The Flopcast

Live from Minnesota, our MarsCon coverage continues! First Kevin and Kornflake are joined by Ed, the other half of The Sponge Awareness Foundation! (We get Ed's first impressions of the insanity that is MarsCon, and we learn the final fate of the tuba from the previous night's SAF concert.) Next we meet a couple of actual Klingons, from the long-running Klingon group that hosts the most notorious party at MarsCon every year! Finally we spend some time with MarsCon Dementia Guest of Honor Rob Paravonian! Rob talks about the New York comedy scene, his love of The Monkees and Family Ties, and working with the legendary George Carlin. And hang on -- we'll have more from MarsCon next week! (Warning: It just gets weirder.)

Direct download: Flopcast_150.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 11:51am EDT

Kevin and Kornflake have always secretly dreamed of being Match Game host Gene Rayburn. (Don't pretend you haven't too, you weirdo.) And so for our live version of The Flopcast at MarsCon last week, we decided to play "The Flop Game"! We don't have Charles Nelson Reilly, but we do have a celebrity panel of some of our favorite comedy musicians: the great Luke Ski, Tony Goldmark, Devo Spice, ShoEboX of Worm Quartet, TV's Kyle, Lindsay (aka Lindzilla), DJ Particle, and Rob Paravonian! We have prizes ranging in quality from "pretty good" to "incredibly stupid"! And of course, for players, we have the craziest people in Minnesota -- the MarsCon attendees. (Warning: Weird chanting and random singalongs break out frequently.) We assure you, a silly time was had by all... and you can take that to the BLANK. 

Direct download: Flopcast_149.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 3:39pm EDT

Kevin and Kornflake are far from Chickentown Studios this week, because it's time for MarsCon! So instead of a regular show, here's something special we've been saving for you. A few months back, while Kornflake was out of town (or so we thought), Kevin and the great Luke Ski spent an hour or so listing their Top 4 1/2 live action characters of the 1980s! Not just any old fictional characters from TV or movies -- we're talking about the larger-than-life cartoonish characters who walked among us in the real world. (So Beetlejuice, for example, would not qualify, but Pee Wee Herman would.) That was our wacky premise, and what fun we had. (If we missed your favorite 80s character, please let us know!) And hey, Kornflake is here too, with a National Whatever Day for Friday the 13th! (It isn't scary, but it is, of course, kind of weird.)

Direct download: Flopcast_148.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 4:00am EDT

The Mayor of Chickentown reports on the Gallifrey One convention (where she met a Doctor Who-themed Muppet) and Rebecca Watson's Quiz-o-Tron (where Mike Phirman had to count his chickens); during an impromptu Top 4 1/2 List of frozen foods, we vaguely recall Hot Bites, Otter Pops, and horrifying school lunches; Howard Jones is coming, and we're walking on sunshine, Katrina-style; and we reveal some of the shiny new items we're bringing to MarsCon next week. (If you've always dreamed of owning a "You Love The Flopcast" badge ribbon... this is your big chance.)

Direct download: Flopcast_147.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 7:48am EDT

Next week, assuming we're not grounded by a horrifying blizzard (place your bets now), Kevin and Kornflake shall return to Bloomington, Minnesota for MarsCon! In addition to seeing some of our favorite funny musicians, we'll be hosting a game show-style live version of the Flopcast, and Kornflake will be back in the pool for Dementia Water Aerobics! Kevin's goofy band The Sponge Awareness Foundation is performing too, and this week we reveal the new SAF merchandise we're producing just for MarsCon! (This could become a rare collector's item!!!) (But probably not!!!) Also: Although we miss his giant crazy 80s hair, no one is to blame for our love of Howard Jones.

