The Flopcast

It's our final show of 2020, so let's look back at the BEST YEAR EVER. Okay, maybe it wasn't... but we still managed to keep our goofy show flopping along by Zoom every week. (Of course we miss having Kornflake live in Chickentown Studios... but on the other hand, we're saving a fortune on coffee...) As the stupid year wraps up, we reflect on our convention appearances (all from the beginning of the year, wonder why), our podcast guests (huh, our most frequent - and most bleeped - guests were a couple of nerdy girls), and all our silly Flopcast segments (National Whatever Day, Chickens in the News, The Top 4 1/2 List, What's in the Bag, The Pudding Pages, FlopFight, Capes or Apes, and of course, new for 2020... Trapped in the House). And since it's become a beloved Flopcast tradition, we also reveal our New Year's Resolutions! (Kornflake came up with a good one. Kevin's will shock you.) So hang in there and keep being festive, kids. See you in 2021. Prepare to giggle.

The Flopcast website!

The ESO Network!

The Flopcast on Facebook!

The Flopcast on Instagram!

The Flopcast on Twitter!

Please rate and review The Flopcast on Apple Podcasts!

Email: info@flopcast.net

Our music is by The Sponge Awareness Foundation!

This week's promo: Thunder Talk!

Direct download: Flopcast_451.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 9:27am EDT

Like an unwanted box of ribbon candy from your great-aunt, here's an assortment of holiday (and non-holiday) weirdness, just for you. Flopcast superfan Arturo has another amazing "What's in the Bag" for us (and yes, chickens are involved); Flopcast superfan Lee reminds us to celebrate the career of wrestling's biggest baldest bad guy, King Kong Bundy; original Kiss drummer Peter Criss turns 75 this week (so sorry, Beth, he'll probably be out late again); the DragonCon American Sci-Fi Classics Track recommends funny holiday songs (including singing dogs, Christmas chickens, a new one from Whitney Avalon, a classic from Niki Luparelli, and maybe a little Sponge Awareness Foundation); and our epic holiday podcast crossover event concludes with But First, Let's Talk Nerdy episode 34, as Kevin joins Martha and Brittany to scream about Mr. Magoo's Christmas Carol. Razzleberry dressing not included.

But First, Let's Talk Nerdy episode 34 - a Flopcast crossover event!

American Sci-Fi Classics Funny Holiday Songs panel!

Whitney Avalon's (explicit!) new Christmas song, "WTF 2020?!"

A special Christmas wish (also explicit!) from Niki Luparelli!

And our regular links...

The Flopcast website!

The ESO Network!

The Flopcast on Facebook!

The Flopcast on Instagram!

The Flopcast on Twitter!

Please rate and review The Flopcast on Apple Podcasts!

Email: info@flopcast.net

Our music is by The Sponge Awareness Foundation!

This week's promo: Pop Culture Cosmos!

Direct download: Flopcast_450.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 10:23am EDT

Break out the nog and join us for an epic podcast crossover event! Brittany and Martha (of But First, Let's Talk Nerdy) are here for the holidays, with a Flopcast Top 4 1/2 List of Christmas cartoon characters! It's a super-fun, super-festive list, including a snowman (but not the one you're thinking of), a snow monster (yes, that one), our favorite Sombertown schoolteacher, assorted rabbits and ducks, and a couple of misfits. Also: More Hallmark movie talk, Limahl's birthday, Bobby Brady's hair, reindeer bleeps, and the Figgy Pudding Pages. And this is just part one! Tune into episode 34 of But First, Let's Talk Nerdy (available later this week) for the shocking conclusion. Is this the greatest holiday crossover since Rudolph and Frosty's Christmas in July? Only King Moonracer knows the truth.

But First, Let's Talk Nerdy!

And our regular links...

The Flopcast website!

The ESO Network!

The Flopcast on Facebook!

The Flopcast on Instagram!

The Flopcast on Twitter!

Please rate and review The Flopcast on Apple Podcasts!

Email: info@flopcast.net

Our music is by The Sponge Awareness Foundation!

This week's promo: The Watch-A-Thon of Rassilon!

Direct download: Flopcast_449.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 10:49am EDT

As our holiday festivities continue, we're scrolling through a list of Hallmark Christmas movies... and fixing them. Is there any way to redeem these crazy generic holiday romantic comedies, all featuring big city career women returning to their hometowns to find true love and the meaning of Christmas? Yeah, we've got you covered, as we script-doctor these turkeys and randomly add Snow Misers, Sharknadoes, angry chickens, a certain fruit-obsessed Martian, and lots more perfectly reasonable improvements. So it's safe to turn on your TV again this month. We just saved Christmas.

Grant's Advent Calendar!

Strange Animals Podcast!

And our regular links...

The Flopcast website!

The ESO Network!

The Flopcast on Facebook!

The Flopcast on Instagram!

The Flopcast on Twitter!

Please rate and review The Flopcast on Apple Podcasts!

Email: info@flopcast.net

Our music is by The Sponge Awareness Foundation!

This week's promo: Double Edged Double Bill!

Direct download: Flopcast_448.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 1:50pm EDT

It's been a few months since we played that horrifying game we invented for 2020, Trapped in the House. But as we creep into the holiday season, it's time for a few rounds of Trapped in the House: Holiday Edition! We have some tough choices to make, as our homes are about to be invaded by lords a-leaping, maids a-milking, sarcastic candy, singing dogs, obnoxious Rankin Bass characters, and yes, zombies. Let's see what happens. We'll be home for Christmas. You will too. Lock the door.

The Flopcast website!

The ESO Network!

The Flopcast on Facebook!

The Flopcast on Instagram!

The Flopcast on Twitter!

Please rate and review The Flopcast on Apple Podcasts!

Email: info@flopcast.net

Our music is by The Sponge Awareness Foundation!

This week's promo: The Best Saturdays of Our Lives!

Direct download: Flopcast_447.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 8:34am EDT

It's our Thanksgiving spectacular! But not really! We're just looking up weird facts about the stuff served at Charlie Brown's infamous backyard Thanksgiving dinner. (Remember, Thanksgiving step one: Have your dog battle an evil demon lawn chair.) So we learn about ancient disgusting toast recipes, popcorn archaeology, Easter pretzel hunts, and the jellybean battlefields of the American Civil War. This is very useful trivia to scream at your uncle over Zoom on Thursday. Also: Bowling alley jukeboxes, the Underdog balloon, and Thanksgiving fun with ESO Board Silly and the American Sci-Fi Classics Track. So enjoy, and be festive. But stay home. And if you're cooking a tofu turkey, just save us a tofu drumstick and the tofu neck.

The Flopcast website!

The ESO Network!

The Flopcast on Facebook!

The Flopcast on Instagram!

The Flopcast on Twitter!

Please rate and review The Flopcast on Apple Podcasts!

