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Linktree: https://linktr.ee/AnalyticJoin The Normandy For Ad-Free NME, Additional Bonus Audio And Visual Content For All Things Nme+! Join Here: https://ow.ly/msoH50WCu0KIn this segment of Notorious Mass Effect, Analytic Dreamz delivers a detailed breakdown of Reanimal, the gripping co-op horror adventure from Tarsier Studios, creators of Little Nightmares I & II. Released February 13, 2026, by THQ Nordic, this spiritual successor plunges players into a war-torn island as two orphaned siblings (brother and sister) rescue missing friends from mutated animal-human hybrids. Experience environmental puzzle-solving, stealth, platforming, tense pursuits, light combat, and boat-based traversal across 9 linear chapters (roughly 45–60 minutes each). Standout features include a shared directed camera for heightened tension in local/online co-op or single-player with AI assist, haunting hand-crafted environments, grotesque mutations, and cosmetics like pre-order masks. Completion times average 4.5 hours for main story, 5 hours main + sides, and 7.5–8 hours completionist. Launch saw 24,309 peak concurrent players on Steam, 384,000 units sold ($12.3M revenue), and strong wishlists. Critically acclaimed with Metacritic/OpenCritic scores of 79–84/100 and 81/100 (84% recommendation), praised for visuals, audio, co-op tension, and refined formula, though noted for short runtime and some repetitive elements. Community faced early PC review bombing over delayed Friend's Pass (now resolved, Steam positivity 74–86%), plus launch bugs addressed in Patch 1.5. Thematically, it explores cycles of trauma and warfare with ambiguous, interpretive storytelling—darker and more grounded than predecessors. Analytic Dreamz assesses Reanimal as a commercially successful, critically solid title that reinforces Tarsier as a top atmospheric horror developer, despite technical hurdles at launch. Perfect for fans seeking intense, tightly designed horror. Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/analytic-dreamz-notorious-mass-effect/exclusive-contentPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy
Following on from an accomplished debut EP release that garnered praise from the likes of 13th Floor, The Listener and muzic.nz, Fiona & The Glow returns with an Indie-Pop heater ahead of their mainstage debut at Rhythm & Alps Festival.I ADORE's driving piano melodies act as a fitting counterpoint to Fiona's empowered vocals, while glistening lines of shimmering guitar float over the propulsive rhythm section's lock-step grooves. Thematically, the single celebrates keeping pace with the mundane while wrestling to get the best out of the ordinary.
Linktree: https://linktr.ee/AnalyticJoin The Normandy For Ad-Free NME, Additional Bonus Audio And Visual Content For All Things Nme+! Join Here: https://ow.ly/msoH50WCu0KAnalytic Dreamz unpacks the explosive new single "Made It On Our Own" by Yeat and EsDeeKid in this segment. Dropped February 27, 2026 (with some reports noting February 26 evening rollout), this marks the first-ever collaboration between Portland's Yeat and Liverpool's rising star EsDeeKid. The track serves as the lead single from Yeat's upcoming album ADL (A Dangerous Lyfe), his follow-up to 2024's Lyfestyle, with no release date announced yet.The official music video, directed by Director X, was filmed inside Drake's exclusive Toronto mansion (The Embassy)—a rarely seen high-profile location. Yeat and EsDeeKid deliver bars amid luxurious interiors, with cameos from NFL quarterback Caleb Williams and Cole Bennett. Drake doesn't appear physically but makes an indirect impact via a phone call scene at the end, adding a symbolic co-sign layer given Yeat's prior feature on Drake's "Dog House" from Iceman.Thematically, "Made It On Our Own" celebrates independent success, underground-to-mainstream breakthroughs, and defying industry norms—aligning both artists as boundary-pushing alt-rap forces. Yeat has teased ADL as boundary-shattering, dangerous-life inspired, and sonically transformative. EsDeeKid, fresh off his October 2025 debut album Rebel (which charted on Billboard 200) and a December 2025 "4 Raws" remix with Timothée Chalamet, brings UK flair and BRIT Breakthrough Artist nomination buzz.The release generated massive streams—1.5 million first-day on Spotify, Yeat's career-high for a single and the week's top hip-hop debut. Analytic Dreamz dives into the transatlantic chemistry, Drake connection symbolism, visual flexes, career momentum, and what this means for Yeat's evolving sound and EsDeeKid's global push.Tune in for the full breakdown on Analytic Dreamz—raw rap culture analysis.Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/analytic-dreamz-notorious-mass-effect/exclusive-contentPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy
Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text!Length: 58 minutesSynopsis: This evening (2/25/26), in our Wednesday night Tehilim shiur, we concluded our analysis of Tehilim 29. After reviewing the text and the original approach we came up with last week, we delved into R. Elia di Nola's commentary, inspired by Sforno. While I prefer our original interpretation in isolation, R. Elia di Nola's take fits right into the way we've been learning the "Kabbalas Shabbos perakim," despite not being part of the 90-100 set of "Moshe Rabbeinu chapters." The ideas we arrived at were simultaneously aspirational and depressing, depending on your perspective. Either way, I'm happy we landed the plane! The plan for the next few Wednesdays is to do something Pesach/Haggadah themed. Let me know if you have any requests!-----מקורות:תהלים כטספורנור' אליה די נולה - שיעורי עובדיה ספורנו-----The Torah content for the month of February is sponsored by the Koffsky family in memory of Adira Rose Koffsky a”h, whose third yahrzeit is on the 11th of Shvat. Adira was a gifted writer, a deep thinker, and an exceptionally kind soul. I am grateful to have been able to call her my student.תְּהֵא נִשְׁמָתָהּ צְרוּרָה בִּצְרוֹר הַחַיִּים (May her soul be bound up in the bundle of life.)-----If you've gained from what you've learned here, please consider contributing to my Patreon at www.patreon.com/rabbischneeweiss. Alternatively, if you would like to make a direct contribution to the "Rabbi Schneeweiss Torah Content Fund," my Venmo is @Matt-Schneeweiss, and my Zelle and PayPal are mattschneeweiss at gmail. Even a small contribution goes a long way to covering the costs of my podcasts, and will provide me with the financial freedom to produce even more Torah content for you.If you would like to sponsor a day's or a week's worth of content, or if you are interested in enlisting my services as a teacher or tutor, you can reach me at rabbischneeweiss at gmail. Thank you to my listeners for listening, thank you to my readers for reading, and thank you to my supporters for supporting my efforts to make Torah ideas available and accessible to everyone.-----Substack: rabbischneeweiss.substack.com/YU Torah: yutorah.org/teachers/Rabbi-Matt-SchneeweissPatreon: patreon.com/rabbischneeweissYouTube Channel: youtube.com/rabbischneeweissInstagram: instagram.com/rabbischneeweiss/"The Stoic Jew" Podcast: thestoicjew.buzzsprout.com"Machshavah Lab" Podcast: machshavahlab.buzzsprout.com"The Mishlei Podcast": mishlei.buzzsprout.com"Rambam Bekius" Podcast: rambambekius.buzzsprout.com"The Tefilah Podcast": tefilah.buzzsprout.comOld Blog: kolhaseridim.blogspot.com/WhatsApp Content Hub (where I post all my content and announce my public classes): https://chat.whatsapp.com/GEB1EPIAarsELfHWuI2k0HAmazon Wishlist: amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/Y72CSP86S24W?ref_=wl_sharel
“We're all in this together.” Join Ian, Megs & Kev for our 318th episode as we lace up the Wildcats, grab the basketball (and the sheet music), and head back to East High for Disney Channel's cultural phenomenon High School Musical (2006). It's jazz hands, jump shots, and mid-2000s sincerity this week — and yes, we're absolutely committing to the choreography. This week we discuss: The lightning-in-a-bottle appeal — how a made-for-TV movie became a generational event - especially for one member of the panel. Zac Efron and Vanessa Hudgens — chemistry, charisma, and the myth-making of teen stardom. Does Hudgens get enough credit for the success of the franchise? Ashley Tisdale's Sharpay Evans — villain, icon, or misunderstood theatre kid with ambition? Is she too good to dislike? Megs breaks down the musical structure — why the songs are catchier than they have any right to be, and which ones still slap. The team talks about the difficulty about the audition process - on both sides of the equation We talk about the differences in social cliques in the North American school system versus the British school system Ian talks about how the whole plot is a conceit that he can't fully buy into - but why? Thematically — identity, peer pressure, and the fear of stepping outside the box. Why this simple message resonated so hard. The “show, don't tell” debate — does the film trust visual storytelling, or does it lean on dialogue and lyrics to do the heavy lifting? The Disney machine — how the film's success reshaped the network's future output. The ending performance — triumphant, predictable, or perfectly engineered for maximum serotonin? And finally, whether High School Musical is the Best Film Ever — or simply the most aggressively rewatchable Disney Channel Original Movie ever made. Become a Patron of this podcast and support the BFE at https://www.patreon.com/BFE We are extremely thankful to our following Patrons for their most generous support: Juleen from It Goes Down In The PM Hermes Auslander James DeGuzman Synthia Shai Bergerfroind Ariannah Who Loves BFE The Most Paul Komoroski Andy Dickson Chris Pedersen Duane Smith (Duane Smith!) Randal Silva Nate The Great Rev Bruce Cheezy (with a fish on a bike) Richard Ryan Kuketz Dirk Diggler Stew from the Stew World Order podcast NorfolkDomus John Humphrey's Right Foot Timmy Tim Tim Aashrey Youth Hosteling with Chris Eubank Buy some BFE merch at https://my-store-b4e4d4.creator-spring.com/. Massive thanks to Lex Van Den Berghe for the use of Mistake by Luckydog. Catch more from Lex's new band, The Maids of Honor, at https://soundcloud.com/themaidsofhonor Also, massive thanks to Moonlight Social for our age game theme song. You can catch more from them at https://www.moonlightsocialmusic.com/
Linktree: https://linktr.ee/AnalyticJoin The Normandy For Additional Bonus Audio And Visual Content For All Things Nme+! Join Here: https://ow.ly/msoH50WCu0KJ. Cole delivers his most ambitious and introspective work yet with The Fall Off, his self-proclaimed final album released February 6, 2026. This double album spans 24 tracks across two discs—Disc 29 and Disc 39—each featuring 11 main songs plus a bonus. Presented by Analytic Dreamz on Notorious Mass Effect, this segment breaks down the project's profound narrative structure.Disc 29 captures J. Cole at age 29, returning to his Fayetteville hometown a decade after moving to New York, reflecting on pivotal crossroads in relationships, career dedication, and city roots. Disc 39 shifts to age 39, offering an older, more peaceful perspective on a similar homecoming, shaped by creative renewal following his 2024 resolution with Kendrick Lamar.Nearly eight years after teasing the concept in KOD's "1985," The Fall Off evolves into a full-circle moment from Cole's debut era. Executive produced by J. Cole, Ibrahim “IB” Hamad, T-Minus, and Dreamville, the album maintains minimal features for a self-driven feel, with standout contributions from Future on “Run a Train,” Tems and Erykah Badu on “Bunce Road Blues,” Burna Boy on “Only You,” Westside Gunn on “The Villest,” and others.The rollout emphasized intimacy and scarcity: announced in January 2026, preceded by the Birthday Blizzard '26 EP (four freestyles hosted by DJ Clue on Cole's 41st birthday), and distributed direct-to-consumer via his official website for stronger fan ownership and data control. Selective press included one major interview, while fan-led listening events in homes, record stores, bars, and spaces like Brooklyn Public Library's Bars & Books gathering amplified community engagement over traditional hype.Thematically, subtle nods to the 2024 lyrical tensions appear, notably in the alternate-history track “What If,” imagining reconciliation. Analytic Dreamz explores how this strategic, narrative-first approach reinforces J. Cole's authenticity, prioritizing depth, loyalty, and legacy over mass exposure in today's industry landscape.Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/analytic-dreamz-notorious-mass-effect/donationsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy
Linktree: https://linktr.ee/AnalyticJoin The Normandy For Additional Bonus Audio And Visual Content For All Things Nme+! Join Here: https://ow.ly/msoH50WCu0KJ. Cole delivers his most ambitious and introspective work yet with The Fall Off, his self-proclaimed final album released February 6, 2026. This double album spans 24 tracks across two discs—Disc 29 and Disc 39—each featuring 11 main songs plus a bonus. Presented by Analytic Dreamz on Notorious Mass Effect, this segment breaks down the project's profound narrative structure.Disc 29 captures J. Cole at age 29, returning to his Fayetteville hometown a decade after moving to New York, reflecting on pivotal crossroads in relationships, career dedication, and city roots. Disc 39 shifts to age 39, offering an older, more peaceful perspective on a similar homecoming, shaped by creative renewal following his 2024 resolution with Kendrick Lamar.Nearly eight years after teasing the concept in KOD's "1985," The Fall Off evolves into a full-circle moment from Cole's debut era. Executive produced by J. Cole, Ibrahim “IB” Hamad, T-Minus, and Dreamville, the album maintains minimal features for a self-driven feel, with standout contributions from Future on “Run a Train,” Tems and Erykah Badu on “Bunce Road Blues,” Burna Boy on “Only You,” Westside Gunn on “The Villest,” and others.The rollout emphasized intimacy and scarcity: announced in January 2026, preceded by the Birthday Blizzard '26 EP (four freestyles hosted by DJ Clue on Cole's 41st birthday), and distributed direct-to-consumer via his official website for stronger fan ownership and data control. Selective press included one major interview, while fan-led listening events in homes, record stores, bars, and spaces like Brooklyn Public Library's Bars & Books gathering amplified community engagement over traditional hype.Thematically, subtle nods to the 2024 lyrical tensions appear, notably in the alternate-history track “What If,” imagining reconciliation. Analytic Dreamz explores how this strategic, narrative-first approach reinforces J. Cole's authenticity, prioritizing depth, loyalty, and legacy over mass exposure in today's industry landscape.Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/analytic-dreamz-notorious-mass-effect/donationsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy
Linktree: https://linktr.ee/AnalyticJoin The Normandy For Additional Bonus Audio And Visual Content For All Things Nme+! Join Here: https://ow.ly/msoH50WCu0KJ. Cole delivers his most ambitious and introspective work yet with The Fall Off, his self-proclaimed final album released February 6, 2026. This double album spans 24 tracks across two discs—Disc 29 and Disc 39—each featuring 11 main songs plus a bonus. Presented by Analytic Dreamz on Notorious Mass Effect, this segment breaks down the project's profound narrative structure.Disc 29 captures J. Cole at age 29, returning to his Fayetteville hometown a decade after moving to New York, reflecting on pivotal crossroads in relationships, career dedication, and city roots. Disc 39 shifts to age 39, offering an older, more peaceful perspective on a similar homecoming, shaped by creative renewal following his 2024 resolution with Kendrick Lamar.Nearly eight years after teasing the concept in KOD's "1985," The Fall Off evolves into a full-circle moment from Cole's debut era. Executive produced by J. Cole, Ibrahim “IB” Hamad, T-Minus, and Dreamville, the album maintains minimal features for a self-driven feel, with standout contributions from Future on “Run a Train,” Tems and Erykah Badu on “Bunce Road Blues,” Burna Boy on “Only You,” Westside Gunn on “The Villest,” and others.The rollout emphasized intimacy and scarcity: announced in January 2026, preceded by the Birthday Blizzard '26 EP (four freestyles hosted by DJ Clue on Cole's 41st birthday), and distributed direct-to-consumer via his official website for stronger fan ownership and data control. Selective press included one major interview, while fan-led listening events in homes, record stores, bars, and spaces like Brooklyn Public Library's Bars & Books gathering amplified community engagement over traditional hype.Thematically, subtle nods to the 2024 lyrical tensions appear, notably in the alternate-history track “What If,” imagining reconciliation. Analytic Dreamz explores how this strategic, narrative-first approach reinforces J. Cole's authenticity, prioritizing depth, loyalty, and legacy over mass exposure in today's industry landscape.Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/analytic-dreamz-notorious-mass-effect/donationsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy
Linktree: https://linktr.ee/AnalyticJoin The Normandy For Additional Bonus Audio And Visual Content For All Things Nme+! Join Here: https://ow.ly/msoH50WCu0KJ. Cole delivers his most ambitious and introspective work yet with The Fall Off, his self-proclaimed final album released February 6, 2026. This double album spans 24 tracks across two discs—Disc 29 and Disc 39—each featuring 11 main songs plus a bonus. Presented by Analytic Dreamz on Notorious Mass Effect, this segment breaks down the project's profound narrative structure.Disc 29 captures J. Cole at age 29, returning to his Fayetteville hometown a decade after moving to New York, reflecting on pivotal crossroads in relationships, career dedication, and city roots. Disc 39 shifts to age 39, offering an older, more peaceful perspective on a similar homecoming, shaped by creative renewal following his 2024 resolution with Kendrick Lamar.Nearly eight years after teasing the concept in KOD's "1985," The Fall Off evolves into a full-circle moment from Cole's debut era. Executive produced by J. Cole, Ibrahim “IB” Hamad, T-Minus, and Dreamville, the album maintains minimal features for a self-driven feel, with standout contributions from Future on “Run a Train,” Tems and Erykah Badu on “Bunce Road Blues,” Burna Boy on “Only You,” Westside Gunn on “The Villest,” and others.The rollout emphasized intimacy and scarcity: announced in January 2026, preceded by the Birthday Blizzard '26 EP (four freestyles hosted by DJ Clue on Cole's 41st birthday), and distributed direct-to-consumer via his official website for stronger fan ownership and data control. Selective press included one major interview, while fan-led listening events in homes, record stores, bars, and spaces like Brooklyn Public Library's Bars & Books gathering amplified community engagement over traditional hype.Thematically, subtle nods to the 2024 lyrical tensions appear, notably in the alternate-history track “What If,” imagining reconciliation. Analytic Dreamz explores how this strategic, narrative-first approach reinforces J. Cole's authenticity, prioritizing depth, loyalty, and legacy over mass exposure in today's industry landscape.Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/analytic-dreamz-notorious-mass-effect/donationsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy
Linktree: https://linktr.ee/AnalyticJoin The Normandy For Additional Bonus Audio And Visual Content For All Things Nme+! Join Here: https://ow.ly/msoH50WCu0KJ. Cole delivers his most ambitious and introspective work yet with The Fall Off, his self-proclaimed final album released February 6, 2026. This double album spans 24 tracks across two discs—Disc 29 and Disc 39—each featuring 11 main songs plus a bonus. Presented by Analytic Dreamz on Notorious Mass Effect, this segment breaks down the project's profound narrative structure.Disc 29 captures J. Cole at age 29, returning to his Fayetteville hometown a decade after moving to New York, reflecting on pivotal crossroads in relationships, career dedication, and city roots. Disc 39 shifts to age 39, offering an older, more peaceful perspective on a similar homecoming, shaped by creative renewal following his 2024 resolution with Kendrick Lamar.Nearly eight years after teasing the concept in KOD's "1985," The Fall Off evolves into a full-circle moment from Cole's debut era. Executive produced by J. Cole, Ibrahim “IB” Hamad, T-Minus, and Dreamville, the album maintains minimal features for a self-driven feel, with standout contributions from Future on “Run a Train,” Tems and Erykah Badu on “Bunce Road Blues,” Burna Boy on “Only You,” Westside Gunn on “The Villest,” and others.The rollout emphasized intimacy and scarcity: announced in January 2026, preceded by the Birthday Blizzard '26 EP (four freestyles hosted by DJ Clue on Cole's 41st birthday), and distributed direct-to-consumer via his official website for stronger fan ownership and data control. Selective press included one major interview, while fan-led listening events in homes, record stores, bars, and spaces like Brooklyn Public Library's Bars & Books gathering amplified community engagement over traditional hype.Thematically, subtle nods to the 2024 lyrical tensions appear, notably in the alternate-history track “What If,” imagining reconciliation. Analytic Dreamz explores how this strategic, narrative-first approach reinforces J. Cole's authenticity, prioritizing depth, loyalty, and legacy over mass exposure in today's industry landscape.Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/analytic-dreamz-notorious-mass-effect/donationsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy
Linktree: https://linktr.ee/AnalyticJoin The Normandy For Additional Bonus Audio And Visual Content For All Things Nme+! Join Here: https://ow.ly/msoH50WCu0KJ. Cole delivers his most ambitious and introspective work yet with The Fall Off, his self-proclaimed final album released February 6, 2026. This double album spans 24 tracks across two discs—Disc 29 and Disc 39—each featuring 11 main songs plus a bonus. Presented by Analytic Dreamz on Notorious Mass Effect, this segment breaks down the project's profound narrative structure.Disc 29 captures J. Cole at age 29, returning to his Fayetteville hometown a decade after moving to New York, reflecting on pivotal crossroads in relationships, career dedication, and city roots. Disc 39 shifts to age 39, offering an older, more peaceful perspective on a similar homecoming, shaped by creative renewal following his 2024 resolution with Kendrick Lamar.Nearly eight years after teasing the concept in KOD's "1985," The Fall Off evolves into a full-circle moment from Cole's debut era. Executive produced by J. Cole, Ibrahim “IB” Hamad, T-Minus, and Dreamville, the album maintains minimal features for a self-driven feel, with standout contributions from Future on “Run a Train,” Tems and Erykah Badu on “Bunce Road Blues,” Burna Boy on “Only You,” Westside Gunn on “The Villest,” and others.The rollout emphasized intimacy and scarcity: announced in January 2026, preceded by the Birthday Blizzard '26 EP (four freestyles hosted by DJ Clue on Cole's 41st birthday), and distributed direct-to-consumer via his official website for stronger fan ownership and data control. Selective press included one major interview, while fan-led listening events in homes, record stores, bars, and spaces like Brooklyn Public Library's Bars & Books gathering amplified community engagement over traditional hype.Thematically, subtle nods to the 2024 lyrical tensions appear, notably in the alternate-history track “What If,” imagining reconciliation. Analytic Dreamz explores how this strategic, narrative-first approach reinforces J. Cole's authenticity, prioritizing depth, loyalty, and legacy over mass exposure in today's industry landscape.Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/analytic-dreamz-notorious-mass-effect/donationsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy
Linktree: https://linktr.ee/AnalyticJoin The Normandy For Additional Bonus Audio And Visual Content For All Things Nme+! Join Here: https://ow.ly/msoH50WCu0KJ. Cole delivers his most ambitious and introspective work yet with The Fall Off, his self-proclaimed final album released February 6, 2026. This double album spans 24 tracks across two discs—Disc 29 and Disc 39—each featuring 11 main songs plus a bonus. Presented by Analytic Dreamz on Notorious Mass Effect, this segment breaks down the project's profound narrative structure.Disc 29 captures J. Cole at age 29, returning to his Fayetteville hometown a decade after moving to New York, reflecting on pivotal crossroads in relationships, career dedication, and city roots. Disc 39 shifts to age 39, offering an older, more peaceful perspective on a similar homecoming, shaped by creative renewal following his 2024 resolution with Kendrick Lamar.Nearly eight years after teasing the concept in KOD's "1985," The Fall Off evolves into a full-circle moment from Cole's debut era. Executive produced by J. Cole, Ibrahim “IB” Hamad, T-Minus, and Dreamville, the album maintains minimal features for a self-driven feel, with standout contributions from Future on “Run a Train,” Tems and Erykah Badu on “Bunce Road Blues,” Burna Boy on “Only You,” Westside Gunn on “The Villest,” and others.The rollout emphasized intimacy and scarcity: announced in January 2026, preceded by the Birthday Blizzard '26 EP (four freestyles hosted by DJ Clue on Cole's 41st birthday), and distributed direct-to-consumer via his official website for stronger fan ownership and data control. Selective press included one major interview, while fan-led listening events in homes, record stores, bars, and spaces like Brooklyn Public Library's Bars & Books gathering amplified community engagement over traditional hype.Thematically, subtle nods to the 2024 lyrical tensions appear, notably in the alternate-history track “What If,” imagining reconciliation. Analytic Dreamz explores how this strategic, narrative-first approach reinforces J. Cole's authenticity, prioritizing depth, loyalty, and legacy over mass exposure in today's industry landscape.Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/analytic-dreamz-notorious-mass-effect/donationsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy
Dry (1992) is PJ Harvey's fierce and arresting debut album—an explosive arrival that instantly set her apart from every other voice in early '90s alternative rock. Recorded with her original trio (Rob Ellis and Steve Vaughan), the album is raw, unvarnished, and emotionally unfiltered, driven by jagged guitars, stark arrangements, and Harvey's commanding, shape-shifting vocals.Thematically, Dry plunges into desire, bodily autonomy, vulnerability, and power, often flipping traditional gender roles on their head. Songs like “Dress” expose the expectations placed on women with biting wit, while “Sheela-Na-Gig” merges mythology and sexuality into something both confrontational and darkly humorous. Throughout the album, Harvey wields minimalism like a weapon—the production is rough, the edges deliberately frayed, making every lyric and every tremor in her voice hit with greater force.Despite (or because of) its grit, Dry sounds remarkably self-assured for a debut. It's visceral, urgent, and unafraid of messy emotions, introducing PJ Harvey as an artist who wouldn't just push boundaries—she would explode them. Over time, the album has come to be seen as one of the defining statements of ‘90s indie rock and a blueprint for countless artists who followed.Website Support the show Contact
While early Buddhists hailed their religion's founder for opening a path to enlightenment, they also exalted him as the paragon of masculinity. According to Buddhist scriptures, the Buddha's body boasts thirty-two physical features, including lionlike jaws, thighs like a royal stag, broad shoulders, and a deep, resonant voice, that distinguish him from ordinary men. As Buddhism spread throughout Asia and around the world, the Buddha remained an exemplary man, but Buddhists in other times and places developed their own understandings of what it meant to be masculine. This transdisciplinary book brings together essays that explore the variety and diversity of Buddhist masculinities, from early India to the contemporary United States, and from bodhisattva-kings to martial monks. Buddhist Masculinities (Columbia UP, 2023) adopts the methods of religious studies, anthropology, art history, textual-historical studies, and cultural studies to explore texts, images, films, media, and embodiments of masculinity across the Buddhist world, past and present. It turns scholarly attention to normative forms of masculinity that usually go unmarked and unstudied precisely because they are "normal," illuminating the religious and cultural processes that construct Buddhist masculinities. Engaging with contemporary issues of gender identity, intersectionality, and sexual ethics, Buddhist Masculinities ushers in a new era for the study of Buddhism and gender. MEGAN BRYSON is Associate Professor of Religious Studies and chair of the Asian Studies program at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. She received her B.A. in Religious Studies and Chinese from University of Oregon, and her Ph.D. in Religious Studies from Stanford University. Her research focuses primarily on themes of gender and ethnicity in Chinese religions, especially in the Dali region of Yunnan Province. The geographical specificity of her work is balanced by its temporal breadth, which ranges from the Nanzhao (649-903) and Dali (937-1253) kingdoms to the present, as reflected in her monograph, Goddess on the Frontier: Religion, Ethnicity, and Gender in Southwest China (Stanford University Press, 2016, an interview with her about this book is also on the New Books Network), which traces the worship of a local deity in Dali from the 12th to 21st centuries. KEVIN BUCKELEW is Assistant Professor of Religious Studies at Northwestern University. He received his B.A. in the liberal arts from Sarah Lawrence College, and his Ph.D. from Columbia University's Department of East Asian Languages and Cultures. His research focuses on Buddhism in premodern China, with special attention to the rise of the Chan (Zen) Buddhist tradition and to interactions between Chinese Buddhists and Daoists. Thematically, his work explores how religious identities take shape and assume social authority; how materiality, embodiment, and gender figure into Buddhist soteriology; and how Buddhists have grappled with the problem of human agency. Jue Liang is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Religious Studies at Case Western Reserve University. She is currently completing her first book, entitled Conceiving the Mother of Tibet: The Early Literary Lives of the Buddhist Saint Yeshé Tsogyel. She is also working on a second project, tentatively titled i. As a scholar of Buddhist literature, history, and culture in South and East Asia, she reflects in her research and teaching continuities as well as innovations in the gender discourses of Buddhist communities. She is also interested in the theory and practice of translation in general, and translating Tibetan literature in particular. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/new-books-network
While early Buddhists hailed their religion's founder for opening a path to enlightenment, they also exalted him as the paragon of masculinity. According to Buddhist scriptures, the Buddha's body boasts thirty-two physical features, including lionlike jaws, thighs like a royal stag, broad shoulders, and a deep, resonant voice, that distinguish him from ordinary men. As Buddhism spread throughout Asia and around the world, the Buddha remained an exemplary man, but Buddhists in other times and places developed their own understandings of what it meant to be masculine. This transdisciplinary book brings together essays that explore the variety and diversity of Buddhist masculinities, from early India to the contemporary United States, and from bodhisattva-kings to martial monks. Buddhist Masculinities (Columbia UP, 2023) adopts the methods of religious studies, anthropology, art history, textual-historical studies, and cultural studies to explore texts, images, films, media, and embodiments of masculinity across the Buddhist world, past and present. It turns scholarly attention to normative forms of masculinity that usually go unmarked and unstudied precisely because they are "normal," illuminating the religious and cultural processes that construct Buddhist masculinities. Engaging with contemporary issues of gender identity, intersectionality, and sexual ethics, Buddhist Masculinities ushers in a new era for the study of Buddhism and gender. MEGAN BRYSON is Associate Professor of Religious Studies and chair of the Asian Studies program at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. She received her B.A. in Religious Studies and Chinese from University of Oregon, and her Ph.D. in Religious Studies from Stanford University. Her research focuses primarily on themes of gender and ethnicity in Chinese religions, especially in the Dali region of Yunnan Province. The geographical specificity of her work is balanced by its temporal breadth, which ranges from the Nanzhao (649-903) and Dali (937-1253) kingdoms to the present, as reflected in her monograph, Goddess on the Frontier: Religion, Ethnicity, and Gender in Southwest China (Stanford University Press, 2016, an interview with her about this book is also on the New Books Network), which traces the worship of a local deity in Dali from the 12th to 21st centuries. KEVIN BUCKELEW is Assistant Professor of Religious Studies at Northwestern University. He received his B.A. in the liberal arts from Sarah Lawrence College, and his Ph.D. from Columbia University's Department of East Asian Languages and Cultures. His research focuses on Buddhism in premodern China, with special attention to the rise of the Chan (Zen) Buddhist tradition and to interactions between Chinese Buddhists and Daoists. Thematically, his work explores how religious identities take shape and assume social authority; how materiality, embodiment, and gender figure into Buddhist soteriology; and how Buddhists have grappled with the problem of human agency. Jue Liang is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Religious Studies at Case Western Reserve University. She is currently completing her first book, entitled Conceiving the Mother of Tibet: The Early Literary Lives of the Buddhist Saint Yeshé Tsogyel. She is also working on a second project, tentatively titled i. As a scholar of Buddhist literature, history, and culture in South and East Asia, she reflects in her research and teaching continuities as well as innovations in the gender discourses of Buddhist communities. She is also interested in the theory and practice of translation in general, and translating Tibetan literature in particular. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/gender-studies
While early Buddhists hailed their religion's founder for opening a path to enlightenment, they also exalted him as the paragon of masculinity. According to Buddhist scriptures, the Buddha's body boasts thirty-two physical features, including lionlike jaws, thighs like a royal stag, broad shoulders, and a deep, resonant voice, that distinguish him from ordinary men. As Buddhism spread throughout Asia and around the world, the Buddha remained an exemplary man, but Buddhists in other times and places developed their own understandings of what it meant to be masculine. This transdisciplinary book brings together essays that explore the variety and diversity of Buddhist masculinities, from early India to the contemporary United States, and from bodhisattva-kings to martial monks. Buddhist Masculinities (Columbia UP, 2023) adopts the methods of religious studies, anthropology, art history, textual-historical studies, and cultural studies to explore texts, images, films, media, and embodiments of masculinity across the Buddhist world, past and present. It turns scholarly attention to normative forms of masculinity that usually go unmarked and unstudied precisely because they are "normal," illuminating the religious and cultural processes that construct Buddhist masculinities. Engaging with contemporary issues of gender identity, intersectionality, and sexual ethics, Buddhist Masculinities ushers in a new era for the study of Buddhism and gender. MEGAN BRYSON is Associate Professor of Religious Studies and chair of the Asian Studies program at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. She received her B.A. in Religious Studies and Chinese from University of Oregon, and her Ph.D. in Religious Studies from Stanford University. Her research focuses primarily on themes of gender and ethnicity in Chinese religions, especially in the Dali region of Yunnan Province. The geographical specificity of her work is balanced by its temporal breadth, which ranges from the Nanzhao (649-903) and Dali (937-1253) kingdoms to the present, as reflected in her monograph, Goddess on the Frontier: Religion, Ethnicity, and Gender in Southwest China (Stanford University Press, 2016, an interview with her about this book is also on the New Books Network), which traces the worship of a local deity in Dali from the 12th to 21st centuries. KEVIN BUCKELEW is Assistant Professor of Religious Studies at Northwestern University. He received his B.A. in the liberal arts from Sarah Lawrence College, and his Ph.D. from Columbia University's Department of East Asian Languages and Cultures. His research focuses on Buddhism in premodern China, with special attention to the rise of the Chan (Zen) Buddhist tradition and to interactions between Chinese Buddhists and Daoists. Thematically, his work explores how religious identities take shape and assume social authority; how materiality, embodiment, and gender figure into Buddhist soteriology; and how Buddhists have grappled with the problem of human agency. Jue Liang is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Religious Studies at Case Western Reserve University. She is currently completing her first book, entitled Conceiving the Mother of Tibet: The Early Literary Lives of the Buddhist Saint Yeshé Tsogyel. She is also working on a second project, tentatively titled i. As a scholar of Buddhist literature, history, and culture in South and East Asia, she reflects in her research and teaching continuities as well as innovations in the gender discourses of Buddhist communities. She is also interested in the theory and practice of translation in general, and translating Tibetan literature in particular. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/religion
While early Buddhists hailed their religion's founder for opening a path to enlightenment, they also exalted him as the paragon of masculinity. According to Buddhist scriptures, the Buddha's body boasts thirty-two physical features, including lionlike jaws, thighs like a royal stag, broad shoulders, and a deep, resonant voice, that distinguish him from ordinary men. As Buddhism spread throughout Asia and around the world, the Buddha remained an exemplary man, but Buddhists in other times and places developed their own understandings of what it meant to be masculine. This transdisciplinary book brings together essays that explore the variety and diversity of Buddhist masculinities, from early India to the contemporary United States, and from bodhisattva-kings to martial monks. Buddhist Masculinities (Columbia UP, 2023) adopts the methods of religious studies, anthropology, art history, textual-historical studies, and cultural studies to explore texts, images, films, media, and embodiments of masculinity across the Buddhist world, past and present. It turns scholarly attention to normative forms of masculinity that usually go unmarked and unstudied precisely because they are "normal," illuminating the religious and cultural processes that construct Buddhist masculinities. Engaging with contemporary issues of gender identity, intersectionality, and sexual ethics, Buddhist Masculinities ushers in a new era for the study of Buddhism and gender. MEGAN BRYSON is Associate Professor of Religious Studies and chair of the Asian Studies program at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. She received her B.A. in Religious Studies and Chinese from University of Oregon, and her Ph.D. in Religious Studies from Stanford University. Her research focuses primarily on themes of gender and ethnicity in Chinese religions, especially in the Dali region of Yunnan Province. The geographical specificity of her work is balanced by its temporal breadth, which ranges from the Nanzhao (649-903) and Dali (937-1253) kingdoms to the present, as reflected in her monograph, Goddess on the Frontier: Religion, Ethnicity, and Gender in Southwest China (Stanford University Press, 2016, an interview with her about this book is also on the New Books Network), which traces the worship of a local deity in Dali from the 12th to 21st centuries. KEVIN BUCKELEW is Assistant Professor of Religious Studies at Northwestern University. He received his B.A. in the liberal arts from Sarah Lawrence College, and his Ph.D. from Columbia University's Department of East Asian Languages and Cultures. His research focuses on Buddhism in premodern China, with special attention to the rise of the Chan (Zen) Buddhist tradition and to interactions between Chinese Buddhists and Daoists. Thematically, his work explores how religious identities take shape and assume social authority; how materiality, embodiment, and gender figure into Buddhist soteriology; and how Buddhists have grappled with the problem of human agency. Jue Liang is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Religious Studies at Case Western Reserve University. She is currently completing her first book, entitled Conceiving the Mother of Tibet: The Early Literary Lives of the Buddhist Saint Yeshé Tsogyel. She is also working on a second project, tentatively titled i. As a scholar of Buddhist literature, history, and culture in South and East Asia, she reflects in her research and teaching continuities as well as innovations in the gender discourses of Buddhist communities. She is also interested in the theory and practice of translation in general, and translating Tibetan literature in particular.
