The Flopcast

This week we're looking at 1986 -- a year that was so bright, we had to wear shades. (At least that's what Timbuk 3 told us, and we've learned to trust their judgment.) 'Twas the year Crocodile Dundee came to America, Mr. Miyagi went back to Okinawa, and Rodney Dangerfield went back to school. (And so did C. Thomas Howell, in a super-inappropriate way.) Meanwhile, we thought we'd save the world by lining up and holding hands with millions of creepy strangers. (What could go wrong?) But at least the radio was still bursting with wonderful 80s pop -- and so Kevin and Kornflake share a Top 4 1/2 List of the songs of 1986! Prepare to dance on the ceiling, walk like an Egyptian, or just Wang Chung tonight. Also: We announce our New Year's resolutions. And they're sort of ridiculous.

Direct download: Flopcast_086.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 8:39am EDT

You know how this works: It's episode 85, so Kevin and Kornflake have set Doc Brown's DeLorean for 1985! It was the year of USA For Africa and Live Aid... and more importantly, Mr. T at Wrestlemania. The Brat Pack was stuck in Saturday detention, Pee Wee's bike was stolen, and the Goonies were good enough. Yikes, what a year -- the only thing missing was a basketball-playing werewolf. (Oh, wait!) And of course, we have some holiday fun too, thanks to Kornflake's scary singing Santa hat, a lobster trap Christmas tree, National Egg Nog Day, and a special holiday edition of Chickens in the News.

Direct download: Flopcast_085.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 4:36pm EDT

Yes, we're in the middle of the holidays, but more importantly, we're in the middle of the 1980s. This week our ongoing 80s coverage brings us to 1984 -- the year of Footloose, The Karate Kid, Ghostbusters, and Footloose. (Footloose is very important, people.) But our focus is Saturday morning, as we present a Top 4 1/2 List of 1984 Saturday morning TV shows. Expect plenty of Muppet Babies and Super Friends, a trip to the Flipside with Kidd Video, and of course, Mr. T. Also: Check your batteries, because it's time for National Flashlight Day. And that's one to grow on.

Direct download: Flopcast_084.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 3:00am EDT

We're up to 1983 in our ten-part look back at the 1980s, and we have something special for you crazy kids. Back at DragonCon, Kevin participated in a panel called "1983 Geek-a-Mania in TV and Movies" -- and this week, we're sharing that panel with you! (Seemed like a better option than doing a whole new show, which would have involved time, and effort, and other such unpleasantries...) Kevin is joined by an all-star lineup of authors, bloggers, and podcasters: Van Plexico, Michael Gordon, Jessa Phillips, and Keith DeCandido! (And despite Kevin's best efforts, this panel isn't JUST about the 1983 Mr. T movie D. C. Cab.) And worry not, faithful Flopcasters: Kornflake is here too, revealing her very favorite song of the 1980s (and if you weren't listening to Boston-area radio in 1983, you probably missed it).

Direct download: Flopcast_083.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 10:46am EDT

This week we're looking back at 1982! Time Magazine said the "Man of the Year" was a computer -- and it was, thanks to Tron. 1982 was also the year we learned about Stupid Pet Tricks, vegemite sandwiches, and, uh, the Weather Channel. Most importantly, we learned how to "Do the Donkey Kong" -- but we never did. Also: Kevin and Kornflake are back from Super Megafest, where we met Balki, Chicken Joe, pirate mermaids, and Darth Santa.

Direct download: Flopcast_082.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 6:41am EDT

Kevin and Kornflake look back on 1981, the year that brought us MTV, Indiana Jones, and a seemingly endless supply of goofy soft rock. Our Top 4 1/2 List of songs from 1981 is indeed dominated by the likes of Christopher Cross, REO Speedwagon, and yes, of course, Air Supply. And you'll learn which hit song of 1981 was later covered by Sponge Awareness Foundation, but with alternate chicken-themed lyrics. Also: National Parfait Day and Frank Black Friday are this week. You should celebrate. 1981 Kool and the Gang would want you to celebrate.

