane analysis on science fiction and fantasy works. Content Warning: Strong language Created by Derek Delago and Jordan Hester Music by Jack Ellis Notes: Derek's audio is a little loud and Jordan is a little quiet. Adam is just right.

Starting our series on music, Derek and Jordan discuss Metallica. A formative band for both hosts, get a low-down on the history of the group and an album-by-album analysis of one of the biggest metal bands ever. Content Warning: Strong language Created by Derek Delago and Jordan Hester Music by Jack Ellis

The first in our film discussions, Jordan and Derek talk about Us (2019) fresh after seeing the movie. Content Warning: Strong language Created by Derek Delago and Jordan Hester Music by Jack Ellis

The first episode of BCC is a special look at Spamalot, the comedic play based on Monty Python and the Holy Grail. Made before we decided on our format, we dissect our experience of watching the play and compare the changes from screen to stage. Content Warning: Strong language Created by Derek Delago and Jordan Hester Music by Jack Ellis

Welcome to BCC! We're the sub-par humanities education you didn't know you wanted. Hosted by Jordan and Derek, every week Bardic Community College will talk about a piece of popular culture; we cycle between film, literature, music, and games, with occasional forays into other mediums. Content Warning: Strong language Created by Derek Delago and Jordan Hester Music by Jack Ellis