Email: info@flopcast.net

Our music is by The Sponge Awareness Foundation!

This week's promo: ESO Network Patreon!

Direct download: Flopcast_446.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 7:54am EDT

Let's wrap up our review of 1990 Saturday morning TV with a look at the bizarre lineup on NBC. We had a couple of cartoonified SCTV stars taking care of weird kids (John Candy in Camp Candy and Rick Moranis in Gravedale High), Captain N: The Game Master (with a shameless parade of Nintendo characters), movie parodies from the Chipmunks, awkward cartoon dancing from Kid 'n Play... and the beginning of the end for Saturday morning cartoons with Saved By the Bell and The Guys Next Door. (Don't remember The Guys Next Door? It was a Monkees-style sitcom about a New Kids-style boy band. And as a civilization, we have collectively decided to pretend it never happened.)

The Flopcast website!

The ESO Network!

The Flopcast on Facebook!

The Flopcast on Instagram!

The Flopcast on Twitter!

Please rate and review The Flopcast on Apple Podcasts!

Email: info@flopcast.net

Our music is by The Sponge Awareness Foundation!

This week's promo: Metal Geeks!

Direct download: Flopcast_445.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 10:44am EDT

We're so amused by all those fours in this week's episode number that we turned it into a Top 4 1/2 List. So the subject is... four! Our favorite fours. (Yeah, we know. We're out of ideas.) Some of our picks are obvious - gotta go with the Fantastic Four, even if it leads to the endless debate of Human Torch vs. HERBIE the robot. And there's a four-themed cartoon, thanks to School House Rock. But as usual, the list gets weird quickly, with various "four" stuff from TV, music, games, and more. We assure you, before we're done, Frankie Valli will be shrieking in your head. Also: Obscure children's shows (you know we love Vegetable Soup), The Rocky Horror Picture Show, the Whoopi Goldberg/High Feather connection, and a road trip to Woonsocket, North Dakota that hopefully will never happen. So grab four cups of coffee and join us. This show is pretty sneaky, sis.

American Sci-Fi Classics panel: Rocky Horror Picture Show!

American Sci-Fi Classics panel: Obscure Children's Shows!

And our regular links...

The Flopcast website!

The ESO Network!

The Flopcast on Facebook!

The Flopcast on Instagram!

The Flopcast on Twitter!

Please rate and review The Flopcast on Apple Podcasts!

Email: info@flopcast.net

Our music is by The Sponge Awareness Foundation!

This week's promo: Mighty Marvel Geeks!

Direct download: Flopcast_444.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 12:26pm EDT

Just a random heap of goofy topics this week, so let's go. We have zombie coffee vs. robot coffee, Amazing Randi follow-up, freaky Halloween costumes, the Aquabats, the Creature from the Black Lagoon (and several other lagoons), Markie Post (and several other Markies), ElectraWoman, Wonder Woman, Pudding Pages, Power Records, Batman finds a Picasso, Fred Flintstone goes on a diet, Lynda Carter spins for democracy, and Kornflake walks through a giant pumpkin.

Skepchick podcast on James Randi

Kooky Spooks!

And our regular links...

The Flopcast website!

The ESO Network!

The Flopcast on Facebook!

The Flopcast on Instagram!

The Flopcast on Twitter!

Please rate and review The Flopcast on Apple Podcasts!

Email: info@flopcast.net

Our music is by The Sponge Awareness Foundation!

This week's promo: ESO Network Patreon!

Direct download: Flopcast_443.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 6:55am EDT

We lost a hero this week, so this show is our memorial tribute to James Randi. As a magician, The Amazing Randi performed around the world, toured with Alice Cooper, and taught Fonzie an escape trick on Happy Days. (By the way, Happy 75th Birthday to Henry Winkler!) But Randi was even better known as a skeptic and an investigator of claims of the paranormal and supernatural. His work debunked countless psychics, faith healers, and alternative medicine snake oil peddlers. He taught us to think critically, demand evidence, and follow the science. In addition to discussing his remarkable life, we also share some personal memories of our time with Randi, and we replay our quick Flopcast interview from way back at DragonCon 2012. (Randi loved DragonCon. He was a geek like us.) So join us as we celebrate a little guy with a big beard and a bigger heart, a self-proclaimed cheat and charlatan, an honest liar. Then let's get back to work.

The Amazing James Randi!

Earth Station One Podcast with Victoria Price!

Strange Animals Podcast: The Dover Demon!

DragonCon American Sci-Fi Classics Track: Serial Killers vs. Cereal Mascots!

And our regular links...

The Flopcast website!

The ESO Network!

The Flopcast on Facebook!

The Flopcast on Instagram!

The Flopcast on Twitter!

Please rate and review The Flopcast on Apple Podcasts!

Email: info@flopcast.net

Our music is by The Sponge Awareness Foundation!

This week's promo: We Be Geeks!

Direct download: Flopcast_442.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 11:30am EDT

It's another cartoon-themed episode, as we continue our look at the Saturday morning TV landscape of 1990. This time we've tuned into CBS and found some long-running favorites (Muppet Babies, Garfield and Friends, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Pee Wee's Playhouse) and a couple of short-lived oddities (Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventures, and yes, Dink the Little Dinosaur.) Our discussion includes Barbara Billingsley, Lorenzo Music, a couple of cartoon chickens (Camilla and Sheldon), and a tooth-brushing turtle. Also: John Lithgow sings, George Carlin is pumped up like Hans and Franz, and the DragonCon American Sci-Fi Classics Track has serial killers battling cereal mascots. The Trix Rabbit shall have its final revenge, and we're all doomed.

DragonCon American Sci-Fi Classics Track: Serial Killers vs. Cereal Mascots!

And our regular links...

The Flopcast website!

The ESO Network!

The Flopcast on Facebook!

The Flopcast on Instagram!

The Flopcast on Twitter!

Please rate and review The Flopcast on Apple Podcasts!

Email: info@flopcast.net

Our music is by The Sponge Awareness Foundation!

This week's promo: The Soul Forge Podcast!

Direct download: Flopcast_441.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 1:01pm EDT

It's about time for a vaguely Halloween-themed show... so this week we're just talking about Frankenstein. Mary Shelley's novel introduced our favorite monster to the world way back in 1818 (which was also the last time we left the house). And 153 years later, the Frankenstein monster reached its final perfect form as a hideous pink breakfast cereal mascot. But there have been lots more versions along the way, in movies (with Sting and Flashdance!) (oh, and Boris Karloff), cartoons (Frankenstein Jr.! Drak Pack!), and even Saturday Night Live (with a little help from Tonto and Tarzan). And in television, besides our pal Herman Munster, there's also a 1979 Frankenstein sitcom that no one else remembers, nor should they. Coincidentally, our friends at DragonCon's American Sci-Fi Classics Track also released a Frankenstein show this week! Tune in and check it out. For better reception, adjust those weird bolts sticking out of your neck.