Direct download: Flopcast_081.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 8:05am EDT

Hang on, kids -- starting this week, we're taking a TEN-episode trip back to the 80s! (Yeah, it's a radical departure from our usual topics...) Up first, of course, is 1980 -- the year that kicked off the 1980s, according to most scientists. Come along for our Top 4 1/2 List of movies from 1980, as we do battle with Ming the Merciless, Ursa, and a bunch of gopher puppets. Also: World Hello Day (featuring Robbie Rist), a bizarre audio edition of What's in the Bag, and the (mercifully brief) return of The Sponge Awareness Foundation.

Direct download: Flopcast_080.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 6:10am EDT

The Mayor of Chickentown joins Kevin and Kornflake to discuss the upcoming holiday movie season -- we're looking for anything with hobbits, thunder gods, or time-traveling turkeys. (But mostly time-traveling turkeys.) Also: We reveal the existence of a secret (and possibly evil) Button Society, we start a crazy new rumor about Calvin and Hobbes creator Bill Watterson, and we learn which celebrity guest at the Super Megafest convention is going to make Kornflake freak out. (Oh, we also learn that Kornflake hates Velcro, but deep in your heart, you already knew that.)

Direct download: Flopcast_079.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 7:37am EDT

Kevin and Kornflake get ready for Marooned Without a Compass Day (we'll need a volleyball, a hidden immunity idol, and Mary Ann); Kornflake gets silly on The Pod of Destiny, stares at the clouds in Vermont, and prepares for Early Doornail Thanksgiving; the Pudding Pages teach us about scary 90s fashion (was there any other kind?); and we end with some "Chickens in the News" from a Moscow airport, where poultry-themed smuggling has become a big problem. Maybe they shouldn't have put Yakov Smirnoff in charge of security.

Direct download: Flopcast_078.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 6:25am EDT

It's Halloween in Chickentown once again, and we're celebrating with a "monster cereals" taste test! That's right, we're sampling Count Chocula, Franken Berry, and Boo Berry, as well as (available for the first time in decades!) Fruit Brute and Yummy Mummy. Is this stuff delicious, or disgusting, or (ideally) both? Let's find out together. Along the way we'll enjoy some classic monster cereal commercials, and (with a little help from Siri) make a startling discovery about Boo Berry. Hey, if you've always secretly dreamed of just listening to people eat cereal... well, this is the show for you. (Also, you have a problem.)

Direct download: Flopcast_077.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 9:52am EDT

Kevin and Kornflake wrap up their School House Rock 40th anniversary celebration with some help from you, the Flopcast listeners! Our Top 4 1/2 List of America Rock cartoons is based on YOUR votes! How appropriately democratic. And you can probably guess which beloved School House Rock character is sitting on both Capitol Hill AND the top of our list. Also: Kornflake sees Weird Al, just in time for National Bologna Day; The Nerdist's Chris Hardwick asks the eternal question, "Who's Kornflake?"; and you get to decide whose singing is rougher: Cloris Leachman (with her infamous 80s School House Rock intro song) or Kevin (with The Sponge Awareness Foundation's infamous School House Rock medley). It's a close call.

Direct download: Flopcast_076.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 10:02am EDT

Kevin and Kornflake are in Manchester, New Hampshire for the Granite State Comicon! Come along as we encounter Perhapanauts artist Craig Rousseau, Tiny Titans artist Art Baltazar, the Boston Ninja Turtle, Amy the Mermaid, classic arcade games from Funspot, Ghost Kitties and Action Cats, Snorks, a Snowpocalypse, and yes, our very favorite Mr. T cosplayer. And hang on, because this one gets weird, in a mid-convention dental emergency kind of way. That's right, Kornflake found a way to make her first comic book show extra-special. Pass the Novocaine and enjoy.

Direct download: Flopcast_075.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 1:10pm EDT

More School House Rock 40th anniversary fun this week, as Kevin knocks out a Top 4 1/2 List of Science Rock cartoons! (Get ready for a shock, but we're huge fans of Interplanet Janet around here.) As a bonus, this leads to yet another bizarre tale from junior high school in Woonsocket, Rhode Island. (We'll never run out of these stories. It was a weird, weird place.) Also: Kornflake and Scott Baio prepare to scream.

