Tue, 16 April 2024
For the first time this season, Paul and Arlo have lost the plot. That’s right, the beloved Gobbledygeek freestyle episode has returned, new and improved for 2024, including such scintillating subjects as: Back pain! Stomach bugs! Car crashes! Country mouse Arlo took a trip to New York City, taking a bite out of the Big Apple for the very first time; Paul is planning a secluded getaway just to listen to the new Taylor Swift album; and, what’s that? The boys are writing again? They’re going to release another book? Yes! Well, maybe! Probably! All that and more on the latest episode of your very most favorite podcast.
NEXT: anything is possible.
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Sun, 7 April 2024
You’re a better podcaster than us, Michael Holland. That’s right, the City of Angels’ very own boy wonder is back to take Paul and Arlo to film school. The That Was Then classic gracing our screens this time is George Stevens’ 1939 adventure film Gunga Din, starring Cary Grant, Victor McLaglen, and Douglas Fairbanks Jr. The gang discusses the film’s connection to William Goldman, the subject of the first season of Michael’s podcast From Out of the Past; why it represents a milestone in action-adventure cinema; its surprising, or refreshing, lack of plot; and why Paul and Arlo had such a hard time watching this 85-year-old film for the very first time.
NEXT: much like Schwarzenegger, we’ll be back.
BREAKDOWN 00:00:42 - Intro / Guest 00:10:23 - Gunga Din 01:16:05 - Outro / Next
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Sun, 24 March 2024
Around and around we go, where we’ll stop–only Arlo knows! For this month’s Four-Color Flashback, Gobbledygeek’s enfant terrible has chosen Junji Ito’s 1998-99 horror manga Uzumaki. Will Paul ever forgive him? On hand to find out is The Deli Counter of Justice co-conspirator Eric Sipple, who will be appearing on FCF episodes for infinity. The gang discusses Ito’s beautifully grotesque imagery, the book’s at times confounding narrative, their (in)experience with the manga form, and snails. Plus, Arlo has been dabbling in other East Asian art with more Godzilla movies and Edward Yang’s Taiwanese masterpiece Yi Yi; and Paul cannot hold back his rage when it comes to X-Men ‘97.
NEXT: where you been, Gunga Din? Hollywood’s own Michael Holland joins us to discuss George Stevens’ 1939 classic.
BREAKDOWN 00:00:49 - Intro / Godzilla banter 00:14:23 - X-Men ‘97 rage! 00:28:33 - Uzumaki 01:49:54 - Outro / Next
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Tue, 27 February 2024
Oh, what a tangled web we Weavers! For this month’s Four-Color Flashback, Paul and Arlo trap Eric Sipple in their web once more, this time to discuss Simon Spurrier & Dylan Burnett’s Lovecraftian mob story Weavers. Despite being big fans of Spurrier’s (author of past FCF favorites Six-Gun Gorilla and The Spire), Paul and Arlo aren't quite sure what to make of this one, while Eric has some thoughts on why the book is an interesting failure. One thing they can all agree on is Burnett’s vibrant, stylish art–and how it elevates everything else on the page.
NEXT: Paul and Arlo will return.
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Thu, 8 February 2024
As they say, don’t drink and podcast, but here Paul and Arlo are talking about 2004’s Sideways for another round of That Was Then. Alexander Payne’s acclaimed dramedy follows alcoholic wine connoisseur Miles as he takes his bonehead best buddy Jack on a road trip through Santa Barbara the week before Jack’s due to get hitched. It is the Fox Searchlight movie, and the boys discuss what that means, how the performances bring forth certain emotional notes in the script’s body, and why somebody could come away from a first viewing not understanding 20 years’ worth of hype. Plus, Arlo goes into uncomfortable detail about his middle school career.
NEXT: enough old movies, let’s talk old(-ish) comics! This month’s Four-Color Flashback sees Eric Sipple joining Paul and Arlo for Si Spurrier and Dylan Burnett’s Weavers.