The American Sci-Fi Classics Track's Frankenstein panel!

Only if you dare: 1979's Struck By Lightning!

And our regular links...

The Flopcast website!

The ESO Network!

The Flopcast on Facebook!

The Flopcast on Instagram!

The Flopcast on Twitter!

Please rate and review The Flopcast on Apple Podcasts!

Email: info@flopcast.net

Our music is by The Sponge Awareness Foundation!

This week's promo: But First, Let's Talk Nerdy!

Direct download: Flopcast_440.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 8:30am EDT

A few months back, we examined the Saturday morning cartoon schedules of each major TV network from the year 1980. Now we're jumping ahead by a decade for three more cartoon-themed episodes, starting with ABC's Saturday morning schedule from the ridiculous year of 1990. How ridiculous was it? Well... there was a New Kids on the Block cartoon. Television probably should have just ended right there, for the sake of the children. But moving on, the rest of the ABC lineup was pretty strong overall. There were some fresh revivals of classic cartoon properties (like Scooby Doo and Winnie the Pooh), as well as animated versions of recent supernatural comedy films (Ghostbusters and Beetlejuice). Even the Wizard of Oz gang reunited for a faithful new cartoon series... and you know we're always on the side of the flying monkeys. So join us. Let's figure out what happened. Do not bring your MC Hammer cassette.

The Flopcast website!

The ESO Network!

The Flopcast on Facebook!

The Flopcast on Instagram!

The Flopcast on Twitter!

Please rate and review The Flopcast on Apple Podcasts!

Email: info@flopcast.net

Our music is by The Sponge Awareness Foundation!

This week's promo: Earth Station One!

Direct download: Flopcast_439.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 5:20pm EDT

Inspired by the DragonCon American Sci-Fi Classics Track's "Hostess Fruit Pie Theater" (don't ask), we're looking at those bizarre Hostess comic book ads of the 70s and 80s. It was a time when every Marvel and DC superhero (as well as all the Archie characters, Looney Tunes characters, Casper, Richie Rich, and even Sad Sack) were completely obsessed with Hostess products. Aquaman could stop a bank robbery with a fruit pie. So we're counting down our favorite goofy Hostess ads in another Flopcast Top 4 1/2 List! We also play a quick round of Trapped in the House featuring the classic Hostess characters. (Do you really want Twinkie the Kid stomping around your home? Think carefully...) Also: Children should definitely climb inside strange delivery trucks, Geordi La Forge wants you to fish yogurt lids out of the trash, and Kornflake has lobster wine, because of course she does.

Links:

Mike's Amazing World of Comics has an amazing collection of Hostess ads!

Our Top 4 1/2 Hostess ads:

Spider-Man vs. The Human Computer!

The Road Runner in Paul Revere's Run!

Josie in Getting Noticed!

Richie Rich Meets 2 Smart Robots!

Mera Meets the Manta Men!

American Sci-Fi Classics Track's Hostess Fruit Pie Theater!

And our regular links...

The Flopcast website!

The ESO Network!

The Flopcast on Facebook!

The Flopcast on Instagram!

The Flopcast on Twitter!

Please rate and review The Flopcast on Apple Podcasts!

Email: info@flopcast.net

Our music is by The Sponge Awareness Foundation!

This week's promo: Earth Station DCU!

Direct download: Flopcast_438.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 1:16pm EDT

Just a quick simple show this week, as we recombobulate post-DragonCon. (Yeah, we're even sleepier than usual.) Including: Online movie riffing with The Mads, remembering Tower Records, Fake Jan, Spider-Man and His Amazing Friends, Ricky Schroder in a tuxedo, Kornflake on a trampoline, and Happy Birthday to one giant supertwin.

Links:

MST3K's Trace and Frank, The Mads!

The Tower Records documentary, All Things Must Pass!

RetroFan magazine!

Fake Jan!

The Flopcast website!

The ESO Network!

The Flopcast on Facebook!

The Flopcast on Instagram!

The Flopcast on Twitter!

Please rate and review The Flopcast on Apple Podcasts!

Email: info@flopcast.net

Our music is by The Sponge Awareness Foundation!

This week's promo: Rusted Robot!

Direct download: Flopcast_437.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 9:37am EDT

We seem to have survived the first (and yikes, hopefully the last) online "virtual" version of DragonCon! This year, instead of descending upon downtown Atlanta, we all stayed home, got on the stupid internet, and made it happen. Kevin and the Mayor of Chickentown (as well as lots more ESO Network personnel) were quite busy with DragonCon panels and meetups throughout Labor Day weekend, and this year Kornflake was able to join us too! Time to look back and figure out what in the world happened. Including: Panels on Lost in Space, Titans, 12 Monkeys, and more; fun with green screens; costuming at home; a Twilight Zone tournament; The Shadow meets Taylor Dayne; the virtual Hilton bar; the virtual Geek Girls Run; making pie (the boozy kind) way up in Massachusetts; a surprise Roll-a-Panel (featuring The Last Dragon); naughty novelizations; and freaking out over Fonzie cartoons. It was magnificent. Special thanks to everyone at DragonCon's American Sci-Fi Classics Track and American SF-Fantasy Media Track! You are our people. See you next year, nerds, one weird way or another...

The Flopcast website!

The ESO Network!

The Flopcast on Facebook!

The Flopcast on Instagram!

The Flopcast on Twitter!

Please rate and review The Flopcast on Apple Podcasts!

Email: info@flopcast.net

Our music is by The Sponge Awareness Foundation!

DragonCon goes virtual!

This week's promo: Ring of Thunder!

Direct download: Flopcast_436.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 2:46pm EDT

It's DragonCon weekend, and while the convention is virtual this year, we're not gonna miss hanging out with Martha and Brittany from the podcast But First, Let's Talk Nerdy! And the Mayor of Chickentown is here too! It's a party, so get ready for some silly DragonCon talk, including: The Marriott vs. the Hyatt, a friendly dog crashing our Zoom call, our traditional Sam Adams Octoberfest, plastic mermaids, cereal box costumes, Agents of SHIELD costumes, packing costumes for DragonCon, having a giant head, the DragonCon Geek Girls Run, making Kevin jealous with mimosas and waffles, Booster Gold, Scooby Doo, and Katy Perry conspiracy theories. It all gets a little crazy, but that's DragonCon. Hopefully we can do it all for real in Atlanta next year. But for now, join us right here. No membership badge required.

The Flopcast website!

The ESO Network!

The Flopcast on Facebook!

The Flopcast on Instagram!

The Flopcast on Twitter!

Please rate and review The Flopcast on Apple Podcasts!

Email: info@flopcast.net

Our music is by The Sponge Awareness Foundation!

DragonCon goes virtual!

Brittany and Martha's show, But First, Let's Talk Nerdy!

This week's promo: The 42cast!

