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Back for another week, as July kicks off and Happy 249th Birthday, 'Merica! This week's episode has nothing to do with July 4th or patriotism, but instead, the Top 10 Summer Series continues! This week, Miss Independent, Jeremy Burgess, joins Mikey, d$, and #XLessDrEarl take a look at the late 80s, in the year 1988! It was a year that saw Tim Allen and Annette Bening get their big break... Bill Murray go Christmas... Monty Python win an Oscar... Tom Hanks get seduced by an older lady... Tom Cruise outshine Dustin Hoffman... The Coreys peak... a double dose of Kevin Dillon... space Klowns... and of course, its Die Hard in a building!
The show opens with a brief mention of the Idaho shooter story from over the weekend and my worries of how this could be emulated by known enemies of our nation that were allowed entry during the Biden regime. Then we spend a good amount of time discussing how the Democrat party no longer shies away from being openly socialist. I've said that's what they really are for many years now, but until recently, they have always denied it. We look at how both NYC and LA are both openly competing for which city will fall the fastest. Sen. Chris Murphy (D-CT) outright lied on Meet the Press when he said the only reason the border is now secure is due to the Trump administration breaking the law. The same propaganda wing of the Democrat party wanted to argue about the Congo-Rwanda peace deal. CNN decided to give an anti-ICE app a 90 second infomercial by putting a spotlight on the app meant to identify and disrupt ICE raids. On the anti-Semitic side, Candace Owens was on the Piers Morgan Show and put out the challenge of trying to identify what “Zionists” have ever done for America. So, I give just a handful of examples off the top of my head. Fellow independent journalist Erin Molan simply played a Monty Python scene from Life of Brian. A Tesla arsonist is being prosecuted by charges that could mean 30 years in prison. The DOJ is going after Harvard for violations against Title VI of the Civil Rights Act. And, as we close, Scott Bessent, Treasure Secretary, says the Big Beautiful Bill is just a step in the right direction and there is a lot more to do in getting our debt under control. Perhaps part of those next steps includes word that the Trump administration is already looking for a replacement for Fed Chair Jerome Powell. Please take a moment to rate and review the show and then share the episode on social media. You can find me on Facebook, X, Instagram, GETTR, TRUTH Social and YouTube by searching for The Alan Sanders Show. And, consider becoming a sponsor of the show by visiting my Patreon page!!
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Vi fortsætter rejsen tilbage til 1975, hvor fokus er på Paul, George og Ringo. For Paul McCartney bød året på en "svær toer", albummet "Venus And Mars" der skulle opfylde megasuccesen "Band On The Run". Wings rykkede til USA hvor de i New Orleans og Los Angeles arbejdede de første måneder af året. George Harrison drog også til Californien hvor det gjaldt "Extra Texture - read all about it". Samtidig åbnede han døren til den fantastiske Monty Python verden og Oliva Arias der skulle blive hans ledsager resten af livet. Ringo Starr købte lejlighed i Monte Carlo. Og festede. Søren Mathiesen og Claus Nielsen har igen åbnet historiebøgerne og er guider på rejsen rundt i det spændende Beatles-univers. Du er i gode hænder, når de to er i ørerne på dig. Lyt gerne til første del før denne episode. Giver mest mening.
In Part II of our "Rejecting Monty Python" episode, the Knights of the Round Table head west. Led Zeppelin enters the chat. Rabbis protest – and the Life of Monty Python is saved by a Beatle.Hope you'll join us. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
As Monty Python used to say: “And now for something completely different.” Mohamed Bouabdallah is a French Diplomat. He is the Cultural Counselor of France in the United States. His job is to promote the arts and education between France and the U.S. And he also is responsible for recommending recipients of the prestigious “Arts and Lettres” awards. A totally different and fascinating interview!My featured song is “March Of The Diplomats” from the album Trippin' by my band Project Grand Slam. Spotify link.---------------------------------------------The Follow Your Dream Podcast:Top 1% of all podcasts with Listeners in 200 countries!Click here for All Episodes Click here for Guest List Click here for Guest Groupings Click here for Guest TestimonialsClick here to Subscribe Click here to receive our Email UpdatesClick here to Rate and Review the podcast—----------------------------------------ROBERT'S RECENT SINGLES:“THE CUT OF THE KNIFE” is Robert's latest single. An homage to jazz legend Dave Brubeck and his hit “Take Five”. It features Guest Artist Kerry Marx, Musical Director of The Grand Ole Opry band, on guitar solo. Called “Elegant”, “Beautiful” and “A Wonder”! CLICK HERE FOR THE OFFICIAL VIDEOCLICK HERE FOR ALL LINKS—----------------------------“DAY AT THE RACES” is Robert's newest single.It captures the thrills, chills and pageantry of horse racing's Triple Crown. Called “Fun, Upbeat, Exciting!”CLICK HERE FOR THE OFFICIAL VIDEOCLICK HERE FOR ALL LINKS___________________“MOON SHOT” reflects my Jazz Rock Fusion roots. The track features Special Guest Mark Lettieri, 5x Grammy winning guitarist who plays with Snarky Puppy and The Fearless Flyers. The track has been called “Firey, Passionate and Smokin!”CLICK HERE FOR THE OFFICIAL VIDEOCLICK HERE FOR ALL LINKS____________________“ROUGH RIDER” has got a Cool, ‘60s, “Spaghetti Western”, Guitar-driven, Tremolo sounding, Ventures/Link Wray kind of vibe!CLICK HERE FOR THE OFFICIAL VIDEOCLICK HERE FOR ALL LINKS—--------------------------------“LOVELY GIRLIE” is a fun, Old School, rock/pop tune with 3-part harmony. It's been called “Supremely excellent!”, “Another Homerun for Robert!”, and “Love that Lovely Girlie!”Click HERE for All Links—----------------------------------“THE RICH ONES ALL STARS” is Robert's single featuring the following 8 World Class musicians: Billy Cobham (Drums), Randy Brecker (Flugelhorn), John Helliwell (Sax), Pat Coil (Piano), Peter Tiehuis (Guitar), Antonio Farao (Keys), Elliott Randall (Guitar) and David Amram (Pennywhistle).Click HERE for the Official VideoClick HERE for All Links—----------------------------------------Audio production:Jimmy RavenscroftKymera Films Connect with the Follow Your Dream Podcast:Website - www.followyourdreampodcast.comEmail Robert - robert@followyourdreampodcast.com Follow Robert's band, Project Grand Slam, and his music:Website - www.projectgrandslam.comYouTubeSpotify MusicApple MusicEmail - pgs@projectgrandslam.com
In this week's episode, I take a look at the frozen pizzas that I enjoyed in 2025, and give my recommendations for the best frozen pizzas. This coupon code will get you 25% off the ebooks in the Dragontiarna series at my Payhip store: WARDEN25 The coupon code is valid through July 14, 2025. So if you need a new ebook this summer, we've got you covered! TRANSCRIPT 00:00:00 Introduction and Writing Updates Hello, everyone. Welcome to Episode 256 of The Pulp Writer Show. My name is Jonathan Moeller. Today is June 20th, 2025 and today we are looking at my favorite frozen pizzas from Winter and Spring 2025. Before we get to our main topic, we'll have Coupon of the Week, an update on my current writing progress, and then we will do Question of the Week this week. First up, let's do Coupon of the Week. This week's coupon code will get you 25% off the ebooks in the Dragontiarna series at my Payhip store, and that coupon is WARDEN25. This coupon code is valid through July 14th, 2025. So if you need a new series of really long ebooks to read for this summer, we have got you covered and as always, the links to the store and the coupon code will be included in the show notes. Now for an update on my current writing and audiobook projects. As I mentioned before, I want Summer 2025 to be my Super Summer of Finishing Things because I want to finish The Shield War, Stealth and Spells, and Ghost Armor series this summer before I start on new things. I'm pleased to report that I have reached a milestone of that. The rough draft of Shield of Power is done at 101,000 words. This will be the sixth and final book in the Shield War series. I am currently writing A Consort of Darkness, which will be a short story that newsletter subscribers will get a free copy of in ebook form when Shield of Power comes out. I am also 109,000 words into Stealth and Spells Online: Final Quest and hopefully that will come out very quickly after Shield The Power is out. I'm also 10,000 words into Ghost in the Siege, which will likewise be the sixth and final book in the Ghost Armor series. In audiobook news, recording is still underway for Ghost in the Corruption, which will be narrated by Hollis McCarthy and Shield of Battle, which will be narrated by Brad Wills. Hopefully we will have some more updates on that soon and I don't think it'll be too much longer before both audiobooks are out and available. 00:02:02 Question of the Week Now let's go to Question of the Week. Question of the Week is intended to inspire enjoyable discussions of interesting topics. This week's question: when was the last time you went to an actual movie theater to see a movie? No wrong answers, including “I don't go to movie theaters.” As you can guess, we had a range of responses on this one. Justin says: Last month we saw Monty Python and the Holy Grail (fifty year release) in the theater. Yes, we have the DVD. David says: I guess Dune Two is the last time I went to a theater. For the price of going to the theater, I can wait and stream it later. If I don't like the price, I can even wait a few years. I'm not so quick to give them my money. Haven't gone to the theater yet in 2025. Nothing called out to me. William says: Except for 2020-2021, I've been going to the movies frequently every year since the Hobbit movies first came out. It's not that my habits has changed, just that they started making the kind of movies I wanted to watch like Star Wars, Jurassic World, the Disney remakes, and so on. Before 2012, the last time I went was in 2006 for the third Pirates of the Caribbean movie. It probably helps that it's only two tickets each time and not four or five for a whole family. Randy says: Top Gun: Maverick. It was a throwback to the days when movies were fun to watch. Everything doesn't have to have a deeper meaning and make us think. Just have an unlikely crew of misfits take out the bad guys. Bonnie says: Last one was Mary Poppins Returns with granddaughter in Spring 2019. I can't see spending the price for a one time deal. Cheryl says: The last time I went to the cinema…when did American Beauty come out? That's how long ago it was and the movie was disappointing. Jenny says: Thunderbolts! I wish movies weren't so pricey. Elizabeth says: Last time I went to the movie theater was to see Jumanji 2 with my now husband as our first date because both of us are terrible at first date ideas. I don't know- if Elizabeth's first date with her now husband was Jumanji 2, it seems like that was a very successful first date. John says: War of the Rohirrim, December of last year. A different John says: Dune Two and A Complete Unknown are the only two I've seen in the theater in the last two years. In both cases it was because A: the movie deserved to be experienced completely, and B: there was someone I wanted to share it with. Otherwise, modern tech in the home works just fine. Michael says: Last movie I saw in an actual cinema was Avengers Infinity War, so that's going back a bit. I think the COVID lockdown just killed any desire to do so and haven't been back since. Michael [A different Michael than the one listed above] says: It has been years. For myself, the answer is quite simple. I went on May 31st to see Mission Impossible: Final Reckoning. The inspiration for this question was technological change. I only went to the theater twice in 2024, for Dune Part Two and The Fall Guy. In 2025, I've been to the theater twice so far, for Thunderbolts and Mission Impossible: Final Reckoning, but a long time ago when I was much younger and had far fewer demands in my time, I would usually go to the movies on Saturday afternoons if I saw something that looked at all interesting. I'd always go in the afternoons because afternoon matinees were cheaper and I usually preferred to spend Saturday night playing computer games anyway. Nowadays, like I said above, I only went twice in 2024 and twice in 2025 so far. I am not sure what changed. The obvious one is that I'm old enough to have enough to do week to week that giving up three hours on a Saturday afternoon can often be a problem. The other obvious answer is technological change in the form of streaming, which makes it a lot easier to see things at home and perhaps one's taste change as one gets older. For example, there is no way I would go to the theater to see the Minecraft movie, though I would probably watch it on streaming when it rolls around (and I did in fact watch it in streaming last week and thought it was pretty good. It'll be in my next Movie Roundup.) So that is it for Question of the Week. 00:05:52 Main Topic: Winter/Spring/Summer 2025 Frozen Pizza Roundup Now onto our main topic this week, my Spring/Summer 2025 Frozen Pizza Roundup (though I suppose I've been working on this long enough that it should be the Winter/ Spring/Summer 2025 Frozen Pizza Roundup). I suppose it is a bit odd to talk about frozen pizza on a podcast ostensibly dedicated to indie publishing and indie writing, but I like frozen pizza and it's my podcast, so if I want to talk about frozen pizza, I'm going to talk about frozen pizza. Besides my previous pizza review roundup episode was pretty popular, so that's why I decided to do another one. Unlike a movie roundup, the pizza reviews will be in chronological order based on when I ate them. The grades are, as always, totally subjective and based on my own opinions. I'll also be rating the pizza by eating it hot and eating it cold, since cold pizza is a different experience than hot pizza. Cold pizza for lunch the next day is something to look forward to, especially during a busy day. I should also mention that I purchased each pizza myself with my own money. No one sent me any free stuff, so while my opinion may be subjective, it is nonetheless unbiased. Additionally, I exactly follow the preparation directions for each pizza since I wanted to avoid the phenomenon you sometimes see on recipe blogs where a commenter complains that a recipe didn't work and then admits that they took out the butter, cut the sugar in half, replaced the flour with corn starch, and substituted canola oil for frosting. So with those disclaimers, disclosures, and caveats out of the way, on to the pizzas. The first one is Orv's Ultimate Rizer Three Meat Pizza, which I had on February 28th, 2025. Orv's is a pizza brand owned by Minnesota based pizza maker Bernatello's. In the last pizza roundup, I mistakenly said Bernatello's was based in Wisconsin (though they do in fact have numerous Wisconsin facilities) and Bernatello's also owns many different pizza brands I have mentioned the last roundup. I had never tried Orv's before, so I thought I would give it a try. Eaten hot, the sausage, Canadian bacon, and pepperoni are quite good, as are the cheese and sauce. However, the crust really is quite bready and kind of overwhelmed the other tastes. This is a thick crust pizza and to be honest, I really prefer thin crust because it's generally less caloric and the crust has a greater chance to work in harmony with the other flavors and not overpower them. Eaten cold, it's pretty much the same experience. This is definitely a pizza that would benefit from a bit of added oregano, garlic salt, or perhaps other spices. Overall, I do think I strongly prefer Bernatello's Brew Pub Lotzza Motzza pizza instead of Orv's, though I should mention that Orv's is in fact quite a bit cheaper. Overall Grade: C+ The next pizza is the Red Baron Four Meat Classic Crust Pizza, which I ate on March 7th, 2025. Red Baron is a frozen pizza brand that started in 1976 by the Schwan's Frozen Food Company of Minnesota. Currently, Schwan's is owned by a large Korean conglomerate. Whatever one might think of large corporate consolidation, the fact that the stylized World War I fighter pilot mascot of a Minnesota company is now owned by a Korean conglomerate is kind of hilarious in an absurdist sort of way. Anyway, the pizza! Eaten hot, I liked the crust. It was a bit thicker than usual for thin crust pizza, but it was crisp and didn't get bready. The sauce was a bit sweeter than usual, but I still liked it. The various meats and the cheese were good as well. Eaten cold, it's still pretty good. The cheese and sauce set well and remained flavorful. Overall Grade: B+ Our next pizza is Good and Gather Pepperoni Pizza, which I had on March 14th, 2025. Store brand foods can be hit or miss, like if you go to a big box grocery store and they have their own store brand of essentials like coffee and cereal and bread and so forth. And as I said, those can be really hit or miss since it depends on the company that is actually supplying the food to the store. That said, I've had good results with Good and Gather, which is the store brand of Target, which is a major big box retailer in the United States. So I thought I'd give the Good and Gather Pepperoni Pizza a try. Eaten hot, I was pleasantly surprised. The crust was crisp, the cheese and sauce were good (if not outstanding), and the pepperoni was flavorful. A good workman like frozen pizza. Eaten cold, it still tastes quite good. An important detail is that this is a good deal cheaper than many of the more premium pizza brands I have mentioned in these pizza roundups. So I would say this is a good solid option for the budget minded consumer. Overall Grade: B Next up we have Bellatoria's Ultra Thin Crust Meat Trio Pizza, which I ate on March the 21st, 2025. Bellatoria's is yet another brand of the Bernatello's Frozen Pizza Company, a frequent entry in these pizza roundups and it is a seems to be more of a premium brand compared to Orv's. It also has a less heavy load topping compared to Lotzza Motzza, which is another Bernatello's brand. Despite that, I quite like this one. Eaten hot, the crust was crisp and just a bit flaky in a good way and the cheese, sauce, and meat toppings were all good. Sometimes on a pizza you can't taste the crust. Other times you taste it too much, like with thick crust pizza, but I think this was a good crust that complemented the toppings, which were all flavorful. Eaten cold, it fares well. The thin crust doesn't get soggy and the meat and cheese remain flavorful. A very good pizza. I prefer a thin crust to a thick crust, but this was an excellent thin crust. Overall Grade: A Our next pizza is the Totino's Party Pizza Triple Meat, which I ate March 26th, 2025. Totino's was famously one of the first companies to make frozen pizza and it was later acquired by General Mills. These days, Totino's is mostly known for its pizza rolls, but they still put out small individual pizzas and for the sake of historical continuity, I decided to give it a try. It was okay. It definitely tasted like pizza, but it didn't compare to the stronger ones I've tried like Heggie's or Pothole Pizza. You do need to cook it for a long time for the crust to be adequately crispy and not soggy. I didn't bother to try it cold since I didn't think it would be improved, and this is definitely a pizza where you might want to add some oregano or garlic salt. Its biggest advantage is that it's quite inexpensive, a cheap meal, but don't expect too much. Overall Grade: C+ Next up is Authentic Motor City Pizza Company Three Meat Pizza, which I had on March 28th, 2025. Authentic Motor Pizza Company is owned by the Ilitch billionaire family of Michigan who are the original founders of Little Caesar's Pizza. This pizza is a Detroit style pizza, which is essentially a square pizza cooked in a square pan with a thick crust and lots of cheese. The square shape comes from the fact that Detroit style pizza was originally cooked in a car oil drip pan since the commercially available pans at the time weren't suitable for the pizza. There is some dispute about what actually happened, but it seems Detroit style pizza started at a restaurant called Buddy's Rendezvous in the 1940s, which later became the local Michigan pizza chain Buddy's Pizza. I have to admit, I was originally only vaguely aware of Detroit style pizza, but in 2019 I went to the Detroit area for a funeral and had dinner at Buddy's Pizza, which was amazing. (There was also a guy getting arrested in the parking lot at the time, but thankfully that did not affect the dining experience.) If your travels ever take you to the Detroit area, you should definitely try Buddy's Pizza. Anyway, so after all this, when I happened across a Detroit style frozen pizza, I decided I needed to give it a try. Eaten hot, it is quite good. As I've said before, I'm generally not a fan of thick crust pizza, which this is, but it's a good thick crust, crispy on the edges and bottom without being bready or chewy. The toppings are all excellent, which is helped by the fact that the sauce is good and has a good garlic flavor to it. I was curious how it would hold up when eaten cold and I actually liked it a bit better than when it was hot. The cheese sets well and then everything holds together and so it's a very substantial, very tasty cold pizza. This is good pizza, though that said, I still prefer a thinner crust because the Detroit style of pizza is delicious, but dang, is it a heavy meal. Overall grade: A Next up is Pothole Kitchen Sink Pizza, which I ate on April 4, 2025, and this is another pizza from the Midwestern convenience store chain Kwik Trip and features pepperoni, sausage, mushrooms, onions, and red and green peppers. I really like this one, like the other Pothole varieties I've tried. It's quite good: good crust, good cheese, good sauce, and very flavorful toppings. This has a slight advantage over my other favorite version, the Pothole Meat Sweats Pizza, since the lesser amount of meat means it isn't as greasy. Eaten cold, it is likewise quite good. I think this ties with the Meat Sweats Pothole Pizza. They both represent excellent versions of two different pizza experiences. If you don't want mushrooms and vegetables on your pizza, get the Meat Sweats, but if you do want vegetables, go for the Kitchen Sink. Overall grade: A+ Next up is Heggie's Six Pack Pizza, which I tried on April 11th, 2025. This is another pizza from Minnesota company Heggie's, which had one of my favorite pizzas of the last roundup. Heggie's Six Pack Pizza comes with sausage, pepperoni, Canadian bacon, regular bacon, mozzarella cheese, and cheddar cheese. Let's just say if you're eating this, you probably don't have a six pack. Anyway. Eaten hot, it was quite good. I like the thin crust and all the meat was good. I would say the biggest weakness is that you can mostly taste the cheese and the Canadian bacon since they kind of drown out all the other flavors. Eaten cold, I would say it tastes better. You can taste all the individual toppings. The cheese, sauce, and crust are pleasant when cold as well. This was a good pizza, but I do like the pepperoni only version better since I think the taste is superior. Overall grade: A- Next up is the Tombstone Tavern Style Meat Crumble Pizza, which I had on May 2nd, 2025, and this is a more upgraded version of the basic model Tombstone pizza with thinner crust, slightly different cheese, and a mixture of pepperoni and crumbled pork sausage. Honestly, it tasted about the same as the standard model Tombstone. The crust and meat were slightly better, but I thought the sauce was rather watery. Eaten cold, it was better since the watery flavor of the sauce wasn't as strong. That said, I do think the standard model Tombstone pizza is a better pizza. Overall grade: B- Then we had a bit of a gap here because I had basically tried most of the pizza brands that I actually wanted to try for this review. There are some more lower cost brands out there, but I figured they'd be mostly similar to the cheaper ones I already tried. Then I came across the final pizza for this review roundup, Screamin' Sicilian Mountain of Meat, which I had on June 6th, 2025. This is another pizza from the Screamin' Sicilian line, which is part of the Palermo Pizza Company of Wisconsin. I tried an all pepperoni version for the last pizza roundup and thought it was pretty good. It got an A-. I decided to try the Mountain of Meat, which has pepperoni, sausage, ham, and bacon, and has a stone fired crust. I liked it better than the all pepperoni version. The different meats blend together well, and I think this version of the crust is quite a bit better. It's a little bit thicker, but still quite crispy. Eaten cold, it likewise holds up quite well. The spiciness of the meat remains flavorful even when cold and the cheese holds it all together. Overall grade: A So to sum up after two pizza review posts, here are my favorites. Overall favorites: Pothole Meat Sweats and Pothole Kitchen Sink. Excellent strong runners-up: Heggie's Pepperoni Pizza, Lotzza Motzza, Bellatoria, and the Screamin' Sicilian Mountain of Meat. The downside of all these choices is that they tend to be expensive, usually $10 US or above. So with that in mind, here are best my choices for the best budget options, which would be Tombstone Pepperoni & Sausage and Target's Good & Gather Pepperoni. Also, one advantage of frozen pizza is that you can add spices to flavor the taste. I found that frozen pizza in general frequently benefits from the addition of oregano or perhaps a dusting of garlic powder. So if you are looking for some frozen pizza, hopefully this will help you find one. So that is it for this week. Next week I promise we will go back to writing and publishing topics instead of pizza. Thanks for listening to The Pulp Writer Show. I hope you found the show useful. A reminder that you can listen to all the back episodes on https://thepulpwritershow.com. If you enjoyed the podcast, please leave a review on your podcasting platform of choice. Stay safe and stay healthy and see you all next week.