Daniel Dornel, Head of ETF Research, explains to Chief Market Strategist Daniel Morris why the third quarter was remarkable for inflows into exchange-traded funds. Thematically, defence has remained in the lead, closely followed by artificial intelligence.For more insights, visit Viewpoint: https://viewpoint.bnpparibas-am.com/Download the Viewpoint app: https://onelink.to/tpxq34Follow us on LinkedIn: https://bnpp.lk/amHosted by Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.
Today was a lot of fun. Great friend of the show Gary joins us again while Shana is out on her (maybe?) crime spree. We play Mister Lister's something or other and it was a rootin' tootin' good time! Thematically awesome with some fun questions. We hope you enjoy! Please subscribe and review today!
fWotD Episode 3058: Alicia (album) Welcome to featured Wiki of the Day, your daily dose of knowledge from Wikipedia's finest articles.The featured article for Thursday, 18 September 2025, is Alicia (album).Alicia is the seventh studio album by American singer-songwriter and pianist Alicia Keys. It was primarily recorded at Oven Studios and Jungle City Studios, both in New York, after her 2016 album Here and her judgeship on the singing competition series The Voice, before being released by RCA Records on September 18, 2020. Written and produced largely by Keys, the album also features songwriting and production contributions from Swizz Beatz, Ryan Tedder, Johnny McDaid, Ed Sheeran, and The-Dream, among others. Keys collaborated with more artists on the recording than in her previous albums, enlisting vocalists such as Sampha, Tierra Whack, Diamond Platnumz, Snoh Aalegra, and Jill Scott for certain tracks.Alicia's mostly low-tempo and melodically subtle music reconciles the experimental direction of Here with her earlier work's bass drum-driven R&B and piano-based balladry. Throughout, individual songs incorporate sounds from a wide range of other genres, including orchestral pop, progressive soul, funk, ambient, country, and Caribbean music. Thematically, they explore identity as a multifaceted concept, sociopolitical concerns, and forms of love within the framework of impressionistic lyrics, personal narratives, and self-knowledge. Keys has described the album as therapeutic and reflective of greater introspection in herself, expressing ideas and feelings of hope, frustration, despair, ambivalence, and equanimity shared in her memoir More Myself (2020), which was written during Alicia's recording.The album was originally scheduled to be released on March 20, 2020, then May 15, before being delayed indefinitely in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. It was marketed with an extended traditional rollout campaign that featured various media appearances by Keys and the release of seven singles, including the Miguel duet "Show Me Love", "Time Machine", "Underdog", and "So Done" (with Khalid). After a surprise announcement of its impending release in September, Alicia debuted at number four on the Billboard 200 in its first week and became Keys' eighth top-10 record in the US, while charting in the top 10 in several other countries. However, it fell off the US chart a few weeks later.A critical success, Alicia received praise for Keys' nuanced vocal performances and the music's broad appeal, while her thematic messages were considered balanced, healing, and timely against the backdrop of unfolding world events. The singles "Good Job" and "Perfect Way to Die" resonated especially with the importance of essential workers during the pandemic and with the 2020–2021 racial unrest over police brutality in the US, respectively. The album also won the Grammy Award for Best Immersive Audio Album at the 2022 Grammy Awards. In further support of the album, Keys performed in concert from June to November 2022 and in May 2023 on the Alicia + Keys World Tour, which had been postponed from 2020 and 2021 due to the pandemic.This recording reflects the Wikipedia text as of 00:52 UTC on Thursday, 18 September 2025.For the full current version of the article, see Alicia (album) on Wikipedia.This podcast uses content from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License.Visit our archives at wikioftheday.com and subscribe to stay updated on new episodes.Follow us on Mastodon at @wikioftheday@masto.ai.Also check out Curmudgeon's Corner, a current events podcast.Until next time, I'm standard Kendra.
Get access to this entire episode as well as all of our premium episodes and bonus content by becoming a Hit Factory Patron for just $5/month.Associate Editor at Roger Ebert Robert Daniels joins to discuss the latest Spike Lee joint Highest 2 Lowest, a loose reimagining of Akira Kurosawa's 1963 procedural masterpiece High & Low that marks the fifth collaborationg between Lee and the inimitable Denzel Washington. Thematically rich, unabashedly confrontational and occasionally baffling, Highest 2 Lowest is everything you would hope for from a late period Spike Lee picture, as Lee grapples with personal concerns about masculinity, the contradictions of Black capitalism, and the generational divide around the nature of authenticity in art when success has finally come your way.We begin with a discussion of the bold formal choices of Highest 2 Lowest, including the stylistic gambit of dividing the film firmly into two aesthetic halves; the first half marked by an austere, antiseptic, and artificial atmosphere that finally gives way to a more daring, brash and musical rhythm when the film descends on the streets of Spike's native New York, escaping the Dumbo high rise apartment of the film's early chapters. Then, we explore the film as autocritique, with Lee and Washington examining their positions as elder statesmen of Black artistry, and the push-pull of working within systems of capital built upon racialized heirarchies. Finally, we tackle the film's thorny political propositions, its conservative tendencies, and the thrill of trying to parse where exactly an artist like Spike Lee stands on the issues and questions he presents within the text.Read Robert Daniels on Highest 2 Lowest at Roger EbertRead Alphonse Pierre on Highest 2 Lowest at PitchforkFollow Robert Daniels on Twitter.....Our theme song is "Mirror" by Chris Fish
By Selva Ozelli Esq, CPA, Author of Sustainably Investing in Digital Assets Globally. In this interview she talks with Digital Artist Des Lucrece Des Lucrece, Digital Artist interviewed by Selva Ozelli Tell us about your journey to becoming a digital artist and why you prefer the digital art medium over others? My journey into digital art started out of necessity. I didn't have access to traditional materials or studio space growing up, but I did have a tablet, a bootleg copy of Photoshop, and time. Drawing digitally gave me the flexibility to work from anywhere, to experiment without fear of wasting materials, and to iterate endlessly in a way that left no physical traces. Over time, those tools became more than a means to an end - they became an extension of how I think. After earning my BFA with a focus in design, I worked in the branding world, but I never felt creatively fulfilled. On a whim, I applied for an artist residency in Tokyo. I didn't think I was qualified, but I got in - and it changed everything. I lived with five artists from different backgrounds who were years ahead of me in their practices. Their advice was simple but transformative: Make what's true to you and show it to everyone who'll look. That's where the seeds for Des Lucréce were planted. I created the alias as both a shield and a reflection of my identity - a nod to my Vietnamese roots, my love of French philosophy, and the long history of artists adopting personas to carve out their own space. I started posting the work I'd hidden for years, and it found an audience. Going digital wasn't just a practical choice - it was philosophical. The internet, like my identity, is fragmented, contradictory, and constantly under revision. Digital art gave me a space where those contradictions weren't weaknesses - they were the language. Digitized Decentralized Identification seems to be the way of the future https://crypto.news/decentralized-identifier-systems-are-key-to-the-future/. Tell us about your latest series "The Erosion of Time and Neo-Techne: Art in the Age of the Machine" on exhibit at the Art Light Museum which invites audiences to explore themes of identity, displacement, and innovation in the digital age. The Erosion of Time is my most ambitious exhibition to date - a fully immersive, 3,500-square-foot installation that blends animation, light, sound, and architectural scale to explore memory, cultural fragmentation, and the impermanence of digital identity. Exhibited at the Museum of Art + Light, the show is paired with Neo-Techne, a group exhibition that situates my work in dialogue with questions about technology, automation, and what it means to make art in a machine-mediated era. Thematically, the exhibition builds on the idea that our identities - particularly as second-generation immigrants or culturally displaced people - are constantly eroding and being rewritten. We leave traces everywhere, yet feel rooted nowhere. The show uses a combination of celestial imagery, shifting landscapes, and meditative pacing to give form to this emotional terrain. There's also a literal decay built into the projections - subtle loops where forms fall apart and reform, referencing both the fragility of memory and the persistence of digital traces. There's also a physical component to the show. I've created exclusive merchandise - plush figures and wearables - that extend the work beyond the screen. For me, this is about expanding Des Monsters into the everyday: they're not just artworks, they're avatars, totems, and mirrors of the self. It's a way to let the work travel with people, and blur the line between art, identity, and utility. What are your thoughts about the US Government's latest focus on digital assets ? Will this help institutional investment in NFTs in your opinion? It's a double-edged sword. On one hand, regulatory clarity could unlock more institutional investment, which would legitimize NFTs in spaces still resistant to them. It might m...
K-Pop Demon Hunters K-Pop Demon Hunters sounds like a joke title, but this action packed adventure/romance/musical/ martial arts action film… is really something different! The surprise animated hit of the year which has been not only smashing streaming video records (thats Netflix for ya), but also demolishing the music charts (Golden hitting no. 1 on Spotify!) is something nobody saw coming, but now that it’s here we may never be the same! Its a heady mix of Korean mythology, flying swords-person action, heartbreaking romance, radical self acceptance and all with a K-Pop soundtrack that lets be clear… absolutely slaps. We have a special guest for this show, with our beloved Ardella (Bec) chiming in to profess her undying love of this unexpected gem! Dion may have his demonic grump on, but Jill and Quinny both are singing from the hymn-book of hon-moon creation. Synopsis K-Pop Demon Hunters” tells the story of a K-pop girl group, Huntrix, who are also demon hunters, tasked with protecting the world from demons and their king, Gwi-Ma. They use their music to maintain a magical barrier called the Honmoon and work towards strengthening it into the Golden Honmoon, which would permanently banish demons. Their mission is complicated when a rival demon boy band, the Saja Boys, emerges, stealing their fans and weakening the Honmoon. https://youtu.be/gsMp_Oq-_mY As always, a musical magical thank-you to the K-popping demon hunting divas who join in with the conversation on the Twitch stream, live each Tuesday night at 7:30pm AEDT. And an especially huge thanks to any of the glow stick waving uber fans who are kind enough to support us by programming a tip in our jar via Ko-Fi, or subscribing on twitch… every bit helps us to keep the honmoon strong and if not golden, a bit bronzed… If you feel so inclined drop us a sub we really love them, The more subby mc-sub-faces we get, the more Emotes You get! https://youtu.be/3JTVQTk36R8?si=CPEwLl_mx84YG1Iw https://youtu.be/yebNIHKAC4A?si=ImoyGFkIO-pC3a99 https://youtu.be/983bBbJx0Mk?si=_B-EAl_rChUeZ8c0 WE WANT YOUR FEEDBACK! Send in voicemails or emails with your opinions on this show (or any others) to info@theperiodictableofawesome.com Please make sure to join our social networks too! We're on: Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/user/TPToA/ Twitter: www.twitter.com/TPToA Facebook: www.facebook.com/PeriodicTableOfAwesome Instagram: www.instagram.com/theperiodictableofawesome/ Full text transcript Dion Ohh hello and welcome to the periodic Table of awesome. Well, we’re getting on to this Tuesday night, going down the good old road of something Netflix. Are you related? Hello. Yes. Quinny Hello, we’re going down. And we’re going down, down, down. Speaker 3 I know. Quinny What, John, why aren’t? Dion You singing. I don’t understand the concept. What the **** is happening? This is not a regular. Hi. My name is Dion. I’m joined tonight by Queenie and I’m joined by Jill. And I’m joined by Beck. Pop. Hello, pop. It’s been a while. Thanks for joining us. This one. Quinny Hey, welcome back. Dion Because yeah, for your viewing pleasure, you’re helping us talk about K pop. Ardella I am. I am this cultural phenomenon has been on repeat in my household for the last month, so I’m thrilled to talk about it. Speaker Hi. Jill Oh. Dion Oh. Ardella On the Internet. Dion A month. Quinny Yeah, yeah. Ardella OK, we are late to this party. Dion I am but I I’m 100% late to this party only because. Yeah, sorry. Quinny All right. Dion Good to you. Quinny No, no, no. I like I said, I actually talked about it. I don’t know the weekend it came out or the like. I watched it because I had nothing else on. I was sitting on the couch and I was like, that looks entertaining. I’ll just put that on in the background. And was then kind of like this is ******* cool. And then when in the next episode, I’m like Jill, Jill, Jill, you gotta you gotta check it out. You gotta check it. And she’s like. Jill Like, leave me alone. Otherwise I won’t watch. Speaker 4 Yeah, yeah. And then the. Quinny It was like Jill, Jill, Penny, Penny, Penny, Penny, Penny, and she’s like, leave me alone. Jill Next, let’s do yeah. Sorry, it’s it’s the Aries. You can’t tell me what to do. Quinny Yeah, the license. Ardella Can I just say though, despite being one of the longest bloody trailers in the world, I. I’m so impressed by how little it manages to give away, and I wonder if we can manage to give away a similar level of not spoilers. Jill Yeah. Quinny Yeah, we can. We can. I mean we can. We also do a. Spoilery bit after we’ve done the thing, but. Ardella I remember how this works. Quinny OK, OK. Ardella I also remember that we often suck it, not giving too many spoilers in the free spoiler bit. Quinny This is a good point. Well made. Jill OK, we’re going to be as vague as. Quinny Possible. Yeah. So how did your come to it? Did you just find it on Netflix? Did did somebody recommend? Jill It to you. I know. Yeah. Somebody annoyed. Me to watch it, yeah. Dion No, Quinn. He made me watch it. Ardella Yes. Yeah. Did he tape your eyelids open and struck you to the chair? Yeah. Dion Yeah, it’s 100% Clockwork Orange, me. For this but but I’ve got this. Speaker 1 Yep. Quinny And I’m not sad. I’m not. I’m not. Embarrassed about that? Dion I’ve got this weird. Sort of tick now that I have to keep kind of doing this and I feel like I need to do choreographed dances every now and again. So I don’t know what’s happening. I don’t know anything about. Jill Can teach you. Quinny See, I don’t think we were fully aware that Beck was as into this as not as until like you you posted a video to us. You’re like look at. Dion Excellent. Speaker 4 This did you dance? Dion Like ohh OK, you know, we’re gonna talk about stuff that, like quite blatantly. I have absolutely no ******* idea what’s going on. Jill I mean. Dion We might as well open the floor up to people who do know what the **** is. Ardella Going on, but have you watched it dear? Dion Yes, I watched it from the start to the last song. Ardella Great. How? How the **** do you still? Have no idea what is going on then. Dion Have you seen the film? Ardella It’s a very cromulent storyline. Speaker 2 No wonder. Dion Here’s what’s going on. They’re just doing things on screen and singing songs and going. This is good. Yeah. And you’re watching it. Jill Yeah, pop music is a part of Concepto dialog. OK, yeah. Dion Sure. Ardella Dion should never go and see a. Jill Thank you. Speaker 13 Musical is what? Ardella We’re hearing this is an even musical. Quinny No, no. Speaker 13 Devil story. Dion No, this isn’t far off though. Speaker 13 Season. Dion This is it. Musical level storytelling and I watched it. And I’m not saying like things are bad or weird or out of my comfort zone. It’s just it’s not really for me. Speaker 3 Dion And that’s OK, you know. Ardella You’re allowed to be wrong. Jill He often is. Quinny Also I I will point out that that Dean had had a very, very long bad day by the time that this came onto his screen and I kind of get the feeling that it was like. Speaker 4 Oh. Quinny Is that a reasonably accurate description deal? Dion Look, you know I’m not. I’m able to separate church and state here. I can understand the value of something even though my personal opinions may have coloured it slightly. That being said, I still don’t really know what’s going on in Capot demon. Jill Would you? Would you like this is not. Speaker 4 Let’s let’s have us. Dion I mean, sure, if you think I’ve got it, I wonder if I’ve got any music somewhere. Hang on a second. Quinny Yeah. Yeah. OK. K pop. Hang on. What voice am I doing? Speaker 13 Nothing, right? Quinny Well, that’s it. Somebody else better do. Dion Ohh no. Quinny OK, K pop demon hunters tells the story of A K pop girl group called Hunt Tricks, who are also demon hunters tasked with protecting the world from demons from for their king Guimar. They use their music to maintain a magical barrier called the honeymoon, and work towards strengthening. Hit into the golden Hon moon. Which would permanently vanish. Ardella Day and age of Tik toking. And if you’re my age, Instagram, reeling a week after it’s appeared on TikTok. We’ve basically have a a huge collection of people who’ve basically seen half the movie through real. Or tick tocks and then go. OK, I may as well go and watch this movie now. So I think that a lot of people have had that experience when Quinny mentioned it. I then was like, let’s watch the trailer for this and was on board after watching the trailer and. Speaker 1 Mm-hmm. Ardella My partner and I sat down and. Watched it over Friday night. We were amazed by the number of layers that this movie has that you do not get from the trailer, and I was on board just with what that surface level stuff was already. Quinny Yeah, yeah, yeah. And that was the thing that surprised me. It was just the the like from a trailer, like or because I didn’t even see a trailer. I just saw it pop up on Netflix, as you know, the the, The little preview that starts playing. And I was like. Ardella Yeah, that’s the trailer. Quinny Well, but it I didn’t even watch the whole thing like it was just sort of there in the background and I was. I don’t know what that is. But **** it looks cool. Dion Did you just hit it like a fricking pokie machine button? As soon as it popped up, you were like chin, let’s do this. Quinny My good addition. Yeah, sorry, Jill. You’re gonna. Jill Say something. Yeah, I think at the time, quinny, when you said. Hey, Jill, have you watched K pop demon hunters yet? I think my best friend had also watched it and had, like. Posted a story about it and all I heard all over Instagram was the the main song from it Golden. It was on everything and not just like animated clips of the movie, but like just people’s reels. They’re using that song. And so I was like, oh, no. Speaker 4 Hmm. Jill This is the hype zone. Jill doesn’t like being. Speaker 4 5th. Jill In the hype zone. Jill wants to avoid ever watching stuff that gets into the hype zone. I still have not watched Everything Everywhere, all at once because it got too hyped, so this was heading in that direction and went. Queenie, when you said to me, have you watched it yet? I was like, I’ll get to it. Ardella Was interesting that you mentioned that Jill, because there are theme crossovers. Jill Yeah. So I don’t push me. But then I. Kept hearing the bloody music. I’m like ****, this is a catchy song and then I think it got to like the following weekend and I’m like, I’m not gonna talk to anybody about this, but I’m gonna watch. Speaker It. Jill And