Direct download: Flopcast_074.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 10:57am EDT

Kornflake learns that no revenge is sweeter than a birthday cake in the face; Vodka Day is this week, which means we'd better keep an eye on our friend Vodka (we, uh, know a girl named Vodka); George Takei boldly chicken-dances where no chicken has danced before; and we end with a round of "What's in the Bag," compliments of Luke and Sara, who mailed us a mysterious (and yes, chicken-themed) package. (This episode turned out to be even more chicken-themed than we'd intended. Hope you're okay with that.)

Direct download: Flopcast_073.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 3:00am EDT

Our celebration of the 40th anniversary of School House Rock continues, as the Mayor of Chickentown presents a Top 4 1/2 List of Multiplication Rock! Featuring weird zoo animals, twelve-toed aliens, a hero named Zero, and even more 1970s educational silliness. This is why we're all total math geniuses today. Also: The boozy truth about Johnny Appleseed; video evidence of Kornflake's latest zorbing adventure; a "What's in the Bag" segment with shocking implications for our "Pudding Pages" segment; and an actual round of speed dating, right in the middle of the show! (Super-creepy speed dating, that is. Just the way you like it.)

Direct download: Flopcast_072.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 7:25am EDT

Kevin is back from Atlanta with a full report on DragonCon, featuring 50,000 nerds and/or geeks, the Bionic Man and Woman, High Feather cosplayers, booze-serving robots, Canadian teen pop star Robin Sparkles, the Flying Spaghetti Monster, Shatner, a steampunk owl catcher, Hulk cologne, and yes, Charles Nelson Reilly. Kind of a strange weekend, in retrospect. We also get in some music talk, and recommend George Hrab, Sufjan Stevens, and 80s-style arena rock. (Admit it, you love REO Speedwagon.) And Kornflake reminds us to remind her about Talk Like a Pirate Day. But we won't.

Direct download: Flopcast_071.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 8:55am EDT

Kevin and Kornflake kick off the fall season by returning not to school, but to School House Rock! We're celebrating the 40th anniversary of these classic cartoons, starting with a Top 4 1/2 List of Grammar Rock. Of course that means a train ride through Conjunction Junction, a very crowded bus ride with Rufus Xavier Sarsaparilla... and we might even unpack an adjective or two. Join us! Also: Defy Superstition Day is this week, so throw a black cat under a ladder or something. 

Direct download: Flopcast_070.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 3:06pm EDT

Worry not, true believers -- before Kevin sneaked off to DragonCon, we recorded this quick little episode of miscellaneous silliness, just for you. This week: Shocking the world, Kevin returns to Woonsocket, Rhode Island for an actual high school reunion; Kornflake is covered in mosquito bites, talking like the kids of Degrassi, and dreaming of zorbing again; we discuss the mysterious connection between skyscrapers and giant turkeys; our Pudding Pages segment takes us deep into the disco era; and we end with some Chickens in the News, all the way from Indonesia, where the chickens are, yes, mystical. And they might even make you a sandwich.

Direct download: Flopcast_069.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 3:00am EDT

It's our second annual DragonCon preview show, as we prepare for the upcoming mega-gathering of the geeks in downtown Atlanta. Enjoy some hints and tips about how to survive the craziest four days on the nerd calendar. We also discuss some of the guests (Lee Majors and Lindsay Wagner!), concerts (Paul and Storm!), and events (Rebecca Watson's Quiz-O-Tron 2000!) we're looking forward to, and run through Kevin's panel schedule. (If you miss the "Sid and Marty Krofft: Wildboys and Dynagirls" panel, we'll banish you to Lidsville.) Also: Kornflake checks out the Ryan Montbleau Band (and insists they don't just cover Nu Shooz songs), and teaches us all about National Trail Mix Day. Really.