The simplicity of life back then is appealing today, as long as you don't mind Church hegemony, the occasional plague, trial by gossip — and the lack of ibuprofen. (Part two of a three-part series, “Cradle to Grave.”) SOURCES:Jordan Cavalier, performer at the New Jersey Renaissance Faire.Matt Schwarz, harpist at the New Jersey Renaissance Faire.Phillipp Schofield, professor of history at Aberystywth University.Neslihan Şenocak, professor of history at Columbia University. RESOURCES:A People's Church: Medieval Italy and Christianity, 1050–1300, co-edited by Agostino Paravicini Bagliani and Neslihan Şenocak (2023).The Routledge Handbook of Medieval Rural Life, edited by Miriam Müller with a contribution by Phillip Schofield (2021).Monty Python and the Holy Grail, film (1975). EXTRAS:"Are You Having a Midlife Crisis?" by No Stupid Questions (2022).
Welcome back to the Manor and welcome back to the second (of two) episode on Monty Python and the Holy Grail's 50th anniversary! We'll continue our usual thing of generally going through the plot, with as few spoilers as possible... but come on, it's been 50 years! We also want to whet your appetite so you go watch it again or for the first time. And of course, we'll give background information for specific scenes as we get there, with trivia and information from a plethora of Python (auto)biographies. Pour yourself a G&T for Graham or a pint for Terry J and enjoy! Next week's episode is about Voltron. Get in touch with us at Podbean: https://www.podbean.com/media/share/pb-4pksr-a17e1a Or on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/twinterrorsmacabremanormeadmetalmayhe/ Or on twitter: @Terrors_Manor On Instagram: @macabremanormeadmetalmayhem You can also find our podcast on iTunes, Spotify, Amazon, and I Heart Radio; pretty much wherever fine (and our) podcasts are aired. Image courtesy of: James
Quaranteam – Book 1: Part 13 Decisions are made on who's being added to the Rook family. Based on a post by CorruptingPower, in 25 parts. Listen to the Podcast at Explicit Novels. Chapter 27 For most of the next day, Andy kept to himself a bit, staying mostly in his office with the cats. Jenny had swung by to bring him lunch midday, and after he finished it, he decided it was time to talk with his best friend Xander Baker. While Andy was a little chunky, Xander was the whole damn brick. Xander wasn't so much fat as just a mountain of a man. But also a bit fat, if people were being blunt. Xander stood some four inches taller than Andy but was at least a hundred pounds heavier, maybe more, a weird combination of muscle and blubber, much of his skin covered in tattoos. And god help him, Xander was still rocking a mullet, as out of fashion as ever. Much of the time, the back of the mullet was pulled into a rattish ponytail, but today it hung free over his shoulders. He and Xander had grown up together, best friends since they were seven. They'd met playing Little League, something they'd both hated. The two of them had quit playing the next year, but they'd never stopped hanging out. They'd been roommates throughout college, and when Andy had moved to the West Coast, Xander had driven with him and then flown home one way. For years, Andy had been trying to convince Xander to abandon the Midwest, and it always felt like Xander was considering it, though it just never seemed to happen. There had been a two year period where they'd stopped speaking, because Xander had gotten married and gotten divorced all within those two years. Xander's ex wife had hated all of his friends and had driven them away, insisting none of them be invited to the wedding. She'd actually been living with Xander and Andy for the last year Andy lived in Cleveland. They'd gotten married six months after he left, and divorced two years to the day afterwards. On the very day that Xander had decided to divorce her, the first person he'd called was Andy, to apologize for the two years of radio silence. Andy hadn't been mad, and had welcomed his oldest friend back into his life with welcome arms. Xander had drifted from job to job for a couple of years until he'd seemed to find his natural calling as an auto mechanic, one specifically focused on restoration and maintenance of classic and vintage cars, although he did work on pretty much anything to keep the bills paid. Some of Xander's restorations had won awards at car shows, though, and he'd done a few special commissions for some well known people that was starting to get him a little national recognition. For the last six months, Xander had been living vicariously through Andy, when he wasn't working on cars. Thankfully, Xander's work backlog had been more than enough to keep him occupied for a couple of years. He'd even had a 3D printer delivered to help him make molds so he could smelt custom parts when he couldn't find what he needed via mail. It had been a frustratingly solitary life, so his contact with Andy had been what kept him going. They generally talked via FaceTime for an hour every week, like clockwork. When Andy had first gotten Aisling in his life, he'd called Xander the next day to introduce her to him first, and they'd gotten along perfectly. Since then, generally the day after someone had been added to the household, he'd called Xander the day after to introduce them, although it had been about a week or so since they'd talked, simply because between the poker game, his brother's death and all the various arrivals. It had been an overwhelming week, and for the first half an hour of the videocall, Andy had literally simply relied all the various information. Xander had been sad to hear about Matty's death, and had also told Andy that his Xander's own brother, Randy, also passed away, along with his father. Both of them had lost a lot of family in a very short period of time. So the two of them had shared a little cry for a bit, before they'd decided to just plow on. From there, Andy had to inform Xander that not only was he getting married, he was getting married to multiple women, including two that he hadn't even been introduced to yet, but Xander had been laughing at that point. He'd also asked Xander to be his best man, something he'd readily agreed to, even if he was a bit jealous of some of the women lined up to wed Andy. He had sent Xander the group photo shortly before the call, and Xander's immediate question was how the hell he'd ended up hooking up with not only Sarah Washington, but Emily Stevens as well. That had turned into Andy relaying the entire poker story to Xander, who went through a roller coaster of emotions while Andy talked him through it. Xander had long been a Daggerfall Academy fan, not just of the movies but of the books as well, so he was understandably a little jealous of Andy's connection to Emily, but promised not to get too hung up on it when they finally did meet. Xander had still never forgiven him for not meeting E.F. Winston, but Andy had explained to him over and over again that she was simply too big a person to show up to conventions and do meet'n'greets. And then, of course, Andy had needed to tell Xander that he was also going to be a father, and that both Niko and Aisling were pregnant, which resulted in the oddest moment ever, because Xander had just been grinning. Apparently, Niko had called Xander to tell him about it before they'd even told Andy, just to make sure that he'd really be cool with it. Andy found himself a little annoyed with Niko and Aisling, but the moment was fleeting, and in the end, he also found it a little funny, knowing that Xander had had the news about the girls' pregnancies before he did. The last thing they had to talk about was the previous day where the girls had spent hours pitching their friends and colleagues to him, and how overwhelmed by it all Andy was. That was why he'd called Xander, because while Andy had done some thinking about whittling it down, he wanted to talk it all over with his best friend, the person who knew him best in this world. For the next hour or so, Andy and Xander had talked through all of the pitches one by one, covering all of the women, Andy's pros and cons (because of course Andy had made a pros and cons list) and where his head was at with each of them. The call went on long enough that both men had been forced to plug their phones in and let them charge while they continued talking. Internet calling was truly a wonderful thing. It helped his state of mind, being able to talk it all out with someone. He'd thought about talking it all over with Aisling, but he felt like involving any of the girls in the actual decision making process might put undue stress on their relations, and he didn't want to put any of the girls in that kind of awkward position. Xander had proven to be an excellent sounding board, as he always was, and Andy was able to talk himself through all of his decisions over the course of their conversation. At least a couple of times, Andy had joked that maybe it would be better if he didn't invite anyone in, to which point Xander had threatened to phone Niko, so she could slap Andy in the head for him, since Xander was still in Cleveland. He didn't doubt that Xander would do it in the least, and Andy joked that his friend was getting too reliant on one of Andy's soon to be wives to do his dirty work for him. Which, of course, led Xander into dropping a bombshell of his own on Andy. As it turned out, once the quarantine was lifted, Xander was likely going to be moving out to Fresno, a city about an hour away from the Bay area, which meant the two best friends would be able to hang out and see each other regularly, something that made Andy cry a little more. Xander also said, however, that there was also a decent chance the relocation might happen much sooner than that. One of the women he was getting paired up with was a Major in the Air Force, and so she was leaning on people to get him safely relocated across the country, where she could protect him. He'd laughed, saying it was weird to be treated as such precious cargo when just a year ago he was getting turned down by nearly every woman he approached at a bar. Xander, like Andy, had lost most of his roots, especially after the deaths of his brother and father, so he didn't really have much keeping him in the Midwest. In fact, he'd actually been told to pack all of his things immediately, so that if the relocation came through, he'd be ready to move. That was why he felt like the relocation was going to happen much sooner than the "after quarantine" he'd originally been told to expect. If anything, Xander seemed a little annoyed by his lack of information or control in his own relocation, but Andy gave him just enough information to make it all make sense, and after that, Xander seemed a lot more prepared to get to safe ground as fast as possible. Andy had asked to see pictures of the women Xander was getting paired up with, but his friend didn't have those yet. Once he did, though, he would inform Andy and the two could hash it out then. Xander had originally been marked as a level 1, but what with the incredibly high male mortality rate in the country, even level 1s were suddenly moving up in terms of importance for protecting. His friend had some excellent points about some of Andy's initial thoughts and in a few cases, was able to help Andy put his finger on what had been bothering him about a few of the pitches, as well as helping him get out of his own way on a few personal quirks. The thing Xander had stressed to him, above all else, was that he needed to trust his instincts about whether or not the women would personally get along with him, and that if they wouldn't, that he would be doing them a disservice by mixing them into his family. He already had a couple of women whom he knew weren't very much into him beyond their needs, and the last thing he wanted to do was compound that problem. His friend tried to settle his worries about disappointing some of the women, noting for him yet again that any of the women who didn't want to come would have the option of declining his invitation, something that Andy had to keep reminding himself of. The last thing he wanted was to be someone like Covington, abducting women against their will for his own desires. He didn't need any of that shit. With the list finally settled on, and Andy caught up on all the news that Xander had to share, his best friend had asked him if he'd given much thought about who he was going to use his one personal choice on, which had made Andy smile. Andy pointed out that he suspected his invite would be turned down, but that he would be kicking himself if he didn't extend it to the one and only obvious choice, which made Xander punch the sky and cheer. "She's going to say yes," Xander told him, the grin from ear to ear, while he danced around in his bedroom in Cleveland. "You know this. I know this. Everyone knows this. Why are you pretending to yourself that she won't?" "Because," Andy said, in between laughs, "she and I haven't spoken in, what, ten, fifteen years? She could be married for all we know." "Liar!" Xander cackled. "You and I both know you're lying, because we are both Facebook friends with her, and if she had gotten married, we absolutely would have been invited to the wedding, or at the very least heard about it! She's the kind of person who would've had that all over her social media, but she hasn't, which means she isn't, which means she's going to say yes to you, because she's still pining for you like you're still pining for her! I fucking knew you weren't over her, you goddamn liar! How many times did you tell me you were okay with it? How many times did I tell you that you were full of shit? She's going to say yes to you, my most righteous dude, " "It's not just me she would have to say yes to, Xan! She's been living in DC for a decade now! I'm sure she's put roots down." "She's hated living in DC for a decade now, you mean. She would hook up with a lemur if it got her out of DC. I doubt she's put any real roots down so that if she wanted to bail on that shithole cesspit of political vipers, she could." "She works in DC. Her entire job is in DC. She's a political reporter. She may not be working at the White House any more, but she's a congressional reporter. She needs to be in DC to do that job." Xander rolled his eyes. "She will take another option if there's one available, and if she moves out there with you, she'll just get into some other kind of reporting. Or maybe she'll just start writing political books. Or historical novels. Or fucking anything else. I never understood why you two didn't stay together in the first place." "She wanted to be a White House reporter, and she actually got the job with the bureau, so she moved out there, and I got the job writing for Netflix and had to move out here," Andy said with a shrug. "We talked about trying long distance, but it was the entire length of the country, and I didn't want to be a burden on her." "You two have unfinished business, Andy," Xander said to him. "Extend the invite, and then we'll see who's right in the long run, huh?" "That's what I'm going to do, Xan," Andy said. "Let her make her own mind up. My money's on her still being upset with how we ended things." "Willing to make a little wager on that?" "Sure, what did you have in mind for stakes?" "Since you're mister moneybags now, when I win, you buy me a Tesla." Andy laughed and nodded. "And if I win?" "Then I owe you one complete restoration of a car, no matter what the state it's in, but it's never gonna happen." "I'll remind you that you said that when you're having to completely rebuild a Ferrari from a busted frame." Xander waggled a finger at him. "We'll see then, won't we?" He sighed a little bit. "Shit, brother, we've been talking for hours. You should probably get your list done and tell your girls so you can start that whole process, since your buddy Phil seemed to think you should get it started as soon as possible. How much shit are we going to be in next week?" Andy shrugged slightly. "Let's just say if they show up to move you soon, Xan, let them. The sooner you can get settled in your new home, the better off you'll be." His friend nodded. "Yeah, most definitely. Hey, you think you've got enough clout that you could get me and my ladies to move into New Eden with you guys?" Andy rolled his eyes. "I doubt it, but shit, I can ask Phil. What's the name of the Major you're getting hooked up with? Maybe Phil can get her reassigned to the base here." "Okay look, I'm gonna tell you, and you're gonna laugh, so get all your laughing done now, get all your jokes off your chest, and then do not tease her about it when you meet her, okay?" Andy shot his best friend a dirty look. "C'mon. I'm usually above that kind of thing. You really think I'm going to take pot shots at her name?" Xander looked at him dead on and said. "Her name is Captain Betsy Ross." While he waited for Andy to say something, he lifted both hands into the frame of the camera and flicked his fingers inward in a 'come at me' gesture. Andy did his stoic best to hold as long as he could, but finally he couldn't hold it back any more. "Does that make you Xander Washington? Is she going to wear a flag for your wedding? Oh my god, are you going to take her last name and become Xanderous?" "Finished?" "Yeah, 'kay, I won't say shit about it to her, but I will talk to Phil and see if I can get all of you brought here. She's stationed in Fresno you said?" "I assume so, considering that's where they're relocating me." "Got it. I'll give you a call in a couple of days when I know what's going on." "Cool. Cool cool cool. Anyway, congrats on all the things, the engagements, the pregnancies, the sudden wealth and the influx of beautiful women. Your life is such a struggle." Andy chortled at the serious tone with which his friend Xander had delivered that. "Fuck you too, buddy. Hopefully I'll see you in person soon." The two hung up and all that left was for Andy to write up the list. So he opened up a fresh document in Word and started typing. At the top of the page he made a clear note that anyone he hadn't chosen would be recommended over to trusted friends, to see if they could be brought into the community at the very least. He also stressed that just invitations were being extended, and that if anyone didn't want to join the family, they certainly were not going to be compelled to on his behalf. Beneath that, he wrote that the names were in alphabetical order, not in order of preference. The list did include one alternate, in case anyone said no. If multiple people said no, well, then they would have less people than originally planned. He also said that anyone who was a friend of someone listed below had until tomorrow morning to craft an invitation video for their friend that would be delivered, along with a video invitation from Andy himself, to the women in question. Phil would be by for lunch tomorrow, so the deadline on recording an invitation video was hard set and non negotiable. Finally, if anyone was upset by his decisions, they could come and talk to him about it, and he would explain his reasoning to them, but he also hoped the girls would trust in his judgment on the matter and not try to convince him to change his mind, because as he wrote on the sheet, his decisions were final. The List, staff Alexis Coleman (security) Dr. Morgan Fitch (pediatrics) Whitney Wells (technical support) The List, family Fiona Smith Larissa Cotton Maya Summer Steele Tabitha Jefferson Tala Jordan The List, alternate Jade Dillon Andy looked over the list on his screen for a few minutes, making sure all of his decisions were final in his head, before he finally muttered to himself, "Yeah, fuck it." He hit Control P print, and a minute later, his laser printer hummed to life. As the printer vomited its single page, he considered for a moment the people he hadn't chosen. He'd decided to pass on Olivia because she just felt like she and he wouldn't have had anything in common. He'd never say it aloud to Asha, but her friend struck him as a little vapid and self centered, at least for his tastes. She did, however, seem like someone his friend Eric's first partner Lily could whip into shape, or at the very least would mesh well with Lily's friend (and another of Eric's partner) Jenny, who was not to be confused with his own chef, whom was also named Jenny. Piper's friend Brooke had practically been tailor made for his best friend Xander, and since Xander was on his way out to California anyway, Andy was going to see if he could maneuver the two of them together. Their mutual love of classic cars would be an instant tie binding the two together. Of course, he hadn't told Xander about that, but he figured it didn't hurt to put some good into his friends world when he had the chance. Taylor's friend Natalie had seemed nice enough, but she was also young, and Andy had to be honest with himself that he needed at least a few more women who were closer to his own age, people whom he could relate to a little better. He also fully suspected at least one or two of his invitations would be declined, and that Jade would end up being extended an invitation in the end. He'd put her as an alternate simply because he liked the other options slightly better, but if (or rather when, he