I was like, oh, that’s great. Quinny Because I’ve seen so many people who, like, have watched it, and then it’s just become their whole personality. Jill Ohh yeah, I mean that was on heavy rotation like the album it was. It became a hyper fixation for a. Quinny Yes. Jill Week. Dion Wait, so can I just get this one like coming into this just a little bit blind, you know, from this whole stuff. So you’re telling me that there are real people in the real world that saw the small part of this and it’s become a hyper fixed? Speaker 4 Yeah. Dion Which is mirroring the fact that the fans of this band in the fake world have a hyper fixation problem. Ardella So interestingly, interestingly, the soda pop song by the Demon Boy Band for a very long time there took over the charts from the actual you know, K pop boy band of the moment BTS. Quinny You say? Speaker 4 Oh yes. Dion The soju boys. I love the soju boys, they’re great. Speaker 4 Ohh I love some soju. Quinny Beck, how do you feel about this? Pineapple surgery. Speaker 1 What? Dion Soulja boys. Jill I like the lemon one, it’s. Dion Delicious. Jill Kind of funky, but it’s good. Dion Yeah, yeah, yeah. I like the one with the six pack. Ardella But what’s what’s really interesting about the soundtrack to this as compared to a traditional musical, is in a traditional musical, you’ve always got that one song that everyone skips or tunes out goes to the bathroom during it’s usually the one that the token old man sings. Jill Ohh OK. Speaker 13 But. Ardella If you think about it, is. Quinny It’s the talk singing 1. You give it to the guy who can barely sing. Jill Ohh yeah yeah. Jeff Goldblum. Number in wicked. Yeah, exactly. Ardella There are no low points in this soundtrack and. Quinny In new tiles. Ardella I think even. The one song that when I was watching the movie for the first time I was like, this is kind of my bathroom breaks on. When I went back and listened to the soundtrack. Speaker 13 Through by. Ardella Wolf it was still a banger. I was still singing along. I was still fully on board. I was finding all the hidden messages in the lyrics. I don’t think there is a a dud on this soundtrack. Quinny Nope. And as of 2 days ago, Golden went to literal #1 on the Billboard chart like it’s ******* stupid. Ardella Something that’s really cool about the creatives behind this entire movie is that the movie has so many authentic South Korean cultural elements to it that it has become huge in South Korea as well. And many, many people there. Speaker 3 Hmm. Ardella Absolutely love it, which is so wonderful because there have has been a lot of outcry in the past about South Korean culture being misrepresented. And this is a wonderful example of cultural appreciation rather than appropriation, and one of the reasons behind that is that they have actually included many South Korean genuine K pop stars and producers, writers, and the singing voice of. The main main individual from home tricks. She was a K pop star in training who went away to go to school and stopped Kpop training. And when she came back to try and be a K pop star they told her she was too old and couldn’t do it. Anymore. And so she became a writer and a producer. Of K pop music instead, and now is singing on this and has gone to the top of the charts so incredibly hard. And I think that that lends this incredible authenticity to it, but also is kind of like a stuff you to the industry at the same time, which is amazing. Dion Because it’s look, it’s a curious thing about the the making of it, because actually, yes, I did. I watched the whole thing and then I even watched the credits where they showed all the behind the scenes bits of the people in there. And I thought that was really interesting. And then reading more about it and trying to find out more about it. I was like, oh, that’s interesting that they have. A bunch of Korean American. Others. Doing the voice work, but then a bunch of South Korean singers doing the song work and I was just a little bit like oh, oh, OK like why, why the need for the split like? Ardella They’re two different skill sets. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Quinny You you don’t find that many actors who can sing that ******* well. Like who can sing to the level that is required of. Ardella Yeah. The vocal range in golden is outstanding. That is like 3 octaves of belting. That’s insanity. Dion I’m asking the question to not because I’m attacking the I’m not asking the question because I might. Why? They have to get more. You know, why is it a whole bunch of different sort of people in there? Jill Deon, Every Disney musical movie had a talking voice actress and a singing voice actress as well. It was. Dion I’m pretty sure John Oliver did all the singing for his parts as Zazu, right? Ardella Not all. Yeah, not all of them. I think the more recent ones like Moana, the. Dion Of course I know. Jill Yeah. The more, yeah, I mean, the classic ones, I mean the ones from the. Ardella Voice actor sings as well. Jill 90s when we were kids. Ardella Yeah. Speaking of which. Dion Sure. Jill Yes, the travesty of casting Leah Salonga in this movie. Ardella Yeah. And then giving her 30 seconds of background vocals to do. Leah Salonga was the singing voice of Jasmine and Mulan, and is an incredible musical theatre. Jill Yeah, crazy. Ardella Actress and amazing singer and is in there as like the the main mentor character for the Huntress Girls. And has no real singing. It’s so background that I didn’t even notice when it happened. Jill It’s devastating, but. Quinny Yeah. Yeah. Like, like putting, I don’t know. One of the. Yeah. Mariah Carey is a background character. Speaker 3 Yeah, yeah. Like what? Ardella Mariah would never let that happen. Quinny No, no, absolutely not. So what was it about it that that sort of caught your eye? Immediately because I know what put me on the back foot straight away and made me go. That’s different. But I’d love to. Know what you guys thought? Dion What? What? Yeah. So there’s two. There’s two parts in that which which caught your eye. And there was a bit that caught you on the back foot which. Quinny Was your question what? What caught your what? One you were talking about excited you, really. Grabbed you. What? Dion Was that what put you? What put you on the front foot? Linked you into this show? Quinny The. What? Yeah, yeah. Jill The music I think, like I I enjoy the odd K pop. I’m. I’m not a die hard. I’m not a I don’t have a bias. I’m not like fully into the K pop culture. But I do enjoy the music peripherally, and so I thought like the songs were so catchy. And then when I saw, like, some of the animated stuff, I’m like, ohh, that’s very reminiscent of the spider verse animation. And then I realized it was a Sony thing. And then I’m like, OK. Well, this is probably going to be good. Ardella Yeah. I think the thing that put me off was the time. Speaker 4 Well. Ardella What the hell is that? Title K pop Demon Hunters makes me think that this is trash and it is trash, but the best kind of crack trash. It’s amazing. Jill Quinny MHM. Jill OK, you know what? It’s 100% tapped into for me was the female power story, but based in music like. I was one of those kids that was like ohh yeah, I wanna be in a girl band like that was like one of my fantasy things when I was. A child, but. Also, like yeah, being a superhero too. And like Sailor Moon. Is so intrinsic for me. It really had those kind of vibes of like, you know, magical girls that can save the planet. Quinny Yeah. Yeah, that’s one of the first things I why I was like, ohh you would love it. Just for the magical girl factor. Like the the costume changes the. Speaker 4 What’s this? Quinny The that that very Sailor Moon kind of vibe. Ardella What’s so interesting for me about? The introduction, just the opening sequence was that. Speaker 2 Hmm. Speaker That. Ardella Funky kind of intro music. The the K pop music that it starts with reminds me a lot of earlier K pop when I was into it and some of my South Korean friends just roll their eyes at me because I think that my idea of K pop is like someone. These days, being like my favorite band is the Backstreet Boys. You know, it’s like ohh sweetie. Jill OK. Ardella There we go. Yeah, you’re you’re the the shush now, grandma. Everything’s fine. Because my my favourites were like the Wonder Girls. And you know quite quite early K pop. I think, you know, compared to what’s in today, but. Dion You can. Ardella It’s just so funky and fun, and the fact that. It immediately started with the classic K pop mixing of Korean lyrics in with English lyrics, and then the flip to rap in there as well, and the rap being in both Korean and English, it really grabbed me in that I was like, OK, this is. Actually K pop it, it’s not just in the name, they are actually going with it and I found it really interesting learning afterwards that the K pop element was the last thing to be added into this storyline. Dion Yeah. Ardella Interesting. Yeah, that that was the last kind of piece of the puzzle when they were developing this movie was creating it as a K pop story. Dion Which is very strange because I think the thing that made me. Sort of get on board a bit with it. Like a bit more was the fact that it was self aware enough to understand some of? The. Insanity behind massive mass market fandom? Not that anyone is immune to it, like it’s all around when you go looking hard and you know the West. The West has borrowed from the that that world very heavily in the past. Our last Spice Girls etcetera, etcetera. Quinny Not that hard. Dion Was the ability for it to just to be self aware take a bit of fun, have a bit of fun with it, and then continue on go like, yeah, we acknowledge that there’s this there is there is some weird **** that happens in that world and we’re just going to lean into it and understand that it’s part of it. And then move. For with the rest of it, you know, apart from the animation is great and the characters were somewhat likeable. Quinny There, there, there are two things that got me straight up. So initially looking at it, I thought oh, wow, this reminds me of what, KD A yeah, which, you know, is the the League of Legends K Pop group. And I was like, OK, we’re obviously kind of gonna. Yes. That’s the thing there. Dion Thank you. You’re not like you’re saying things like Katie and I’m like, wait, is it three letter acronym? Should I know? What the **** is going on here? Kill. Kill, death, aggression. Quinny K/BA. Dion Right, OK. So just just help me with. This it’s a foreign territory. Quinny They they are a a AK pop group that was done by the animation company that did League of Legends. So they’ve they’ve got a couple of songs that I actually have no idea how many songs they have about that. And I looked at that and I thought, OK, there’s a touch point. But the thing that and I have the same thing. Hip hop demon hunters. What a stupid ******* name. But watching it, I got to about 5 minutes in and the moment that they’re on the plane and. And they allowed their characters to be ugly and to do stupid faces. And they’re beautiful characters who are fully, you know, gorgeous and made-up, and everything are burping and, like, eating ramen and fighting like ******* demons. But at the same time, they are. Very, very comedic and and I was like oh. ****, this is really kind of like as as soon as I watch it. I was like, this is gonna play to a a female crowd so. Well because it’s not saying look at these perfect, you know, pristine things. These are people who just want to have snacks and lie on the couch and you know relax and be ******* normal. Humans, but at the same time, they want to be super powerful. You know, warlocks that are protecting the world from demons and **** like that. Like this is every little girl’s ******* dream combined and. I was like, holy ****. Jill Yeah, like women can be multifaceted. They’re not just put into one box. Quinny The power of that. Jill As one thing. Ardella They can, but there’s absolutely no way an actual K pop band would be allowed to pig out on. Speaker 4 Junk. Yeah, that’s the thing. It’s. Ardella That’s not happening in the real life world, I’m sorry to say. That is. I mean, when we think about. Dion But but but. The dropping in out of a plane? Sure. Speaker 4 Just. Ardella Kind of disbelief there. Day on. Yeah, carries through. It carries through. But I do think that it’s interesting having that acknowledgement of. I mean it, it’s it’s an an issue, an underlying issue. I think the treatment of pop stars and this isn’t just a problem in South Korea with K pop or in Japan with J Pop, although it’s a very similar kind of culture from my understanding, yeah, in the their K pop J pop. Machines that churn out these bands that are designed and kind of almost bread to create hype and money and. All of this, we see it in like Dan was saying in. The Spice Girls. Quinny Yep. Ardella As well, we see it in these manufactured bands that have been created to take our love and to take our money, OK. Quinny The eagles. Jill There’s literally another program on Netflix right now called building the band. Ardella Yeah, exactly. Exactly. And I think it’s really interesting then to look at our K pop demon band. And see that they are. They’re they’re saying the quiet part out loud with with the demon boy band here. But the reality is that that is what all K pop bands are. They are there to take the love to take the energy and to take the money of their fans. And they’ve been created. Expressly to do that. And so I I just find that really interesting to have. That kind of duality on display where we’re saying no hunt tricks are the the good guys when the reality is that. All K pop bands are there to do exactly what the Demon Boy band are doing. Dion Yes. Quinny And that duality is also encompassed in the lead character as well that, yeah, there are so many elements of things that she is not comfortable with. There’s elements of her public perception that she’s not comfortable with and. You kind of like the stories of the three characters. You know that that one of them is the bad girl who doesn’t get on with her family. The other ones come from, you know, America and is is a a rapper, but she’s also really sweet. All of these things are. Prepackaged they’re made to make them assailable, you know, definable feature. Ardella A personality. Quinny Yeah, yeah, that people can latch on to, but then you’re also watching and going. Yeah, they’re really funny. And they’re really cool. And I like them. And, you know, they’re they’re little horn dogs. And they, they, they just turn into popcorn and. Dion Thank, thankfully. Yeah, I mean, thankfully, you know, they they expressed all those lessons and of course that was the end of it. And this is all we have when. There’s one. Oh, no. That’s why there’s going to be sequels and a TV show and a live stage show. And it’s like, oh, oh, no, the demons won. Ohh no. Jill That’s one thing that I I would like to talk about a bit more is like the actual structure of the story. I know we’re not gonna give anything away, but I was interested that it was a movie. TV and not a TV series because I felt like there could have been a lot more character development actually happened throughout a TV series. I wanted more about the back story of the girl’s mentor. I wanted a little bit more time with the Saga boys in the demon. From in general, yeah, just a little bit more fleshing out of story I thought would be great. Ardella Apparently it was originally 3 hours long and I. Saw. Someone, I think it might have been tally in the in the chat mentioned that earlier. Jill I’d watch 3 hours of this. Quinny Yeah, I’m there for, I mean. Speaker 3 Actually really. Ardella Joined a 90 minute movie though. Speaker 4 We have so many long. Speaker 3 Yeah, yeah. Ardella *** films coming out these days and the pacing in this felt great. I would much rather be left wanting more than be left sitting on my couch, scrolling Instagram halfway through because I’m like, this is a this is a. Speaker I wanted. Jill Sure. Ardella Dull bed. Quinny Yeah, yeah, this is the song that I’m not into. And that’s the reprise of the song. I’m not. Into. Speaker 13 It’s the old man song again. Speaker Ohh. Quinny It’s something I did like though is is while I was watching it. I you know the first number I was like ohh yeah, this is pretty cool. And then within the 1st 13 minutes, there were three, you know, musical numbers, completely different songs. Like I was watching, and I was like, oh ****, this is a secret musical. It’s not that secret, but it’s a proper musical and that, I mean, for me, for my, my taste, that was ******* great sick. Amazing and like to your point, Dion, I immediately then go totally see. This is a stage. And to your point, Beck. Ohh one of you. I’m not sure who was. Yes, I could see it working as a series because there’s a lot more to explore, and while Dion, I know that you’re like the capitalist pigs, they’re just trying to make money out of the kids sometimes. That’s OK. Because this is a ******* cool story. Speaker 4 Yeah, I I mean. Ardella If you do like everyone wants our money, it is a we live in a society. Speaker Oh. Jill Here at the in the high points of the capitalism, my friend. Ardella Yeah, but I think that there is a a way that feel feels friendly and genuine to do that and this is hitting that nail for me. And there’s a way that feels inauthentic and. Speaker Hmm. Ardella Cash grabby and that’s not this at the moment. We’ll see how many spin offs they try and squeeze out of this and when it tips that line. Speaker Sure. Ardella But I think at the moment it still feels. Dion And in 15 years, when Netflix rolls back around and makes a live action version of the K pop Demon Hunters franchise, we will know hey. Yeah, now. Ardella Warm and flat. Quinny Ohh, so he said. They’re not doing it. Dion If you’re talking about. Quinny They they they got, they got absolutely ******* pilloried on the Internet when the initial run of things that they announced was live action. Make stage show and ongoing series. Everyone said do not ******* do this live action they. Dion Quinny. Went OK. Producers don’t care. It’s just that now there’s a lot of complaints. They’ll wait till they’re less complaints and then they’ll do it anyway for a tax break. That’s how the system works, quinny. Speaker 4 That. Quinny So you’ve got another K pop. Dion People. Speaker 6 Exactly. Speaker 3 For me. Speaker You know like. Dion Stuff will happen that way, unfortunately and sometimes, fortunately, anyway, philosophically. Ardella Well, the sequel has already been greenlit by Netflix, which is unsurprising given that this is apparently in the couple of months that it’s been out a month and 1/2 that it’s been out. It has already topped all other animated movies on Netflix for the most watched. Dion Yeah. And we’re a good time behind as we have already. Explain like in in terms of the pickup of this is that came out in June, you know and it’s now **** me, August. Quinny Yes. Speaker Yeah. Quinny That’s the official date. Dion Yeah, yeah. Every time I look at the calendar these days. Ardella It is now **** me. Dion I’m like ****. Anyway. Quinny I’m Jill. I want to know on your your new rating system, how many? How many tips have you got less after this? Speaker 4 ****. No. I think that’s a good. Jill 2 tips off. Dion Ohh no **** left. Speaker 4 Yeah, yeah, I it it. Yeah, it. Put my ****. Jill Off I enjoyed it a lot more than I. Dion Jill is Jill is untited. Jill Was expecting to because like. I know Queenie loves animation and so his glowing review was like Oh well, it’s gotta be good. And then also my friend who loves K pop and and animation as well and even her husband who enjoys animation like both raved about it. So I’m like, OK well. This has got to be good. That kind of got me in to watch it, but it’s so strange that like. I then convinced my other friend group to watch it and they were all like, oh, this is very kiddy and every everybody else thought it was. It was quite junior, but I didn’t really. Get that read. Quinny No. Jill They were like ohh it seems like a bit of a teen bop kind of thing and I’m like, well, I am 15 years old. Guys like, that’s why I like it. Speaker 4 I think this. Ardella Is very Shrek adjacent in the figure. Pitch the kid. TV like category if you want to put. Jill Yeah, but there’s. Ardella It there, but it’s so grown up. Jill This was the stuff for the horn bag older women like. Speaker 4 Is that what you say, Shrek? Yes. Quinny She’s not. Dion Shrek can get it. Speaker I mean. Dion Shrek can’t get. I mean, sorry. Before we go into the ratings, which we should do soon to try. Speaker 4 Yeah. Quinny No, no. We need to talk about so. Dion And keep in time. Quinny Many more things. Dion