Direct download: Flopcast_068.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 8:37pm EDT

Kornflake reports on this year's Falcon Ridge Folk Festival, a weekend of music, mud, Moxy Fruvous, and tie-dyed unmentionables. Meanwhile Kevin attends Boston Comic Con, serves as a lifeline in a zombie-themed round of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire, and brings back an exclusive Flopcast interview with Amy the Steampunk Mermaid! (And stick around at the end of the show to hear the guy we totally failed to locate at Boston Comic Con: Nashville's Superman, Allen Shervelle.) Also: Spumoni.

Direct download: Flopcast_067.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 3:00am EDT

Episode 66 means we're talking about V66, Boston's own MTV-style music video channel back in the mid-80s. (V66 wasn't around for long, but some of us never got over it.) Also: Kornflake joins the Snuggie Cult; we celebrate Thrift Shop Day and Siblingfest; and in our Chickens in the News segment, we look at some mysterious new statues in Annapolis, Maryland. Remember, kids -- it's August. You NEED a Snuggie.

Direct download: Flopcast_066.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 10:34am EDT

Because we're just so dangerously obsessed with the 1980s, this week's Top 4 1/2 List features cover versions of 80s songs! (Needless to say, Cyndi Lauper is well represented.) Also: Gummy lobsters (a delicious choking hazard), Kornflake's Barenaked Ladies & Ben Folds Five concert report (we're starting a rumor that she parked her car onstage during the show), and National X-Files Day (which we just invented, and which we should've called National Yip-Yip Day).

Direct download: Flopcast_065.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 6:21am EDT

Pathetically, Kevin and Kornflake enter a state of panic when a power outage leaves Chickentown Studios in total darkness, right in the middle of the show! No lights, no air conditioning (we were already panicking about the heat wave), and, most horrifyingly... no more iced coffee. We're doomed! Also: Kornflake visits a mysterious lobster-themed town called Otis, the Chicken Limo cruises the mean streets of Indianapolis, and the Pudding Pages go to the dogs. Reminder: No power in Chickentown. To hear next week's show, be sure to pick up some cups and a very long string. 

Direct download: Flopcast_064.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 6:10pm EDT

In the summertime, when the weather is high, we've got robots, we've got robots on our minds. Yes, it's our second annual robot-themed Top 4 1/2 List! This time we're counting down our favorite live action robots from movies and TV. MST3K robot puppets, Star Wars droids, Star Trek androids, scary Fembots, perhaps even a Pimpbot... and we haven't even mentioned the really weird ones. Show a little enthusiasm for our list, and maybe the robots will take pity on you after they take over. Also: Kornflake and Doornail celebrate the 4th of July in the remote wilds of New Hampshire, and make a boozy new friend.

Direct download: Flopcast_063.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 6:49pm EDT

We're back with a full report from CONvergence, the Bloomington, Minnesota convention that's even crazier than MarsCon! Pour youself a Buzzed Aldrin (the signature drink of the Skepchick party room) and enjoy, as Kevin, the Mayor of Chickentown, the great Luke Ski, and Sara Trice review all the silliness of CONvergence, just for you. (Unfortunately, aside from our Saturday Morning Cartoon and Doctor Who-themed panels, an epic Luke Ski concert, a live comet-making demonstration, a mechanical steampunk bird, the Rifftrax guys playing "PowerPoint Karaoke," a Darkwing Duck burlesque dance, an Aquabat/Penguin hybrid, and a Skepchick giving birth to a squid monster, there's not much of interest to report.) Also: Back in Chickentown, we receive a box of dangerous science from the College of Curiosity, and Kornflake totally puts the "whatever" into this week's National Whatever Day.

Direct download: Flopcast_062.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 9:55am EDT

We've said this before, but yikes, this is a bizarre episode, even by Flopcast standards. Let's see... in this week's Pudding Pages segment, Kevin and Kornflake learn all about weird 1970s lipstick. Really. Then our Chickens in the News segment takes us to the thriving metropolis of Chicken, Alaska (and if you like bluegrass festivals, chicken suits, and being in the middle of nowhere, this is your kind of town). Finally Kornflake brings us a rather silly interview from LukeSkiCon with comedy musician Insane Ian! Will Kornflake and Ian get thrown out of an arcade in the middle of the interview? Let's hope so; that'd be funny.