figured) someone said no, Jade would be invited and no one would ever mention that she hadn't been a first choice. Although, if he thought about it, considering Jade's relentless positivity, she might not even care. All of the staff pitches had made sense, and while he was a little nervous about how Dr. Fitch had been described as overly blunt, he had hopes that they could make it work, or if they couldn't that she would decline the invite. Lexi and Whitney had been slam dunks from the second they'd been presented. Once the sheet was printed out, he opened the sheet of paper that Aisling had given him with her predictions, not having looked at it before then. It read: "In: Maya, Tabitha, Lexi, Jade, Whitney, Natalie. Alternate: Tala." When he came out of his office with the paper in hand, he couldn't see anyone around, but was fairly certain he heard someone shuffling around a corner behind him as he started to walk down the hall towards the stairs. He strode down the stairs and then down another hall before entering the downstairs living room area, where Aisling was sitting watching TV. She'd clearly been waiting in the room for him, to his amusement. That meant he still had the ability to surprise her, and he found himself delighted by that. However confident she'd pretended to be in her predictions, obviously she hadn't been that confident if she'd rushed to look at what the list said. "That the list?" she asked him, as he strolled over towards a highly exposed section of the wall. "It is." "How'd I do on my predictions?" "75%, so very well," he said, as he taped the list up to the wall, hearing the sound of some footsteps near the entrances of the room. Aisling scooted over quickly to read it, as other girls were standing in the doorways, not yet ready to rush into the room. She nodded, then started walking with Andy out of the room, as the room was suddenly flooded behind him, various members of the house swarming in to read the list. "Passed on the stripper, huh?" the redhead teased, as they headed back up to his office. "I suppose I'm not surprised, just a little disappointed. I wanted her to teach me some of those pole tricks." Andy smirked. "I needed to make sure some of these women I can have a conversation with, Ash, and I just don't know that me and girls barely out of college are going to connect on that much. I'm going to recommend Natalie over to Eric, or, let's be honest, I'm going to recommend her over to Lily, and Lily will decide whether or not to bring her over for Eric." The Irish girl snickered, nodding fiercely. "I'm sure Lily will bring her in, if for no other reason that to see Eric get all bashful about it. I wasn't sure if Tala's kink might have been a bit much for you, so I put her in as an alternate." He waved a hand in the air. "I don't care about that one way or another, but she's a musician, she makes puzzle boxes and she's got a wicked sense of humor. How did you not think that would be a shoo in for me?" She grinned, shrugging. "I guess I gave a bit more weight to the virgin sacrifice, although I did see she was an alternate." "Yeah. I'm betting either Tabitha or Larissa, or maybe both, will pass on joining the family, for whatever reason, and that Jade will get an invite in the end, but I have to admit, I'm a little nervous about the idea of being someone's first and only male partner." "You'll do fine, love," she said, as they stepped into his office and closed the door behind them. "So now you have to tell me: Who's Fiona?" Andy moved over to his arm chair, picking up the cat that had settled there, sliding in to sit down. He was about to put the cat into his lap, when Ash slid to sit on his lap, then took Huginn from his hands and set the black cat atop her own lap. "Fiona's my choice. She lives in Washington D.C." "But who is she, Andy?" "She's my ex. My college ex. So you know that Xander and I were roommates all five years of college, but for the last half of it or so, both he and I had girlfriends living with us. Annie was living with Xander " "Wait, psycho bitch 'I found her cheating on me with two guys on my birthday' Xander's ex wife Annie? That Annie?" Andy laughed and nodded. "Yep. Annie never much liked me or, hell, anyone Xander was friends with. But she's gone from his life now, so thankfully you'll never meet her, because she's insane. Did I tell you that she tried to argue, in court, that Xander's lack of attention to her forced her to cheat on him with those two dudes?" "What a cunt," Aisling groaned. "Awright, so forget her. Tell me about Fiona! Why haven't you ever mentioned her before?" "I haven't talked to her in at least a dozen years!" he chuckled. "She going to say no anyway, but if I had any major regrets in my life, it's that Fi and I split up, even though I don't see any way my life could've gone in which we didn't. We met as sophomores in a political science class together, and she was dating my boss at the newspaper at the time. She dumped him like two weeks after that, and just after I got back for Christmas, she asked me out and we started dating." "Awww!" "About a year and a half or so later, her two roommates bailed on her like two weeks after the spring semester started, and she couldn't find someone to take their places. With no roommates she couldn't afford the rent on the three bedroom house she was renting, and breaking the lease was going to put her hard into debt, so she invited me and Xander, who were renting out a shitty apartment month to month, to leave our place and move into hers." "Why is this the first I'm hearing of any of this?" "I didn't think it was important! It was a long, long time ago!" he sighed. "Anyway, when we graduated, Fiona had gotten a job offer to work in the DC Bureau of the Associated Press as a reporter, and I had gotten the offer to come out here for Netflix. I visited DC with her, and she visited SF with me, while we tried to figure out what we were going to do about it. Neither of us really liked DC all that much, but she very much wanted the job. I loved the Bay. I asked her to move out with me, but she insisted she wanted to give the DC job a chance, and so we parted ways." "What? Just like that?" "Well, we tried having a long distance relationship for a few months, but this was like fifteen years ago, and after about six months, we agreed it wasn't working, and sort of fell out of touch. About three months later, I started dating Erin, and you know how that worked out, and she started dating some cop named Sam. After that, we basically just stopped talking to one another, although about two years ago, both Xander and I got Facebook friend requests from her, which we both accepted, although neither of us has had a conversation with her yet." "Why not?" "Shit, Ash, I dunno. How do you even start that conversation? 'Hi, remember me? I know we were talking about getting married at one point, but we didn't and then we moved across the country from one another. I'm getting married to at least four women now and wondered if you might want to join us. Oh, how've you been?'" "You have to start it somewhere, Andy." "Well, she's not married, at least she doesn't have herself marked as married on Facebook, and Xander's done a little internet stalking of her, I'm sure on my unwilling behalf, and says she doesn't even seem to have a regular boyfriend, and that she's spent most of the last several years bitching and moaning about how she hates living in DC, although considering she's more liberal than I am, I'm not all that surprised." "Do you think she's going to accept your invitation?" "Ye ” n , I really don't have a fucking clue, Ash," he said with a laugh, which made her laugh as well. "I guess we'll just wait and see." Over the rest of the day and into the evening, the girls all came to thank him, even if he hadn't chosen the girl they'd put forth, and to see how he was doing, making sure he hadn't been too stressed out by the whole process. The rest of the time, everyone was recording their invitation videos. Each of the girls made a video for their friends, although a few of them recorded multiple videos, one for the person they'd put forth and one for someone they also knew. Andy himself recorded a unique video for each and every invitation, and also made sure to record one for Jade, in case it was needed. The next day, Phil showed up for lunch, and had a bit of a grim look on his face. "Why the dark cloud, friend?" Andy asked him, as the two walked out onto the back patio, where Jenny had set up a nice lunch for them. "So we had our first death in New Eden yesterday," he sighed. "And it was absolutely unnecessary." "I thought only vaccinated people were allowed into New Eden?" "They are. A woman decided she didn't believe all the warnings we give them at the base about not partaking of a man's cum that she isn't paired with." "Wait, what?" "So some woman decided she wanted a bit of strange, so she was fooling around with some guy other than the one she was paired with." "What the fuck happened? I thought there were early warnings that would've discouraged her." "Apparently they were using a condom, and they were convinced because that seemed fine that everything we told them must be utter bullshit." "Goddamn it." Niko had filled him in on some of the details of how the vaccine paired people just after they'd arrived in New Eden, at least as how she understood it. If a woman came in contact with semen from a man other than the one she was paired with, it would cause her to break out in a violent rash. The rash happened almost immediately on skin contact, so even a tiny bit of precum would be enough to discourage anyone from going further. "So she took off the condom right before the dude popped, and then swallowed his load, and it ate her open from the inside." "Fuck, Phil!" Andy said, wincing a little. "I hate to say it, but you may need to show pictures of that to people so they understand what kind of danger they're in if they're unfaithful." "I so don't want to, but it's up to the mayor now, and he's considering it." "Who were the people?" "Don't think it's anyone you know. The guy's name is Brian Morrison, a banker. He's in custody right now, because he might be guilty of manslaughter or murder, nobody's really sure." "And who was the woman?" "Veronica De La Cruz. She was part of that bastard Arthur Covington's house." "Oh shit," Andy muttered. "I met her, briefly. She was supposed to be the dealer at the poker game. I thought it was particularly in poor taste that Covington made her be topless in front of a bunch of strangers, but I didn't realize she was quite that unhappy there." "This new world is so utterly fucked up some days. Oh, also Audrey's pregnant, so I've apparently picked the best time to bring a new life into the world." "You and me both, friend. Ash and Niko are both pregnant as well." Phil grinned a little at that. "Well, at least our kids will grow up with good friends nearby. Anyway, you get your list and videos done?" Andy slid across a thumb drive to him. "All on there, including contact information for everyone we have, or at least general location for the ones we don't. I'm not going crazy and asking for a bunch of celebrities like Covington did." "Seemed like his requests worked out pretty well for you, though." "Can't blame me if the dude's a shit card player." "Well, I can but I won't, because fuck that guy. Anyone I might recognize on the list?" "A couple of people. And, uh," he said before lowering his voice to almost a whisper. "Fi's on there." "What was that? I believe your pride was stuck in your throat, or maybe that's just your foot," the Filipino engineer laughed. "I'm sending Fiona an invite, okay?" "Good for you," Phil said, as he finished his sandwich. "I've been telling you to reach out to that woman ever since she added you on Facebook, but you just kept avoiding it. Nothing like an apocalypse to get you to get off your ass, huh?" "Yeah yeah, Phil, go fuck yourself." "Anyway, tell all your girls about the death, and prepare them that they may be shown some rather graphic autopsy photos in the near future if the mayor decides to go ahead with his discouragement campaign. I don't think any of your girls would fool around with other guys, but I think they're just gonna show everyone." "Oh, you know Xander, right?" "Your friend from Ohio? Sure." "Apparently he's paired up with Captain Betsy Ross," he said, raising a finger. "No jokes." Phil was struggling not to laugh, but managed. "He was wondering if maybe you could relocate them to New Eden." "I'm not a goddamn genie, Rook." "You know you'd like having him around here. Besides, I've got a few recommendations for you and Eric on that thumb drive as well, so don't say I never gave you anything. There's also one in there who might be a great match for Xander. Plus, look at it this way, you get him out here, and he'll probably build you a classic car as a way of saying thank you." Phil smirked for a bit, picked up the thumb drive and walked away humming the "I Dream of Genie" theme song. Chapter 28 As Phil had promised, things moved incredibly quickly from there. The next morning, Andy got a call from Xander, informing Andy that Xander was being relocated to New Eden, and that he would see him in just a few short days. He also told Andy that he'd heard Andy had lined up some kind of welcoming present for him, and that he hoped he'd enjoy unwrapping it. It was clear that Xander didn't actually know what was waiting for him, but Phil had already sent word that Brooke, Piper's friend, had accepted the offer for her to be paired up with Xander, all without Xander's knowledge. It would make for a hell of a surprise when Xander showed up. Andy intended to make sure he was there to greet his friend upon his arrival, and it was nice to help his best friend out. Andy was quickly learning how to trade in on favors, so having Xander owe him a few was bound to pay off sooner or later, even if he wasn't sure quite how. But it also just felt good improving his friend's life. Later that day, Andy also found out which of his offers had been accepted and which had been rejected. He was surprised to find that he'd been rejected not twice, but three times, which Niko teased him not to take personally. The first to decline his offer to join the family was Dr. Morgan Fitch, Katie's friend and ex girlfriend. Dr. Fitch had said in the video message she'd sent back that she appreciated Katie thinking of her, but that living in a house with one of her exes simply did not appeal to her, and that she had sworn off men regardless. Katie seemed more bothered by it than Andy did, but Andy assured her that if Dr. Fitch had been having reservations about it, it was best for her to decide that now than after she was locked in, to which Katie reluctantly agreed. The second to pass was Larissa Cotton, which came as no real surprise to Andy. As it turned out, Larissa had in fact gotten married years ago, and she and her husband were doing well in lockdown. The complaint she'd had to Sarah about not having gotten laid recently months ago had stemmed from an accident that Larissa's husband had endured, which left him temporarily impotent, but which he had thankfully recovered from since then. She also mentioned that she didn't always think to put on her wedding ring, so she admitted she might not have been wearing it the last time she'd video chatted with Sarah, so she could see where the misconceptions might have sprung from. Larissa also offered Andy her sincerest congratulations on his partnership with Sarah (as well as all the others) and insisted he call her up some time so that they could gossip as only colleagues could. Finally, she promised to be more thankful if he would give her another first edit pass in the future. His final rejection of the day came from Hannah's former cheerleading instructor Tabitha Jefferson. She had also declined to take the Rook family up on their offer, not because she wasn't intrigued by the idea, but because in the past two weeks, she had relocated up to Portland, where she had moved in with her former lovers Dom and Mike. With her mother no longer around, Tabby had simply decided California no longer held any sway over her, and she reached out to her previous partners, who had welcomed her back with open arms. The two men had been living in virtual isolation, and had taken their quarantine deathly serious, so they'd both remained completely uninfected. Tabby also sent along a message just for Hannah, encouraging her to make the most of her new situation, and giving her a contact number so they could remain friends moving forward. Hannah had been a little saddened at first, but after hearing that the reason was that Tabby was now reunited with her throuple and extremely happy once more, she brightened immensely and skipped out of the room to go and call Tabby so the two could catch up. There had also been one more call for the day, a complication that only intrigued Andy even further. Late in the afternoon, Phil called to inform Andy that the women who had accepted (which included Jade) would be arriving in a few waves, with those who were already local being delivered to his house tomorrow, and those who lived further out coming in one or two more separate waves. But that hadn't been why Phil had been calling. The videoscreen suddenly split into two, with Phil on the left, and the still achingly beautiful Fiona on the right. "Hey Andy," she said, that sly, lazy smile he was all too familiar with on her face, the smile he knew could hold a thousand different meanings in its subtext. "Hey Fi." He stopped there, because for once in his life, Andy was at a complete loss for words. "So, about this offer of yours," she said, trailing off a little. She didn't just look good; she looked fucking great. Despite the fact that it had been fifteen years since they'd been a couple, she had shrugged off the signs of aging far better than he had, only a few scant wrinkles around her distractingly deep green eyes, the shade of newly clipped summer grass. Her brown hair still had reddish highlights in it, as it had when they'd been dating what felt like lifetimes ago. It currently hung down to her shoulders, like it might have been a bob when the pandemic started and she'd just let it grow out. She'd grown up in Georgia, and while she'd lost almost all of that southern accent, Andy could still hear very faint hints of it, just around the edges, like she'd never quite been able to shake it fully. It was certainly less prominent than it was back in college. "I have a couple of questions, and that'll determine my answer, if that's alright." "Yeah, sure, go ahead." "Hi Fiona!" Niko chimed in, poking her head into the camera's view, giving an enthusiastic wave. "I'm one of Andy's partners, well, one of his fiances, actually, so you can ask me anything as well." Andy wasn't sure, but he felt like he saw Fi try and stifle a slight smile, but whether that was at Niko's interjection or Andy's blushing in response to it, he couldn't tell. Fiona didn't choose to acknowledge Niko's comment, and instead focused intently on Andy. "Alright, first, why haven't you reached out to me before now Andy?" He sighed and shrugged, a sheepish smile on his face. "I wasn't sure what to say, or even how to start, Fi. When you sent me that friend request a couple of years back, I assumed there was something you wanted to talk to me about, so I accepted it, and then, nothing." "Did it ever occur to you that maybe I wanted you to make the first move?" "You know me pretty well, Fi, or at least you did," he laughed, arching one of his bushy blonde eyebrows at her. "Did you honestly think I'd come to that conclusion on my own?" She openly smiled that time, nodding. "Alright, you've got me there. I suppose that's fair. Second, why didn't you ask me to come with you when you moved out to California, all those years ago when we graduated from college together?" "I did ask, Fi. You know I did." She scowled at him, shaking her head a little. "You gave it one half assed try at best, Andrew," she said, the use of his full name definitely feeling like it was meant to belittle him a bit, or at the very least scold him. "You asked just the one time, I said no, and you never brought it up again, which isn't like you at all. Why didn't you really try and convince me to come out west with you?" He bit his bottom lip for half a second, but decided too much had gone unspoken between him and Fiona for too long now, so he came to the conclusion that he should just be upfront and direct. "Because I was afraid I would've gotten you to say yes." She started to speak, frustration plain on her face, Andy could see, so he raised a hand to silence her for a moment longer and continued. "And that would've made me the happiest man in the world, Fi, I promise you, it really and truly would have. But I knew that it would come with dire consequences you couldn't see yet, things that I could. I knew, I mean really knew, that if you moved out to California with me, it would've been preventing you from chasing your dreams, the ones you'd had since you were a little girl. I would've always been worried that you resented me for keeping you from that life, even just a little bit. It probably would've eventually led to us breaking up over it, and you wouldn't have known why, and