Yeah, there are many things to talk about. The the Quinny, you did raise a point to me the other day talking about K pop demon hunters, which is going. Yes, it’s an interesting comparison, like an interesting comparison film to perfect blue, which we talked about recently too and. Speaker 2 Yeah. Dion I was like. You may have a point. Jill Maybe not a companion piece. Dion There. Quinny I don’t know. I think I think they’re a fantastic companion faced 11 after the other and just. Dion Thematically. Thematically, it’s it’s somewhat similar in in in certain ways, not not the same way, like let’s they’re too. Jill Ones are very dark and twisted version. Dion Exactly, but they both. Quinny Yeah, what’s when’s the demons we met. Along the way. Dion But they both talk about fandoms. They both talk about the some of the crushing nature of conformity and having to represent yourself as something you may not be, and the damage that that could do. And. And let’s be honest, yeah, it diverges. Very, very different. But there are interesting themes and it’s really interesting to me to think about that. That film made back in the 90s was like working out these problems then and how far we’ve come and how we relate to it. Now, how creatives are relating to that now in this space with, you know, capable demon hunters is like, yeah, look at all these. Things that are still pretty much a problem, but we’re going to acknowledge that they have been a problem and that, you know, these are the things and but we still keep going because we have good messages that we want to try to put out. And if we could all make some money, that’s. Great. But if we have competition, we will crush. It that’s one take away I got from from like K Pop bands is they crush each other. Speaker 1 Also. Dion As they can. Jill In the charts in the. Dion Yeah, it’s in the chat, but literally. Quinny Charts that I think you know differentiate some really very differently is that in perfect blue fandom is seen as being toxic and dangerous and bad. In this one fandom is is the beautiful glowing. Power of house that will save the world and die on your face. Is telling me that you ain’t buying any of this. Dion I think that’s a stretch. Ardella Ship, haven’t we all been in a a stadium watching a band that you love and just all singing along at once and just felt that that vibe? I mean, it’s what gets people into cult. So you know that it can be used for good or for ill. Quinny I was we we we both watched 11,000 with 11,000 other people. People rolled dice. Speaker 14 Yeah. Speaker 1 Yeah. Dion I mean I. Speaker 3 Yeah, it’s. Dion Went I went to the Jared Leto 1 and that was fine. I’m normal. Ardella It’s a powerful thing, is what I’m getting at, yeah. Quinny Yeah. Dion I get. Speaker Quinny You and in the chat a couple of people mentioned that there’s a comparison with the Puss in Boots, the last Wish, same automotive. Ardella I thought his favorite movie of all time. Dion I still haven’t. I still haven’t watched it. Even though you keep telling me I. I know. I know get that ***** kids. You know, like there’s only so many. Quinny Fine. Ardella Come here. We will. Clockwork Orange you again. Dion Alright, time to go to my friend’s house and be forced. Watched it or something. Quinny Yeah. Ardella That’s how I feel about the drunk DC. Watches that we’ve. Dion Oh yeah, we still gonna. Do that one. Quinny Hmm. Dion I still haven’t seen Aquaman 2. Can we bookend it? Which? One should go first, is it? Speaker 2 Oh. Speaker 13 I didn’t even know. Ardella There was an Aquaman. Ohh yeah. Speaker 4 Yes, ******* all. Dion Yeah. Anyway, OK, think of your think of your ratings. Yes, rate, rate and rate and spoil. Speaker 4 Should we right and then spoil? Yeah, yes, yes, yes. Quinny And if you have seen it in the chat, drop me some numbers so that I can put them into the thing I love. I love keeping an eye out for them. Dion Look, OK, I’ll look. I’ll start. Cause Get Me Out of the way. Why? Not. RIP the Band-Aid. Off, yeah, I look, I had a fun time because it was quite poppy and exciting and the animation is actually quite flawless. I like the characters all had a bit of humanity in them. They weren’t that way. U. Kind of. Everyone kind of worked. There’s definitely a saleable marketable thing going because that blue cat is why is that not a plushy already? Speaker 4 Oh yes. Quinny Going to tell you about the blue cat. Ardella Derpy is his name. Dion Derpy is great. Yeah. OK, all the like. It’s good. I can see the the bit of the franchise there. And I can also see. Speaker He loves derpy. Dion Me having to scream when I hear the song again after the yeah, yeah. Yeah. 100% not for me, but I will give it 75. Because yeah, like, I think it’s good. Like if someone said, hey, you know, should I watch K pop diamonds? I’m like, yeah, like, you know, I recommend it to people with small kids. I don’t recommend all the way up to people who are 75. Yeah. I was the whole gamut. You can get something out of it. There is a good message in there. Ardella 75 yeah. Dion And I think it’s quite a little hidden gem or. Unreleased jam, even if you don’t particularly like K Pop. Quinny Fair, Jill. Sorry. Jill Yeah. Look, I’m so excited to say that I have no tips after this film. It’s been a while. It’s been a while, but I am going to give it a 90. Speaker Off. Quinny We yellow. Jill Been a while since we’ve hit the nines for me, but I love that animation. There were just some moments where I was like. What am I watching like? This is just like the textures and everything were so ******* beautiful. There were moments where I’m like Christ, that looks almost realistic. Speaker 1 Mm-hmm. Jill Loved how everybody had a personality. Everyone was like, different. Had their clerks had their faults, like had their beautiful moments. The only reason why it’s not getting more is because there were just some like small unresolved story things that I wish had been explored a little bit more, but. Other than that. We loved it. Quinny Heck, do you want to drop a number? Ardella Quinny Nice. Ardella I’m a harsh marker, but what can I say? It’s interesting that you mentioned the animation, Jill, because one of the beautiful things that I’ve learned is that the hunt tricks characters our protagonists are animated in a very traditional way, which means that every second frame they move. Whereas our demon Boy band animated differently where they move every single frame and there are certain times at where it’s poignant in the movie where they swim. Speaker Which? Ardella Ohh and so there’s there’s lots of super cool things that happen behind the scenes that we don’t consciously recognise, but it’s doing stuff to our brains and I think it’s really, really cool. So yeah, I think the more that I learn about this movie and the work that’s gone in behind the scenes, the more I love it. And that’s why it’s really reaching those top numbers. Quinny Oh. Dion You gotta respect a bit of filmmaking. Quinny Yeah. Dion Bit of craft work in there. Ardella Exactly. Quinny And and that’s very much like the first spider verse. Yes, where like they were animating different characters on different frame rates and you know the the attention to detail. And one of the things that gets me about this is the. The absolute love for Korean culture, but also Korean mythology, and it’s also going to be very, very interesting down the track. Seeing people cosplay from it because already there have been people who have gone to do cosplays of the Soulja Boys and so forth and have had to. That that question of appropriation or appreciation. Is very difficult around certain parts of costumes because the hats are an actual part of a very specific part of Korean culture that you really can’t **** with. Yeah. So like the fact. Ardella Historical Korean culture, not even current really Korean culture as far as I’m aware as well. Quinny Yeah. Hmm. So yeah, whipping one up out of warbler is is kind of not. Not cool, not kosher. And that kind of. Ardella Derpy is my next cosplay. Yeah. Quinny Thing. And when we come back from the the and everything, I will talk about Derpy because that’s another piece of amazing Korean history and culture right there. My rating is 95. I ******* watched the **** out of it and love the **** out of it. The like the music aspect of it, I I’m not a big K pop fan or anything like that. I I don’t listen to a lot of that music, but I didn’t care because it was super catchy. The vocals were insane. I love that mix of of like the three different voices and the three different styles. Of the girls like that, you know, one will drop into really American style rap, but they’re all capable of rapping. They’ll all take, you know, high parts, low parts. But at the same time, then mix it with a bunch of really cool choreography and and martial arts. Mix in some extra mythology, add some cute characters. I love the fact that you know secondary characters are given a bit of love to like. The band’s manager is. Not a ********. You know how ******* lovely is it that that you know, you’re not just going? Yeah. The traditional ******** band manager? No, he ******* loves. Dion Them. Did you not learn anything from Jersey and the Pussycats? What the? ****. Speaker Yeah. Quinny Yeah, I I just, I mean, as I was watching, I just kept thinking, Oh my God, this is this is a thing for a generation of of girls to watch and. And relate to and want to be and emulate and I suddenly understood that whole thing that all the girls in primary school would go off and learn dances. And then to tie that whole thing that that you know, people want to do of of singing and dancing with, like, spiritual power and empowerment and protectiveness. I was just like, **** me. So yeah, I got a little love for it. I really don’t have much bad to say about it, which is, I mean, I don’t want to give it 100 because that would be ridiculous, but ****** really enjoyed. Dion It you can give it a. Speaker 13 100 and that’s just the surface story. Quinny I know we haven’t even talked about what it all means. Dion Can’t wait for you to review the stage musical 350,000 out of. Quinny Review it, I’m going. To direct the. *******. Dion Which would you like to go? Would you like to meet the? Boys or yeah. With that one, we see who, who we. Talking about here, who are the Sargent boys? Sounds weird? Speaker Yeah. Speaker 3 Look normal. Speaker 5 Ohh yeah. Speaker 6 Come on. Take your time. Yeah. Speaker 14 Just like. Speaker Yeah. Speaker 2 Ohh hot. Speaker 3 You guys are so gross. Speaker 6 No, yet you go hot. Then we’ll go. He. Dion Ohh that is just harsh. No helping hand there whatsoever. So the Sarja boys are a bit of * ****, really, aren’t they? They’re just *****. Hot *****. Speaker Yes. Jill Yeah, but they’re hot. They’re hot. Speaker 4 Hot *****. Dion Yeah. Yeah, Jesus. Jill I’m going to tell you like we went to smash. What was it like 3 weeks ago? The artist Alley was chocolate block of K pop demon hunters. Art anything? Right with that tiger on, it was sold. Quinny Oh. Dion Right. Jill Out. Yeah, right. Good. There were. There’s a scene in the film where the both of the bands are Hunter Eggs and the Sergeant Boys are doing a meet and greet with fans. Quinny Oh my God. So. Jill And Abby, the gentleman with the. Tabs instead of signing a piece of paper with his name, he runs like pencil against a piece of paper on his ABS, and that’s his signature. There were drawings of that in the artist Alley for sale. The insanity. Dion I love Jesus. Yeah. I mean, OK question here. I don’t understand why I have questions now and spoil the logo is up and we’ll talk about spoil everythings if you like. Yeah, it’s been a month. It’s been out for quite a long time. I get derpy the thing. Jill Of this movie. Speaker 14 Yes. Dion But what was with the strange Game of Thrones crossover with the Three Eyed Raven? Speaker Quinny Do you want the? Speaker 4 It’s not a Game of Thrones crossover deal on. Dion Everything’s a Game of Thrones crossover. Ardella It’s. Quinny Heck, do you wanna take it? Ardella Quinty no quinny you take this, you are so keen. Quinny No, I was so keen. But I I mean, I’m guessing we’ve probably watched the same explainer videos and stuff. Speaker 13 No, I I read I don’t. Watch. Quinny Ohh God, within you actually. Jill Jesus, she’s an intellectual. Speaker 13 Exactly. Where’s my glasses? Quinny Just need to take these things off and becomes derpy. The ******* yeah, well. Dion You’re on. You’re on. Jill Stick your tongue out. Dion New media now not only this traditional lofi media that you may try. Speaker 2 Oh. Quinny Yeah. So OK, it’s not a Raven, it’s a magpie. And in Korean culture, the A, this is a it’s a historical joke. So the, the, the, the tiger and the magpie is the punchline of a historical joke. That tigers were traditionally shown as being the representative of the upper class and of rich culture, and specifically the governing class, and the magpie was the symbol of the lower class, the worker. Pass whatever and the hat which I’ve got to remember the name of. Thank you. If somebody wants to look it up for me, that’d be great. The hat is essentially a symbol of power. And so there’s a joke, or there’s a moment in there where the sorry. Dion It’s called a gap. It’s called a get, yeah. Speaker 4 Yeah. Jill Yeah, ginu ginu. Quinny So. Jill Said he made it for the tiger. Quinny So yeah, that’s the joke is that it’s a symbol of power that was meant for the tiger, but the magpie keeps stealing it. Speaker Ah. Quinny And so it’s the it’s a symbol that the lower class will always get one up on the upper class because the upper class is ******* stupid and that’s why he’s derpy. And you’ll see in a lot of Korean art, tigers are always drawn slightly cross eyed or just a little bit dumb looking. Jill Quinny And it’s because essentially, they’re just going upper class. The stupid look at the smart magpie with three eyes, you can see everything. Dion So this is exactly like parasite. Ardella Yeah, that’s what we’re saying. Speaker 4 Yeah. Dion No, just that that character representation of the blue cat and the magpie is just parasite as a metaphor. Quinny Yeah. Jill Yeah. Yep, yeah. Quinny And and it makes that sequence where where Derpy comes out and knocks over the plant and then just can’t get it to stand up way too long. Like ohh you stupid. Speaker Yes. Thank you. Dion But it’s good to know, you know, like, I like those little trivia bits. It’s fun. It’s fun to. Ardella Learn. Feel like I I was so. Impressed that for the first time I think ever. Speaker Hmm. Ardella A Netflix trailer. Managed to intrigue and make me want to watch more and actually get me invested in the story without giving away the actual plot. Yeah, there is. There is a very surface level plot being shown out there and I think now that people are, you know, watching more of the clips on TikTok and Instagram and that sort of thing and watching even the golden video clip, they’ll, you might get spoiled. Quinny Hmm. Ardella Before watching the movie, if you’ve seen all of that, but for me my first tip popped off in the opening in. Quinny In the you’re missing how many sticks are you missing? Ardella Well, I have lost the second hit for me when the pattern reveal. Speaker 7 Hmm. Ardella Happened in the. Speaker Ah. Ardella There was. It is very rare that any movie, a movie directed for adults with high levels of intelligence, they rarely get me with the whoa. What happened there was seeing that coming. This movie did that, I gasped. At that reveal, there were. There was nothing in me that thought that that was coming and that is so rare these days. I am so impressed that this movie called K Pop Demon. And so kind of surface level, you know, just fun on top, managed to have this flip. It had this beautiful level of depth to it. I just really loved that so much. I would have enjoyed, I think, a movie where it was just a, you know, magical girl. Banned fighting demons. I would have enjoyed that anyway, but this went a step further. Speaker Hmm. Quinny So in when we’re talking about the patterns and we’re talking about that, that reveal and that question about Rumi. What are the? Different like so I think that there are so many different layers of what it could mean. And I think one of the things that’s really smart about the film is that. It. Doesn’t specifically say it means any one thing. But what? What did you guys? Ardella Because they’re they’re waiting for the sequel or the spin offs or. Jill Yeah. So we’re gonna get the story that gives you the back story about, like who roomie’s father was and what happened to her mother and the the what were they called the Sunshine Sisters or whatever. Quinny Yeah. Speaker Yeah. Jill The. Quinny Yeah. Jill Band. Was and then we also need to have Gino come back because that was unfair how he went. Out. I know it was a beautiful sacrifice, but no, I want Ginyu back. Ardella He’s now in the blade, though. If you if you watch the sequence, you can see his spirit get pulled into the blade, which is an actual thing in Korean. Quinny Oh no. Ardella Mythology. Spirit blades. I believe. I believe I’m not Korean. Please correct me if I’m wrong. Jill OK, well I love. I love me as sexy anthropomorphize spirit coming out. Of the sword. So I’ll take. Yeah. Speaker 3 And then the grade. Ardella Changes once his spirit is absorbed into it, so you can see the two different forms of the the blades are. Jill I need to ******* watch this movie again. Don’t. Ardella Very, very cool. Speaker 13 I let’s go right now. Quinny Yeah, yeah. Dion Let’s see. We’re doing a watch along right now. Speaker 4 It’s. Jill Now become a live stream. Quinny So damn, what was your you? You had some different takes on on what, some of that meaning may have? Been. Dion Which what do you mean the the meaning of which the whole? Quinny Thing of the past. Dion There’s a lot going on me was there? Did I say something that I’ve I’ve undoubtedly forgotten since yesterday? Quinny On. Yeah, well, quite possibly. So, I mean there there’s, there’s that whole thing of like being, you know, intergenerational trauma, like of this is the Korean trauma. Of what? Their history is the split of the country, North and South Korea, which you can read into that. You could also read into it an LGBT thing of this thing that you have to keep hidden about. Yourself. And whether or not she’s allowed to be, especially in K pop, the idea that is she allowed to be who she actually is. Because that is not appropriate like that whole thing of you wearing marks on your. That. You have to keep hidden. I think it has a lot of meaning for a lot of different people for probably a lot of different reasons. Speaker 1 MHM. Ardella Yes, I would agree. I would hesitate to say that this is implying that Ruby is LGBTQIA plus at all, but I have 100% think that people who are LGBTQ a. Quinny No, not necessarily. Ardella Us could find a lot of parallels there. Quinny Yeah, I think that that’s sort of like that X-Men kind of thing. It’s like, yeah, no, we’re not saying that these characters are gay or whatever, but they are a fantastic. Ardella Except the ones that. Quinny Are. Yeah. So my my best X-Men guy. Ardella I think it’s really interesting. We’re seeing a lot of this storyline coming out in a lot of Asian and Asian American stories over the last decade especially, I’ve noticed a a real through line in a lot of the media that I’ve seen, at least. Where these cultures seem to be very much from an outsider perspective. Very much about conforming and not rocking the boat and being being part of a whole community that works well together because everyone kind of assimilates and and doesn’t step outside of the mold or make anyone uncomfortable. And I think yeah, exactly. I think that there is a lot of media coming out these days. Jill Yeah, homogeneous. Ardella And it’s interesting, Jill, that you mentioned Everything Everywhere all at once earlier, because that’s definitely part of the story behind that movie and and a real message in that movie is. Is that we need to allow the newer generations to be a little bit more unique and individual and celebrate that as something that is wonderful and and adds colour to our cultures and our societies, rather than being something that we should squash. Or avoid and to me, that’s what the patterns were and that’s what you know, was a a real underlying message behind this story is it’s not about conforming, it’s about celebrating what’s unique and individual about each of us. Jill Yeah. Quinny Yeah, I I did just check and and the reason I brought it up is because of the writer did say that the the intent was that it was a. Bit like coming. Out to your parents? Ohh, so she was. She was. It was a very deliberate piece to say hey, it’s like that. She’s not saying that Remy is, you