Direct download: Flopcast_061.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 3:00am EDT

Kornflake returns from Chicago with a full report on LukeSkiCon, which featured comedy music performances, a field trip to the Galloping Ghost Arcade, a Top 4 1/2 List recorded especially for The Flopcast, and more demented water aerobics. Also: I Forgot Day is this week (or maybe it was last week, whatever); we learn of the existence of lobster coffee; and we look forward to CONvergence, where we'll be joining the Skepchicks, the Rifftrax guys, and yes, once again, the great Luke Ski. Yikes, this is our LukeSkiest show ever. We have a problem.

Direct download: Flopcast_060.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 6:41am EDT

Time to sneak snacks into the cinema, as the Mayor of Chickentown joins Kevin and Kornflake to discuss the new geek-friendly summer movies. (Star Trek! Iron Man! And for no good reason, Back to School and Fantasy Island!) We also celebrate National Chocolate Pudding Day with an ill-conceived arts and crafts project, this week's "Chickens in the News" is a lesson in how to annoy your annoying neighbors, and the Aquabats meet a mutant chicken. Okay, the podcast is starting -- please turn off your cell phones and your babies.

Direct download: Flopcast_059.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 10:24am EDT

Kevin and Kornflake attend a Jim's Big Ego concert (which magically turns into a Chickens in the News singalong); our "What's in the Bag?" segment is once again very, very lobster-themed; this week's Pudding Pages segment is all about record players (and those Peter Pan book-and-record sets, which sort of ruled); and just in time for World Sauntering Day, Kornflake attempts a karaoke performance of "Break My Stride," but it all goes horribly wrong. 

Direct download: Flopcast_058.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 9:09am EDT

Happy 75th Birthday to Superman! Kevin and Kornflake celebrate with a Flopcast-style tribute to the Man of Steel, focusing on important stuff like goofy Super Friends cartoons, 1970s Mego dolls (sorry, action figures), comic book ads for glow-in-the-dark Kryptonite, and Beppo the Super Monkey (proud member of the Legion of Super Pets). Enjoy some classic (and some long forgotten) TV commercials and PSAs along the way. (If you stockpiled a few cases of Superman Peanut Butter back in the 80s, make yourself a sandwich.) Also: Kornflake is excited about the new Barenaked Ladies album and tour, and we prepare for National Flip Flop Day. (Hey, you know who can't wear flip flops? Superman's mermaid girlfriend Lori Lemaris, that's who. Maybe life in Atlantis isn't quite as awesome as you thought.)

Direct download: Flopcast_057.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 9:03am EDT

Kevin and Kornflake attempt to celebrate National Running Day without actually moving; at the Southcoast Toy and Comic Show, we find the Karate Kid-themed puzzle book of our dreams; we highly recommend having a monkey in a Hawaiian shirt at your next wedding; and by request, we present a Top 4 1/2 List of arcade video games. Everyone thought we were wasting our time back in the 80s, pumping quarter after quarter into Burgertime machines. But it was all just painstaking research for this week's show. You're welcome. 

Direct download: Flopcast_056.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 12:41pm EDT

Kevin and Kornflake celebrate Sunscreen Day with our usual advice to slather on plenty of the stuff, or better yet, don't leave the house at all; Kornflake's recent illness just gave her more time to do what she does best -- search the Internet for silly British game shows and web comics; while we're puzzled by all the wrestlers in her videos, Cyndi Lauper continues to completely rule; a new Kickstarter-funded album of covers of 70s/80s soft rock reminds us that we'll never really escape from the Pina Colada Song (but we're okay with that); and this week's "Chickens in the News" segment may leave you with nightmares of chicken/frog hybrid creatures. Enjoy!