Direct download: Flopcast_435.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 7:50pm EDT

We're just a few days away from DragonCon! Normally we'd be flying to Atlanta right about now, with our Sleestak costumes carefully stuffed in our carry-on bags. But DragonCon is happening online this year, so just stay home and tune in. (But do still dress like a Sleestak. Always.) And we have more special DragonCon guests here on the Flopcast this week! Christine and Darryl are veteran DragonCon attendees, often spotted around the convention in their eerily accurate Doctor Crusher and Captain Picard costumes. So we're talking Star Trek (and DragonCon's Trek Track), our adventures as DragonCon Newbie Walking Tour guides, rolling giant dice with the American Sci-Fi Classics Track, and being trapped in Rhode Island for DragonCon weekend. (Rhode Island is at least as weird as DragonCon, so that helps.) Kevin and the Mayor (and lots more ESO Network personnel) will be appearing on several virtual DragonCon panels - watch our social media pages for our complete schedule, coming very soon. Meanwhile, be like Kornflake, stock up on scary beverages, and prepare for online geekery. This is happening.

The Flopcast website!

The ESO Network!

The Flopcast on Facebook!

The Flopcast on Instagram!

The Flopcast on Twitter!

Please rate and review The Flopcast on Apple Podcasts!

Email: info@flopcast.net

Our music is by The Sponge Awareness Foundation!

DragonCon goes virtual!

This week's promo: Pop Culture Cosmos!

Direct download: Flopcast_434.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 9:09am EDT

As virtual DragonCon approaches, we're virtually catching up with some of our favorite DragonCon people. And our guest this week is another old friend, coming to you all the way from Tennessee: Strange Animals Podcast host Kate Shaw! Kevin and Kate met through the small press publishing scene of the 90s, before they traded in their photocopiers and staplers for microphones and digital recorders. Now they meet up at DragonCon every year (except, you know, this year), and their DragonCon memories include steampunk owl-catcher costumes, birdwatching in the rain, and trying to give away a banana. Kate is working with DragonCon's Digital Media track again this year, and we'll share her virtual panel schedule soon, assuming we're not all devoured by giant ice worms. Also this week: DragonCon beverages, the DragonCon parade, Mary Tyler Moore costume groups, and Bigfoot. (Warning: As the convention gets closer, this show gets weirder.)

Direct download: Flopcast_433.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 3:03pm EDT

In a normal year, right now we'd be preparing to go to Atlanta for DragonCon, our favorite annual gathering of the geeks. But, as you may have noticed, this is not a normal year. We're still going to DragonCon, but it'll be an online virtual convention - just fire up your Commodore 64 and tune in! (You're old school. We like that.) And since we won't get to hang out with our DragonCon friends in person, we're bringing them here to the Flopcast, starting this week with Jessica Mercy! Jessica is a singer (with her band Anaria), a costume designer and model (with Good Enough Cosplay), and a longtime DragonCon attendee. And she's back on the Flopcast (after seven years!) to discuss her history with the convention, her experience as a DragonCon guest and performer, and her upcoming projects. Jessica is one of the most talented people we know (and yikes, that's saying something), and she's keeping busy, even in our weird new world. Also: The return of the Swedish Chef (and his new turkey friend), memories of DragonCon 1996 (only some of which involve GWAR), and the day the coffee died in Chickentown.

DragonCon goes virtual!

Jessica Mercy's symphonic metal band, Anaria!

Good Enough Cosplay!

The Flopcast website!

The ESO Network!

The Flopcast on Facebook!

The Flopcast on Instagram!

The Flopcast on Twitter!

Please rate and review The Flopcast on Apple Podcasts!

Email: info@flopcast.net

Our music is by The Sponge Awareness Foundation!

This week's promo: Cigar Nerds!

Direct download: Flopcast_432.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 9:57am EDT

Never mind the humans, it's time for our ninth (!) annual robot-themed Top 4 1/2 List. And because this is not a normal summer, we're combining the robot list with our new quarantine era segment, Trapped in the House. Kevin is supplying the weird robot options, and Kornflake must choose which robots are stomping on over to her place and moving in. Are these robots angry, crazy, and super annoying? But of course. Also: 1980s computers, Partners in Crime with Loni and Lynda, virtual DragonCon, and a very exciting bird feeder update.

The Flopcast website!

The ESO Network!

The Flopcast on Facebook!

The Flopcast on Instagram!

The Flopcast on Twitter!

Please rate and review The Flopcast on Apple Podcasts!

Email: info@flopcast.net

Our music is by The Sponge Awareness Foundation!

DragonCon goes virtual!

Watch-A-Thon of Rassilon episode 126, with the Mayor of Chickentown!

This week's promo: Double Edged Double Bill!

Direct download: Flopcast_431.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 8:20am EDT

It's our Billy Joel episode! Which we've been meaning to do for years! (Sorry about the delay. We've been really busy and/or sleepy.) We start by celebrating the 40th (!) anniversary of the Glass Houses album, and determine if it's really still rock and roll to us. Then Kornflake presents a Top 4 1/2 List of her favorite Billy Joel songs. (It's a slightly randomized list, based on coin tosses, so you can play along at home and guess if Kornflake prefers uptown girls or innocent men.) So grab a bottle of red and a bottle of white. (And a bottle of Ramblin' Root Beer. Don't ask us why.) We'll supply the hot funk, cool punk, old junk, big shots, angry young piano men, and heart attackackackackackacks. We just may be the lunatics you're looking for. But probably not.

The Flopcast website!

The ESO Network!

The Flopcast on Facebook!

The Flopcast on Instagram!

The Flopcast on Twitter!

Please rate and review The Flopcast on Apple Podcasts!

Email: info@flopcast.net

Our music is by The Sponge Awareness Foundation!

This week's promo: The Best Saturdays of Our Lives!

Direct download: Flopcast_430.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 12:23pm EDT

Because we're idiots, last summer we forced ourselves to watch all the Meatballs sequels. (There were three, which felt like three hundred.) So this week, continuing the theme of disappointing follow-ups to classic Bill Murray movies, we finally watched all the Caddyshack sequels. (There was just one, which somehow also felt like three hundred.) Caddyshack II got a few things right: A script by Harold Ramis (which was unfortunately rewritten into oblivion), another killer theme song from Kenny Loggins ("Nobody's Fool" is arguably superior to "I'm Alright"), the return of Chevy Chase (still advising everyone to be the ball), and the return of our beloved gopher (now sounding suspiciously like Frank Welker). But then there were some problems, with Dan Aykroyd, Jackie Mason, and Robert Stack as vastly inferior substitutes for Bill, Rodney, and Ted. On the other hand, there was a weird connection to Steve Martin's The Jerk, a weird connection to Robolar from Mars, and a Bushwood Country Club snob played by a future member of Wilson Phillips. So that's something. (Oh, we also sneaked in a Kim Richards double feature this week, with the classic Escape to Witch Mountain and the non-classic Tuff Turf.) In summary: We like watching stupid things, so here we are. Back at the shack.