know. Dion So coming out. Ardella I mean, could be you go off in your head cannons out there. Dion To your friends. Also coming coming out to your friends who have literally been trained to murder. You. Speaker 13 Your your partner. Quinny Yeah. Dion For the whole thing. Speaker 4 Yes. Dion Look, I like the little bit of the sort of Buffy the Vampire Slayer chosen. Ones. You know, how do we do this? We just kind of go and kill these faithless demons which there are thousands and thousands and thousands of them, apart from the very special one. Quinny Yeah, very. Dion That ohh wait. Yes. Yes. So you know I got that sort of storyline. Ardella Although I do think that there is a pot, I mean obviously we see Janus. Progression where he was genuinely villainous. He was * ****. Wow, what * **** we learned. Dion Sure. What is it again with? Absolutely ancient men and young women. Jill That’s like type. Speaker 4 Being like can. Ardella You I I just want to be rich and wealthy at the expense of my family. What a ******* nightmare, human. But then. Speaker And. Ardella Obviously evolves and become someone who we can genuinely sympathise with, I think, but I feel like we also, especially in that scene, I think Jill, you mentioned the the signing scene, we see a lot of the other members of the Demon Boy Band of the Sargent Boys. Speaker 4 Yeah, yeah. Ardella Have a little bit more personality and a little bit more empathy, I think, than I was expecting and I I would be interested to see that explored a bit more. As well, yeah. Speaker 1 Hmm. Quinny One thing I do love is also the the historical mythological context of it too, that the the idea of the the Singing priestess is is quite a a long history in Korean culture. So the moon or mudang not mudang. Are a an offshoot of of Korean shamanism who their their whole thing was, you know, singing to keep their people safe and, you know, reach out and and bridge the world between gods and humans and so forth. And you see that at the at the very start, like there’s the flashback to the original ones. They’re they’re all traditional like priestess outfits. But then the fact that they’re, you know, really latching into the the Korean singing group thing. You know that there was another group in the 50s and the 60s called the the Kim Sisters. Who group of three well known all around the world, appeared on the Ed Sullivan Show. Did like 22 shows over the years on Ed Sullivan. Like that kind of thing. We’re going. Yes, we’re gonna do it. I love the idea that we could have, you know, stories told in different time frames. Ardella Yeah. And before the Kim’s sisters, there was the Jair Gory sisters. I think it’s pronounced and they were also a three piece girl band who we assume is kind of being referenced in that introduction as well. Dion Can can we just make sure that we even if we go across different time periods they still kill demo? That’s right. Yes, as long as there’s still some demon hunting and killing going on in there. I’m fine. I’m on board with it. Ardella Like. Quinny 100%. Speaker 4 Absolutely. Ardella 100 percent, 100% yeah. I also need to mention I’m sure many of us already know this, but Saja as the name of the Saja boys also has multiple meanings. It means lion. Dion Yeah, yeah. Ardella But it is also a kind of slang term for the grim Reaper. So there’s that duality there. So that’s that’s why they have the lion like logo. That’s what they’re saying. That’s the that’s the loud part. They’re like, we’re the Lion Boys essentially, but. Speaker 2 Oh. Quinny I didn’t know. Dion That, and also dark and mysterious. Quinny And. Ardella It’s also. Through. Yeah, slang for the grim Reaper in South Korea. Quinny And I don’t think I would have understood or appreciated this film if I hadn’t for the past couple of years had an awful lot to do with idol culture like, yeah, but I I’ve learned a lot in the past few years of working for idol festivals and, you know. The whole idol scene and. And. Something that I find fascinating and is really like key to the film, but it’s sort of unless you’ve seen the crowds doing their thing in person. The relationship between crowd and band. Is incredibly intense. Like and the crowds at these events are not. Just, you know, observers, they’re part of the show and they see their role really importantly, you know, all of the glow glowing sticks that they’re holding up all of the colours that they choose to wear, the fact that they, you know, stand a particular singer or whatever and will then change the. Ardella They’re bias. Quinny Yeah, yeah. You know, they will do all these things and like, you’ll see them during songs. Like I watch them at smash people climbing up on each other’s shoulders just so that they can. Performatively go. You know, I’m not actually singing at you. I’m just showing you how much I appreciate what you’re doing. Is like if you don’t know about it, you’re gonna think it’s ******* weird as ****, which I did for a while, but then when you see it, you go ohh. OK, I get it. And now I watch this film and you realize why so much time is spent with the fandom as well, like. They they spend a lot of time, you know, looking at the the kinds of fans who have latched on to these people. Is it the the sex starved older ladies? Is it the preteen girls who are just utterly, you know, smitten? Is it the big boofy guys who will cry at the drop of a hat? You know, all of that is. Ardella I think it’s interesting, though, to suggest that it’s just a AK pop thing or a J pop thing or something like that where you have these biases when you think about, you know, kiss people would wear their specific band members makeup style to go to a kiss concert. It’s it’s a similar. Quinny Oh, not at all. Speaker 4 Yeah, it’s just all. Jill About finding community and the things that. You love, yeah. Quinny Yeah. Really. And. And it’s also like I remember I wanted to write a ******* paper on this at one point. It’s the the concept of avatar rism that you wear the thing that you want to take on the, the, the, the feeling of you know, so. Jill Dude, I’ve done it for 20 years doing cosplay. Speaker 13 Exactly. Hello cosplay? Yeah. Quinny And cosplay is cosplay is like the the the doing it out loud and doing it at the biggest possible way. But for other people it’s that whole thing of wearing your favorite band T-shirt or wearing a Superman T-shirt or wearing, you know something. It’s that thing of. Jill Yeah. Quinny This gives me all these feelings. And I want to then wear it so that I can try and, you know. Jill Yeah. Now, name five of their. Songs. Ardella Jesus. Speaker 4 Yeah. Ardella And when you bring that all together, it really is. Powerful and I. Quinny Hmm. Ardella Think that that’s what they’re they’re tapping into on both sides here where you know that it can be used for good or for evil. Quinny Yeah. And. And the idea that a golden home moon only comes when, like, everybody’s actually being true about who they are, you know, that’s a it’s a pretty powerful ******* feeling. Yeah. Speaker Beautiful. Dion Yeah, beautiful. Speaking of powerful feelings. What are we doing for the rest of? The month, I don’t know. You don’t. You don’t know. Even though you you know exactly what it is. We’ve got a few things. There’s a lot going on in the month of the Merry, Merry month of August. We’ve got lots of movies that are out there. Things like nobody too. Quinny I do have a do in front of. Dion And one that we’re gonna see tomorrow night, which is. Weapons. Quinny Yeah. Dion You need the weapon. Give me the yeah. OK. Ardella I saw an ad for weapon the other night which just said 100% on Rotten Tomatoes and it was a print ad and I was like that. That’s a that’s a strong choice. Dion Yeah. Speaker 1 Hmm. Jill From the team that brought us barbarian. Dion Yeah. Jill He ******* loves barbarian. Dion Yeah, that was. That was one that came out of left field w
Resident Evil changed everything. When originally released in 1996, what was once a niche genre for enthusiasts was now a blockbuster staple in every second home. All of a sudden people were craving zombies, horrifying monsters and disturbing themes. It was so popular that Square, far more known for its more traditional JRPGs, decided to throw its hat in the ring and make Parasite Eve.On the surface, the game appeared to be textbook survival horror. But dig a little deeper and you could see that Square was unable to escape its roots. Turn based mode happened in a sphere similar to Vagrant Story, upgrades were plentiful and incremental, and the storytelling had more cutscenes than gameplay at least in the early stages. Thematically this was still horrifying…but under the hood was a different story.Was this blend of genres ultimately successful, giving survival horror a fresh new perspective? Or is it impossible to reconcile grim resources management with the power fantasy that RPGS almost always offer?On this episode, we discuss:StoryHow does Parasite Eve use real world science to lend an air of credibility to the horrific changes that are happening all over Manhattan? Does it execute the smaller details well even if the larger picture is a bit silly at times?CombatHow enjoyable is the moment to moment real time combat of Parasite Eve? The game requires you to dodge attacks, and pick the best moment to strike. Is this too simplistic or does it work well?ProgressionHow do the weapon and armour upgrades work in Parasite Eve? Does it provide the player with a satisfying sense of progression, or is it all just a confusing mess?We answer these questions and many more on the 132nd episode of the Retro Spectives Podcast!—Intro Music: KieLoBot - Tanzen KOutro Music: Rockit Maxx - One point to anotherParasite Eve OST: Yoko Shinomura—What crazy weapon upgrade paths do you like to use? Is the NG+ mode worth playing? How is Parasite Eve 2 different from the original? Come let us know what you think on our discord server!Come let us know what you think or recommend us a new game on our community discord server!If you would like to support the show monetarily, you can buy us a coffee here!
'Tis but a scratch! This week on Cocktails & Classics, we embark on a ridiculous quest with the legendary 1975 comedy, "Monty Python and the Holy Grail." Join us as we laugh our way through King Arthur's absurd journey, killer bunnies, and insulting Frenchmen. We'll dissect the film's unique comedic style, its quotable lines, and its enduring influence on pop culture. Feeling silly? Craft a classic cocktail while you listen! Don't miss this episode for a hilarious deep dive into a timeless comedic masterpiece, fueled by classic cocktails and gloriously silly discussions.Monty Python's Unique Humor: Analyze the distinct comedic style of the Monty Python troupe, including surrealism, silliness, satire, and breaking the fourth wall.Pop Culture Impact: From memorable characters and infinitely quotable lines, we take a look at how the film has permeated pop culture. Low-Budget Brilliance: We discuss how the film's constrained budget led to creative and iconic comedic choices (e.g., coconuts for horses & multiple roles for actors).Thematically, What is it About? Beyond the laughs, is there any underlying commentary or message? (e.g., quest for meaning, absurdity of life, class critique).What's your favorite "Monty Python and the Holy Grail" quote or absurdist moment? Share your thoughts and funniest film experiences on Instagram! #CocktailsAndClassics Don't forget to share this hilariously absurd episode with your friends and family! Subscribe and leave a rating wherever you listen.
At 82, Isabel Allende is one of the world's most beloved and best-selling Spanish-language authors. Her work has been translated into more than 40 languages, and 80 million copies of her books have been sold around the world. That's a lot of books.Allende's newest novel, “My Name Is Emilia del Valle” is about a dark period in Chilean history: the 1891 Chilean civil war. Like so much of Allende's work, it's a story about women in tough spots who figure out a way through. Thematically, it's not that far off from Allende's own story. She was raised in Chile, but in 1973, when she was 31, raising two small children and working as a journalist, her life was upended forever. That year a military coup pushed out the democratically elected president, Salvador Allende, who was her father's cousin. She fled to Venezuela, where she wrote “The House of the Spirits,” which evolved from a letter she had begun writing to her dying grandfather. That book became a runaway best seller and it remains one of her best-known.Allende and Book Review editor Gilbert Cruz spoke about her life and career. Unlock full access to New York Times podcasts and explore everything from politics to pop culture. Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts or on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.
Readers love knowing what to expect from a publisher. Having consistent theming in your titles can help with discovery, trust, and bringing readers back for more.But how do you find your theme? And what happens if you want to diverge from your theme? Jelani Memory of A Kids Co is back on the pod this week to talk about it!
Catch a Fire is the fifth studio album by Bob Marley and the Wailers, released on April 13, 1973. It is widely regarded as one of the greatest reggae albums of all time and a key record in bringing Jamaican music to an international audience.This album was the band's first release under Island Records, with producer Chris Blackwell polishing their raw, roots reggae sound to appeal to rock audiences. The result was a fusion of reggae with rock and soul influences, featuring electric guitar solos, keyboard overdubs, and a more polished production style.Thematically, Catch a Fire blends political consciousness, social struggle, and spirituality, with standout tracks like "Concrete Jungle," "Slave Driver," and "400 Years" addressing issues of oppression and resistance. The album also contains more personal and romantic songs such as "Stir It Up", which became one of Marley's signature hits.Though it wasn't an immediate commercial success, Catch a Fire has since become a landmark album, helping to launch Bob Marley into global superstardom and solidifying reggae's place on the world stage.Listen to the album on Apple MusicListen to the album on SpotifyWhat did you think of this album? Send us a text! Support the showPatreonWebsitePolyphonic Press Discord ServerFollow us on InstagramContact: polyphonicpressmusic@gmail.comDISCLAIMER: Due to copyright restrictions, we are unable to play pieces of the songs we cover in these episodes. Playing clips of songs are unfortunately prohibitively expensive to obtain the proper licensing. We strongly encourage you to listen to the album along with us on your preferred format to enhance the listening experience.
“More Deep Thoughts,” the eighth studio album by Chicago rapper Lil Durk, born Durk Derrick Banks, arrived on March 21, 2025, through Alamo Records and Only The Family (OTF), cementing his reign as a drill music titan. Spanning 22 tracks and 63 minutes, this follow-up to 2022's “7220” and its 2023 deluxe, “Almost Healed,” dives deeper into Durk's duality—street-hardened grit meets vulnerable reflection—while showcasing his evolution as a melodic storyteller. Released amid a banner year for the 32-year-old, who saw his Smurkchella festival sell out Chicago's United Center in February 2025, the album reflects both personal triumph and lingering pain, underscored by his ongoing legal battles and the loss of peers like King Von.The album opens with “Turn Up a Notch,” a menacing banger produced by Brizzy on Da Beat and Noc, where Durk's Auto-Tuned flow snarls over eerie keys and thumping 808s, signaling his intent to dominate. Lead single “Monitoring Me,” dropped in October 2024, blends haunting piano with boasts of resilience, peaking at #12 on the Billboard Hot 100 and setting the tone for a project heavy on introspection. Collaborations shine bright: Drake trades verses on the syrupy “Discontinuing Wockhardt,” 21 Savage snarls through “Internet Trolls,” and Future's woozy croon elevates “Late Checkout.” Rising stars like GloRilla and Lil Baby add fire to “Oprah's Bank Account” and “Went Hollywood for a Year,” respectively, while a posthumous King Von feature on “Same Me” delivers a gut punch of nostalgia.Production, helmed by Durk's go-to crew—Touch of Trent, Chopsquad DJ, and Noc—leans into drill's signature sound but softens it with melodic flourishes, a nod to his crossover appeal. Tracks like “Newsroom” and “Stomach Growling” tackle betrayal and hunger, both literal and figurative, with Durk lamenting lost friends and fake love. X posts from @LilDurkDaily praised its emotional heft, with one fan noting, “Durk really poured his soul into this, you can hear the growth.” The album's centerpiece, “Old Days,” a February 2025 loosie turned fan favorite, mourns his pre-fame simplicity over a soulful sample, earning comparisons to “What Happened to Virgil” for its raw honesty.“More Deep Thoughts” isn't without flaws—its 22-track length drags at times, and some cuts like “Bad Guy” feel formulaic. Yet, its highs are undeniable. Thematically, it wrestles with Durk's O Block roots, his role as a father of seven, and the weight of surviving a war-torn scene, all while dodging a 2024 murder-for-hire charge tied to a 2022 L.A. shooting. Rolling Stone gave it 4 stars, calling it “a victory lap with scars,” while Pitchfork lauded its “cinematic scope.” Debuting at #1 on the Billboard 200 with 185,000 units, it's his third chart-topper, proving his commercial clout.As of March 27, 2025, with Durk free on bond and teasing a deluxe via X, “More Deep Thoughts” stands as a testament to his staying power—a bruised, defiant diary of a drill king still fighting to heal.
“More Deep Thoughts,” the eighth studio album by Chicago rapper Lil Durk, born Durk Derrick Banks, arrived on March 21, 2025, through Alamo Records and Only The Family (OTF), cementing his reign as a drill music titan. Spanning 22 tracks and 63 minutes, this follow-up to 2022's “7220” and its 2023 deluxe, “Almost Healed,” dives deeper into Durk's duality—street-hardened grit meets vulnerable reflection—while showcasing his evolution as a melodic storyteller. Released amid a banner year for the 32-year-old, who saw his Smurkchella festival sell out Chicago's United Center in February 2025, the album reflects both personal triumph and lingering pain, underscored by his ongoing legal battles and the loss of peers like King Von.The album opens with “Turn Up a Notch,” a menacing banger produced by Brizzy on Da Beat and Noc, where Durk's Auto-Tuned flow snarls over eerie keys and thumping 808s, signaling his intent to dominate. Lead single “Monitoring Me,” dropped in October 2024, blends haunting piano with boasts of resilience, peaking at #12 on the Billboard Hot 100 and setting the tone for a project heavy on introspection. Collaborations shine bright: Drake trades verses on the syrupy “Discontinuing Wockhardt,” 21 Savage snarls through “Internet Trolls,” and Future's woozy croon elevates “Late Checkout.” Rising stars like GloRilla and Lil Baby add fire to “Oprah's Bank Account” and “Went Hollywood for a Year,” respectively, while a posthumous King Von feature on “Same Me” delivers a gut punch of nostalgia.Production, helmed by Durk's go-to crew—Touch of Trent, Chopsquad DJ, and Noc—leans into drill's signature sound but softens it with melodic flourishes, a nod to his crossover appeal. Tracks like “Newsroom” and “Stomach Growling” tackle betrayal and hunger, both literal and figurative, with Durk lamenting lost friends and fake love. X posts from @LilDurkDaily praised its emotional heft, with one fan noting, “Durk really poured his soul into this, you can hear the growth.” The album's centerpiece, “Old Days,” a February 2025 loosie turned fan favorite, mourns his pre-fame simplicity over a soulful sample, earning comparisons to “What Happened to Virgil” for its raw honesty.“More Deep Thoughts” isn't without flaws—its 22-track length drags at times, and some cuts like “Bad Guy” feel formulaic. Yet, its highs are undeniable. Thematically, it wrestles with Durk's O Block roots, his role as a father of seven, and the weight of surviving a war-torn scene, all while dodging a 2024 murder-for-hire charge tied to a 2022 L.A. shooting. Rolling Stone gave it 4 stars, calling it “a victory lap with scars,” while Pitchfork lauded its “cinematic scope.” Debuting at #1 on the Billboard 200 with 185,000 units, it's his third chart-topper, proving his commercial clout.As of March 27, 2025, with Durk free on bond and teasing a deluxe via X, “More Deep Thoughts” stands as a testament to his staying power—a bruised, defiant diary of a drill king still fighting to heal.