Direct download: Flopcast_055.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 3:00am EDT

Kevin and Kornflake recount their long perilous road trip to the Speak Up storytelling event in Hartford; along the way, they visit a couple of shops celebrating Free Comic Book Day, discover a place called Chicken City, and endure massive amounts of Tiffany music. Also this week: Geek Pride Day (prepare to take over the world, kids), Bacon Night at the library (which was a huge artery-clogging success), the Breeders reunion tour (which has us nostalgic for 90s music, for a change), the Watch City Festival (featuring our favorite steampunk mermaid), and the Pudding Pages with Dapper Dan. Tune in and help us figure out if we ever really escaped the mean streets of Connecticut.

Direct download: Flopcast_054.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 6:54am EDT

Kevin and Kornflake are joined by the Mayor of Chickentown as we look back on a whole silly year of Flopcasting! (If only this were a 1980s sitcom-style flashback clip show...) For our anniversary show, we also have an anniversary-themed Top 4 1/2 List, featuring robots, kazoos, and Mad Libs. (Your three favorite things. Admit it.) Now it's on to Flopcast Year Two, in which we'll stray too far from our original concept, and use too many super-villain guest stars all at the same time. Sorry.

Direct download: Flopcast_053.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 11:09am EDT

Kornflake looks forward to No Sock Day, despite the dire implications for puppets everywhere; there is indeed bacon at the library (apparently the books are not enough of a draw anymore); our Chickens in the News segment takes us to Florida's Chicken Church (which is actually the least weird thing in Florida); and this week's Pudding Pages segment is truly outrageous. Now excuse us as we prepare for next week's Flopcast anniversary celebration. Hey, maybe the library will lend us a cheese ball.

Direct download: Flopcast_052.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 11:03am EDT

Everyone keeps telling Kornflake she is getting older, but we don't believe it; Kevin reports on concerts by symphonic metal band Anaria and former Monkee Mike Nesmith (hey, they should tour together); because April 30th is Hairstylist Appreciation Day, Kornflake is honoring her high school librarian; Kevin has a weird story about the time he met folk legend Richie Havens; and instead of attending the postponed Boston Comic Con, we wander down to Bellingham, Massachusetts and talk to Jay and Joe of Rubber Chicken Comics, Panda Valentine of Wicked Geeky, and Hellion author Jim Savard. (How many unnecessary references to Air Supply can Kevin crowbar into these conversations? Let's see...)

Direct download: Flopcast_051.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 2:26pm EDT

Kevin and Kornflake celebrate Tell a Story Day, while acknowledging that their own stories tend to be quite lame; our latest Chickens in the News segment is immediately followed by our first (and hopefully last) Ferrets in the News segment; at a recent They Might Be Giants concert, Kornflake falls in love with the saxophone-based opening band, and Kevin recalls the last TMBG show he attended, where he acted like a huge creep; and speaking of saxophones, we present a Top 4 1/2 List of our favorite 1980s saxophone solos! (How many Billy Ocean songs made the list? Way more than you'd think.)

Direct download: Flopcast_050.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 7:38pm EDT

Kornflake's "What's in the Bag?" segment delays our coffee consumption by almost a minute, which is a big problem; we're frightened by National Cheese Ball Day; we celebrate the career of comic book artist Carmine Infantino, who brought us Flash, Elongated Man, and (most importantly) Detective Chimp; Kornflake samples some mysterious homebrewed Harry Potter-themed beer; The Flopcast meets The FlappCast; and Kevin reports on his recent trip to Ecuador and the Galapagos Islands. And if you think we can talk about blue-footed boobies without a nice classy burst of immature giggling, you don't really know us anymore, do you?

Direct download: Flopcast_049.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 10:14am EDT

Welcome to springtime in Chickentown, true believers! Kornflake is doing some spring cleaning; Kevin is not. Meanwhile, for this week's National Whatever Day, our plans to "walk on the wild side" involve parachutes, gorilla suits, and prepositions. (This will not end well.) Finally we present a Top 4 1/2 List that's all about TEETH! But as usual, it's actually a list of weird cartoons, puppets, and They Might Be Giants songs. Because we are us.

