Mel Brooks’ cult classic Star Wars parody is dumb, yes… but Katie argues that it works so well for four main reasons – and she is happy to tell you all about them. So dive in with us and get surrounded by assholes.
Is it the costumes? The visuals? Jenna Ortega? That dance scene? Christina Ricci?
Alex has never seen a single Addams Family movie or TV show episode. He doesn’t particularly like Tim Burton and he’s not a fan of high school drama. So why did he love Wednesday, Netflix’s new hit show? Let’s see if we can figure it out.
BTWs include Parks&Rec, Brooklyn 99 and Fred Armisen.
Kate Bush’s song Running Up That Hill made it to #1 in the UK, 37 years after it was released when they used it in Stranger Things.
Alex has been a fan of Kate Bush since the 80s and when a listener suggested we do an episode on her, he got to research her and find out just how awesome she is.
You may not have heard OFF The Amen Break – but you’ve definitely heard it. But how did this 6-second drum solo become the world’s most used sample and show up in 6,000 other songs – from Slipknot the Futurama theme.
Alex shares the fascinating history behind The Amen Break, how it was discovered, what makes it so good and why copying other people’s stuff in your art is a good thing, actually.
In the moment of meta Katie talks about 2 new mottos that she believes are essential to enthusiasm:
It’s OK to make mistakes
Don’t blame others – or yourself
BTWs include:
Famous B-side songs that became more popular than the A-side
The Danish band that ALMOST became a hit in black dance clubs
So… a funny thing happened: Our episode where Katie introduced Alex to the EPIC Indian action movie RRR got SUPER popular, so here we follow up on the reactions, share the best comments and hear what Alex thought of it once he got to see it.
BTWs include:
The Hayes Code
The different ways Brits and Americans pronounce Rs
Imagine a movie with no plot, no characters, no actors, no dialogue, no narration, no stunts, no CGI, no special effects and no sound – only super minimalist music. HOW is this movie not a complete boring train wreck?
In this episode, Alex shares his love for a groundbreaking 1980s movie that is utterly beautiful and fascinating and which has inspired so many other works including Madonna music videos, Zach Snyder’s Watchmen and the Grand Theft Auto video game.
BTWs include:
Death of the author
German expressionist cinema
Citizen Kane
How NOT to eat marmite
In the Moment Of Meta, Alex and Katie follow up on Katie’s previous challenge to “say yes” to new adventure and share what happened when they did.
The Moomin Trolls are nothing but cute, cuddly, innocent kids’ stories right? Wrong!
And the creator of the Moomins, Tove Jansson, was just a kids’ writer, right? WRONG! She was also a novelist, poet, painter and all-round badass and Alex shares 5 reasons why you should be enthusiastic about her,
BTWs include queer erasure, dancing and lesbian cottage core.
In the moment of meta Katie talks about saying “YES!” to new adventures.
Of all the drag queens in all the world Katie loves Trixie Mattel the most and in this episode you’ll hear a ton of reasons why you should be enthusiastic about her too. This includes her insane work ethic, how funny she is and of course her long-standing partnership with Katia.
BTWs include:
Makeup
Lying to the media
Staying friends in showbiz
What Katie wants for her birthday
Moment Of Meta
In the moment of meta Alex gives some tips on how to be enthusiastic about your job. Yes – it’s possible!
RRR (Rise, Roar and Revolt) is a brand-new Indian movie that has Katie VERY enthusiastic because of the insane action, the crazy high energy and the men’s fashions. Just don’t talk to her about whatever it is the women are wearing!
It is a HUGE blockbuster in India and worldwide and you can see it on Netflix right now – but first listen to this episode to hear exactly how awesome it is.
BTWs include:
What is Tollywood and why is it different from Bollywood
Why you should watch RRR with British people
Moment Of Meta
In the Moment Of Meta we talk about an ad that enraged Alex and how to use hobbies as a source of enthusiasm.