I wouldn't have been able to fix it, no matter how hard I tried. You wanted so desperately to work in the White House; I didn't want to give you any excuse at all not to go chasing after that dream. I felt like you were trying to use me as an excuse not to go and do the thing you really wanted." "I wouldn't have resented you, Andy," she sighed. "I wanted you to talk me out of it. I did. I really, really did. DC has been nothing but a decade and a half of frustration and disappointment." "Sure, but you only know that now, Fi. You couldn't have known that back then. There's no way you could've know that then. You needed to see it through for yourself, to have the experiences needed to make that decision. And if you really wanted me to talk you out of it, you should've said something back then. If you thought you were hinting at it, you were far too subtle for me to pick up on it. I'm not a mind reader. Wasn't then, and I'm still not now. I can't just guess that you're looking for me to help sway you one way or another." Fiona looked like she wanted to object further, but then nodded once more, as if coming to grips with all of that in her head, like a million puzzle pieces were suddenly falling into place, and she could see the entire picture for the first time. "Okay then. I have one more thing, though. A condition. I have a condition for me coming to join your household. Well, two conditions, actually." "Sure," Andy said, "fire away." "The first is that you have to actually marry me. I know you said in your message said that you're marrying some of your partners and not others, but I absolutely insist I be one of the people that you do marry, if we're going to do this. You know that I'm Catholic. I also know you're an atheist, and that's fine, but my religion still means something to me, and you've always respected that, so I need you to respect that now. Because I'm going to want to get pregnant, if we do go through with this, so I have to be married before that happens. We lived together for two years, so you know we're both compatible in sharing a home and a bed together. So that's the first thing. Are you okay with that?" Andy smiled a little bit shyly. "More than okay, but I think you knew that already, as long as you're still alright with me not going into church every week with you. I imagine you're going to have a harder time convincing the Catholic church that polygamy's okay, though." "Are you kidding?" she snorted. "When word gets out how many American men are dead, they're going to be desperate to get every good Catholic boy and girl out there to be doing as much being fruitful and multiplying as they can get." Niko began to quietly hum Monty Python's "Every Sperm Is Sacred" until Andy swatted her on the thigh and she stopped, although her grin had only widened. "Hey, it's your religion, not mine," he said to Fi. "If they're cool with it, so am I. What's the other thing?" "The other thing is that you need to agree to something, one specific thing, not knowing what it is or anything about it." He blinked in confusion. "Er, what?" This was uncharacteristic for Fiona, being deliberately vague, and Andy wondered what was behind it. "I have another condition but you need to agree to it without knowing anything about it. You just have to trust me and either agree to it, or I'll have to pass." Andy paused and considered for a moment, perhaps even a moment longer than Fiona had expected him to. He could give Fiona an almost complete blank check, almost, but he decided he needed to clarify one thing. "Assure me that this condition that I can't know anything about won't harm or injure anyone. Since arriving here in New Eden, I've learned first hand that people can be capable of some truly terrible things, and while I don't think that you are, Fi, I just want to make sure I'm not getting anyone else hurt because of this. I couldn't live with myself if it was." "The only thing that might be injured is your pride, that's all," she said, a playful smirk resting on her face. "I might bust your balls a bit for ditching me, but I'm not going to do anything you'd always regret over the long term. So what's it gonna be, Chuckles?" The fact that she still remembered her old nickname for him told him everything he needed to know. Of course he was in. He was all in. "Fine, you got yourself a deal, Peaches," he replied, using his old nickname for her, which made her smile widen a little more on the other end of the video call. "Great," she said. "I'll start packing and we'll see you in a few days. Later skater." She tapped the button and ended her portion of the call, leaving just him and Phil on the line. Phil had been quietly watching the entire conversation with a bemused look on his face, like he was supposed to be doing or saying something, but couldn't tear himself away from the drama. "You're an idiot, you know that, right?" he said, rolling his eyes a little at Andy's naivety. "Based on just a few minutes worth of watching you two talk, I don't think either of you ever fell out of love with the other." "As much a surprise to me as it was to you, Phil," Andy chuckled. "It's been a long time." "You did hear what she said though, right Andy?" Niko said to him, poking him lightly. "Wait. What did I miss?" "She said we'll see you in a few days," Niko giggled. "I somehow don't think she was talking about the royal we." "Ah hell. Well, I did agree to anything, so we'll burn that bridge when we come to it." "Pretty sure that's not how that line goes," Phil joked. "Anyway, I'll be by tomorrow to drop off your locals. Jade, Tala and Whitney are on their way here to the base, and will get their injections tonight so they'll be ready to meet you tomorrow. You know what they're like when they're newly injected, so be prepared to take care of them for their initial imprinting within a few days. Also, you can tell Taylor her friend Natalie will be in New Eden tomorrow as well, just over at my house." "Decided you just couldn't pass her up, huh? I thought you were going to ship her over to Eric." "Audrey's always wanted to take pole dancing lessons, so I figured why not have an in house teacher?" "Having an overly flexible eager teenage stripper in your bed is just a bonus, huh?" Phil's grin spread from ear to ear. "Oh, sure, sure. I mean, I'll learn to live with it, I guess. If I have to." He rolled his eyes in mock exasperation. "We all make sacrifices. Anyway, I'll see you tomorrow, okay?" "You got it, man. Stay safe." "You know it, brother." "So that's the girl who took your virginity, huh? Your first true love? She didn't look at all like I expected her to look like, Andy," Niko said to him, as he stood up from the couch, stretching his arms over his head. "What did you expect her to look like?" "I dunno, but under possible things this mythical mysterious ex of yours might look like, I don't think I ever considered 'a lot like a young Gina Davis' to be anywhere in the vicinity." Andy smirked a little bit. He'd heard the comparison more than a couple of times back when they were dating, what felt like a lifetime ago. "I take it that she meets with your approval then?" "Hell, she called you Chuckles. For that alone, the woman immediately earned a place in my heart. I'm sure there's a story behind that." "There is," Andy said, not elaborating further. "You gonna tell me what it is?" "I am not," he said, smugly. "You can dig it out of Fiona yourself when she arrives." He rolled his eyes with anticipated dread. "She probably still even has the photo, knowing her,” "Did you keep up on her coverage of politics after you two split up?" He shrugged. His emotional state after they'd split from one another had been messy at best, and his mind had been a whirlwind of emotions. "I mean, I'd see her name on a byline from time to time, but I didn't go out of my way to find her work. After we'd split up, I figured she wouldn't ever want to talk to me again. Ending a relationship sometimes does mean things to a person, and despite the fact that I thought we broke up pretty gracefully, one day about fourteen years ago, we ended a phone conversation and she said she'd call me in a week, and she never called again." "And you didn't call her?" "After about a month, sure. But by then, her phone number had been disconnected, as she'd apparently moved, so I figured it was a none too subtle way of telling me to fuck off." "Or a test to see if she still mattered enough to you for you to track her down." "God," Andy groaned. "Maybe. Probably? Maybe. Fuck, I don't know. But that's a shitty thing to do to a guy, especially one who's always dealt with low self esteem. It's like I told you, like I've told each and every one of you who've decided to stick out your lives with me, sometimes you're just going to have to come right out and say what it is that's on your mind, because if you're expecting me to guess it, I'm probably gonna make a few giant mistakes here and there." Niko giggled a little, nodding. "We women can be needlessly cruel from time to time, but you have to realize, we don't even know we're doing it sometimes. It's just something we've been indoctrinated into making second nature. At least you can see that it might have been a mistake now, though." "Yep. And then she went and complicated things further by adding me and Xander on Facebook as friends a couple of years ago, which we both accepted. But neither of us felt comfortable messaging her first, and she never messaged us either, so it's just been one long detente." Niko shook her head in mock disappointment at him. "You can definitely be an idiot some times, you know that, Chuckles?" "Hey hey hey," he tsked. "You can't call me that until after you get the story out of Fiona." "You should've reached out to her, Andy," Niko said with a sigh. "It sounds like that's what she very much wanted from you." "Should've, would've, could've. We're here now, so I'll just have to live and learn. And when Fiona gets here, I'll give her the 'speak your mind speech I gave to you, so we're all on the same starting point." The house had mostly kept itself busy today by the girls getting all their things moved in, as well as adding some décor to the house that wasn't purely Andy's. Sure, the publicity posters for all of his novels were still hanging on the walls, but now they'd been joined by movie posters for both Sarah and Emily's movies, framed photographs that Asha had taken before leaving London, framed posters from Sheridan's Cirque Du Soleil shows, a couple of framed articles detailing Piper's rise in the volleyball community, a framed sand painting done by Niko's mother and a few original paintings that Aisling had done as a break from her more commercial work. It helped make the place feel less like his house and more like their house. He would encourage all the girls to make sure they left some kind of a mark on the house as they arrived. He didn't want any of them to feel lesser that the girls who'd arrived first. Emily and Sarah had also converted one bedroom into a makeshift studio for them to use, lining the walls with sound dampening foam, setting up cameras and microphones, so the room could be used for them to record lines for voice overs, or to film video auditions. There
We take a deep dive into a single dance company – the tumbling, twisty, transporting Pilobolus – through the eyes of Robert Pranzatelli, who has written a wonderfully involving book about the company and its work. Pilobolus began in 1971, at Dartmouth College in New Hampshire. It grew out of dance classes held at the then all-male university, and soon found a following in the US and beyond – one early description of their work was Dr Seuss meets Monty Python. Seeing them perform also changed Robert Pranzatelli's life, as he tells us.Robert Pranzatelli is the author of a number of essays published by the Paris Review and other literary journals, and a longtime staff member of Yale University Press. His book Pilobolus: A Story of Dance and Life is published by the University Press of Florida.Robert's book: https://www.ubcpress.ca/pilobolusPilobolus in New York: https://pilobolus.org/tour-dates/2025/the-joyce"Why Dance Matters" is a dance podcast featuring inspiring conversations with extraordinary people from the world of dance and beyond. Hosted by David Jays, editor of Dance Gazette, this podcast explores how dance shapes lives and why it matters to us all. Brought to you by the RAD, which inspires the world to dance, these insightful stories will surprise and delight. Tune in and discover more on our website. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Lo! Upon the first breath of Monty Python's Flying Circus o'er the enchanted waves of BBC One, scribes within the castle walls did trade many a curious whisper and scroll, to wit:“This episode contained two really awful sketches.”“The treatment of the national anthem is not amusing.” “Parts of this...are disgusting.”And, “The death sequence was in appalling taste.”Prithee, join us.Tell us YOUR rejection story, and you may be featured in an upcoming episode:Record your voice: https://speak-to.us/rejectionWrite to us: hello@apostrophepodcasts.ca Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Nintendo owns CES, The future belongs to the internet & EA disses Sega These stories and many more on this episode of the VGNRTM! This episode we will look back at the biggest stories in and around the video game industry in September 1994. As always, we'll mostly be using magazine cover dates, and those are of course always a bit behind the actual events. Alex Smith of They Create Worlds is our cohost. Check out his podcast here: https://www.theycreateworlds.com/ and order his book here: https://www.theycreateworlds.com/book Get us on your mobile device: Android: https://www.google.com/podcasts?feed=aHR0cHM6Ly92aWRlb2dhbWVuZXdzcm9vbXRpbWVtYWNoaW5lLmxpYnN5bi5jb20vcnNz iOS: https://podcasts.apple.com/de/podcast/video-game-newsroom-time-machine And if you like what we are doing here at the podcast, don't forget to like us on your podcasting app of choice, YouTube, and/or support us on patreon! https://www.patreon.com/VGNRTM Send comments on Mastodon @videogamenewsroomtimemachine@oldbytes.space Or twitter @videogamenewsr2 Or Instagram https://www.instagram.com/vgnrtm Or videogamenewsroomtimemachine@gmail.com Links: If you don't see all the links, find them here: https://www.patreon.com/posts/131691264 7 Minutes in Heaven: Zero Tolerance Video Version: https://www.patreon.com/posts/131666929 https://www.mobygames.com/game/10115/zero-tolerance/ Corrections: August 1994 Ep - https://www.patreon.com/posts/august-1994-123352781 Ethan's fine site The History of How We Play: https://thehistoryofhowweplay.wordpress.com/ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magic:_The_Gathering https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sega https://www.retroreversing.com/super-famicom-snes-sdk/ https://archive.org/details/st-report https://patentarcade.com/tag/alpex-computer-v-nintendo 1994: Street Fighter loses its luster A Warrior of Video Games, The New York Times, September 6, 1994, Tuesday, Late Edition - Final, Distribution: Financial Desk, Section: Section D; ; Section D; Page 1; Column 6; Financial Desk ; Column 6; Byline: By ANDREW POLLACK, Capcom's video game superhero, Mega Man, debuts this week in nationally syndicated cartoon series; Interactive software giant embraces Hollywood to create precedent-setting entertainment, Business Wire, September 7, 1994, Wednesday https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0111301/?ref_=fn_all_ttl_2 https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0219458/?ref_=fn_all_ttl_14 https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0115421/?ref_=fn_all_ttl_1 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USA_Action_Extreme_Team https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0165046/?ref_=fn_all_ttl_1 Joe Morici - Capcom - https://www.patreon.com/posts/37289815 CD duplicators expand their offerings "Keeping Track Of All Trades; Replicators Go Beyond The Basics, Branching Out Into Packaging,Distribution And More, Billboard, September 3, 1994, Section: CD REPLICATION; Spotlight; Pg. 86, Byline: BY PAUL VERNA The Expanding Universe Of Replication; Companies Roll Out The Format Welcome Mat, Opening The Door To CDROM And Others, Billboard, September 3, 1994, Section: CD REPLICATION; Spotlight; Pg. 84, Byline: BY STEVE TRAIMAN" CD piracy explodes in Hong Kong Software pirates strike gold, South China Morning Post (Hong Kong), September 15, 1994, Section: FEATURE; Pg. 25 https://www.youtube.com/watch?app=desktop&v=eEUNtQprsc0 Best Buy expands Best Buy Plans Southern Calif. Invasion; Discounter Promises 'New Shopping Experience', Billboard, September 10, 1994, Section: Pg. 5, Byline: BY EILEEN FITZPATRICK Woolworth UK hit hard by drop in computer software sales Kingfisher offshoots turn in mixed performance, Financial Times (London,England), September 14, 1994, Wednesday, London, Section: UK Company News; Pg. 25, Rhino sees slowdown Rhino runs deeper into red at midway, Financial Times (London,England), September 20, 1994, Tuesday, Section: UK Company News; Pg. 26, Byline: By GARY EVANS Video game slump hits Wong Video-game slump hits firm, South China Morning Post (Hong Kong), September 30, 1994, Section: BUSINESS; Pg. 18 Raymond Yap - Wong's International, Mondex - https://www.patreon.com/posts/108390526 Playmates shifts to games Post-TMNT Playmates Goes Vid, Ad Day, September 19, 1994, Section: NEW PRODUCTS; Pg. 17 Software Toolworks becomes Mindscape THE SOFTWARE TOOLWORKS, INC. BECOMES MINDSCAP , INC., PR Newswire, September 30, 1994, Friday - 19:34 Eastern Time Strauss Zelnick to head BMG "Ex-IBM chief to head Canadian films group, Financial Times (London,England), September 15, 1994, Thursday, London; Section: International Company News; Pg. 27, Byline: By LOUISE KEHOE and REUTER Ex-Film Executive Chosen To Head Bertelsmann Unit, The New York Times, September 14, 1994, Wednesday, Late Edition - Final, Distribution: Financial Desk, Section: Section D; ; Section D; Page 8; Column 5; Financial Desk ; Column 5; Byline: By SALLIE HOFMEISTER, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Strauss_Zelnick Katzenberg out at Disney Now Playing: Disney in Turmoil, The New York Times, September 23, 1994, Friday, Late Edition - Final, Distribution: Financial Desk, Section: Section D; ; Section D; Page 1; Column 3; Financial Desk ; Column 3; Byline: By BERNARD WEINRAUB with GERALDINE FABRIKANT, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DisneyWar https://www.amazon.com/Men-Who-Would-King-DreamWorks/dp/0547520271 Battletech Centers go online L.A.