Direct download: Flopcast_048.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 8:22pm EDT

This week Kevin and Kornflake tackle the tough questions. Is Level 42 better than Black 47? (No, they both rule.) Was Simon in the Land of Chalk Drawings just a ripoff of Harold and the Purple Crayon? (See previous answer.) Kool-Aid Man: thirst-quenching hero or out-of-control destructive freak? (Again, BOTH!) And how many times will our Chickens in the News segment take us back to Woonsocket, Rhode Island? (Just twice so far. But we're monitoring the Northern Rhode Island poultry situation very, very closely.)

Direct download: Flopcast_047.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 3:00am EDT

Having survived their bizarre trip to Minnesota for MarsCon, Kevin and Kornflake are safely back in Chickentown. (And thanks to their shiny new court-ordered ankle monitors, they'll never leave again!) This week: Kornflake has a Flopcast-themed nightmare and a turkey-themed tale of terror, National Whatever Day involves (get ready for a shock) lobsters, and we're not quite done with our coverage of MarsCon! Yes, we have three crazy interview clips for you, with three of our favorite MarsCon performers: Power Salad, TV's Kyle, and Flat 29! Has Chris from Power Salad ever dunked a chicken (which is totally not a euphemism)? Can we get TV's Kyle to agree (grudgingly) that the greatest cartoon of all time is Jabberjaw? Are Flat 29's Dan and Charlie planning to force their bandmate Rich to undergo horrific cosmetic surgery? Listen and learn! (Or just keep reading right now. The answer to every question is yes.)

Direct download: Flopcast_046.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 3:00am EDT

We're still in Minnesota for the silliest science fiction convention of all (thanks to the Dementia track of comedy music), MarsCon! Late Sunday night, as things are winding down, a Dementia supergroup gathers to look back on the whole crazy weekend, just for the Flopcast. Joining Kevin and Kornflake are the great Luke Ski (of Luke and Carrie's Bad Rapport), Sara Trice, Power Salad's Chris Mezzolesta, Kobi Lacroix, Break Man Z, and Blasted Bill Putt! Luke even joins Kornflake for a Top 4 1/2 List of their favorite MarsCon moments. And we wrap up with TWO rounds of "What's in the Bag?", featuring scary potato chips and non-scary Pez dispensers.

Direct download: Flopcast_045.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 2:04pm EDT

A show this weird could only happen at MarsCon, the Minnesota science fiction convention where all our crazy friends from the comedy music scene gather each year. On Day 1, Kevin and Kornflake are joined by the breakout star of this episode, Delia (aka Doornail). Delia has pointy elf ears, is quite dangerous around beverages and furniture, and never stops giggling. So you'll love her. Then on Day 2, we're joined by Blasted Bill Putt, as The Flopcast and The Pod of Destiny merge into one big silly superpodcast: The Flop of Destiny. We discuss the Logan Award winners, Kornflake's much-anticipated water aerobics class, why Kevin should not go anywhere near the hotel pool, and Bill's elevator entrapment (apparently something of a MarsCon tradition). Also: the thrilling conclusion of the Amoeba Lederhosen Challenge! And hey, if you promise to keep on giggling just like Delia, we'll have even more MarsCon for you next week...

Direct download: Flopcast_044.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 4:34pm EDT

Here's a goofy little episode we recorded just before leaving for MarsCon! Kornflake rides a bus and turns into a cartoon fish; for National Whatever Day, we're being nasty and we're panicking; this week's Pudding Pages segment involves shrinking things and enlarging things; The Mayor of Chickentown returns from California with a Doctor Who convention report (and, more importantly, booze); and we end with yet another Chickens in the News segment about weird potato chips.

Direct download: Flopcast_043.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 3:00am EDT

After taking care of a little business here in Chickentown (like celebrating Public Sleeping Day and discussing weird perfume from the 70s), Kevin and Kornflake are, yes, packing for MarsCon, a silly science fiction convention happening in Minnesota next weekend. So today we're checking out the convention schedule (Mad Science! Claudia Christian! And hey, Water Aerobics with Kornflake!) and looking forward to seeing some of our favorite funny musicians (Flat 29! Luke Ski! TV's Kyle!)... yikes, this should be fun. If we're not back in Chickentown the following week, please send a search party to Minnesota. (Beth Kinderman's Space Oddity Brew Pub room party would be a logical place to start searching.)