The Flopcast website!

The ESO Network!

The Flopcast on Facebook!

The Flopcast on Instagram!

The Flopcast on Twitter!

Please rate and review The Flopcast on Apple Podcasts!

Email: info@flopcast.net

Our music is by The Sponge Awareness Foundation!

This week's promo: ESO Network Patreon!

Robolar from Mars!

Direct download: Flopcast_429.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 7:45am EDT

A mysterious package arrived at the studio, and now we're the proud (?) owners of a Teen Beat 1981 Calendar magazine. You can read it like a magazine (and learn all about Gary Coleman) or hang it on the wall like a calendar (and spend an entire month staring at John Schneider). We flip through the whole thing, hoping at least one month would feature a chimpanzee, and we are not disappointed. (KISS fans, however, were disappointed by the departure of Peter Criss... but at least he's Teen Beat's Miss December.) So join us back in 1981, which was way less horrifying than 2020. Also: A Texas chicken makes the perfect escape, Kevin is talking about Archie, Kornflake is talking about Oliver & Company, Martha and Brittany are in the Geek Seat, and birthday girl Edie McClurg was a Snork.

The Flopcast website!

The ESO Network!

The Flopcast on Facebook!

The Flopcast on Instagram!

The Flopcast on Twitter!

Please rate and review The Flopcast on Apple Podcasts!

Email: info@flopcast.net

Our music is by The Sponge Awareness Foundation!

This week's promo: Metal Geeks!

Rewatching the Magic: A Disney Fan Podcast, with special guest Kornflake!

American Sci-Fi Classics Quarantine Panel #14: To Riverdale and Back Again - Everything's Archie!

The ESO Bored Silly podcast is available through ESO's Patreon!

But First, Let's Talk Nerdy's Martha and Brittany in the Geek Seat on Earth Station One!

Direct download: Flopcast_428.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 12:26pm EDT

It's the conclusion of our latest silly tournament, as we randomly draw more Lilith Fair performers to compete in more stupid events. (For example, would Sheryl Crow or Jewel be a better Lyft driver? We have the definitive answer.) Last week, your Lilith queen Sarah McLachlan was knocked out of contention, so it's anybody's game at this point. Kevin loves Joan Osborne, Kornflake loves the Indigo Girls, but can anyone stop Dar Williams? Meanwhile, a bizarre dark horse contender emerges... So hop aboard for another crazy FlopFight. A change would do you good.

The Flopcast website!

The ESO Network!

The Flopcast on Facebook!

The Flopcast on Instagram!

The Flopcast on Twitter!

Please rate and review The Flopcast on Apple Podcasts!

Email: info@flopcast.net

Our music is by The Sponge Awareness Foundation!

This week's promo: Dr. Geek's Laboratory!

Direct download: Flopcast_427.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 10:52am EDT

The 2020s have been, uh, less than delightful so far. So let's go back to the 1990s, and back to the Lilith Fair, for another ridiculous FlopFight tournament! We're randomly drawing the names of Lilith Fair performers, and debating how they would fare in various stupid competitions. It's stuff like, could Suzanne Vega defeat Fiona Apple in a staring contest? Would Tracy Chapman be a better breakdancer than Bonnie Raitt? These are the important questions, people. And this is just part one. For more crazy Lilith action, join us next week, when our final FlopFight champion shall arrive in the arms of the angel, far away from here. Also this week: A drive-in stand up comedy show, a Beck song lyrics quiz, and an inflatable chicken (for indoor use only).

The Beck Song Generator

The Flopcast website!

The ESO Network!

The Flopcast on Facebook!

The Flopcast on Instagram!

The Flopcast on Twitter!

Please rate and review The Flopcast on Apple Podcasts!

Email: info@flopcast.net

Our music is by The Sponge Awareness Foundation!

This week's promo: The Soul Forge Podcast!

Direct download: Flopcast_426.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 9:43am EDT

Longtime friends of the Flopcast Brittany and Martha are back this week, as we officially announce that their podcast But First, Let's Talk Nerdy is now part of the ESO Network! We catch up on life in Las Vegas during the pandemic (Kevin escaped just in time), some of their recent nerdy show topics (like Sailor Moon, Cowboy Bebop, Riverdale, and James Bond), and the art of podcasting while tipsy (they need a sponsorship deal with White Claw). Be sure to check out But First, Let's Talk Nerdy, and welcome Brittany and Martha to our weird little ESO family! Also: We recommend online shows from Speak Up and Niki Luparelli, we still love Atari 2600 Asteroids, we remember comic book writer Denny O'Neil, and we're seriously considering watching Caddyshack II. Please, somebody stop us.


The Flopcast website

The ESO Network

The Flopcast on Facebook

The Flopcast on Instagram

The Flopcast on Twitter

Please rate and review The Flopcast on Apple Podcasts

Email: info@flopcast.net

Our music is by The Sponge Awareness Foundation!

But First, Let's Talk Nerdy

Good Enough Cosplay

Speak Up Storytelling

Niki Luparelli

This week's promo: But First, Let's Talk Nerdy!

 

Direct download: Flopcast_425.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 10:45am EDT

Last week Kevin listed his ten favorite albums from the 1980s, year by ridiculous year. So this week it's Kornflake's turn, with an album list from the 1990s! (You may not remember the 90s very well. You were so goofed up on Crystal Pepsi back then.) It's a fun mix of alt-rock, pop, boy bands, and maybe even a little rap and hair metal. (But alas, no Spacehog...) Also: Happy Birthday to a classic TV mom (from Lassie AND Lost in Space), Kornflake is drinking something that isn't coffee, Kevin keeps running into Herbie the Love Bug, and Rhode Island wants outdoor strip clubs. Kids, the world isn't getting less weird anytime soon.

The Flopcast website

The ESO Network

The Flopcast on Facebook

The Flopcast on Instagram

The Flopcast on Twitter

Please rate and review The Flopcast on Apple Podcasts

Email: info@flopcast.net

Our music is by The Sponge Awareness Foundation!

This week's promo: Earth Station One!

Direct download: Flopcast_424.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 11:46am EDT

By request, Kevin lists a favorite album for each year of the 1980s, and Kornflake provides expert (?) commentary along the way. (Several Australian acts made the list. Not just Air Supply.) Also: We're dancing on the ceiling with clay heads in honor of Lionel Richie's birthday, Kevin finally leaves the house (wearing a chicken mask) for the reopening of Rubber Chicken Comics, we're back in Classic Sci-Fi Court, and Kornflake has weird coffee and a lobster avalanche. It was not a normal week. We don't have those anymore.