-Vegas link makes virtual a new reality, The Hollywood Reporter, September 2, 1994, Friday DISNEY'S GAME LINK, Variety, September 12, 1994 - September 18, 1994, Section: SPECIAL REPORT: INTERTAINMENT; Update; Pg. 33 Nicastro's to co-CEO WMS Neil D. Nicastro appointed co-chief executive officer of WMS Industries, Business Wire, September 12, 1994, Monday Arnie's Place closes down Scrappy Arcade Owner Gives Up the Fight, The New York Times, September 20, 1994, Tuesday, Late Edition - Final, Distribution: Metropolitan Desk, Section: Section B; ; Section B; Page 4; Column 1; Metropolitan Desk ; Column 1; ; Biography, Byline: Arnie Kaye, Special to The New York Times, Dateline: WESTPORT, Conn., Sept. 19 https://www.nytimes.com/1994/09/20/nyregion/scrappy-arcade-owner-gives-up-the-fight.html?searchResultPosition=1 http://arniesplacearcade.com/pictures.html Nintendo owns CES https://archive.org/details/edge-012-september-1994/page/10/mode/2up?view=theater https://archive.org/details/edge-012-september-1994/page/44/mode/1up?view=theater RPGs, adventures and doom clones abound on pc at ces https://archive.org/details/computer-gaming-world-issue-122-september-1994/page/22/mode/1up?view=theater Sega bypasses Japanese distributors SEGA DECIDES TO SELL DIRECT TO RETAILERS, Computergram International, September 13, 1994 EA disses Saturn No Headline In Original, Consumer Electronics, September 19, 1994, Section: NOTEBOOK, Vol. 34, No. 38 3DO's next gen system is a dog... https://archive.org/details/edge-012-september-1994/page/6/mode/2up https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Panasonic_M2 ESRB rates its first game No Headline In Original, Consumer Electronics, September 12, 1994, Section: NOTEBOOK, Vol. 34, No. 37 Mortal Kombat II breaks records Acclaim's 'Mortal Kombat II' breaks video game and film industry records with $50 million opening week, Business Wire, September 22, 1994, Thursday Sega and Nintendo plan big Xmas ad spends Sega and Nintendo Prepare to Do Battle Over Holiday Season Sales, Wall Street Journal (3 Star, Eastern (Princeton, NJ), Edition), , September 21, 1994, Business and Industry, Section: Pg. B10; Vol. CCXXIV; No. 57; ISSN: 0099-9660 EA sees CD future Electronic Arts Shifts Focus to CD-ROM Video Games, Wall Street Journal (3 Star, Eastern (Princeton, NJ) Edition), September 7, 1994, Business and Industry, Section: Pg. B4; Vol. CCXXIV; No. 47; ISSN: 0099-9660 CDi gets new slogan A NEW STRATEGY FOR CD-I PHILIPS LOWERS PRICE, CHANGES SLOGAN TO DRIVE SALES, Advertising Age, September 26, 1994, Section: Pg. 14 https://youtu.be/TgtBDVRwKCQ?si=77kblLoNQUYxSl16 China seen as growth market by Nintendo Nintendo to launch game software production in China, Japan Economic Newswire, SEPTEMBER 6, 1994, TUESDAY, Dateline: TOKYO, Sept. 6 Kyodo Taiwan firm to compensate Nintendo, Singapore Business Times, September 18, 1994 Sanyo avoids face off with Matsushita Sanyo to market 32-bit computer game, Report From Japan, September 1, 1994 https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:7327486440387289088/ Konix lives Aiming to succeed where others have failed - MSU's CD systems look set to find their way into homes world-wide / Growth from Technology, Financial Times (London,England), September 8, 1994, Thursday, London, Section: UK Company News; Pg. 30, Byline: By ALAN CANE https://www.konixmultisystem.co.uk/index.php?id=interviews&content=wyn Myst coming to laseractive https://segaretro.org/Myst_(Mega_LD) Pioneer gets LaserActive with 'Myst' software hit; Redford eco entertainment also set for format, The Hollywood Reporter, September 6, 1994, Tuesday, Byline: Scott Hettrick https://segaretro.org/Legacy Time Warner picks up Rise of the Robots Time Warner Interactive to release "Rise of the Robots" on CD-ROM and Floppy in United States; TWi also to release "Rise" on 10 interactive platforms in Europe, Business Wire, September 6, 1994, Tuesday, Dateline: MILPITAS, Calif. Sega bets on Cornhuskers "Sega Sports opens college football season by predicting this weekend's winners on the new ""College Football National Championship"" video game;Nebraska Cornhuskers take national championship on Sega Sports field, Business Wire, September 2, 1994, Friday" Shaq goes multiple media ive, EA Hope Shaq Game/CD Promo Hits Nothing But Net, Billboard, September 24, 1994, Section: ARTISTS & MUSIC; Pg. 10, Byline: BY MARILYN A. GILLEN Chaos Studios renamed Gamepro September 1994 pg. 161 Tensions between Intel and Compaq heat up Compaq-Intel spat is fascinated dread, Financial Times (London,England), September 20, 1994, Tuesday, Section: Pg. 21, Byline: By LOUISE KEHOE and ALAN CANE PowerPC alliance unravels BUSINESS TECHNOLOGY; Computing's Bold Alliance Falters, The New York Times, September 14, 1994, Wednesday, Late Edition - Final, Distribution: Financial Desk, Section: Section D; ; Section D; Page 1; Column 3; Financial Desk ; Column 3; Target moving out of PC business No Headline In Original, Consumer Electronics, September 12, 1994, Section: NOTEBOOK, Vol. 34, No. 37 MOS technology sold STARTING FROM ASHES OF OLD FIRM COMMODORE'S NORRISTOWN PLANT CAN BE SOLD TO A START-UP COMPANY, U.S. BANKRUPTCY COURT SAID., The Philadelphia Inquirer, September 24, 1994 Saturday FINAL EDITION, Section: BUSINESS; Pg. D01 CONTENDER FOR FIRM ADVERTISES FOR HELP ONE BIDDER FOR COMMODORE IS ALREADY SEEKING WORKERS. THE OTHER BIDDER SAYS IT WANTS THE RESUMES, TOO., The Philadelphia Inquirer, September 22, 1994 Thursday FINAL EDITION, Section: BUSINESS; Pg. C01 Der PC-Pionier stellte Antrag auf Konkurs, Handelsblatt, September 13, 1994, Business and Industry, Section: Pg. 11; ISSN: 0017-7296 Wing Commander budget to break records Computer Gaming World, September 1994 pg. 12 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transmetropolitan Activision brings back 2600 classics ACTIVISION'S NEW ATARI 2600(TM) ANTHOLOGY - A REAL BLAST FROM THE PAST; ORIGINAL BEST-SELLING HITS TO BE AVAILABLE FOR WINDOWS EARLY '95, PR Newswire, September 20, 1994, Tuesday - 15:02 Eastern Time, Section: Financial News Monty Python comes to CDRom COMPUTER GAMES: THE CIRCUS COMES TO TOWN; Jack Schofield on something very silly a CD-ROM celebration of Monty Python, The Guardian (London), September 22, 1994, Section: THE GUARDIAN ONLINE PAGE; Pg. T7 The Information Super Highway is destined to fail "The information highway heads for the exit lane, The Age (Melbourne, Australia), September 13, 1994 Tuesday Late Edition, Section: NEWS; Features; Pg. 15" Ads will make the interactive world go round. into the ring, ADWEEK, September 5, 1994, All Southeast EditionSouthwest EditionWestern Advertising News Edition, Section: SPECIAL REPORT, Byline: By Michael Schrage The future belongs to content "start your content engines, ADWEEK, September 5, 1994, All Southeast EditionSouthwest EditionWestern Advertising News Edition, Section: SPECIAL REPORT, byline: By Michael Krantz" FCC to investigate interactive TV bidders FCC probing interactive video bidders, The Hollywood Reporter, September 1, 1994, Thursday AT&T pushes The Edge over a ledge AT&T Scraps Plan to Sell Gear For Video Game, Wall Street Journal (3 Star, Eastern (Princeton, NJ) Edition), September 1, 1994 AT&T PULLS PLUG ON EDGE 16, Consumer Electronics, September 5, 1994, Section: THIS WEEK'S NEWS, Vol. 34, No. 36; Pg. 15 WHEN IT COMES TO NEW MEDIA, AT&T'S NOT PLAYING GAMES; AT THE MOVIES: TWO-WAY TV; RETAILERS SIGN ON TO INTERACTIVE TV; COMPUSERVE TO BE INTERNET PROVIDER; OTHER NEWS: , Advertising Age, September 05, 1994, Section: Pg. 13 BellAtlantic, Time Warner and Viacom face delays Discord and Delay for Bell Atlantic Network, The New York Times, September 9, 1994, Friday, Late Edition - Final, Section: Section D; ; Section D; Page 1; Column 3; Financial Desk ; Column 3; Byline: By EDMUND L. ANDREWS, Compuserve moves to the internet WHEN IT COMES TO NEW MEDIA, AT&T'S NOT PLAYING GAMES; AT THE MOVIES: TWO-WAY TV; RETAILERS SIGN ON TO INTERACTIVE TV; COMPUSERVE TO BE INTERNET PROVIDER; OTHER NEWS: , Advertising Age, September 05, 1994, Section: Pg. 13# Online services days numbered The Executive Computer; In the On-Line Market, the Name of the Game Is Internet, The New York Times, September 25, 1994, Sunday, Late Edition - Final, Distribution: Financial Desk, Section: Section 3; ; Section 3; Page 7; Column 1; Financial Desk ; Column 1; XBAND to launch as Genesis exclusive Sega and Catapult sign agreement to support XBAND game modem and network service, Business Wire, September 6, 1994, Tuesday, Catapult Video-Game Modem Gets a Boost From Sega, Nintendo, Wall Street Journal (3 Star, Eastern (Princeton, NJ) Edition), September 7, 1994, Section: Pg. B8; Vol. CCXXIV; No. 47; ISSN: 0099-9660 T-HQ announces debt and equity financings, Business Wire, September 19, 1994, Monday Playstation to go online... in France Sony, France Telecom link in video game business, Japan Economic Newswire, SEPTEMBER 16, 1994, FRIDAY CDRom gets online updates RealTime Moving Quickly Into Sports Arena; BMG, Nederlander Behind New CD-ROM Supplier, Billboard, September 17, 1994, Section: THE ENTER*ACTIVE FILE; Pg. 68, Byline: MARILYN A. GILLEN Mondex aims to revolutionize payments A Visionary Pushes Toward the Cashless Revolution, American Banker, September 15, 1994, Business and Industry, Section: Pg. 12; Vol. 159; No. 178; ISSN: 0002-7561 https://www.patreon.com/posts/108390526?collection=481857 Futurist sees internet as savior of democracy Books and Authors, The Associated Press, September 2, 1994, Friday, BC cycle, Section: Entertainment News, Byline: By ELIZABETH WEISE, Associated Press Writer https://www.researchgate.net/publication/318765343_The_Virtual_Community_Homesteading_on_the_Electronic_Frontier UK magazine market collapses GAMES MAGAZINES: A MILLION CRUEL CUTS, The Guardian (London), September 22, 1994, Section: THE GUARDIAN ONLINE PAGE; Pg. T3 Atari and Sega bury the hatchet Sega and Atari Announce Longterm Licensing Agreements, Equity, Investment, and Resolution of Disputes, Business Wire, September 28, 1994, Wednesday Nintendo sues TSMC NINTENDO FI ES SUIT AGAINST TAIWAN COMPANY TO STOP COUNTERFEITING OF VIDEO GAME SEMICONDUCTOR CHIPS, PR Newswire, September 13, 1994, Tuesday - 16:47 Eastern Time 919 921 COUNTERFEIT CHIP SUIT, Consumer Electronics, September 19, 1994, Section: THIS WEEK'S NEWS, Vol. 34, No. 38 https://archive.org/details/AtariCorporationAnnualReport1994 Nintendo wins in Taiwan Court Taiwan firm to compensate Nintendo, Singapore Business Times, September 18, 1994 9th Circuit rebukes Apple Apple's Copyright Suit Against Rivals Rejected, The Associated Press, September 19, 1994, Monday, AM cycle, Section: Business News, Byline: By BOB EGELKO, Associated Press Writer George Forman KOs Power Punch II in court No Headline In Original, Consumer Electronics, September 5, 1994, Section: NOTEBOOK, Vol. 34, No. 36; Pg. 12 Acclaim mocap comes to the big screen Acclaim Motion Capture Technology Tapped For Warner Bros. 'Batman Forever'; Special Effects to Employ Motion Capture, Business Wire, September 1, 1994, Thursday https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mZrZK9-stCM Watch the future of computing on your TV https://archive.org/details/jcnhomecomputing/Home.Computing.1.XviD-VHSRip.avi PCTV, INC. ANNOUNCES NEW @OME O FICE COMPUTER SHOWS AS PART OF FALL LINEUP OF TV PROGRAMS, PR Newswire, September 13, 1994, Tuesday - 06:57 Eastern Time Photoshop gets layered Byte September 1994 pg. 30 Pulp Fiction wins Palm D'Or THE MOVIE JUNKIE; The critics hated it, the audience hurled abuse: stand by for Quentin Tarantino's Pulp Fiction, The Guardian (London), September 19, 1994, Section: THE GUARDIAN FEATURES PAGE; Pg. T8 Recommended Links: The History of How We Play: https://thehistoryofhowweplay.wordpress.com/ Gaming Alexandria: https://www.gamingalexandria.com/wp/ They Create Worlds: https://tcwpodcast.podbean.com/ Digital Antiquarian: https://www.filfre.net/ The Arcade Blogger: https://arcadeblogger.com/ Retro Asylum: http://retroasylum.com/category/all-posts/ Retro Game Squad: http://retrogamesquad.libsyn.com/ Playthrough Podcast: https://playthroughpod.com/ Retromags.com: https://www.retromags.com/ Games That Weren't - https://www.gamesthatwerent.com/ Sound Effects by Ethan Johnson of History of How We Play. Copyright Karl Kuras
This episode we are covering the end of the reign of Naka no Oe, aka Tenji Tennou. We cover the events in the Chronicles, including the death of Nakatomi no Kamatari, the creation of the Fujiwara family, the destruction of Goguryeo, and the continued development of the Baekje refugees. For more, check out the podcast blog at: https://sengokudaimyo.com/podcast/episode-128 Rough Transcript Welcome to Sengoku Daimyo's Chronicles of Japan. My name is Joshua and this is episode 128: Immigrants, Princes, and High Officials. There was a pall over the house, despite the visiting royal retinue creating something of a stir,. While craftspeople were still hard at work repairing damage from the lightning strike only a few months earlier, that wasn't the reason for the low spirits. Rather, the house was worried for their patriarch, the Naidaijin, Nakatomi no Kamatari. He had fallen ill, and despite all the pleas to the kami and the Buddhas , it seemed the end might be near. And so even the sovereign himself had come. Kamatari was not just a loyal official, but a close friend of the sovereign, someone who had been there since the beginning. And so we can imagine how Naka no Oe felt. He may have been the sovereign of Yamato, but he was still a human being, visiting his friend of some 30 or so years, knowing that for all of the power that he held, there was nothing he could do against the ravages of time and disease. The year is 668—Naka no Oe has moved the capital to Ohotsu, on the banks of Lake Biwa, and has formally assumed the throne. This episode we are going to cover the last several years of Naka no Oe's reign. In contrast to last week's dive into Yamato science, this week is going to be a bit of a grab bag, looking at what was going on in Yamato and talking about what was recorded in the Chronicles. And for the most part, the entries for the rest of the year 668 are fairly normal, and yet there are some oddities… For instance, in the fourth month we are told that Baekje sent Mitosapu and others to offer tribute. And any other time that would be just a normal thing. Except that at this point in history, Baekje was about as going a concern as a parrot in a Monty Python sketch. So if the Kingdom of Baekje was no longer a thing, who was it that was sending the tribute? Most likely it was the Baekje communities in exile living in the archipelago. Remember how many of them had settled around Biwa and in 666, two thousand Baekje people were settled somewhere in the East. These immigrants were still being supported by the Yamato government, who were basically subsidizing their settlement for the first three years, during which time they would be expected to make it into a permanent settlement. Based on the way the Chronicles talk about it, these early Baekje communities sound like they were maintaining a kind of kingdom in exile. With many immigrants from Baekje living together in proximity, they were likely keeping their own groups, with their own language and traditions, at least for now. It would be interesting to know if there were specific Baekje settlements that have been identified through the archaeological record. That said, we definitely see Baekje's mark on the archipelago: Physically, there are the Baekje style castles, and various temples following Baekje style layouts. Of course there were also continental building styles, but some of that was shared across multiple cultures at this point, and one should consider how much Baekje influence might have been found in things that we later see as Japanese. Additionally, Baekje nobles were involved in the court, often given court rank based in part on their rank in Baekje, though it wasn't quite equivalent. Still, in time, some of the nobles would trace their lineages back to Baekje nobles and princes. Speaking of princes and Baekje, on the fifth day of the fifth month of 668 —a day that would come to be known as Ayame no hi, or Tango no Sekku, one of the major days of court ceremony—Naka no Oe went out hunting on the moor of Kamafu, known today as Gamou district, near Kanzaki, where 400 Baekje people had been settled. He was out there with the Crown Prince, his younger brother, aka Prince Ohoama, and all the other princes and ministers. A grand outing. A month later, however, tragedy struck. One “Prince Ise” and his younger brother died on consecutive days. While this was undoubtedly a blow to the court, the interesting thing for our purposes – which also highlights the challenge of interpreting the Chronicles is that we aren't exactly sure who this is referring to. It's not the first time we've seen this title: we first see a “Prince Ise” show up around 650, during the presentation of the white pheasant that ushered in the Hakuho era, but we later see that that individual had passed away in 661. We also see the name show up less than 20 years later in the Chronicles for another prince, so this can't be the same. So this is clearly a position or title for a prince, but it isn't clear if it was passed down or inherited. One possibility is that “Prince Ise” or “Prince of Ise” was a title for one of the royal sons. IAt this point in the narrative, Naka no Oe had three sons. Prince Takeru had passed away at the age of 8, but he also had Prince Kawajima, Prince Shiki, and Prince Iga, aka Prince Ohotomo, all sons of “palace women”. We know, though, that these princes show up later, so I don't think the so-called Prince Ise was one of them. Perhaps another line? The term “Prince” might also refer to something other than a royal son. You see, English translators have often been somewhat cavalier with the way we tend to render titles. The English term “Prince” has been used for “Hiko”, “Miko”, or “Ou” (which was probably pronounced “Miko” in many of these cases). And in English, we often think of “Prince” as the son of a king, but “Prince” can also be an independent ruler of a principality, or may just refer to a person with power in a monarchic state. Even the term “king” is not unambiguous—early European accounts of Japan during the Warring States period often refer to the various daimyou as “kings”, given the often absolute dominion with which they apparently ruled their particular domains. At this time, the term “Miko” (also pronounced “ouji”, or “koushi”, or even “sume-miko”) seems rather unambiguously to refer to a “royal prince”, from the lineage of the sovereign. The term “Ou”, which also seems to be read as “Miko” in some cases, is also the term for “King” and probably more broadly fits the concept of a “prince” as a ruler. However, in this case, it seems to be equal to the term “Miko”, and may have been used almost interchangeably for a time, though later it would be used to refer to members of princely rank who were not directly related to a reigning sovereign—the grandchildren and so forth of royal princes who did not go on to inherit. In this case, I think the best we can say for certain is that Prince Ise—or the Prince of Ise—was someone important enough to be included in the chronicles – but who he was, exactly, will remain a mystery for now. The following month, the 7th month, was chock full of activities. First of all, Goguryeo sent envoys by way of Koshi—meaning they landed on the Japan Sea side, probably around Tsuruga. While this may just have been closer, I suspect it meant they avoided any Tang entanglements traveling through the Bohai sea. They did run into a spot of trouble, however, as the winds and waves prevented their return. Koshi also shows up as presenting some strange gifts to the court: burning earth and burning water. There is some thought that maybe this is something like coal or natural oil deposits. We are also told that in this month, Prince Kurikuma was appointed the governor of Tsukushi. Kurikuma no Ou appears to have been the grandson—or possibly great-grandson—of the sovereign, Nunakura, aka Bidatsu Tennou. The position Kurikuma was given was important, of course, overseeing the Dazai, which meant overseeing anyone traveling to the archipelago from the continent. This would be a relatively short-lived appointment—this time. He would be re-appointed about three years later, which would prove important, as he would be governor there during some particularly momentous events. Stories appear to have continued about him in the Nagasaki region, and various families traced their lineage back to him. Also in that month, we are told that Afumi, home of the new capital, practiced military exercises—likely in preparation in case of a future Tang or Silla invasion. Recall we discussed in Episode 126 how the choice of Afumi as a capital site might have been related to its defensibility in the event of such an invasion. At the same time, the court entertained Emishi envoys, and the toneri, by royal command, held banquets in various places. There is also mention of a shore-pavillion, presumably at Lake Biwa, where fish of various kinds came, covering the water. Interestingly enough, there is another story of a “shore pavilion”, likely the same one, in the Fujiwara Family Record, the Toushi Kaden. We are told that Prince Ohoama – Naka no Oe's younger brother spiked a large spear through a plank of wood in some kind of feat of strength. This apparently shocked Naka no Oe, who saw it aa kind of threat—perhaps seeing that his five-years younger brother was still hale and healthy. Granted, Naka no Oe was only in his 40s, but his brother Ohoama was in his later 30s. We are also told that at this time, in 668, Naka no Oe was apparently not doing so well, with people wondering if he would be with them much longer. The Toshi Kaden account seems rather surprising in that it claims Naka no Oe was so shocked by this proof of his brother's vitality that he wanted to have him put to death, suggesting to me that he felt that Ohoama might be a threat to him and his rule. Ultimately, though, he was talked out of this by his old friend, Nakatomi no Kamatari – the one whom he had plotted with to overthrow the Soga, and whose relationship was initiated by an interaction on the kemari field, as we discussed in Episode 106. Speaking of whom: Nakatomi no Kamatari was still Naijin, the Inner or Interior Minister, and so quite prominent in the administration. In the 9th month, as a Silla envoy was visiting the court, Kamatari sent Buddhist priests Hoben and Shinpitsu to present a ship to the Prime Minister of Silla, which was given to the Silla envoy and his companions, and three days later, Fuse no Omi no Mimimaro was sent with a ship meant for the King of Silla as well. This incident is also recounted in the Toshi Kaden. In this case it says that the people, hearing about the gifts to Silla, were quite upset. After all, it stands to reason: Yamato was still smarting from their defeat at the hands of Tang and Silla forces, and building up defenses in case of an attack. They'd also taken in a number of Baekje nobles and families, who may have also had some influence on the court. We are told that Kamatari himself excused all of this by stating that “All under heaven must be the sovereign's land. The guests within its borders must be the sovereign's servants.” In this case, all under heaven, or “Tenka”, is a common phrase used to describe a monarch's sovereignty over everything in the land. And so, while Silla envoys were in Yamato as guests, they also fell under similar rules, and as such were considered, at least by Yamato, as the sovereign's servants and thus worthy of gifts. The Silla envoys stayed for over a month. They finally departed by the 11th month of 668, carrying even more gifts, including silk and leather for the King and various private gifts for the ambassadors themselves. The court even sent