Direct download: Flopcast_042.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 4:08pm EDT

Kornflake has two different National Whatever Days for us this week -- and Dog Biscuit Appreciation Day is the less ridiculous one; Kevin introduces a very exciting new segment called "The Pudding Pages," for which we're going to need a 217-sided die; and our latest Top 4 1/2 List is particularly goofy, even by Flopcast standards: we're listing Wilsons. Characters, songs, Cajun chefs, chinchillas -- anything named Wilson just might make the list. Okay, maybe not chinchillas. But trust us -- a chinchilla is involved.

Direct download: Flopcast_041.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 11:53pm EDT

Kevin and Kornflake celebrate Darwin Day with a piping hot bowl of Primordial Soup; as MarsCon preparations continue, we learn why you don't want to sit next to Kornflake on a plane; and because we're still dangerously obsessed with goofy old sitcoms, we present a Top 4 1/2 List of our favorite wacky neighbors. Come on, you haven't had this much fun since 1978, when your brother took you to a Lenny and the Squigtones concert.

Direct download: Flopcast_040.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 11:35am EDT

Kornflake presents a ridiculous new segment called National Whatever Day; we confirm that there WILL be Water Aerobics in the Martian Gravity Pit at MarsCon this year; Kevin stays out way too late thanks to Adam Carolla and Niki Luparelli; we have an Amoeba Lederhosen Challenge update; a new book about the band Heart leads to a discussion of 70s music versus 80s music, as well as our thoughts on this year's Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductees (too much Randy Newman, not enough Martika); and we end with a Chickens in the News story from Atlanta, where 26,000 pounds of chicken wings are on the loose and ready to party.

Direct download: Flopcast_039.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 10:56am EDT

Kevin and Kornflake report live from Arisia, a big crazy science fiction convention held in Boston each January. Some highlights: Kevin interviews comedy/nerdcore artist Devo Spice (mostly about old Atari games); a live performance of The Nightmare Before Christmas features a giant chicken; we revive "Make Carl Angry," a beloved segment from Kornflake's old radio show; "Footloose in Space" will be the greatest movie ever; we encounter a Harley Quinn belly dancer, a Dr. Horrible tattoo, and a guy in a crab suit; and the ladies of Wicked Geeky explain what a "bodice-gasm" is. Yikes, what a fun show -- even if Boston in January is so cold that you wish you'd brought along a dead tauntaun.

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Direct download: Flopcast_038.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 10:29am EDT

For episode 37, we just had to talk about Clerks, Mallrats, Chasing Amy, and all the movies of Kevin Smith. Come on, you know why. Also: Kevin cannot escape from Jennifer Grey's dog, Kornflake is frantically listening to every funny song released last year, Ms. Pac-Man and The Hobbit are a dangerous combination, and everyone on the Internet alerts us about this week's "Chickens in the News." (Note: By "everyone," we mean three people. We round up.)

Direct download: Flopcast_037.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 11:40am EDT

Kornflake is named as a juror in this year's Logan Awards for excellence in comedy music (so if the big winner is a kazoo-playing lobster, you know what happened); Kevin recommends a Queen cover band, and even admits to buying Queen albums on 8-track; we wander all the way to Connecticut to check out "The Clowns," a new rock opera, because why not; and, as requested by no one, we count down our Top 4 1/2 favorite angry things. If this episode were any angrier, it would live in a van down by the river.

Direct download: Flopcast_036.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 9:59am EDT

Kevin and Kornflake have been issued a bizarre challenge by the Pod of Destiny, and without giving it nearly enough thought, we accept. Also: We vow to keep the “o” in “Amoeba”; our latest “Chickens in the News” segment features weird Chinese potato chips; our latest “What’s in the Bag?” segment features perhaps the most wonderful Flopcast item ever; we prepare for some upcoming geeky conventions; and we reveal our New Year’s resolutions, all of which directly impact the future of the Flopcast. Stick with us for 2013, kids -- it’ll be silly and awesome. Mostly silly.

Direct download: Flopcast_035.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 8:11am EDT

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