The Flopcast website

The ESO Network

The Flopcast on Facebook

The Flopcast on Instagram

The Flopcast on Twitter

Please rate and review The Flopcast on Apple Podcasts

Email: info@flopcast.net

Our music is by The Sponge Awareness Foundation!

This week's promo: Earth Station DCU!

Direct download: Flopcast_423.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 11:57pm EDT

This is a short one, kids, because this seemed like a week for the Flopcast to mostly shut up. The plan is to get back to our usual silliness next time. Meanwhile, pay attention. Be careful. Get to work.

The Flopcast website

The ESO Network

The Flopcast on Facebook

The Flopcast on Instagram

The Flopcast on Twitter

Please rate and review The Flopcast on Apple Podcasts

Email: info@flopcast.net

Geeks Without God Episode 413 - In Memory of George Floyd

Dropkick Murphys at Fenway Park

Built To Go! A Vanlife Podcast

Earth Station One: Random Tales of Hope

Direct download: Flopcast_422.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 11:00am EDT

It's our third and final show covering Saturday morning TV from four decades ago, and we've arrived at NBC. The network offered an odd cartoon lineup in 1980, consisting almost entirely of reruns! Even Godzilla and his tricky pal Godzooky were in reruns at this point, along with Hong Kong Phooey, Daffy Duck, Jonny Quest, and more. Hanna Barbera's only new series was The Flintstone Comedy Show, a crazy revamp co-starring Captain Caveman, The Shmoo, and monster family The Frankenstones! Meanwhile Filmation supplied reruns of Batman (and Bat-Mite!) along with some long-forgotten heroes (Superstretch and Microwoman, anyone?) that eventually landed the studio in court for copyright infringement. But that didn't matter to the kids in 1980; we just chomped our Lucky Charms and watched it all... Also this week: Just in time for National Nail Polish Day, Kornflake has a nail polish quiz that somehow involves Woonsocket, Rhode Island. And skinks. Of course.

The Flopcast website!

The ESO Network!

The Flopcast on Facebook!

The Flopcast on Instagram!

The Flopcast on Twitter!

Please rate and review The Flopcast on Apple Podcasts!

Email: info@flopcast.net

Our music is by The Sponge Awareness Foundation!

Kevin on Earth Station One for comic book trivia!

The Mayor on Earth Station One talking Westworld!

This week's promo: Rusted Robot!

Direct download: Flopcast_421.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 12:41pm EDT

Chickentown is still locked down, for the safety of humans and poultry alike. But as we learn in this week's Chickens in the News segment, citizens of Louisiana are dealing with a crazed non-social distancing chicken, and we love it. Also: Creepy mannequins are enjoying some fine dining; we wish a Happy Birthday to Todd "Watcha Talkin Bout Willis" Bridges; Kevin is running around disguised as Cloris Leachman; and thanks to another round of Trapped in the House (our dumb new game), Kornflake's house may soon be full of dead Snorks.

The Flopcast website!

The ESO Network!

The Flopcast on Facebook!

The Flopcast on Instagram!

The Flopcast on Twitter!

Please rate and review The Flopcast on Apple Podcasts!

Email: info@flopcast.net

Our music is by The Sponge Awareness Foundation!

This week's promo: Nerdbliss!

Direct download: Flopcast_420.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 4:56pm EDT

We're continuing our look at the Saturday morning cartoon landscape forty years ago, but we're changing the channel to see what was happening on CBS. (Sorry, no remote control, kids. Gotta get off the couch and turn the stupid knob.) CBS ran a bunch of Filmation shows that year, including some odd remakes of older properties (Mighty Mouse, Heckle and Jeckle, Tom and Jerry) and surprisingly strong versions of a couple of action/adventure legends (Tarzan and the Lone Ranger). Hanna Barbera supplied a new (and strangely violence-free) Popeye series, as well as one of our very favorite monster cartoons... Drak Pack! And of course, Bugs Bunny and Road Runner ruled the morning for ninety whole minutes. So get yourself some Frankenberry and join us. If you keep the TV going deep into the afternoon, you might even spot Kornflake's grandfather on Candlepin Bowling. So, you know, on with the show, this is it.

Direct download: Flopcast_419.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 11:55pm EDT

It's the Flopcast 8th Anniversary Spectacular! (And yes, we're lying about the "spectacular" part.) Including: Some fascinating Flopcast stats (now we're lying about the "fascinating" part), a baffling look back at some of our weirder episode titles ("Hillbilly Burrito"... why?), an update from Flopcast Superfan Bob, and a Star Wars-themed National Whatever Day (but we don't mean May the 4th). And now... we move forward. The plan is to keep making more of these goofy shows, because we literally have nothing else to do anymore.

Our website! Flopcast.net

The Flopcast on Facebook!

The Flopcast on Instagram!

The Flopcast on Twitter!

Email: info@flopcast.net

Direct download: Flopcast_418.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 11:35am EDT

Grab a bowl of Cookie Crisp; you're gonna need it. The plan is to discuss every Saturday morning cartoon from way back in 1980, even if it takes three episodes (one for each network). We're starting with ABC, whose Saturday morning lineup included Super Friends (with evil robot space monkey Gleek), Fonz and the Happy Days Gang (with Cupcake and her flying saucer time machine), Richie Rich and Scooby Doo (and alas, Scrappy too), Thundarr the Barbarian (whose post-apocalyptic world seems all too familiar these days), Heathcliff and Dingbat (it's a vampire dog - deal with it), Plastic Man (and his ridiculous son, Baby Plas), and more. How many cartoon dogs can be voiced by one man on one network? Only Frank Welker knows the truth. Also: We wish a Happy Birthday to our favorite Hot Cop, Will Arnett; Kornflake attempts online trivia; Maryellen has a creepy doll; Brittany and Martha launch their new podcast But First, Let's Talk Nerdy; and Kevin goes to Classic Sci-Fi Court to defend Molly Ringwald in space.

Links:

Kevin, Joe, and Gary in Classic Sci-Fi Court

Plaything: A quarantine-themed horror short from our friend Maryellen

Brittany and Martha's new podcast: But First, Let's Talk Nerdy

And our regular Flopcast links...

Our website! Flopcast.net

The Flopcast on Facebook!

The Flopcast on Instagram!

The Flopcast on Twitter!

Email:  info@flopcast.net

Direct download: Flopcast_417.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 12:12pm EDT

It's another week in Chickentown Lockdown... so Kevin and Kornflake are playing weird secret online games with their weird secret online friends, Niki Luparelli is entertaining the world from her kitchen, Jay Leno is distracted by Kevin's t-shirt, and a trip into the Pudding Pages leads to yet another Flopcast discussion of Dynamite magazine. This is a quick one, because we're very busy not doing anything.