Chimori no Omi no Maro and Kishi no Woshibi back with the envoy as Yamato envoys to the Silla court. This all tells us that just as the Tang were working to woo Yamato, Silla was likely doing so as well. And while Yamato might still begrudge the destruction of Baekje, they also had to face the political reality that Baekje was probably not going to be reinstated again—especially not while the Tang government was occupying the peninsula. So making nice with both Tang and Silla was prudent. Furthermore, though they had been visited by Goguryeo envoys earlier that year, Yamato may have had some inkling that Goguryeo was not in the most powerful position. Ever since the death of Yeon Gaesomun, the Goguryeo court had been involved in infighting—as well as fighting their external enemies. One of Gaesomun's sons had been exiled and had gone over to the Tang, no doubt providing intelligence as well as some amount of legitimacy. What they may not have known was that as Yamato was hosting the Silla envoys, a new assault by the Tang-Silla alliance was advancing on Pyongyang and setting siege to the city. The Nihon Shoki records that in the 10th month of 668 Duke Ying, the Tang commander-in-chief, destroyed Goguryeo. This would dramatically change the international political landscape. Tang and Silla had been triumphant—Yamato's allies on the peninsula had been defeated, and what we know as the “Three Kingdoms” period of the Korean peninsula was over. However, the situation was still fluid. The peninsula was not unified by any sense of the imagination. The Tang empire had their strategic positions from which they controlled parts of the peninsula and from which they had been supplying the war effort against Goguryeo. They also likely had to occupy areas to ensure that nobody rose up and tried to reconstitute the defeated kingdoms. In fact, there would be continued attempts to revive Goguryeo, as might be indicated in the name we use: by the 5th century, the country was actually using the name “Goryeo”, a shortened form of “Goguryeo”, but we continue to refer to it as “Goguryeo” to distinguish it from the country of the same name that would be established in 918, laying claim to that ancient Goguryeo identity. A bit of spoilers, but “Goryeo” is where we would eventually get the name that we know the region by, today: “Korea”. In the Nihon Shoki it is referred to as “Gaori”. But none of that could have been known at the time. Instead, there was no doubt some exuberance on the side of both Silla and Tang, but that would settle into something of unease. With Baekje and Goguryeo destroyed, Silla may have thought that Tang would leave, allowing them to solidify their hold and manage those territories as an ally. If this is what they thought, though, I'm not sure they had run it by the Tang empire just yet. In the Yamato court, there appear to have been separate factions: a pro-Tang faction, and also a pro-Silla faction. We have to assume, based on the actions in the record at this time, that this was a ongoing debate. The last thing I'll note for the year 668 is attempted theft. The Buddhist priest Dougyou stole Kusanagi, the famous sword forming part of the imperial regalia, and escaped with it. Kusanagi, you may recall, was the royal sword. It was named “Kusanagi” or “grass cutter” because it is said that when Prince Yamato Takeru was subduing the eastern lands, he was surrounded in a field that had been set on fire, and he used Kusanagi to create a firebreak by cutting down all of the grass around him. The sword was given to him by Yamato Hime, the Ise Princess at the time, and it was thought to have been first found by the god Susanowo inside of the legendary Yamata no Orochi. We talked about this in Episodes 16, 34, and 35. Yamato Takeru left the sword in Owari, and it would eventually live there, at Atsuta Jingu, Atsuta Shrine, its traditional home. It isn't clear if Dougyou obtained the sword from Owari or if it was being kept in the capital at the time. It would have likely been brought out for Naka no Oe's coronation, but then it would probably have been returned to the shrine that was holding it. Dougyou tried to head to Silla with his illicit goods, but wind and rain forced him to turn back around. This is a fascinating story and there's a lot to dive into here. So first off, let's point out that this is supposed to be a Buddhist priest. What the heck was going on that he was going to try to run a heist on what are essentially the Crown Jewels of the Yamato crown? While the sword, mirror, and jewel were still somewhat questionable as the sole three regalia, they were clearly important. We aren't given Dougyou's motives. We don't know enough about him. Was he anti-Yamato or anti-Naka no Oe? Was he actually a Buddhist priest of his own accord, or was he a priest because he was one of those who had been essentially conscripted into religious orders on behalf of some powerful noble? Was he a Buddhist who wanted to attack the hold of the kami? Was he pro-Silla, or perhaps even a Silla descendant, trying to help Silla? Or was he just a thief who saw the sword, Kusanagi, as a valuable artifact that could be pawned outside of Yamato? That last possibility feels off. While we aren't exactly sure what Kusanagi looked like, based on everything we know, the sword itself wasn't necessarily blinged out in a way that would make it particularly notable on the continent. And if Dougyou and whoever his co-conspirators were just wanted to attack the Yamato government, why didn't he just dump Kusanagi in the see somewhere? He could have destroyed it or otherwise gotten rid of it in a way that would have embarrassed the government. It seems mostly likely that this theft had something to do with pro-Silla sentiment, as if Silla suddenly showed up with the sword, I imagine that would have been some diplomatic leverage on the Yamato court, as they could have held it hostage. In any case, the plan ultimately failed, though the Chronicles claim it was only because the winds were against him—which was likely seen as the kami themselves defending Yamato. On to a new year. At the start of 669, Prince Kurikuma (who we mentioned above) was recalled to the capital and Soga no Akaye was appointed governor of Tsukushi. We mentioned Akaye a couple of episodes back. He was involved in the broken arm-rest incident, where Prince Arima was plotting against Takara Hime, aka Saimei Tennou, and Akaye's daughter Hitachi no Iratsume, was one of the formal wives of Naka no Oe, who would give birth to the princess Yamabe. Now Akaye was given the position of governor of Tsukushi. This position is an interesting one throughout Japanese history. In many ways it is a viceroy—the governor of Tsukushi has to effectively speak with the voice of the sovereign as the person responsible for overseeing any traffic to and from the continent. This also was likely a highly lucrative position, only handed out to trusted individuals. However, it also meant that you were outside of the politics of the court. Early on that was probably less of a concern. At this time, court nobles were likely still concerned with their traditional lands, which created their economic base, meaning that the court may have been the political center, but there was still plenty of ways to gain power in the archipelago and it wasn't solely through the court. Over time, as more and more power accrued to the central court government, that would change. Going out to manage a government outpost on the far end of the archipelago—let alone just going back to manage one's own estates—would be tantamount to exile. But for now, without a permanent city built up around the palace, I suspect that being away from the action in the capital wasn't quite as detrimental compared to the lucrative nature of a powerful position. Later, we will see how that flips on its head, especially with the construction of capitals on the model of those like Chang'an. For now, new governor Soga no Akaye was likely making the most of his position. On that note, in the third month of 669, Tamna sent their prince Kumaki with envoys and tribute. They would have come through Tsukushi, and Soga no Akaye likely enjoyed some benefits as they were entertained while waiting for permission to travel the rest of the way down to the Yamato capital. The Tamna embassy did not exactly linger at the court. They arrived on the 11th of the 3rd month, and left one week—seven days—later, on the 18th. Still, they left with a gift of seed-grain made to the King of Tamna. On their way out, they likely would have again stopped in at Tsukushi for provisions and to ensure that all of their business was truly concluded before departing. A couple of months later, on the 5th day of the 5th month, we see another hunting party by Naka no Oe. This seems to have been part of the court ritual of the time for this ceremonial day. This time it was on the plain of Yamashina. It was attended by his younger brother, Crown Prince Ohoama, as well as someone called “Fujiwara no Naidaijin” and all of the ministers. “Fujiwara no Naidaijin” is no doubt Nakatomi no Kamatari. This is an interesting slip by the Chroniclers, and I wonder if it gives us some insight into the source this record came from. Kamatari was still known as Nakatomi at the time, and was still the Naidaijin, so it is clear they were talking about him. But historically his greatest reputation is as the father of the Fujiwara family, something we will get to in time. That said, a lot of the records in this period refer to him as “Fujiwara”. We've seen this previously—because the records were being written later they were often using a more common name for an individual, rather than the name—including title—that the individual actually would have borne at the time of the record. This really isn't that different from the way we often talk about the sovereigns using their posthumous names. Naka no Oe would not have been known as “Tenji Tennou” during his reign. That wouldn't be used until much later. And yet, many history books will, understandably, just use the name “Tenji” because it makes it clear who is being talked about. This hunting trip is not the only time we see the name “Fujiwara” creep into the Chronicles a little earlier than accurate: we are told that only a little later, the house of “Fujiwara” no Kamatari was struck by lightning. But that wasn't the only tragedy waiting in the wings. Apparently, Kamatari was not doing so well, and on the 10th day of the 10th month, his friend and sovereign, Naka no Oe, showed up to pay his respects and see how he was doing. Ever since that fateful game of kemari—Japanese kickball—the two had been fast friends. Together they envisioned a new state. They overthrew the Soga, and changed the way that Japan even conceived of the state, basing their new vision off continental ideas of statehood, governance, and sovereignty. Now, Kamatari was gravely ill. What happens next is likely of questionable veracity Sinceit is unlikely that someone was there writing down the exact words that were exchanged, but the Chronicles record a conversation between the sovereign and his ill friend. And the words that the Chroniclers put in their mouths were more about the image that they wanted to project. According to them, Naka no Oe praised his friend, and asked if there was anything that he could do. Kamatari supposedly eschewed anything special for burial arrangements. He supposedly said “While alive I did no service for my country at war; why, then, should I impose a heavy burden on it when I am dead?” Hard to know if he actually felt like that or not, or if thr Chroniclers were likening him to Feng Yi of the Han dynasty, the General of the Great Tree. He was so-called because he would often find a tree to take time to himself. He likewise was renowned for his dislike of ostentation, much like Kamatari foregoing a fancy burial mound. Five days later, Naka no Oe sent Crown Prince Ohoama to Kamatari's house to confer on him the cap of Dai-shiki, and the rank of Oho-omi. They also conferred on him and his family a new surname: Fujiwara, and so he became Fujiwara no Daijin, the Fujiwara Great Minister. The next day he died. One source known as the Nihon Seiki, said that he was 50 years old, but according to the Chronicles there was an inscription on his tomb that stated he died at age 55. Three days later, we are told that Naka no Oe went to the house of the now late Fujiwara no Naidaijin, and gave orders to Soga no Akaye no Omi, declaring to him his gracious will and bestowing on him a golden incense-burner. This is somewhat odd, because as we were just talking about, Soga no Akaye had been appointed governor of Tsukushi, though the Toshi Kaden claims that it was actually Soga no Toneri who was in Tsukushi—but these could also mean the same people. Why this happened right after Kamatari's death suggests to me that Soga no Akaye may have had something to do with the arrangements for Kamatari's funeral or something similar. Let's talk about this whole incident. There are many that think the Nihon Shoki has things a bit out of order, and on purpose. Specifically, it is quite likely that the name “Fujiwara” was actually granted after Kamatari's death, and not on the day of, as it has here. He may even have been posthumously elevated. But since the Fujiwara family would go on to be quite powerful, the order of events and how they were recorded would have been very important in the 8th century. By naming Kamatari's line the Fujiwara, the court were effectively severing it from the rest of the Nakatomi. The Nakatomi family would continue to serve as court ritualists, but the Fujiwara family would go on to much bigger and better things. This change also likely meant that any inheritance of Kamatari's would go to his direct descendants, and that a brother or cousin couldn't necessarily just take over as the head of the household. So it's very possible that this “setting apart” of the Fujiwara family immediately upon Kamatari's death is a later fiction, encouraged by the rising Fujiwara themselves, in an attempt to keep others from hanging on to their coat tails, as it were. Also a quick note about the idea that there was an inscription on Kamatari's tomb. This is remarkable because so far, we have not actually found any such markers or tombstones on burials prior to this period. We assume that they would have been stone or wood markers that were put up by a mound to let you know something about the person who was buried there. Over time, most of these likely wore away. But it is interesting to think that the practice may have had older roots. The death of Kamatari wasn't the only tragedy that year. We are also told that in the 12th month there was a fire in the Treasury, and that the temple of Ikaruga—known to us as Houryuuji, the temple built by Shotoku Taishi—also was burnt. It isn't said how bad, but only three months later, in 670, another fire struck during a thunderstorm, and we are told that everything burned down—nothing was left. That said, it seems that they may have been able to reuse some of the materials. I say this because an analysis of the main pillar of the pagoda in the western compound suggests that the tree it came from was felled in 594. The rest of 699 included some less dramatic events. For instance, in the 8th month, Naka no Oe climbed to the top of Takayasu, where he took advice as to how to repair the castle there. The castle had been built only a couple of years earlier, but already needed repairs. However, the initial repair project had been abandoned because the labor costs were too much. The repairs were still needed, though, and they carried out the work four months later in the 12th month, and again in the 2nd month of the following year, and that stores of grain and salt were collected, presumably to stock the castle in case they had to withstand a siege. I suspect that the “cost” of repairing the castle was mostly that it was the 8th month, and the laborers for the work would have to be taken away from the fields. By the 12th month, I can only assume that those same laborers would be free from their other duties. Speaking of costs, sometimes the Chronicles really make you wonder what was going through the mind of the writers, because they noted that the Land-tax of the Home Provinces was collected. Maybe this was the first time it had actually been instituted? I don't know. It just seems an odd thing to call out. There was also 700 more men from Baekje removed and settled in Kamafu—Gamou District—in Afumi. And then there was a Silla embassy in the 9th month, and at some point in the year Kawachi no Atahe no Kujira and others were sent to the Tang court. In response, an embassy from the Tang to Yamato brought 2000 people with them, headed by Guo Wucong, who I really hope was getting some kind of premiere cruiser status for all of his trips. The following year, 700, started out with a great archery meeting, arranged within the palace gate. I presume this to mean that they had a contest. Archery at this time—and even for years to come—was prized more highly than even swordplay. After all, archery was used both in war and on the hunt. It is something that even the sage Confucius suggested that people should practice. It is also helpful that they could always shoot at targets as a form of competition and entertainment. Later, on the 14th day of the 1st month, Naka no Oe promulgated new Court ceremonial regulations, and new laws about people giving way on the roads. This rule was that those of lower status should get out of the way of those of higher status. Funnily enough, in the description of Queen Himiko's “Yamateg”, back in the 3rd century, this was also called out as a feature of the country. It is possible that he was codifying a local tradition, or that the tradition actually goes back to the continent, and that the Wei Chroniclers were projecting such a rule onto the archipelago. I'm honestly not sure which is which. Or perhaps they expanded the rules and traditions already in place. There were also new laws about prohibiting “heedless slanders and foul falsehoods”, which sounds great, but doesn't give you a lot to go on. The law and order theme continues in the following month. A census was taken and robbers and vagabonds were suppressed. Naka no Oe also visited Kamafu, where he had settled a large number of the Baekje people, and inspected a site for a possible future palace. He also had castles built in Nagato in Tsukushi, along the route of any possible invasion from the Korean peninsula. In the third month, we have evidence of the continued importance of kami worship, when they laid out places of worship close to Miwi mountain and distributed offerings of cloth. Nakatomi no Kane no Muraji pronounced the litany. Note that it is Nakatomi no Muraji—as we mentioned, the Nakatomi would continue to be responsible for ceremonial litany while the Imibe, or Imbe, family would be responsible for laying out the various offerings. Miwi would seem to be the same location as Miidera, aka Onjou-ji, but Miidera wouldn't be founded for another couple of years. In the 9th month of 670, Adzumi no Tsuratari, an accomplished ambassador by this point, travelled to Silla. Tsuratari had been going on missions during the reign of Takara Hime, both to Baekje and to the lands across the “Western Seas”. While we don't exactly know what transpired, details like this can help us try to piece together something of the relative importance of the mission. In the last entry for 670, we are told that water-mills were made to smelt iron. If you are wondering how that works, it may have been that the waterwheel powered trip hammers—it would cause the hammer to raise up until it reached a point where it would fall. Not quite the equivalent of a modern power hammer, it still meant that fewer people were needed for the process, and they didn't have to stop just because their arms got tired. The following year, 671, got off to a grand start, with a lot of momentous events mentioned in just the first month of the year. First off, on the 2nd day of the first month, Soga no Akaye – now back from his stint as governor of Tsukushi - and Kose no Hito advanced in front of the palace and offered their congratulations on the new year. Three days later, on the 5th day, Nakatomi no Kane, who had provided the litany at Miwi, made an announcement on kami matters. Then the court made official appointments. Soga no Akaye was made the Sadaijin, or Prime Minister of the Left, and Nakatomi no Kane was made Prime Minister of the Right. Soga no Hatayasu, Kose no Hito, and Ki no Ushi were all made daibu, or high ministers. On top of this, Naka no Ohoe's son, Prince Ohotomo, was appointed as Dajodaijin. “Dajodaijin” is a new position that we haven't seen yet, and it is one of those positions that would only show up on occasion. It is effectively a *Prime* Prime Minister. They were considered superior to both the ministers of the left and the right, but didn't exactly have a particular portfolio. The Ministers of the Left and the Right each had ministries under them that they were responsible for managing. Those ministries made up the Daijo-kan, or the Council of State. The Dajodaijin, or Daijodaijin, was basically the pre-eminent position overseeing the Council of State. I suspect that the