Direct download: Flopcast_146.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 7:27am EDT

Kevin and Kornflake celebrate National Drink Wine Day by popping open a bottle of Rex Goliath Pinot Noir... and the Mayor of Chickentown crashes into the studio like Kool-Aid Man to join us. A coincidence? Perhaps. Anyway, a wine-fueled round of "The Pudding Pages" leads to some 80s sitcom talk, featuring Love Sidney, The New Leave It To Beaver, and Jennifer Slept Here. (Alas, only one of these shows starred Ann Jillian as a ghost.) And in a follow-up to a previous "Chickens in the News" segment, we reveal our plans to trick everyone into reading the new book Why Did the Chicken Cross the World? Also: We're still getting ready for MarsCon... but sometimes you just have to stop and watch The Karate Kid, Part III.

Direct download: Flopcast_145.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 8:04am EDT

There comes a time for Kevin and Kornflake to devote the whole stupid show to the 30th anniversary of "We Are the World" by USA for Africa! We're shameless 80s geeks, our Lionel Richie mugs are loaded with nasty black coffee, and we don't care how long this takes. We discuss each "We Are the World" soloist (and learn which one Kornflake was planning to marry), as well as each member of the chorus (even Dan Aykroyd, whose presence still puzzles us). We also note some artists who should have been there, but weren't. (Alas, without Irene Cara, there was no D.C. Cab representation...) And we list our favorite "We Are the World"-inspired parodies, including songs from the Ramones, the FuMP, and Saturday Night Live (where Michael Bolton sang for the chickens). Discussed along the way: 70s Stevie Wonder vs. 80s Stevie Wonder, Bob Dylan vs. Buckwheat, Cyndi Lauper's giant 80s earrings, Lindsey Buckingham's giant 80s hair, Billy Ocean's weird island, and Dionne Warwick's creepy psychic friends. Also: Clean Your Computer Day is this week. But since we're sort of trapped in 1985, just clean your Commodore 64.

Direct download: Flopcast_144.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 7:49am EDT

Chickentown is completely buried in snow, but Kevin and Kornflake tunneled and/or tauntauned their way into the studio, just for you. This week Kevin reports on a Niki Luparelli show (Niki can sing like Marilyn, play the ukulele, hula hoop, and remove your tattoo, possibly all at once) and "Pulp Friction" (a Tarantino-themed burlesque show, believe it or not). Meanwhile Kornflake spent more time bouncing at the trampoline park, and provides snappy answers to Kevin's stupid questions about the weird world of trampolining. Also: We enjoy an art-themed edition of our long-neglected "What's in the Bag?" segment; Weird Al's world tour is coming soon, and it's mandatory; we plug a couple of MarsCon-related fundraiser projects; and we're looking for a creepy ukulele guy. (And admit it, you are too.)

Direct download: Flopcast_143.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 9:40am EDT

Kevin and Kornflake celebrate Puzzle Day by dressing like the Riddler (or not); a recent production of the Mayor's favorite musical features hula hoops, chicken people, and the sister of the guy who starred in Automan; thanks to the Pudding Pages, we're talking about Jim Carrey (Kornflake likes The Truman Show, while Kevin prefers The Duck Factory); we're so excited about the new book "Why Did the Chicken Cross the World?" that we're starting several book clubs; and yikes, it's time to get ready for MarsCon. (We'll have lots more MarsCon talk over the next few weeks, kids. Because, as Eve Plumb would say, MarsCon MarsCon MarsCon.)

Direct download: Flopcast_142.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 6:49am EDT

In a "very special episode" (as they say in annoying network promos), Kevin, Kornflake, and the Mayor look back on those we lost in 2014 (including folks from movies, TV, radio, and comics -- our usual favorite subjects). But instead of getting all miserable (which is more like our plan for 2015), we keep things light and fun, because that's how the Professor from Gilligan's Island would have wanted it. Discussed along the way: Saturday Night Live, The Electric Company, Mad magazine, The Partridge Family, the Ramones, Diff'rent Strokes, Rankin Bass cartoons, The Brady Bunch, Car Talk, Starcade, Ghostbusters, Devo, Welcome Back Kotter, American Top 40, WWF wrestling, and of course, Manimal. Also: Kornflake has her first trampoline update of 2015, and we're celebrating Dwight K. Schrute Day, which we just made up.

Direct download: Flopcast_141.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 8:22am EDT