“More Leaks,” the fourth compilation album by Baton Rouge rapper YoungBoy Never Broke Again (Kentrell Gaulden), dropped on March 7, 2025, via Never Broke Again and Motown Records, serving as a gritty send-off before his anticipated prison release later that summer. Clocking in at 48 minutes across 16 tracks, this project arrived while YoungBoy was still incarcerated, serving a 23-month sentence for federal gun charges stemming from a 2020 arrest in Louisiana, with additional legal woes tied to prescription drug fraud in Utah. Billed by his team as his “last project” before freedom, “More Leaks” compiles previously teased snippets and unreleased cuts, offering fans a raw, unfiltered glimpse into his relentless creative output despite confinement.The album kicks off with “Trapped Out,” a menacing opener that sets the tone with booming 808s and YoungBoy's signature raspy aggression, reflecting the claustrophobia of his legal battles. Tracks like “Rich Junkie” and “Cut Throat” maintain this high-octane energy, driven by producers like D-Roc and Jason “Cheese” Goldberg, who amplify the trap-heavy sound YoungBoy's built his empire on. The lead single, “5 Night,” released February 28, 2025, pairs a hypnotic beat with visuals of YoungBoy dancing beside a G-Wagon, a stark contrast to his prison reality. Posts on X from fans like @YoungboySnippet highlight the vault's depth, with one noting, “Shows how crazy his vault is man, stuff [has] been getting leaked for months and still has songs which are very good.” Indeed, the title “More Leaks” nods to this chaotic rollout, embracing the flood of unofficial releases that have kept his name buzzing.While “More Leaks” lacks the polish of albums like “Sincerely, Kentrell” (2021), it compensates with raw intensity. Tracks like “Never Stopping” and “Meet the Reaper,” briefly available before being yanked from Spotify post-leak, resurface here, satisfying diehards who've tracked his every move. The production leans minimalist—think distorted bass and eerie synths—mirroring his isolated mindset, though some criticize its lack of variety. HotNewHipHop called it a “love-it-or-hate-it album,” noting its appeal to fans craving aggression over evolution. Features are sparse, with only a rumored Lil Baby verse on “Lost Soul” making the cut, keeping the focus squarely on YoungBoy's unapologetic delivery.Thematically, “More Leaks” wrestles with fame's weight and street loyalty, though introspection takes a backseat to bravado. Lines like “I'm still thuggin' ‘til I'm gone” from “Cut Throat” underscore his defiance, a sentiment echoed in his legal saga—pleading guilty yet dodging harsher penalties via a global settlement. Billboard reported its debut at #3 on the Top Rap Albums chart, a testament to his loyal fanbase, even as critics argue it's more a stopgap than a statement. Recorded partly before his December 2024 sentencing, the album's sound quality impressed peers like engineer Jason Goldberg, who lauded similar prison-recorded efforts on the “Ray Daniels Presents” show.As of March 27, 2025, with YoungBoy reportedly released early on March 24 from Talladega, Alabama, per HipHopDX, “More Leaks” bridges his incarceration and freedom. It's not his strongest work—lacking the cohesion of “Top” (2020)—but its chaotic energy mirrors his life, making it a fitting cap to a turbulent chapter.
https://music.amazon.com/artists/B0B2L4VCYM/justhutchSpotifyYoutube InstagramDrummer and songwriter JustHutch never set out to launch a career as a recording artist—it simply happened. Her debut album, Maze, features nine tracks that span hip-hop, rap, and various other genres. With a conversational and melodic rap style, she also incorporates her vocal talents, blending rap with singing. Some tracks even include actual conversations, further adding to the album's unique charm.The album's melodies are diverse, ranging from blues and hip-hop to orchestral and funk influences. As a drummer, Hutch brings a distinctive flavor to the beats, which she creates herself as part of her wider musical portfolio. “It's kind of all over,” she explains, reflecting on her genre-bending approach. “But that's just the thing. It's cool to play in different genres and showcase different things.”Thematically, Maze delves into Hutch's personal experiences, particularly her toxic relationships. "A lot of those songs were in the vault, and I just wanted to push them out," she reveals. "I wasn't going to do anything with those songs, but then I thought, I might as well put them out and see where it goes.”The album opens with "Drums Intro," which holds special significance for Hutch, as it marks the moment her musical journey as an artist began. The track was created spontaneously in a friend's studio. "We were just jamming," she recalls, "I didn't even know it was being recorded. I was just having fun with it." After the session, her friend encouraged her to pursue music, and Hutch realized she had something special.Although she's primarily known for her drumming, Hutch has performed with bands, including at LA's Peppermint Club, a venue where Justin Bieber has performed. She also runs Icebox Studios LLC, where she produces and creates her own beats. Despite her extensive background in music, venturing into artist work and songwriting is a new endeavor for her. “This is new to me,” she admits. “I didn't even know I had the potential."Maze is a reflection of her exploration into new artistic territory. The album's varied sounds, unexpected transitions, and eclectic use of instruments, such as the haunting flute in “Drill,” make it a dynamic listening experience. Hutch is also working on other projects and hints that her next album will explore more R&B influences. "Sometimes it's rap, sometimes it's R&B, sometimes it's hip-hop," she shares. “Artistically, I can play guitar, I can play drums, I can produce anything that comes my way. I'm just going to keep doing this and see how much better I can get.”Maze marks the beginning of JustHutch's exciting journey as an artist, and she's eager to continue experimenting and perfecting her craft.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/creator-to-creators-with-meosha-bean--4460322/support.
Spanish Love Songs are one of those bands that define the "millennial struggle." Thematically, they write songs that every millennial can relate to, from job loss and financial struggles to self identity and death. They have quickly been become one of my favourite emo bands. In my chat with Dylan Slocum we discussed: -The nostalgia side of emo and why Dylan is over it -The ups and downs of touring -Being an "older" musician on the road with young bands -Possible new music? -Differences between their records -Why they don't play much from Schmaltz live Check out more from Spanish Love Songs: Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/5DaZV3qmFT3aS57df8KPkV Apple Music: https://music.apple.com/us/artist/spanish-love-songs/982837028 www.spanishlovesongs.com Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/spanishlovesongs/?hl=en Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SpanishLoveSongs/ Check out more from Matt Vettese: Instagram: www.instagram.com/mattvettese TikTok: www.tiktok.com/@mattvettese -- If you loved the show please remember to follow and leave 5 stars!
Visit our Patreon page to see the various tiers you sign up for today to get in on the ground floor of AIPT Patreon. We hope to see you chatting with us on our Discord soon!NEWSMarvel Comics Solicitations for March 2025!X-ManHunt crossover kicks off in March 2025Marvel sheds light on 'Godzilla vs. Fantastic Four' #1Marvel's next Disney mashup features Mickey & Friends as the AvengersMarvel Rivals Infinity Comic series launches this weekNew advance look at March 2025 Ultimate Universe titlesNew 'Web of...' series to setup SPIDER-VERSE vs. VENOMVERSE'Deadpool Kills the Marvel Universe One Last Time' #1 coming April 2025Marvel kicks off new era with 'Amazing Spider-Man' #1 April 9thMarvel sheds light on 'Predator vs. Spider-Man' #1Deniz Camp's 'Assorted Crisis Events' coming March 2025New four-issue series 'Arcana Royale' coming spring 2025'Monkey Meat: The Summer Batch' coming March 2025New Peter Pan series 'The Last Boy' coming to BOOM! StudiosSpace Ghost & Jonny Quest team up for ‘Space Quest' in March 2025‘Star Wars: Hyperspace Stories—Codebreaker' coming April 2025New horror series 'You'll Do Bad Things' coming March 2025BOOM! sets March 2025 for 'Mouse Guard: Dawn of the Black Axe'DC Comics solicitations for March 2025DC unleashes 'Batman' #158 'Batman: H2SH' preview and coversOur Top Books of the WeekDave:The New Gods #1 (Ram V, Evan Cagle)Absolute Batman #3 (Scott Snyder, Nick Dragotta)Nathan:The New Gods #1 (Ram V, Evan Cagle)Ultimate Spider-Man #12 (Jonathan Hickman, Marco Checchetto)Standout KAPOW moment of the week:Nathan - Absolute Batman #3 (Scott Snyder, Nick Dragotta)Dave - Psylocke #2 (Alyssa Wong, Vincenzo Carratu)TOP BOOKS FOR NEXT WEEKDave: Timeslide #1 (Steve Foxe, Ivan Fiorelli)Nathan: Sabretooth: The Dead Don't Talk #1 (Frank Tieri, Michael Sta. Maria)JUDGING BY THE COVER JR.Dave: The Flash #16 (Mike Del Mundo Cover)Nathan: Timeslide #1 (Mike Del Mundo variant)Interview: J. Holtham teams with Michael Lee Harris talk Motherfu*kin Monsters One-Shot (The Horizon Experiment) - Out December 18, 2024!J, Michael, thanks for joining us on the AIPT comics podcast! Thematically, what inspired the blend of comedic and horror elements in this story, and how do these genres enhance the narrative?We've had Pornsak on, Michael Walsh, and each time I'm curious, how did you guys get in on this exciting project of one-shots?How was your collaboration with Pornsak?The Horizon Experiment introduces complex characters dealing with extraordinary circumstances—how did you approach balancing humanity with the monstrous elements of the plot?Can you share your creative process for developing the visual tone of the comic, and how the artwork complements the story's darker, chaotic themes?The concept of 'monsters' often carries deeper metaphorical weight—what underlying social or personal themes did you aim to explore through this one-shot?Take us through your collaborative process? For instance, what do the action beats look like in a script vs the page?Michael, a lot of the art has an almost fish-eye lens, what was your goal in that approach?Were there any monsters or villains you didn't get to put in here that you've got sketched out?J, you probably get this all the time, but with a few comics series now under your belt, do you approach writing comics differently than with TV?How far out have you planned future chapters?What comics are you currently reading?
"Structurally, I transferred the crow of the cockerels into midi notes and used these for the overall cadence and tonality of the arrangement. This was then transmitted to outboard synthesizers and effects and recorded. A cockerel crow from the original recording was then pitch shifted, stretched and layered texturally into the recorded arrangement. "Thematically, the audio piece made me think a morning brimming with light and suddenly becoming flooded with the warmth and radiance of the sun; a satiating feeling that makes the day feel like a chance to greet life anew." Dusk in Valldemossa reimagined by Twilight Sleep.
March 1984. Prince, Kenny Loggins, and Bruce Springsteen dominated the pop charts, but something heavier was brewing. Hard rock and metal were clawing their way into the spotlight, and MTV was playing a pivotal role in this revolution. Enter Ratt, with their major-label debut, Out of the Cellar. In a year defined by arena-ready riffs and eye-catching videos, Ratt burst onto the scene with an album that captured the spirit of the times and proved that metal could be more than just a passing trend.Ratt's Out of the Cellar is a quintessential snapshot of a band balancing grit and glam at the height of their powers. Released in March 1984, the album combines raw energy with slick production, delivering a sound that's equal parts rebellious and radio-ready. With tracks like “Round and Round” and “Wanted Man,” Ratt crafted an album that helped define the MTV era of glam metal while staying grounded in the Sunset Strip's hard rock roots.A Band Ready for the Big StageBy the time Out of the Cellar dropped, Ratt was no overnight success. Years of grinding it out in the Los Angeles club scene had sharpened their skills, and their 1983 self-titled EP had already sold an impressive 100,000 copies independently—a testament to their undeniable appeal. The band's lineup had solidified around frontman Stephen Pearcy, guitarists Warren DeMartini and Robin Crosby, bassist Juan Croucier, and drummer Bobby Blotzer, creating a dynamic chemistry that carried them to the top of the hard rock heap.Ratt's dual-guitar approach set them apart, with DeMartini's sharp, groove-heavy riffs balancing Crosby's bold, melodic solos. Pearcy's distinctive snarl gave the band a rougher edge compared to many of their contemporaries, adding a layer of grit to their glam. Their sound wasn't just catchy—it had character.The Tracks That Made Out of the Cellar Legendary“Round and Round” remains the standout hit, with its infectious hooks and soaring dual-guitar solo. The track epitomizes Ratt's ability to create music that's equal parts heavy and accessible. Then there's “Wanted Man,” a cinematic opener that channels old-school Western vibes, and “Back for More,” a slow-burning anthem that builds from acoustic introspection to full-on rock power.Ratt's rhythm section deserves its own spotlight. Blotzer's drumming, especially on tracks like “Lack of Communication,” is far more dynamic than your average 80s metal backbeat. His clever use of cymbal accents and syncopated rhythms brings depth to the album, making it as danceable as it is headbang-worthy.A Sound That Defined Its EraRatt hit their stride at the perfect moment, just as glam metal was breaking into the mainstream. Out of the Cellar is a product of its time, but its rawness and unique qualities keep it relevant. While the production leans a little thin by modern standards, it complements the band's high-energy style, letting their dual guitars and blistering solos shine.Thematically, the album balances tales of outlaws (“Wanted Man”) with relationship struggles and party anthems. It's a snapshot of a time when rock bands weren't afraid to have fun, but Ratt did it with a touch more grit and attitude than their more polished peers.The Legacy of Out of the CellarRatt wasn't just another glam band—they were trailblazers for the MTV generation of hard rock. Out of the Cellar went on to sell over 3 million copies in the U.S., cementing the band's place in 80s rock history. Its success wasn't just about “Round and Round” dominating MTV; it was about Ratt's ability to craft songs that could move between stadiums and smoky clubs with equal swagger.This album helped set the stage for the glam metal explosion that defined the mid-to-late 1980s. Its raw edges, blazing guitars, and distinct personality made it stand out in a crowded field, giving Ratt a voice that's still celebrated today.Why Out of the Cellar Still RocksListening to Out of the Cellar today, it's clear why this album endures. Its energy, musicianship, and unapologetic attitude make it more than a nostalgia trip. It's a cornerstone of 80s rock that still feels fresh and fun, especially when tracks like “Back for More” or “Lack of Communication” hit your speakers.Ratt didn't just release an album—they created a moment in time. Out of the Cellar captures the raw ambition of a band poised to take over the world, and for a while, they did.Songs in this EpisodeIntro - Round and Round 30:16 - In Your Direction 35:17 - Lack of Communication 36:08 - Back for More 39:06 - Lack of Communication 44:10 - Wanted Man 1:09:09 - One Like a Son (Vertex) Outro - Round and RoundMake Your Metal Voice Heard!We're on a mission to dig deep into the heart of 80s metal, and we can't do it without you. Your album suggestions fuel the show—whether it's an overlooked classic or a hidden gem that deserves the spotlight. When you join the DMO Union on Patreon, you're not just helping us stay independent and ad-free; you're getting a say in the albums we explore. Together, we'll uncover the anthems, riffs, and stories that shaped a decade. Let's rediscover 80s metal, one listener-driven episode at a time.Thanks for reading Dig Me Out! This post is public so feel free to share it. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit digmeout.substack.com/subscribe
"Whatever happened, you're still part of the team! You're still one of the X-Men!" Much like the comics from which X-Men: The Animated Series drew so much of its inspiration, season 2 would immediately see the show begin to double down on its history and build out an ever-expanding mythology. No longer obligated to present stories at an entry level, the show took full advantage of its serialized format to springboard plots off the backs of its own previous plots. To that end, season 2 opens with a bombshell: the return of Morph, long thought dead since the events of the series' opening two-parter. This came as a shocking and satisfying twist, rewarding loyal viewers for their continued interest. And if it came at the cost of invalidating the show's edgiest, most ground-breaking moment? So what! This was comics, after all, or at least comics-on-Saturday-morning. Further to that, Morph had proven to be an unexpected fan favorite based on initial impressions, so a reversal of fortune was arguably worth it not merely for a big reveal, but to offer a path back to semi-regular appearances for the character. The revolving door of death would be one of the many ways the show was brought more into alignment with the tropes of the comics. More direct echoes could be traced in the form of Scott and Jean's wedding, which would occur in the comics a mere four months later. Likewise, new anti-mutant antagonist Graydon Creed and his homegrown militia, the Friends of Humanity, had made their print debuts a little over six months prior to the airing of "Till Death," part 1. Henchmen the Nasty Boys are utilized prominently beginning in part 2 and throughout the season, despite having appeared in exactly one comics storyline from 1992 (and in lieu of an older and more infamous group that preceded them in the Marauders). All this, with little in the way of reintroductions to our principal cast. From a critical standpoint, this approach for a season premiere might politely be described as "inaccessible" to say the least. Owing to many of these changes was no doubt the arrival of X-Men line editor Bob Harras in an official capacity as Story Consultant. To Harras, inaccessibility was a feature far more than a bug. During his tenure overseeing the X-office at the height of the speculator era, the more tangled, sprawling, and convoluted the storytelling, the better. For the industry's many eager young collectors, the complex nature of the X-Men's history, combined with the present-day storylines whose conclusions typically offered more questions than answers, there was a desperate need to Make It All Make Sense. Helping Jenny and Tim to Make It All Make Sense on this installment of X-Position is Keithie, not unlike Beast, joining the episode in progress. All told, this two-parter delivers a satisfying, intricately-plotted opening salvo that will be representative of the season as a whole. Thematically, the story makes excellent use of deception as a recurring motif. From Wolverine's brawl with a robotic duplicate of Cyclops, to the mutant-impersonating crisis actor disrupting President Kelly's inauguration, Graydon Creed's subsequent manipulation of the media, and right down to Morph's duplicitous divide-and-conquer scheme to use the X-Men to undo the X-Men, truly nothing is as it seems. And that's to say nothing of Morph's return from a seemingly certain death. It's fitting, then, that standing atop all of this subterfuge is the riddle wrapped in a mystery inside an enigma known as Mr. Sinister. His presence will loom large throughout the series following this maleficent animated debut. To its credit, the script makes effective and logical use of Sinister as Morph's corrupting benefactor, and even manages to flesh out his ultimate motives more decisively over the course of 22 minutes than 6-plus years worth of comics appearances had managed. Though taking its cues ever more from the comics, this stands as an example of the finite nature of the animated series imposing a storytelling discipline that occasionally outshined its source material.