Dajodaijin seems to have been the evolution of the Naidaijin, but on steroids. Nakatomi no Kamatari had administered things as Naidaijin from within the royal household, but the Dajodaijin was explicitly at the head of the State. Of course, Prince Ohotomo was the son of Naka no Oe himself, and the fact that he was only 23 years old and now put in a place of prominence over other ministers who were quite likely his senior, is remarkable. I wonder how much he actually was expected to do, and how much it was largely a ceremonial position, but it nonetheless placed Ohotomo just below his uncle, Crown Prince Ohoama, in the overall power structure of the court. Speaking of which, following the new appointments, on the 6th day of the year, Crown Prince Ohoama promulgated regulations on the behalf of his brother, Naka no Oe. There was also a general amnesty declared, and the ceremonial and names of the cap-ranks were described in what the Chronicles calls the Shin-ritsu-ryo, the New Laws. Towards the end of the first month, there were two embassies, both from now-defunct kingdoms. The first was from Goguryeo, who reportedly sent someone named Karu and others with Tribute on the 9th day, and 4 days later, Liu Jenyuan, the Tang general for Baekje sent Li Shouchen and others to present a memorial. I'm not sure if the Goguryeo envoys were from a government in exile or from a subjugated kingdom under Tang and Silla domination. The Tang general in Baekje was a little more transparent. That said, that same month we are told that more than 50 Baekje nobles were given Yamato court rank, perhaps indicating that they were being incorporated more into the Yamato court and, eventually, society as a whole. That said, the remains of the Baekje court sent Degu Yongsyeon and others with tribute the following month. This is also the year that Naka no Oe is said to have placed the clepsydra or water clock in a new pavilion. We talked about this significance of this last episode. We are also told that on the third day of the third month, Kibumi no Honjitsu presented a “water level”, a Mizu-hakari. This would seem to be what it sounds like: A way of making sure that a surface is level using water. There is also mention of the province of Hitachi presenting as “tribute” Nakatomibe no Wakako. He was only 16 years old, and yet we are told he was only one and a half feet in height—one shaku six sun, more appropriately. Assuming modern conversions, that would have put him approximately the same height as Chandra Dangi of Nepal, who passed away in 2015 but who held the Guiness World Record for the world's shortest person at 21.5”—or 54 centimeters. So it isn't impossible. The fact that he is called “Nakatomibe” suggests that he was part of the family, or -Be group, that served the Nakatomi court ritualists. Unfortunately, he was probably seen more as an oddity than anything else at the time. Still, how many people from that time are not remembered at all, in any extant record? And yet we have his name, which is more than most. In the following month, we are also told that Tsukushi reported a deer that had been born with eight legs. Unfortunately, the poor thing died immediately, which is unfortunately too often the case. And then the fifth day of the fifth month rolled around again. This year there was no hunting, but instead Naka no Oe occupied the “Little Western Palace” and the Crown Prince and all of the ministers attended him. We are told that two “rustic” dances were performed—presumably meaning dances of some local culture, rather than those conforming to the art standards passed down from the continent. As noted earlier, this day would be one of the primary ceremony days of the later court. The following month, we are told that there was an announcement in regards to military measures requested by the messengers from the three departments of Baekje, and later the Baekje nobles sent Ye Chincha and others to bring tribute. Once again, what exactly this means isn't clear, but it is interesting to note that there were three “departments” of Baekje. It is unclear if this was considered part of the court, or if this was Baekje court in exile managing their own affairs as a guest in Yamato. It is also interesting that they seem to have been traveling to the Yamato court while Li Shouchen was still there, sent by the Tang general overseeing Baekje. That must have been a bit of an awkward meeting. We are told that they all took their departure together on the 11th day of the 7th month. Does that mean they left with the Tang envoy? Was the Tang inviting some of them to come back? Or just that they all left the court at the same time. The same month, Prince Kurikuma was once more made Governor of Tsukushi—or possibly made governor the first time, depending on whether or not you think the Chronicles are accurate or that they pulled the same event twice from different sources. We are also told that Silla sent envoys with gifts that included a water buffalo and a copper pheasant for the sovereign. The 8th month of the year, we hear that Karu of Goguryeo and his people took their leave after a seven month long visit. The court also entertained the Emishi. Two months later, Silla sent Kim Manmol and others with more tribute, but this envoy likely found a different feeling at court. And that is because on the 18th day of the 8th month, the sovereign of Yamato, Naka no Oe, took to his bed, ill. There was a ceremony to open the eyes of 100 Buddhas in the interior of the palace, and Naka no Oe sent messengers to offer to the giant Buddha of Houkouji a kesa, a golden begging-bowl, an ivory tusk, aloeswood, sandalwood, and various objects of value, but despite any spiritual merit that may have accrued, it didn't seem to work. Naka no Oe's illness continued to grow more serious. He would continue to struggle for another two months, until, on the 3rd day of the twelfth month, Naka no Oe, aka Tenji Tennou, sovereign of Yamato, passed away. For all that we should be careful to avoid the “Great Man” theory of history, it is nonetheless hard to deny that Naka no Oe had an incredible impact on the country in his days. From start to finish, while one could argue that many of the reforms were simply a matter of time as the archipelago absorbed more and more ideas from across the straits, Naka no Oe found himself in the middle of those reforms. The Yamato State would never be the same, and he oversaw the birth of the Ritsuryo state, a new state nominally based on laws and rules, rather than just tradition. It may not be entirely clear, but he also helped inculcate a new sense of the power of the sovereign and of the state, introducing new cultural imaginaries. Yamato's reach wasn't just vague boasting, but by instituting the bureaucratic state they were able to actually expand the reach of the court farther than any time before. And through those changes, Naka no Oe had, in one way or another, been standing at the tiller. Now, he was gone, as were many of his co-conspirators in this national project. Which leaves us wondering: What comes next? Well, we'll get to that, but not right now. For now, let us close this episode with Naka no Oe's own end. Next episode, we can get into the power struggles that followed, culuminating in an incident known as the Jinshin no Ran: The Jinshin war. Until then, thank you once again for listening and for all of your support. If you like what we are doing, please tell your friends and feel free to rate us wherever you listen to podcasts. If you feel the need to do more, and want to help us keep this going, we have information about how you can donate on Patreon or through our KoFi site, ko-fi.com/sengokudaimyo, or find the links over at our main website, SengokuDaimyo.com/Podcast, where we will have some more discussion on topics from this episode. Also, feel free to reach out to our Sengoku Daimyo Facebook page. You can also email us at the.sengoku.daimyo@gmail.com. Thank you, also, to Ellen for their work editing the podcast. And that's all for now. Thank you again, and I'll see you next episode on Sengoku Daimyo's Chronicles of Japan.
Säsongsavslutning.Häng med när ett civiliserat samtal mellan två medelålders män omärkligt glider över i ett medley om hur vi har skällt ut olika IDIOTER i offentlig miljö. Vi försöker också utröna vem som är roligast i Monty Python, samt gisslar liberalismen. patreon.com/fyrameter Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Happy Pride Month, listeners. In honor of the quiltwork of beliefs, creeds, and queerness, we created a new logo for the cast. Enjoy! Do you take what is offered? This is the question that the Four of Cups reminds us of. It reminds us to be discerning and establish boundaries. Melissa, Hilary, and Jaymi examine life, the universe, and menopause through the lens of this card. In the Smith Waite deck, this card's vibe is a total meh. Seeing the figure with their arms crossed is a boundary — a passive form of activism against the norm. Sometimes, it's better to stand still and hold your ground. Homework: What is poison and what is medicine for you? Change the world with your voice and boundaries. FYI, Melissa has adjusted her rates to help those who are not at the baseline. So, visit her website and sign up for a reading now. https://melissacynova.com/services/ Catch Hilary and Melissa on Instagram for live readings. Follow them both and get a quick reading. Shoutouts We love you, Donnaleigh Decks Mentioned Melissa: The Mystic Garbage Tarot by Junkyard Prints Co. (link goes to an online reseller with images) Jaymi: The Animystic Tarot by Willow Fay Hilary: Fountain Tarot by Jonathan Saiz, Jason Gruhl, and Andi Todaro Resources Mentioned #12 The Emperor: Put Your Stink All Over That Throne (and the bookshop page) Monty Python and the Holy Grail turns 50 this year Do you like what you hear? Send feedback to us at cardslingerscc@gmail.com. Follow us on Instagram at www.instagram.com/cardslingerscc. We also have a YouTube channel at youtube.com/@cardslingerscc. Eventually, we will back up the episodes and have more live content. Support our podcast with books or decks. We're adding all the books from each episode to our Cardslingers CC bookshop.org store. Each purchase from this store gives us a percentage to cover our costs! www.bookshop.org/shop/cardslingerscc. Reminder: We will NEVER DM you for a reading on any social media site. We schedule all readings and conversations through our personal websites.
Welcome back to the Manor and welcome back to another wonderful Monty Python episode. This time it's on the 50th anniversary of their first full length movie, Monty Python and the Holy Grail! We get into the background, how it was made and financed, things that were written but not put into the movie and then get into the movie itself up through the Book of the Film! Pour yourself a pint or a G&T (in memory of Graham) and enjoy! Next week's episode is our second episode on the 50th anniversary of Monty Python and the Holy Grail. Get in touch with us at Podbean: https://www.podbean.com/media/share/pb-4pksr-a17e1a Or on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/twinterrorsmacabremanormeadmetalmayhe/ Or on twitter: @Terrors_Manor On Instagram: @macabremanormeadmetalmayhem You can also find our podcast on iTunes, Spotify, Amazon, and I Heart Radio; pretty much wherever fine (and our) podcasts are aired. Image courtesy of: James
You'd have to be, as Monty Python said, "DOWNRIGHT DAFT!" to feel welcomed by last January, the hottest January in 140 centuries. And 2025, so far, has offered floods and fires everywhere. Welcome to a 2-year-old global heatwave that could only be ignored by a dictator bully traumatized by a nightmare father and a variety-pack of humiliations in early life. And yet, the most healed and brave among us will find a way to walk into the Sixth Extinction with a heart full of forgiveness, evolutionary wisdom, good music, and a foolish absence of human pride. What better time to be a Fool!
This week we are back with a vengeance! First up is the story of Lauren McCluskey. A track and filed star who story ended too soon in a tragic way, involving stalking. The repercussions were great from this horrible, yet probably preventable murder.Then it's on to something completely different with 10 Cent Beer Night. Alanna covers this infamous Cleveland baseball promo-night-gone-wild. And it does get fairly nude and violent, as Monty Python might say! So get ready for a roller-coaster episode all about athletes and insanity! Cause Sports!!Darkcast Promo of the week : Missing in the PNW
Welcome back to the Manor! And welcome to a different episode than originally planned! Today (Thursday, June 5th, 2025) is the 13th anniversary of the passing of Ray Bradbury. So tonight, we talked about Ray a bit and the things that we've done or have come out since our last Ray episodes, most of them back in 2020 for his 100th birthday year. This will be coming out just a few hours early so that we can actually get it out on his death day, rather than the usual Friday release. It involves his crime stories, an overlap with the Simpsons, his Ireland stories and plays, and more! Enjoy! Next week's episode is the first part (of two) of our series on the 50th anniversary of Monty Python and the Holy Grail. Get in touch with us at Podbean: https://www.podbean.com/media/share/pb-4pksr-a17e1a Or on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/twinterrorsmacabremanormeadmetalmayhe/ Or on twitter: @Terrors_Manor On Instagram: @macabremanormeadmetalmayhem You can also find our podcast on iTunes, Spotify, Amazon, and I Heart Radio; pretty much wherever fine (and our) podcasts are aired. Image courtesy of: James
We're back with a new show in back to back weeks. Feels like it's been a while since we could say that. The crew is hoping that everyone is getting prepped for the summer. We take a moment diving into the idea of a podcast covering shows. We dive into the Johnny Depp career and where it's going oat the moment as we find a way talking about Monty Python. Sam brings up the youth's love for the prequels of Star Wars. Turns out, she's not a fan of this. We dive down the rabbit hole of spin off TV shows. We forget the reach That JAG had in the world creating of NCIS. This leads us down looking into the diversity of certain shows or the lack of that. Surprising to see that it was missing in the 90s.
Emmy-nominated writer Ernie Altbacker has over 30 years of experience writing everything from animated TV (Green Lantern: The Animated Series), live-action TV (Spooksville), animated features (Batman: Hush, Injustice, Justice League Dark: Apokolips War), and more! And now he's landing on Geekscape to talk about his new sci-fi comedy comic 'Area 51 Studios'! That's right! Area 51 is actually a studio lot where aliens come to shoot low-budget galactic reality shows! Fans of Douglas Adams and Monty Python aren't going to want to miss this book! You can also subscribe to the Geekscape podcast on Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3H27uMH Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3BVrnkW Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Luke's ENGLISH Podcast - Learn British English with Luke Thompson
A return to Luke's Film Club with a conversation about one of the funniest and most controversial films of all time, also voted one of the UK's favourite films. Antony and I discuss the film's writing, production, story, famous scenes, deeper meanings and acting by the various members of the Monty Python team. Transcript available.
Feeney uncovers the truth about Shrek and Chris Farley being the original voice, and how Mike Myers took the role in a completely different direction; Raven and the eenie meanies also go on a quest for the grail, which is very nice, as they explore the comedic legacy of John Cleese, who is currently on tour celebrating Monty Python's 'Holy Grail' at 50; Feeney wants to know if his wife would ever use the services of a sex worker, which leads to Rich and Raven wondering if Feeney's wife would say he's skilled in bed; Looking at ALL of the hits from the Beatles and the various members; Spoiler Alert, the guys break down the plots of Wild Things and Heathers; Rich reviews the Ardmore Music Hall and other concert going experiences; Great Cheech and Chong movies, and of course, all the usual perversions. Follow the guys on social mediaRaven - @theRavenEffectFeeney - @jffeeney3rdBuy some of Raven's old comics and other goods. Check out the store by Ask Danna at https://www.ebay.com/str/askdannaHave Raven say things that you want him to say, either for yourself or for someone you want to talk big-game shit to by going to http://www.cameo.com/ravenprime1Sign up for Patreon by going to http://www.patreon.com/TheRavenEffect it's only $5 a month! Get extra content AND watch the show!Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-raven-effect--5166640/support.
Anniversary to the Future! Marty and Doc celebrate important dates for two of their movies. Join Enjoy Stuff as we compare two different eras of the legendary trilogy. Back to the Future parts I and III are having birthdays this year. So we look at the parallels of two of our favorite films. News Kermit the Frog gives an inspirational commencement speech at the University of Maryland Indy is returning to theaters, and this time he's bringing his Dad for Father's day The CIA once used a Star Wars fansite to spy. How do you think it went? (Hint: Many Bothans died) Check out our TeePublic store for some enjoyable swag and all the latest fashion trends What we're Enjoying Jay found a very eclectic old show from USA's Night Flight 1983 series called “Firesign Theater: Nick Danger, the Case of the Missing Yolk” He describes it as Monty Python meets Police Squad meets Devo. That alone sounds interesting enough to check it out on YouTube. Shua powered through all the Mission: Impossible movies to prepare for the “Final Reckoning” in theaters. It was a fun, spy, Tom-Cruise-Running, full-fueled ride. Sci-Fi Saturdays This week on Sci-Fi Saturdays explores the mind-bending chronal perils of time travel with Rian Johnson's 2012 Looper. Time travel may not be the career you're looking for. Read his article on RetroZap.com. And make sure to play around with the interactive map on MCULocationScout.com. Plus, you can tune in to SHIELD: Case Files where Jay and Shua talk about great stuff in the MCU. Enjoy Time Travel! Forty years ago we experienced the release of a movie that would become legend. Back to the Future was a tremendous success for Robert Zemeckis, Michael J. Fox, and Christopher Lloyd. (But maybe not Biff, so much) Of course, movie success demands sequels, so a few years later we got more. The trilogy ended in the old west with the third installment which is celebrating 35 years. The BTTF movies have many parallels, so we decided to find a bunch of them and compare the first and third movies. Join in on the fun and see how many you've spotted. Did you spot any more parallels? What is your experience with Back to the Future? First person that emails me with the subject line, “Great Scott!” will get a special mention on the show. Let us know. Come talk to us in the Discord channel or send us an email to EnjoyStuff@RetroZap.com
What do King Arthur, SEAL Team 6, and IDEO all have in common? They knew how to build a culture of trust, respect, and collaboration. In this episode, Mo and Scott break down what it takes to turn your team into a powerhouse of shared purpose and innovation. From hilarious Monty Python tangents to hard-hitting leadership truths—this one has it all. Is your leadership building culture or just keeping control? #LeadershipPodcast #CollaborativeCulture #TeamworkMatters #ModernLeadership #CultureCode #TrustInTeams #RespectInLeadership #ExtremeOwnership #SEALTeamLeadership #RisingTideLeadership
It's time for one of those huge episodes. Well, it's a four parter anyways. 1979 was an okay year for horror movies. But that top 7 is so strong it's unreal. But, what do I think was the very greatest horror movie that came out during 1979? Well, here we have the top 10. The worst 10. A slew of also rans. Plus one very special guest in Lono from the We Belong Dead podcast. A few J&B whiskey's and a 4+ hour running time. This is 1979, A Year In Horror. It's a pretty long journey this one, part 1 of 4 in fact. I am going to give you the time codes below so if you don't want spoilers then, please, avert your eyes.0.00 - Intro15.38 - The Worst 10 Horror Movies of 197921.59 - Sci-Fi Corner26.29 - Monty Python's Life of Brian (w/ Lono) You can now support A Year in Horror via the Patreon.Theme Music by Max Newton& Lucy Foster.Email the podcast at ayearinhorror@gmail.comDon't bother following the podcast on Facebook. But feel free to...Follow me on Instagram.Follow me on Letterboxd.
On the 66th episode of Bomb Squad Matinee, Cody, Tanner, Rein, Joe V, and Tim discuss the seminal 1975 comedy classic Monty Python and the Holy Grail. After 50 years of massive comedic influence, do the jokes still land? Can the magic of this film's humor ever be replicated? Will Tanner ever forgive the British? Tune in to find out!
Crack open that High Life and join us as we discuss the brilliance of Monty Python, The Last of Us season 2, Mickey 17, and if video game DLCs are worth it.