BREAKDOWN 00:00:45 - Intro / Guest 00:29:46 - Main Topic 01:35:36 - Outro / Next
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Fri, 2 February 2024
We’re speeding away at breakneck speed with another installment of our That Was Then series. This time Paul and Arlo are witnesses to The Taking of Pelham One Two Three, a 1974 subway heist thriller that is exactly what it says on the tin. Not that there’s anything wrong with that! But our boys do struggle to find much to say, choosing to highlight David Shire’s jazz-funk score and Owen Roizman’s gritty cinematography while mostly being puzzled by the script’s wasted potential. It’s a fun Noo Yawk movie, and that’s okay, folks!
NEXT: NO FUCKING MERLOT! That’s right, it’s another That Was Then, this time focusing on Alexander Payne’s 2004 buddy dramedy Sideways.
BREAKDOWN 00:00:30 - Intro / The Year That Was 1974 00:21:38 - The Taking of Pelham One Two Three 01:20:30 - Outro / Next
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Mon, 29 January 2024
For the next installment in our That Was Then series, Paul and Arlo cast their minds back to 1964–a year that predates both of them, though the era’s Beatlemania might as well be Arlo’s spiritual birthplace. This time, they’re popping paisley parasols for Jacques Demy’s The Umbrellas of Cherbourg, a sung-through opera told in the style of a Hollywood musical with some of the most stunning colors you’ll ever see. Hollywood extraordinaire and From Out of the Past host Michael Holland is on hand to help the boys discuss how the film defies romantic conventions while adhering to them, the magic of Jean Rabier’s camerawork, the way Demy uses color to convey feeling, and why the film deserves to be mentioned alongside classics of the French New Wave.
NEXT: it’s a mystery, gang!
BREAKDOWN 00:00:33 - Intro / Guest / The Year 1964 00:21:00 - The Umbrellas of Cherbourg 01:28:00 - Outro / Next
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Tue, 23 January 2024
Who ya gonna call? Gobbledygeek! For the first installment of our That Was Then series, taking a look back at movies celebrating anniversaries in 2024, Paul and Arlo take residence at Spook Central for 1984’s Ghostbusters. Turning a frightful 40 this year, Ivan Reitman’s classic comedy began as a high-concept riff on the “slobs v. snobs” template made popular by Animal House before becoming an inescapable pop cultural juggernaut. The boys discuss the thoughtfulness of Reitman’s direction in tandem with the great László Kovács’ photography, the perfectly structured script by Dan Aykroyd and Harold Ramis, how much of Pete Venkman is just Bill Murray, and why the right-wing backlash to the 2016 remake is ironic in light of the original’s sketchy politics.
NEXT: a little of this, a little of that.
BREAKDOWN 00:00:48 - Intro / The Year That Was 1984 00:18:19 - Ghostbusters (1984) 01:36:29 - Outro / Next
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Wed, 17 January 2024
Look, up in the sky! It's a bird! It's a plane! It's the Gobbledygeek season 15 premiere! Breaking from vaguely defined tradition, Paul and Arlo are kicking off the season with a Four-Color Flashback, and their pal Eric Sipple is on hand to help turn the pages. Arlo has chosen to subject Paul and Eric to the classic Jeph Loeb/Tim Sale collab Superman for All Seasons, which may prove a tough sell to a couple of Super-skeptics. The gang discusses the book’s Rockwell-influenced aesthetic, the simplicity (or flatness, depending on taste) of the cast, how Sale’s big dopey Superman conveys Clark Kent’s decency, and the surprising love triangle at the book’s core. Plus, Arlo explains the very personal reasons he chose this book to start the season. You'll believe a man can cry.
NEXT: introducing our That Was Then series, wherein Paul and Arlo will be taking a look at various movies that are celebrating anniversaries in 2024. First up is perennial Gobbledy-fave Ghostbusters, which is turning a frightful 40.
BREAKDOWN 00:00:43 - Intro / Guest 00:13:05 - Superman For All Seasons 02:02:28 - Arlo kills the conversation (TW: dead dads) 02:21:30 - Outro / Next
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