Direct download: Flopcast_416.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 10:12am EDT

We're back for another round of the dumb game we invented last week, Trapped in the House. (This is the most timely we've ever been on the Flopcast... by about thirty years.) Kornflake is in charge this time, forcing Kevin to choose his quarantine roommates from a bizarre list of terrifying options. The list includes a werewolf, a robot, a Brady, an alien or two, some cartoon sharks, and more. Feel free to play along. Choose wisely. Or not. Whatever. Also: Valerie Bertinelli is having one birthday at a time, and the turkeys are taking over.

Direct download: Flopcast_415.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 10:01am EDT

This week we're starting with even more TV talk, as Kornflake is reunited with her long lost Captain Jean-Luc Picard. Meanwhile Kevin recounts what is probably, hopefully, the most bizarre episode of The Love Boat ever. And you'd better believe Janet Jackson and a robot duplicate of Isaac the bartender were involved, just like in your dreams. All part of the fun of being trapped in the house. And speaking of being trapped in the house, we're also playing a new game we just invented, and it's called... Trapped in the House. It's stupid. You'll love it. Plus: Happy Birthday to Jon Cryer! He's Duckie, he's Lex Luthor, and of course, he's Lex Luthor's goofy nephew Lenny. This is important.

Direct download: Flopcast_414.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 11:51am EDT

In these weird scary times, we're keeping the Flopcast short, simple, and (hopefully) silly, as we review our latest trapped-in-the-house activities. Kornflake has been checking out music from Vance Gilbert, Jim Infantino, They Might Be Giants, and Carbon Leaf... and she also invented a goofy potato game. Meanwhile Kevin just started watching The Mandalorian and rewatching Ozark, when he's not distracted by old wrestling videos. (Was the appearance of the "Where's the Beef?" lady at Wrestlemania 2 the greatest moment in sports history? You know the truth.) Also, because in another timeline this is baseball season, we take a quick look at The Bad News Bears - not the movie, but the short-lived, long-forgotten TV series. It's been missing from your life for forty years, it's available on DVD for your social distancing entertainment needs, and it has all the Corey Feldman Little League action you can possibly handle.

Direct download: Flopcast_413.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 12:12pm EDT

We're still in social distancing mode here in Chickentown, of course, as we cross one cancelled event after another off the stupid calendar. (Specifically, Pee Wee Herman and Diane Birch are keeping their distance from us this week.) But that means more TV talk (Lost in Space, Shrill, Picard, Taskmaster, and the upcoming cartoon Solar Opposites) and even more online concerts (Taylor Dayne is telling it to our hearts, straight from her living room). Also, National Handmade Day is this week, and is NOT cancelled, so Kornflake is gonna macrame like it's 1979. And in our Chickens in the News segment, we discuss new fossil evidence of a giant prehistoric chicken that dressed like Lynda Carter and killed all the dinosaurs. (Disclaimer: We just kind of skimmed the article.)

Direct download: Flopcast_412.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 8:33am EDT

Remember what the world was like two weeks ago? Yeah, things have changed. But that's when Kevin took a quick trip to Las Vegas to visit our dear friends Brittany and Martha of Good Enough Cosplay! So they're on the show this week, discussing murderers and ice cream bears, strippers and showers, turkeys and taxes, Black Widow and Hawkeye... and their upcoming podcast: But First, Let's Talk Nerdy. Kevin and Brittany also ran a 5K race in the Vegas desert, and the results will shock you. (Yes, rubber reptiles and tiny trash bins were involved.) Also: Online concerts, Mystery Science Theater 3000 Live, where to find the new Kornflake & Jacob album, a Kornflake Book Club update, and Happy Birthday to Martin Short. Why not celebrate by dressing like Ed Grimley? It's not like you're leaving the house.

Direct download: Flopcast_411.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 9:55am EDT

Kornflake has returned from Minnesota with a full report on MarsCon, home of our beloved Dementia Track of comedy music performances! And this was the busiest MarsCon ever for Kornflake! In addition to her regular Dementia Water Aerobics classes (keeping nerds in shape and exhausted since 2013), she (along with Jacob Haller and Doornail) was scheduled for her own comedy music concert! And... Kornflake and Jacob released a whole new album of original silly songs too! Also on the MarsCon Dementia schedule: Mikey Mason, Devo Spice, Marc With a C, Michael William Hunter, the great Luke Ski, Lauren Mayer, TV's Kyle and Linzilla, Brett Glass, Karl Brown, and Beth Kinderman and the Player Characters! Plus: Dementia Smackdown Wrestling, fun with the AED, emergency pool repairs, the Space Oddity Music Club and Brew Pub, and the dangers of partying with Klingons. Also: National Awkward Moments Day, a Kornflake Book Club update, listener feedback from our 1980 TV episodes, and Happy 99th (!) Birthday to the Mad cartoonist with a snappy answer for every stupid question, Al Jaffee. Be safe and be silly, kids.

Direct download: Flopcast_410.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 11:33pm EDT

Kevin and the Mayor conclude their look back at the TV shows that debuted in 1980! It was the year of Tom Selleck in Hawaii and Tom Hanks in drag. Deputy Enos left Hazzard County for Los Angeles. The biggest stars in country music shared a stage with the Krofft puppets. Future stars like Martin Short and Linda Hamilton popped up in shows nobody remembers. (Our apologies to all you diehard fans of I'm A Big Girl Now and Secrets of Midland Heights...) We also had Ted Knight, Ann Jillian, Shaun Cassidy... and a short-lived reality show that introduced the world to a certain Mr. T. Want more? Okay, how about... the Solid Gold dancers! You're working on your time machine right now, aren't you? See you forty years ago.

Direct download: Flopcast_409.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 7:00am EDT

While Kornflake is off entertaining the nerds of Minnesota at MarsCon, Kevin and the Mayor discuss obscure TV shows from forty years ago. (We're quite timely around here.) Specifically we're looking at shows that debuted in the year 1980. And it's a weird list. Weirder than you think. Including: Spinoffs of 70s hits that flopped in the 80s (Flo, Sanford, Beyond Westworld, Galactica 1980), a pair of long-running PBS shows (3-2-1 Contact and Mystery!), a don't-try-this-at-home reality TV classic (That's Incredible!), a late night SNL-inspired sketch comedy series (Fridays), a few painful reminders that variety shows were just about dead (The Tim Conway Show, The Big Show, and the notorious Pink Lady and Jeff), and a few short-lived oddities that nobody remembers. (Goodtime Girls, anyone? Me and Maxx? No?) And we're only halfway home; we'll get through the rest of the list next week. So come on back to 1980 with us, vote for Carter, and enjoy.

Direct download: Flopcast_408.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 8:51am EDT

Time to finish what we started (and instantly regretted) last week: A ridiculous Flopcast tournament of 1980s pop stars, as we celebrate the 35th anniversary of USA for Africa and "We Are the World." We're still picking the players and the events at random, so anything could happen. Stevie Wonder and Paul Simon in a pie-eating contest? Perhaps. Smokey Robinson and the Pointer Sisters playing Rock 'Em Sock 'Em Robots? Why not? In the end, only one USA for Africa member can survive, and this shall be the greatest honor of their career, except for literally everything else they've ever done. That's the plan. There comes a time, when we heed a certain call. A call to obsess over goofy 80s stuff. Just you and me.

