Hola, Sneakers! Welcome to Episode 588 of the podcast that falls between two stools!
This week: gentleman callers; Sith you’ve gone away; globe-acidal tendencies; space language; the trouble with titles; virtual nostalgia; Ian loves I Love Movies; Magic Mike overstays his welcome; Steven Soderbergh doesn’t develop; conversational incoherence; working curmudgeon; alias Laurel and Hardy; labour relations; working through banalities; complacent cheesies; inappropriate chicken; joke salad dressing; appease the normals; Cohen update: good news; pets make us liars; Ian and Dave wish you would see Puss-In-Boots: The Last Wish; scary movies for kids; Disney’s shorts; superhero padding; sexy sorceress; Dork Shadows – Welcome to My Nightmare: Question of the Week – Sneakers respond; forgot about the knife; listeners walking into the sea; going, going, gong; drywall techniques; and, finally, 3-D or not 3-D.
Question of the Week: Did you get some good news this week?
Sub-question of the Week: Do you have a library book at home that you never returned?
Thanks for listening.
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
I have good and bad news this week. The good news: an upcoming milestone birthday party for a friend who at one point was not expected to have any more birthdays. The bad news: the director of a series I write for passed away from a rapidly-progressing cancer at the age of 60. So just a reminder to all the Sneakers to have annual check-ups and tests done and to familiarize themselves with the warning signs for life-threatening conditions.
A library book I never returned: a copy of the 1936 play, Stage Door. I borrowed it for my high school drama teacher when he was looking for plays that had a lot of young women’s roles. I forgot all about it until a clerk mentioned it was overdue some months (or many even years) later. They put a trace on it, but it was probably still on a bookshelf in the drama department office or maybe my teacher packed it up with his other books when he retired. I don’t remember paying for it so I presume the library probably just wrote it off. Jump cut to the first year of the pandemic and the closure of all city facilities. I downloaded so many ebooks from the library’s website, I made a donation to their foundation in gratitude. So between that and city taxes, I hope we’re square, dearest Vancouver Public Library.
Concerning the beloved comedy team of Laurel & Hardy, they’ve been translated into many languages worldwide. Many years ago when I was visiting family back home in Chicago, my Aunt Antije who is from Germany, saw an illustration in my sketchbook of Stan & Ollie. She told me that the Germans refer to them as “Fat & Stupid” and when translated is “Dick und Doof” in their language. I remember this because thinking it was funny, I made a note of it on my sketchbook. It’s great the thoughts you guys spark in my memory with each week, I haven’t thought about that story with my aunt in years. I looked Laurel & Hardy up as “Dick und Doof” and there’s plenty to find, here’s a sample from IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt9346890/
I’ll admit I’ve had the same thoughts about the pacing of Marvel’s comics in relation to the cinematic juggernaut. I think you’re right, we’ve arrived at the 70’s timeline of Marvel with Shang-Chi, Werewolf by Night, The Eternals and the soon-to-be reprised Daredevil Reborn. Are you up for some good old fashioned Defenders, Inhumans or Champions too?
David mentioned the reasons for the surge of non-superhero titles from Marvel in the 70’s ranging from horror to kung-fu to westerns. I remember reading that there were creators who had been away from comics like EC and other monster and sci-fi comics because of the homogonized trend in comics during the 60’s, I think the comics code was more enforced during that time. Once the code was revised, the tide turned in the 70’s and comic writing expanded beyond super heroes, these creators were more than ready to return to the genre they missed. Add in the pop culture resurgence of horror and kung fu in the 70’s and comics creators were willing and able to reflect that. I personally know two writer-artist comic professionals who would be creating horror comics non-stop if they had their way. A few years back they produced and created a Bela Lugosi “presents” comic with the blessing of the Lugosi estate, it had Bela introducing horror anthology much the way Elvira did for television. It was outstanding only because it had become a pet project for these guys over the years, they only needed the licensing from the Lugosi estate to fulfill it.
Ian, are you watching the third season of Picard? I should be sitting in a bucket of sponges while I watch this season…where the hell is all this going???
I’m back to answer the questions of the week. I had some good news last week, I was dismissed from having jury duty the day before I was scheduled to go. It was strange too, I received an automated phone call, a text and an email all at the same time notifying me I didn’t have to drive to the courthouse at the ass-crack of dawn. As for this week my office is bringing in barbecue for lunch tomorrow, there’s a new streaming episode for both Star Wars AND Star Trek…and I started watching “Poker Face” following your recommendations. Really great so far, I haven’t been drawn into a show so fast like that in a long time. I liked Natasha Lyonne in “Russian Doll”, this looks like another win for her too.
I always returned my library books but if there was something I wanted to draw from the book, I’d take it over to the Xerox machine and copy it for free! I had file folders loaded with copies I used for reference and inspiration back in the day. If there was an album I liked, I’d check it out and make a tape out of it to keep, so I guess I found other ways to get the selected stuff I needed. I do have a first printing of the 1950 “Marx Brothers” book by Kyle Crichton that has “Toledo Public Library” stamped inside of it a few times. It also says “Withdrawn & Sold”, so I guess the book was legit when leaving the great state of Ohio. I have no recollection how I came to own this book, may have been an eBay purchase. This is the famously quasi-accurate book about the Brothers that was planned as a precursor to a biopic back in the 50’s. As much as Chico self-promoted the film, it never came to pass and the book stands alone as a strange tome unto itself.
I wish Good News of any kind to all my Sneakers out there! Write it about it, it’s not too late!!
Adieu Gentleman!
I just had an idea for a top five song theme!
Songs where the singer calls out an instrument while singing right before a solo.
I can think of three songs right off the top of my head where “guitar!” is called out by the singer.
Let me know if you want me to message them to you Dave…
Good news: I finally lost 3.5 lbs after slaving at the gym and cutting calories for months. That was yesterday. Today, some of that weight has been rediscovered! But I did get wordle in two today, so that’s some consolation.
Library book: I am sure it’s not at our house now but when I was in Grade 2 I misplaced a library book (that never did surface at our house so I doubt it was actually there at all) – but I got in SO MUCH TROUBLE from the librarian for losing the book that I developed a library phobia that lasted through university. Interestingly, our current librarian at my school experienced exactly the same thing so she vowed to be a nice librarian, which she is.