The Not Ready for Prime Time Podcast: The Early Years of SNL
Blink and you might miss it, but Michael Palin returns to SNL for the third time. He is joined by James Taylor, making his second appearance as musical guest.This episode serves up a mixed bag – a couple of VERY long sketches combined with three songs from JT results in one of the fewest comedy bits of any Saturday Night Live episode. Add to that the Monty Python veteran's surprisingly sparse on-camera presence, and you've got an outing that leaves something to be desired.But fear not! Empire Magazine editor and author of Wild & Crazy Guys, Nick de Semlyen joins us from merry old England to dive deep into Palin's comedic legacy, question James Taylor's musical choices, and speak with an accent that generally makes him sound smarter than both our hosts combined. Along the way, we somehow manage to shoehorn in references to Gary Busey, Steven Seagal, and contemplate the merits behind the plot of Diff'rent Strokes.---------------------------------Subscribe today!Follow us on social media: X (Twitter): NR4PTProjectBluesky: nr4ptproject.bsky.socialInstagram: nr4ptprojectFacebook: The Not Ready for Prime Time ProjectContact Us: Website: https://www.nr4project.comEmail: nr4ptproject@gmail.com
Monty Python fans rejoice! I've stolen another one of their songs! But I did it for a good reason -- Barret Hansen's birthday! That's right, our pal Doctor Demento had another birthday in April (they always seem to happen in April), and I wanted to make a silly gift for him. So I did! And you can find it on my new CD, "The Artist Eventually Known As Somebody You've Heard Of" at www.stevegoodie.com! Music: John Cleese and Eric Idle Lyrics: SG and Niamh Bagnell Piano, keyboards, guitars, bass, percussion, whistling, sound effect, vocals, arrangement, production: SG Horn: Blueberry Voice over: Barret Hansen
MAY-HEM ensues with this set of releases on and off screen! The Severin Team are abroad this month at the Cannes Film Festival but that won't stop them from spreading the good word. In fact, a lot of deals for our releases are struck at Cannes each year! Listen as we break down the three titles hitting shelves this may including three under-appreciated titles from auteur Peter Medak, including his debut film NEGATIVES, THE ODD JOB, and THE GHOST OF PETER SELLERS. Also coming out this month is a 4-film series from Lamberto Bava made for TV but only aired once due to the extreme violence and shocking subject matter... The HIGH TENSION series was deemed TOO HOT FOR TV and shelved until now! Gear up for a fun episode with special guests along the way who we ran into on the Croisette. As always, DJ Alfonso provides a playlist of songs inspired by this months drop! Timecodes for the Episode: 3:20 - THE GHOST OF PETER SELLERS 23:14 - NEGATIVES 32:17 - SPARROWS CAN'T SING (Bonus feature with NEGATIVES) 38:20 - THE ODD JOB 48:50 - HIGH TENSION - FOUR FILMS BY LAMBERTO BAVA 1:09:50 - Interview with composer Simon Boswell 1:27:50 - Rendezvous After Hours
British comedy is an inspiration! Everything from films produced by the Ealing Company, Spike Milligan and The Goon Show, Monty Python, Keeping Up Appearances, you name it! I love the laughs, and decided to try writing a British comedy script. I hope you forgive the accents and enjoy it! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
This week we start off by talking about some no skip 80's metal albums. The list this week was our favorite Monty Python bits. (This was a tough one to narrow down.)In reviews, we talk about the movie MonkeyBone and album damned Damed Damned by the Damned.
Title: Pre-Snap Penalties and Pointed FingersScripture Reading: Matthew 7:1-5Series: Sermon on the MountCoinciding with the start of Lent, we are in a series on Jesus' Sermon on the Mount from Matthew chapters 5-7. Today's passage is simultaneously one of the most quoted and least understood sections of scripture.Please join us in Pastor Bill's challenge to read through the entire sermon, Matthew 5-7, at least once per week. Share your stories and takeaways on our shout out board here: https://t.ly/pvx50
AMAZING VIDEO VERSION: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yWvaQ1duFhE HAPPY SUMMER KICK-OFF everyone! After the half-year we've all had, you all definitely deserve some time off... and a few laughs to boot. We have your new favorite – and funniest - beach listen right here. How does one of the cheapest, ultra-low budget comedy movies of all time become a billion-dollar franchise? We're gonna tell you! As every movie studio in the world refused to finance this movie in 1974, the 6 young (then) Monty Python boys turned to top English rock/pop acts for seemingly hopeless angel investments. These bands essentially financed most of the film's tiny budget. The investors included: Elton John, members of Led Zepplin, Pink Floyd, and Jethro Tull. Who knew in 1975 that all these folks would eventually receive tens of $$millions in royalty checks? While “Holy Grail's” ridiculously short 5 week production was extremely unlikely for a feature film, it went onto shape what we think of as comedy in 2025. So, slather on the sunscreen, feel the wet sand on your toes, the warm gamma rays on your face, and prepare to be entertained by your friends at Scandal Sheet. Find co-host, Anuradha's Instagram accounts: @anuradhaduz_food and @artist_anuradhachhibber. We are joined by returning movie expert guest, Joseph Long. Check out Joe's YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@cruiseonloc. Find us on Patreon at patreon.com/ScandalSheet with bonus content for premium subscribers. We'd love to have your generous support for only the price of one Starbuck's coffee per month. Please reach out to us at scandalsheetpod@gmail.com, find us on Facebook as 'Scandal Sheet' or on X at @scandal_sheet. We'd love to hear from you!
2:13 - The News 5:28 - Jerks of the Week 8:26 - Monty Python and the Holy Grail 15:06 - Black Widow 19:14 - Ant-Man and the Wasp 24:15 - The Falcon and the Winter Soldier 31:09 - The Thunderbolts* 39:01 - Harvey Birdman: Attorney at Law 46:09 - Stripperella 58:20 - Doctor Sleep 59:20 - Sinners 1:00:38 - Fight or Flight 1:03:48 - Vision Quest 1:06:01 - Brazil 1:13:02 - The Studio 1:15:21 - Sweethearts 1:16:38 - Hot Rod & The Rundown 1:19:59 - The Devil's Plan 1:21:23 - The Simpsons Movie 1:25:16 - The Minecraft Movie 1:30:52 - Havoc 1:33:50 - Novocaine 1:36:04 - Final Destination: Bloodlines 1:39:10 - The Accountant 2 sorry this took so long
For their final film outing, the Pythons went back to their roots: a sketch show that's loosely connected, but now with a bigger budget and no censors to tell them their material is too risky. The Meaning of Life is the perfect endcap to an incredible 14-year run for Monty Python. Written and Starring John Cleese, Graham Chapman, Terry Gilliam, Terry Jones, Eric Idle, and Michael Palin.
Brian saw a horror movie! How did he feel about FINAL DESTINATION BLOODLINES, and why did this one make great money opening weekend? Let's talk it out, MAMfam!Patreon VIP episode this week is MONTY PYTHON and the HOLY GRAIL. Sign up at madaboutmoviespodcast.com/vip
This Substack is reader-supported. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.We're bringing back a Broadway Drumming 101 Classic episode with Joe Choroszewski—a musician whose Broadway and live performance resume is as deep as it is diverse.Joe has been on drums for The Radio City Christmas Spectacular Starring The Rockettes for the past three seasons, performing hundreds of shows at one of the most iconic venues in the world. Before that, he spent an entire decade (2009–2019) anchoring the Off-Broadway hit Avenue Q at New World Stages, helping extend the legacy of the Tony Award-winning production long after its Broadway run.As a Broadway sub, Joe is in rare company—having performed on more than twenty Broadway productions, including The Lion King, Wicked, The Book of Mormon, Beetlejuice, Frozen, Beautiful – The Carole King Musical, Legally Blonde, Jagged Little Pill, Ain't Too Proud, Newsies, and more.Joe also stepped in to take over the drum chairs for Finding Neverland in 2016 and Promises, Promises in 2010, finishing the final runs of both Broadway productions. He was the drummer for the Off-Broadway run of Avenue Q and on tour, he performed in Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat starring Patrick Cassidy. Joe was also on the first national tours of Avenue Q and Monty Python's Spamalot.In this episode, Joe shares insights from:* His time working with major artists like Heather Headley, Ariana DeBose, Cheyenne Jackson, Sutton Foster, and Chita Rivera* Backing cabaret icons like Natalie Douglas, Christina Bianco, and “Kenn Boisinger” (Michael West)* Playing for household names like Mario Cantone and Real Housewives star Luann de Lesseps* And his long-standing involvement in Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS benefit eventsBeyond Broadway, Joe's played everywhere—from symphony halls (Princeton Symphony, Allentown Symphony) to cruise ship showbands (Carnival and Norwegian), weddings to worship bands, jazz trios to hard rock cover groups. He's also helped shape new musicals in development and has been a go-to regional drummer for ACT of Connecticut and Ridgefield Playhouse concerts.Education Spotlight:Joe holds a degree in Jazz Studies from the prestigious University of North Texas College of Music, where he studied for six semesters with drum legend Ed Soph. He continued his private study with another legend—Tommy Igoe—in New Jersey and is featured on Igoe's best-selling instructional DVD Great Hands For A Lifetime. Joe has been teaching privately for over 25 years and continues to share his knowledge as a guest clinician at schools and studios.Offstage, Joe lives in Somerset County, NJ, with his wife Giana, their three boys, and three dogs. He's an avid runner, a vintage drum collector, and a passionate Major League Baseball fan.Clayton Craddock founded Broadway Drumming 101, an in-depth online platform offering specialized mentorship and a carefully curated collection of resources tailored for aspiring and professional musicians.Clayton's Broadway and Off-Broadway credits include tick, tick…BOOM!, Altar Boyz, Memphis The Musical, Lady Day at Emerson's Bar and Grill, Ain't Too Proud – The Life and Times of The Temptations, Cats: The Jellicle Ball, and The Hippest Trip: The Soul Train Musical. As a skilled sub, he's contributed his talents to Motown, Evita, Cats, Avenue Q, The Color Purple, Rent, SpongeBob SquarePants: The Musical, Hadestown (tour), and many more. He has also appeared on major shows, including The View, Good Morning America, Jimmy Fallon, The Today Show, and the TONY Awards, and performed with legends like The Stylistics, The Delfonics, Mario Cantone, Laura Benanti, Kristin Chenoweth, Kerry Butler, Christian Borle, Norm Lewis, Deniece Williams, Chuck Berry, and Ben E. King.Clayton proudly endorses Ahead Drum Cases, Paiste Cymbals, Innovative Percussion drumsticks, and Empire Ears.Learn more about Clayton Craddock here: www.claytoncraddock.com Get full access to Broadway Drumming 101 at broadwaydrumming101.substack.com/subscribe
An Airbnb inside a beer vat. F*ck Jelly Roll. ALSO: Walton Goggins, avatar. Giving America a wedgie. PLUS: Murder drones, Monty Python and a song of the week from The Damned!!!The Damned - "Neat Neat Neat": https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gXKDtkCzSCwCold Brew Patreon: Patreon.com/ChrisCroftonChannel Nonfiction: ChannelNonfiction.com
Dave and Cody saddle up their imaginary horses and venture back to 1975 to revisit one of the most iconic comedies of all time — Monty Python & the Holy Grail. From killer rabbits to constitutional peasants, they unpack the absurdity and brilliance of a movie that laid the groundwork for modern British comedy. Plus:The secret origins of the coconut gagWhy Terry Gilliam might just be the unsung hero of the PythonsHow the movie's meta humor paved the way for shows like The OfficeAnd in the Pastor's Corner: What this irreverent romp can teach us about the lost art of laughing at ourselvesAlso:WWE wants cities to pay up for John Cena's final matchJames Gunn gives Superman a double-wide makeoverA proposed 10 Things I Hate About You trilogy — but do we need it?#MontyPython #ComedyClassics #BeKindRewind #Podcast #PopCulturePastor #BritishComedy #HolyGrail #WWE #SupermanMovie #JohnCena #JamesGunn #10ThingsIHateAboutYou
The next sequel we will discuss is "Inspector Gadget 2". For it, I chatted with the Director Alex Zamm. Alex talked about his journey up outside Woodstock, NY to Hollywood that involved winning free movie tickets for a year to a local theater after winning a contest, cartooning and going up to Mad Magazine, then some stage, then he starting doing interviews for 6 years, and then started working on movies with a friend which drove him to filmmaking. We talked about getting something he made noticed by Monty Python, having Scorsese as his teacher, Sundance, Upright Citizens Brigade, writing on Green Lantern in the early 90s, Woody Woodpecker, Larry the Cable Guy, approach to directing sequels, and more. This is a fun one. Enjoy.Watch the unedited video interview at sequelsonly.com/AlexZammAlex's IMDb https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0005618/Your homework is watching "Inspector Gadget 2" on Disney+.Follow us on all social media @sequelsonly, and our website is sequelsonly.com Review, rate, and share us with your friends, enemies, neighbors, exes, and even that annoying supermarket clerk!
Send us a textIn this week's episode, co-hosts Joshua Will and Sierra Wolfe take you behind the scenes of the latest homestand promos. Tune in for a hilarious recap featuring “suggestive” Monty Python characters, an overload of SPAM merchandise, and the wild reactions of Minnesota sports fans.Don't forget to follow us on all socials @funnyintheory — and as always, thanks for listening!
The Gospels tell us about Jesus' adult life, with scant references to his childhood.We can catch glimpses of the younger Jesus' life, but there's so much we don't know.But if we move beyond the Bible, we can learn about the world the younger Jesus lived in.Growing up a refugee, in a land under foreign occupation, and a region full of militia groups, it's worth asking: How did the turbulent background of the boy Jesus affect His message … and the whole of Christianity?CREDITSUndeceptions is hosted by John Dickson, produced by Kaley Payne and directed by Mark Hadley. Alasdair Belling is a writer-researcher.Siobhan McGuiness is our online librarian. Lyndie Leviston remains John's wonderful assistant. Santino Dimarco is the Chief Finance and Operations Consultant. Editing by Richard Hamwi.Our voice actors today were Yannick Lawry and Dakotah Love.Special thanks to our series sponsor Zondervan for making this Undeception possible. Undeceptions is the flagship podcast of Undeceptions.com - letting the truth out.(00:08) - - Judea: A difficult province to govern (08:42) - - Herod (16:48) - - Growing up Judean (21:00) - - Was Jesus actually from the line of King David? (29:35) - - The massacre of the innocents (33:31) - - Was Jesus born in Bethlehem? (42:28) - - Jesus the refugee (50:05) - - Growing up in Galilee (01:01:50) - - Jesus the patriot (01:04:44) - - BONUS! Joan Taylor and Monty Python
Reviews of Fight or Flight, Friendship, Clown in a Cornfield, Juliet & Romeo, Shadow Force, Watch the Skies and the rerelease of Monty Python and the Holy Grail. Plus an interview with Clown in a Cornfield director Eli Craig. Hilarity ensues!
Hi everyone! We recently surveyed our audience and learned that many of you would like to see more video. So, we're kicking off a new run of video episodes, beginning with our interview featuring John Cleese—actor, writer, comedian, and author of Creativity: A Short and Cheerful Guide. You can watch the interview on our Substack, or on Youtube. Enjoy! Original intro The Ministry of Silly Walks. The Cheese Shop. French Taunting. If you haven't seen any of these Monty Python sketches before, do us a favor and go watch one or two of them. You'll discover—or re-discover—why our guest for this episode is a creative comic legend. John Cleese starred in and co-wrote the award-winning series Fawlty Towers, was nominated for an Academy Award for the screenplay of A Fish Called Wanda, and even has a species of lemur named after him (Cleese's wooly lemur, Avahi cleesei). He's also an expert on the creative process, and so if you're looking for a new framework to level-up your own workflow, his book Creativity: A Short and Cheerful Guide is a great resource. We talk with John about his new book, and also about creative collaboration in the midst of friction, how to be comfortable with ambiguity, and creating boundaries of space and time to get in a creative mode. We also get to ask him a question that's been bugging us ever since we first watched Monty Python and The Holy Grail. These days, we can all use a little more laughter in our lives. We hope our interview with John sparks some joy, and leaves you with some new creative tools. Thanks for listening. Bio John Cleese is an English actor, comedian, writer, and film producer. He achieved success at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe and as a scriptwriter and performer on The Frost Report. In the late 1960s, he co-founded Monty Python, the comedy troupe responsible for the sketch show Monty Python's Flying Circus and the four Monty Python films, And Now for Something Completely Different, Monty Python and the Holy Grail, Life of Brian, and The Meaning of Life. In the mid-1970s, Cleese and his first wife, Connie Booth, co-wrote and starred in the British sitcom Fawlty Towers. Later, he co-starred with Kevin Kline, Jamie Lee Curtis, and former Python colleague Michael Palin in A Fish Called Wanda and Fierce Creatures. He also starred in Clockwise, and has appeared in many other films, including two James Bond films, two Harry Potter films, and the last three Shrek films. He is also the author of Creativity: A Short and Cheerful Guide. *** This ad-supported episode is available to everyone. If you'd like to hear it ad-free, upgrade to our premium subscription, where you'll get an additional 2 ad-free episodes per month (4 total). Premium subscribers also get access to the documentary Design Disruptors and our growing library of books, as well as our monthly AMAs with former guests, ad-free episodes, discounts and early access to workshops, and our monthly newsletter The Brief that compiles salient insights, quotes, readings, and creative processes uncovered in the show. Upgrade to paid
Episode 573: Neal and Toby discuss the latest GDP report and how Trump's tariffs may have dampened the growth of the US economy. Then, Meta and Microsoft bring good news for their Q1 earnings as their AI and cloud businesses remain strong. Plus. Starbucks CEO Brian Niccol was hoping his turnaround plan would start out hot…but instead, it left investors feeling a chill down their spine with disappointing Q1 earnings. Meanwhile, Neal shares his favorite numbers from The Vatican, ‘Monty Python and the Holy Grail', and the ‘Minecraft Movie'. Subscribe to Morning Brew Daily for more of the news you need to start your day. Share the show with a friend, and leave us a review on your favorite podcast app. Visit https://planetoat.com/ to learn more! Listen to Morning Brew Daily Here: https://link.chtbl.com/MBD Watch Morning Brew Daily Here: https://www.youtube.com/@MorningBrewDailyShow All investing involves the risk of loss, including loss of principal. Brokerage services for US-listed, registered securities, options and bonds in a self-directed account are offered by Public Investing, Inc., member FINRA & SIPC. Public Investing offers a High-Yield Cash Account where funds from this account are automatically deposited into partner banks where they earn interest and are eligible for FDIC insurance; Public Investing is not a bank. Cryptocurrency trading services are offered by Bakkt Crypto Solutions (NMLS ID 1890144), which is licensed to engage in virtual currency business activity by the NYSDFS. Cryptocurrency is highly speculative and involves a high degree of risk. Cryptocurrency holdings are not protected by the FDIC or SIPC. APY as of 3/18/25, subject to change. *Terms and Conditions apply. 00:00 - Happy May! 02:45 - US Economy Shrinks 07:50 - Meta and Microsoft Earnings 11:30 - Starbucks Earnings Stink 18:00 - Neal's Numbers 24:45 - Headlines Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Jim and A.Ron are on a quest to discuss the cultural phenomenon that is Monty Python and the Holy Grail (1975). Jim and A.Ron rank the sketches that they think are least goodest to gooder. Listen in for a nostalgic dose of Monty Python's iconic lines and characters. How many of these scenes do you know by heart? Hey there! Check out https://support.baldmove.com/ to find out how you can gain access to ALL of our premium content, as well as ad-free versions of the podcasts! Join the Club! Join the discussion: Email | Discord | Reddit | Forums Follow us: Twitch | YouTube | Twitter | Instagram | Facebook Leave Us A Review on Apple Podcasts Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
In the spirit of Easter Sunday, Amy and Paul dive into the Monty Python classic Life of Brian. They chat about the Beatles' surprising role in getting the film made, the controversy it stirred up, and how it ultimately became a massive hit. You can join the Unspooled conversation on Paul's Discord at https://discord.gg/ZwtygZGTa6 Follow Paul and Amy on Letterboxd for more of their movie hot takes! https://letterboxd.com/paulscheer/ https://letterboxd.com/theamynicholson/ Paul's book Joyful Recollections of Trauma is out now! Find it at https://www.harpercollins.com/products/joyful-recollections-of-trauma-paul-scheer Check out more of Paul's writing on his Substack https://substack.com/@paulscheer Episodic Art by Kim Troxall: https://www.unspooledart.com/ Learn more about the show at Unspooledpod.com, follow us on Twitter @unspooled and on Instagram @unspooledpod, and don't forget to rate, review & subscribe to us on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or where you listen to podcasts. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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