Direct download: Flopcast_407.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 8:17am EDT

Remember when we made all the Rankin/Bass holiday cartoon characters compete in a bizarre tournament of our own design? Wasn't that fun? And stupid? Well, grab a beverage and place your bets, because we're trying that again. This time we're celebrating the 35th anniversary of USA for Africa and "We Are the World," by making the greatest pop stars of the 1980s do battle in a series of silly competitions. Once again we're choosing each player, and each ridiculous event, at random, so nobody knows what's gonna happen. Will Billy Joel and Diana Ross compete at lawn darts? Maybe. Who's better at Ms. Pac-Man, Bruce Springsteen or Kenny Rogers? We'll figure it all out, and this week's winner will advance to the final round next week. Check your ego at the door and join us. We are the ones who make a brighter day, unless we're napping. Which is most of the time.

Direct download: Flopcast_406.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 8:18am EDT

A couple of important and/or ridiculous updates in this quick little show... starting with a MarsCon update from Kornflake! (Get ready, geeks of Minnesota. In less than a month, Kornflake is bringing you a new album, a concert performance, and Dementia Water Aerobics...) Then we have a follow-up Chickens in the News report, with more details on the giant chicken topiary under construction in Fitzgerald, Georgia! (This is really happening, kids. There's even a live chicken-cam to prove it.) And we recommend a couple of podcasts: the latest episode of Hit Parade is all about Weird Al and novelty music, while the latest episode of The DragonCon Report is all about, you know, DragonCon. All this plus jello shots with Doornail. You win.

Direct download: Flopcast_405.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 8:20am EDT

It's Oscar season, and we don't care about the Oscars, but it's an excuse for the Mayor of Chickentown to drop by and talk about the movies. However, we're not really looking at the movies themselves; instead we're discussing the experience of going to movie theaters. (It's something we don't do much these days, unless Black Widow or Chewbacca is involved.) Including: cheap second-run theaters of the 1970s; a mysterious asphalt hill next to a goofy theater in Woonsocket, Rhode Island; how to ruin Dragonslayer; clam cakes at the drive-in; obscure Barbapapa-shaped candy; the lost theaters of Boston; weird double features; being all alone in a movie theater; walking out of a movie (we only did it once); how the Mayor got sick of popcorn; how Kevin got sick of fortune cookies; sneaking snacks, humans, and a complete Thanksgiving dinner into the movies; celebrity sightings at the movies (mostly horror writers and cooking show hosts); the weirdness of applauding at the end of a movie; our very first R-rated movies (alas, Phoebe Cates was not involved); and plenty more. Also: Groundhogs, woodchucks, and whistlepigs: we love them all, and their big day is this week. Plus: An amazing night of live music with Lifestyle, Cliff Notez... and two of our favorite bands, Party Bois and Sidewalk Driver, merged into one magic combo supergroup, Party Driver. Our faces were officially rocked.

Direct download: Flopcast_404.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 6:46pm EDT

Live from the horrifyingly cold mid-January Boston waterfront, it's our annual report on our favorite local science fiction/fantasy convention, Arisia! Kevin was locked in for all four days of Arisia, moderating discussion panels, meeting the awesome costumed people, and just observing all the glorious geekery. Meanwhile Kornflake almost couldn't make it, but still managed to arrive for a surprise appearance and catch the last few hours of the convention. So let's break it all down for you. Experienced and/or discussed along the way: Freaks and Geeks, Crisis on Infinite Earths, Stranger Things, George Pérez, Stan Lee, The Wonder Twins, Heathcliff comics, the music of Limahl, Tom Selleck's birthday, the movies of 1999, science fiction and fantasy in rock music, trains in space, the march of the pool people, the perils of Powerpoint, gender-swapped Star Trek with the Post-Meridian Radio Players, ElectraWoman and DynaGirl, and of course, lots more. So please enjoy our little recap. It'll be like you were there with us. Hey, maybe you were there, and we just didn't recognize you in your chicken lady costume.

Direct download: Flopcast_403.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 11:08am EDT

Okay, let's wrap up our tribute to the pop culture legends we lost in 2019. (We've been drinking so many shots in their memory that we're almost out of coffee. And that frightens us.) Part 2 includes more movie stars (Peter Fonda, Sid Haig, Danny Aiello), sitcom stars (Valerie Harper, Bill Macy, Philip McKeon), rock stars (Eddie Money, Ric Ocasek, Ginger Baker), and, uh, Star Trek stars (DC Fontana, Aron Eisenberg, René Auberjonois). There are even a couple of beloved performers from bizarre 1970s variety TV (which did not get more bizarre than The Brady Bunch Hour and The Star Wars Holiday Special). And from children's TV we have Russi Taylor (the voice of Minnie Mouse), Jack Sheldon (the voice of Conjunction Junction)... and Big Bird himself, Caroll Spinney. So hang on, kids, and we'll get through the whole list together. And hey, if you need cheering up, Squirrel Appreciation Day is this week too. You know what to do.

Direct download: Flopcast_402.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 7:00am EDT

You know we do this every year... yes, it's the first of our two-part look back at all the pop culture legends we lost in 2019. And yeah, a couple of our favorite Peters (Tork and Mayhew) are on this year's list, along with stars from TV (Tim Conway, Katherine Helmond, Luke Perry), movies (Albert Finney, Rutger Hauer, Doris Day), music (James Ingram, Leon Redbone, Dr. John), wrestling (KING KONG BUNDY), and beyond. (Remember, Grumpy Cat is always watching, and is thoroughly displeased.) So crank up a weird Captain and Tennille record, grab your beverage of choice (we're going with coffee, believe it or not), and join us for just one more round, friends. Happy Life Day, Chewie.

Direct download: Flopcast_401.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 9:25am EDT

Yes yes yes, it's our 400th episode! To celebrate, we're drinking lots of black coffee. (Hey, it worked for the first 399 shows.) We're also reviewing how we spent the stupid holidays, including a couple of festive movies (Knives Out and the new Star Wars, which needed more Bea Arthur), a couple of festive concerts (Dar Williams and Freezepop), and a very Robolar Christmas card. We also have a few classic Flopcast segments: What's in the Bag?, Chickens in the News... and the long-awaited (?) return of Capes or Apes. Also discussed along the way: British comedian James Acaster, a very important Tony Danza movie, a tiny drunk chicken, and the futuristic world of 2020 (according to Superman comics from 1980). And as promised... a MAJOR CONVENTION ANNOUNCEMENT from Kornflake! See, we finally have something to say. It only took 400 weeks.

Direct download: Flopcast_400.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 9:54am EDT

1