Today we present the first episode of Jacob Smith's new eco-critical audiobook, Lightning Birds: An Aeroecology of the Airwaves. In this audio-only book, Smith uses expert production to craft a wildly original argument about the relations between radio and bird migration. The rest of the book is available, free of charge, from The University of Michigan Press, but this introduction is a great standalone experience that we think Phantom Power listeners will delight in. It tells a truly unique cultural history of radio, describes important scientific discoveries about bird migration through interviews with key researchers, and continues exploring Smith's singular mode of ecocriticism, combining text-based scholarship with sound art, music, and audio storytelling. Professor Jacob Smith is Director of the Masters in Sound Arts and Industries Program at Northwestern University and author of numerous books. He is a cultural historian focused on media and sound who never fails to come at his subject matter from an oblique and completely original angle. His first three books focused on the relationship between the media technologies that developed over the course of the twentieth century—the phonograph, radio, film, and TV—and the kinds of performance styles we have come to expect from performers. For example, his 2008 book Vocal Tracks tackles questions such as how radio changed acting and why fake laugh tracks developed on television—and why we feel so weird about canned laughter. In recent years, Jacob Smith's work has changed in a couple of ways. Thematically, he took a hard turn towards environmental criticism. His 2015 book Eco-Sonic Media lays out an agenda for studying the negative environmental effects of media culture while also telling a strange alternate history of “green” sound technologies: hand-cranked gramophones with eco-friendly shellac records and needles sourced from cacti instead of diamonds. His next book maintained this eco-critical perspective while revolutionizing the format of the scholarly book. 2019's ESC: Sonic Adventure in the Anthropocene was a 10-part audiobook that mined golden age radio shows and sound art to explore the dawn of the Anthropocene era, in which humans emerged as the primary force affecting earth systems. In episode 12 of this podcast, we played an excerpt of that book and interviewed Jake about the process of crafting a book-length scholarly argument in sound by sampling sounds from other eras. Lightning Birds continues this Smith's work in this innovative vein. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/new-books-network
Today we present the first episode of Jacob Smith's new eco-critical audiobook, Lightning Birds: An Aeroecology of the Airwaves. In this audio-only book, Smith uses expert production to craft a wildly original argument about the relations between radio and bird migration. The rest of the book is available, free of charge, from The University of Michigan Press, but this introduction is a great standalone experience that we think Phantom Power listeners will delight in. It tells a truly unique cultural history of radio, describes important scientific discoveries about bird migration through interviews with key researchers, and continues exploring Smith's singular mode of ecocriticism, combining text-based scholarship with sound art, music, and audio storytelling. Professor Jacob Smith is Director of the Masters in Sound Arts and Industries Program at Northwestern University and author of numerous books. He is a cultural historian focused on media and sound who never fails to come at his subject matter from an oblique and completely original angle. His first three books focused on the relationship between the media technologies that developed over the course of the twentieth century—the phonograph, radio, film, and TV—and the kinds of performance styles we have come to expect from performers. For example, his 2008 book Vocal Tracks tackles questions such as how radio changed acting and why fake laugh tracks developed on television—and why we feel so weird about canned laughter. In recent years, Jacob Smith's work has changed in a couple of ways. Thematically, he took a hard turn towards environmental criticism. His 2015 book Eco-Sonic Media lays out an agenda for studying the negative environmental effects of media culture while also telling a strange alternate history of “green” sound technologies: hand-cranked gramophones with eco-friendly shellac records and needles sourced from cacti instead of diamonds. His next book maintained this eco-critical perspective while revolutionizing the format of the scholarly book. 2019's ESC: Sonic Adventure in the Anthropocene was a 10-part audiobook that mined golden age radio shows and sound art to explore the dawn of the Anthropocene era, in which humans emerged as the primary force affecting earth systems. In episode 12 of this podcast, we played an excerpt of that book and interviewed Jake about the process of crafting a book-length scholarly argument in sound by sampling sounds from other eras. Lightning Birds continues this Smith's work in this innovative vein. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/environmental-studies
What is it about Times Square that has inspired such attention for well over a century? And how is it that, despite its many changes of character, the place has maintained a unique hold on our collective imagination? In Times Square Remade: The Dynamics of Urban Change (MIT Press, 2023), which comes twenty years after her widely acclaimed Times Square Roulette, Dr. Lynne Sagalyn masterfully tells the story of profound urban change over decades in the symbolic space that is New York City's Times Square. Drawing on the history, sociology, and political economy of the place, Times Square Remade examines how the public-private transformation of 42nd Street at Times Square impacted the entertainment district and adjacent neighbourhoods, particularly Hell's Kitchen. Dr. Sagalyn chronicles the earliest halcyon days of 42nd Street and Times Square as the nexus of speculation and competitive theatre building as well as its darkest days as vice central, and on to the years of aggressive government intervention to cleanse West 42nd Street of pornography and crime. Thematically, the author analyses the three main forces that have shaped and reshaped Times Square—theatre, real estate, and pornography—and explains the politics and economics of what got built and what has been restored or preserved. Accompanied by nearly 160 images, more than half in colour, Times Square Remade is a deftly woven narrative of urban transformation that will appeal as much to the general reader and New York City enthusiast as to urbanists, city planners, architects, urban designers, and policymakers. This interview was conducted by Dr. Miranda Melcher whose new book focuses on post-conflict military integration, understanding treaty negotiation and implementation in civil war contexts, with qualitative analysis of the Angolan and Mozambican civil wars. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/new-books-network
What is it about Times Square that has inspired such attention for well over a century? And how is it that, despite its many changes of character, the place has maintained a unique hold on our collective imagination? In Times Square Remade: The Dynamics of Urban Change (MIT Press, 2023), which comes twenty years after her widely acclaimed Times Square Roulette, Dr. Lynne Sagalyn masterfully tells the story of profound urban change over decades in the symbolic space that is New York City's Times Square. Drawing on the history, sociology, and political economy of the place, Times Square Remade examines how the public-private transformation of 42nd Street at Times Square impacted the entertainment district and adjacent neighbourhoods, particularly Hell's Kitchen. Dr. Sagalyn chronicles the earliest halcyon days of 42nd Street and Times Square as the nexus of speculation and competitive theatre building as well as its darkest days as vice central, and on to the years of aggressive government intervention to cleanse West 42nd Street of pornography and crime. Thematically, the author analyses the three main forces that have shaped and reshaped Times Square—theatre, real estate, and pornography—and explains the politics and economics of what got built and what has been restored or preserved. Accompanied by nearly 160 images, more than half in colour, Times Square Remade is a deftly woven narrative of urban transformation that will appeal as much to the general reader and New York City enthusiast as to urbanists, city planners, architects, urban designers, and policymakers. This interview was conducted by Dr. Miranda Melcher whose new book focuses on post-conflict military integration, understanding treaty negotiation and implementation in civil war contexts, with qualitative analysis of the Angolan and Mozambican civil wars. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/history
What is it about Times Square that has inspired such attention for well over a century? And how is it that, despite its many changes of character, the place has maintained a unique hold on our collective imagination? In Times Square Remade: The Dynamics of Urban Change (MIT Press, 2023), which comes twenty years after her widely acclaimed Times Square Roulette, Dr. Lynne Sagalyn masterfully tells the story of profound urban change over decades in the symbolic space that is New York City's Times Square. Drawing on the history, sociology, and political economy of the place, Times Square Remade examines how the public-private transformation of 42nd Street at Times Square impacted the entertainment district and adjacent neighbourhoods, particularly Hell's Kitchen. Dr. Sagalyn chronicles the earliest halcyon days of 42nd Street and Times Square as the nexus of speculation and competitive theatre building as well as its darkest days as vice central, and on to the years of aggressive government intervention to cleanse West 42nd Street of pornography and crime. Thematically, the author analyses the three main forces that have shaped and reshaped Times Square—theatre, real estate, and pornography—and explains the politics and economics of what got built and what has been restored or preserved. Accompanied by nearly 160 images, more than half in colour, Times Square Remade is a deftly woven narrative of urban transformation that will appeal as much to the general reader and New York City enthusiast as to urbanists, city planners, architects, urban designers, and policymakers. This interview was conducted by Dr. Miranda Melcher whose new book focuses on post-conflict military integration, understanding treaty negotiation and implementation in civil war contexts, with qualitative analysis of the Angolan and Mozambican civil wars. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/performing-arts
What is it about Times Square that has inspired such attention for well over a century? And how is it that, despite its many changes of character, the place has maintained a unique hold on our collective imagination? In Times Square Remade: The Dynamics of Urban Change (MIT Press, 2023), which comes twenty years after her widely acclaimed Times Square Roulette, Dr. Lynne Sagalyn masterfully tells the story of profound urban change over decades in the symbolic space that is New York City's Times Square. Drawing on the history, sociology, and political economy of the place, Times Square Remade examines how the public-private transformation of 42nd Street at Times Square impacted the entertainment district and adjacent neighbourhoods, particularly Hell's Kitchen. Dr. Sagalyn chronicles the earliest halcyon days of 42nd Street and Times Square as the nexus of speculation and competitive theatre building as well as its darkest days as vice central, and on to the years of aggressive government intervention to cleanse West 42nd Street of pornography and crime. Thematically, the author analyses the three main forces that have shaped and reshaped Times Square—theatre, real estate, and pornography—and explains the politics and economics of what got built and what has been restored or preserved. Accompanied by nearly 160 images, more than half in colour, Times Square Remade is a deftly woven narrative of urban transformation that will appeal as much to the general reader and New York City enthusiast as to urbanists, city planners, architects, urban designers, and policymakers. This interview was conducted by Dr. Miranda Melcher whose new book focuses on post-conflict military integration, understanding treaty negotiation and implementation in civil war contexts, with qualitative analysis of the Angolan and Mozambican civil wars. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/architecture
What is it about Times Square that has inspired such attention for well over a century? And how is it that, despite its many changes of character, the place has maintained a unique hold on our collective imagination? In Times Square Remade: The Dynamics of Urban Change (MIT Press, 2023), which comes twenty years after her widely acclaimed Times Square Roulette, Dr. Lynne Sagalyn masterfully tells the story of profound urban change over decades in the symbolic space that is New York City's Times Square. Drawing on the history, sociology, and political economy of the place, Times Square Remade examines how the public-private transformation of 42nd Street at Times Square impacted the entertainment district and adjacent neighbourhoods, particularly Hell's Kitchen. Dr. Sagalyn chronicles the earliest halcyon days of 42nd Street and Times Square as the nexus of speculation and competitive theatre building as well as its darkest days as vice central, and on to the years of aggressive government intervention to cleanse West 42nd Street of pornography and crime. Thematically, the author analyses the three main forces that have shaped and reshaped Times Square—theatre, real estate, and pornography—and explains the politics and economics of what got built and what has been restored or preserved. Accompanied by nearly 160 images, more than half in colour, Times Square Remade is a deftly woven narrative of urban transformation that will appeal as much to the general reader and New York City enthusiast as to urbanists, city planners, architects, urban designers, and policymakers. This interview was conducted by Dr. Miranda Melcher whose new book focuses on post-conflict military integration, understanding treaty negotiation and implementation in civil war contexts, with qualitative analysis of the Angolan and Mozambican civil wars. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/sociology
What is it about Times Square that has inspired such attention for well over a century? And how is it that, despite its many changes of character, the place has maintained a unique hold on our collective imagination? In Times Square Remade: The Dynamics of Urban Change (MIT Press, 2023), which comes twenty years after her widely acclaimed Times Square Roulette, Dr. Lynne Sagalyn masterfully tells the story of profound urban change over decades in the symbolic space that is New York City's Times Square. Drawing on the history, sociology, and political economy of the place, Times Square Remade examines how the public-private transformation of 42nd Street at Times Square impacted the entertainment district and adjacent neighbourhoods, particularly Hell's Kitchen. Dr. Sagalyn chronicles the earliest halcyon days of 42nd Street and Times Square as the nexus of speculation and competitive theatre building as well as its darkest days as vice central, and on to the years of aggressive government intervention to cleanse West 42nd Street of pornography and crime. Thematically, the author analyses the three main forces that have shaped and reshaped Times Square—theatre, real estate, and pornography—and explains the politics and economics of what got built and what has been restored or preserved. Accompanied by nearly 160 images, more than half in colour, Times Square Remade is a deftly woven narrative of urban transformation that will appeal as much to the general reader and New York City enthusiast as to urbanists, city planners, architects, urban designers, and policymakers. This interview was conducted by Dr. Miranda Melcher whose new book focuses on post-conflict military integration, understanding treaty negotiation and implementation in civil war contexts, with qualitative analysis of the Angolan and Mozambican civil wars. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/american-studies
What is it about Times Square that has inspired such attention for well over a century? And how is it that, despite its many changes of character, the place has maintained a unique hold on our collective imagination? In Times Square Remade: The Dynamics of Urban Change (MIT Press, 2023), which comes twenty years after her widely acclaimed Times Square Roulette, Dr. Lynne Sagalyn masterfully tells the story of profound urban change over decades in the symbolic space that is New York City's Times Square. Drawing on the history, sociology, and political economy of the place, Times Square Remade examines how the public-private transformation of 42nd Street at Times Square impacted the entertainment district and adjacent neighbourhoods, particularly Hell's Kitchen. Dr. Sagalyn chronicles the earliest halcyon days of 42nd Street and Times Square as the nexus of speculation and competitive theatre building as well as its darkest days as vice central, and on to the years of aggressive government intervention to cleanse West 42nd Street of pornography and crime. Thematically, the author analyses the three main forces that have shaped and reshaped Times Square—theatre, real estate, and pornography—and explains the politics and economics of what got built and what has been restored or preserved. Accompanied by nearly 160 images, more than half in colour, Times Square Remade is a deftly woven narrative of urban transformation that will appeal as much to the general reader and New York City enthusiast as to urbanists, city planners, architects, urban designers, and policymakers. This interview was conducted by Dr. Miranda Melcher whose new book focuses on post-conflict military integration, understanding treaty negotiation and implementation in civil war contexts, with qualitative analysis of the Angolan and Mozambican civil wars. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/public-policy
L.A. neo-psych group, Dream Phases, share their new LP Phantom Idol on this episode. On the album, Brandon Graham says, "Phantom Idol is our third full length album that was written and recorded between 2022-2023. It has by far the most collaborative writing of any of our albums so far, as Shane, Keveen and I co-wrote about half of the tracks on the album as opposed to writing the songs individually. We initially recorded demos for all of the songs, and some extra outtakes, and then we brought those to producers Matt Schuessler (Cat Power, Kurt Vile) and Rob Schnapf (Elliott Smith, Beck, Dr. Dog). With Matt and Rob we re-recorded everything, refining tempos and espeically the tones of the instruments. We also had the pleasure of having several guests perform on the album including Jeff Schroeder (ex-Smashing Pumpkins, Dan Gee, Marc Agostini, and Omar Medina as well as having our part time band mates Anthony Marks and Pablo Orue, who have recorded on many of our songs over the years. For the artwork we collaborated with Asuka Watanabe on the album cover and design and Scott Duffey (Toucan Tango) on all of the singles' art. The vinyl and digital release is coming out on Coconut Spaceship Records, while the tape will be released on Mutation Records. We are going to do an initial run of California and Nevada shows, with further dates later this year. Like our previous album, 'New Distractions', this new album was very much conceived as a complete album as opposed to singles compiled together. Thematically the album deals with a good amount of self discovery and self reflection as well as personal relationships. It also continues our influence of living in Los Angeles, and our love of California in general with a healthy dose of escapism mixed in there. 'Phantom Idol' comes the closest to what we initially envisioned both sonically and performance wise, and we can't wait to share the record."
“I came up doing improv where failure is the golden standard. And in improv, if you're not failing, you're doing something wrong. I feel really lucky that that was one of my bridges into entertainment and creativity, to have such a loving relationship with failure because, boy! As a writer, your days are filled with it and rejection and killing your darlings. I think comedy and improv have taught me how wonderful failure can be and how much we can get out of it for sure,” says Carrie Solomon, writer of the new Netflix romantic comedy, A Family Affair starring Nicole Kidman and Zac Ephron. In this episode, Carrie talks about working as an assistant when she first came to Hollywood, calling it a job that can be, “Thankless at times, certainly, but really rewarding in the amount of information that you can absorb.” She also talks about bringing her own life experience – like being an assistant – to her storytelling. “Thematically, I think a lot of lot of the arcs in this movie are certainly my own. It's my own therapy coming to the screen, going to the page. I should probably send my therapist a Netflix., QR code to go check out the movie,” Carrie says. Carrie also shares a lot of advice, including how to get your writing noticed. “For anyone who wants to make a splash or write something crazy or noticeable, write something that's crazy to you. Don't worry about what. If you yourself were entertained or wowed by an idea or you think, oh my god, that's absolutely like ass backwards crazy. Try it. I have a lot of friends that the minute they stop worrying about audiences or development execs or what people want to read, that's when they really found their voice and it clicked. I think being personal is one of the one of the quickest ways to find success.” To hear more about Carrie's writing journey, listen to the podcast.
For so long, history has been taught chronologically, but does it have to be and should it be? China Harvey and Lisa Herzig would argue that it does not and it should not.They are authors of the brand new book Teaching Beyond the Timeline: Engaging Students in Thematic History. And today we'll hear about their innovative approach to teaching history thematically. We'll explore the motivations behind this instructional shift, the challenges and triumphs they've encountered along the way, and the profound impact it has had on student engagement and understanding.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
In episode 201, Dan and Michael chat about the research project that focuses on thematically teaching public issues with Jeremiah Clabough, Caroline Sheffield, Timothy Litner, & Allie Whitford.
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