Currently Listening to the hilariousness that is CHICKEMAN and recalling my love for the age of Radio

I was born after the age of Radio Drama had long since passed away.  But I grew up with a natural love for the medium of radio, even though I was born in the age of television. My Dad before going to work, would listen to the radio, talk radio. Talk radio back then, wasn’t like talk radio today. It wasn’t code for people spouting hate and intolerance.

It was mostly talented radio jockeys, trying to entertain their viewers, who were hardworking early risers, who were making their way into the work day. Like my Dad, who got up before the sun, in those pre-covid, pre-Resident Trump, pre-the fall of reason — days. The program that stuck with me, that was a skit, that would come on between the talk part, of talk radio, was a show called CHICKEN MAN. An irreverent comedy skit, in bite size segments, I absolutely was enthralled with this skit as a kid.

And it was one of the things that sparked my love for old time radio dramas (such as THE SHADOW, SUSPENSE, INNER SANCTUM)  and audio books, and podcasts. But it starts with this wacky irreverent show called… CHICKENMAN.

Listen to the first episode here:

And listen to all episodes here:

CHICKENMAN

 

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Youtube Channels On Rob Liefeld, Moon Girl & Devil Dinosaur and the Demise of DC Comics?

I listen to some of these Youtube channels, with hosts expressing all types of varying views and opinions.

People get up in arms about a lot of things, than rush to share their opinion.

Here is the thing, everyone has an opinion, but what you should share is an INFORMED opinion. I’m always amazed by the number of people who don’t take the time to make their opinion, an INFORMED opinion.

” Oh No! Rob Liefeld is saying DC is heading for a collapse!”

And that is news why?

I don’t personally care what the opinion of Rob Liefeld is. Not saying I dislike him, but in a long day of numerous issues, the opinions of Rob Liefeld generally do not make my radar. Or most people for that matter, we live busy lives.

However a podcast put this particular Liefeld stance on my radar.

DC comic company heading for a demise.

Just a cursory glance at the comic market will make that stance seem like an outcome with a hefty potential, to be the likely stance.

As far as most of America is concerned there is  no such thing as comic books. The best selling comic books of the biggest companies in the US, Marvel and DC, have been struggling for years to sell a 100000 copies in a nation of over 300million people.

That is an unprecedented level of failure.

That is a market hanging on by its fingertips, and is staying alive by resorting to desperate 1990s moves of multiple and variant covers, and price gouging their remaining dwindling audience.

Comics are going up exponentially in price because the big two American Comic book companies rather than attempting to grow an audience, is simply concentrating on milking to death their existing dwindling audience of extremists.

And you have to be an extremist of some sort to pay $4 and $5 and up for books of lessening quality and miniscule content.

And recent talk of AT&T’s acquisition of Warner brothers and by extrapolation DC, points to the print division of DC Comics as one not viewed favorably by At&T; one can argue with good reason.

So to speculate and even err on the side of the demise of the periodical print form of comics, DC comics specifically, that is only looking at the situation clearly and making some informed conclusions. Especially in the wake of the biggest book retailers, far larger than DC. suffering calamitous years of their own.

If you had to bet on DC print division, returning to the glory days of selling millions of copies OR going strictly to a digital and collected/trade model (with some print on demand tossed in); you have to look at the latter as the most likely option.

So yeah talk of the demise of DC Comics, or Comics in general, is just acknowledging the same falling dominoes we see in other physical media markets, from newspapers, to book retailers, to CD and DVD providers. The only difference being all of those things, still sell better than Comic Books.

To not see demise in the wind in the desperate price gouging antics of Marvel and DC, is to not be paying attention. Now I being a fan of print would like a return to a thriving sequential market, but it will take following the path of innovative sequential companies like Alterna, who eschew relying on just the flawed Diamond Direct Market model.

I urge you to check out the Alterna channel for great discussions on these very topics.

And what is funny is the same people who will argue for the health of the direct market, will then call for the cancellation of titles like MOON GIRL AND DEVIL DINOSAUR and MS MARVEL. “Oh those minority books, diverse books are low selling. they should be cancelled. Why aren’t they being cancelled? ” Again it is a case of people not taking two seconds, in a digital age, to get informed.

While the titles do not sell gangbusters in periodic form, in the flawed Diamond direct market model, they sell gangbusters to libraries. MOON GIRL AND DEVIL DINOSAUR and MS MARVEL sell great to libraries, and are critical darlings. And are quickly becoming bigger IP money makers than the traditional “Give us only white guy” titles, that surprise, surprise, after a few issues, stop selling, and need to be rebooted to bolster sales.

It has been my experience that most people on social media, are here to spread gossip or an agenda or be outraged about something, the truth be damned. They just want to have something to move their lips about. That becomes the babbling of idiots, rather than any type of cultivated discourse.

So to combat this type of co-opting of the conversation by those who probably really have no love for comics, those of us in a position to have even a minor audience, we owe our legitimate audience better than regurgitating the suspect ramblings of the agenda prone, we owe them better than our uninformed opinions, or theirs, we have to hold all of us to a higher level of discourse.

There can be no civilization without holding ourselves to civil discourse.

The truth is out there. You just have to take the time to shut your mouth long enough… to hear it, and read it, and internalize it. 🙂

Hear Endeth the Lesson!

 

PODCAST OF THE DAY : Sirens of Scream

PODCAST OF THE DAY :

SIRENS OF SCREAM – I really enjoy how informative this podcast is. I have listened to two episodes so far, the latest, episode #56 I believe, and their first episode from two years ago, and am amazed how chock full of fantastic recommendations both episodes were, This trio of cool horror fans, of the female variety, are just great.

It is cool to get a slightly varied perspective on a medium that can be viewed, and sometimes covered one dimensionally. From IT FOLLOWS film to Beksinski artbooks to SLEEP NO MORE installation events to OXENFREE video games to LORE podcats to HARROW COUNTY comic books and Jordan Peele TWILIGHT ZONE/CANDY MAN news.

it is like they were listing off much of my favorite things, as well as many things completely new to me. Such as THE RADIUM GIRLS. i knew about radium, shortly after its discovery in 1898, being used, as a new miracle ingredient in the Edwardian age, particularly in makeup, and watch dials, but the specific, and horrific story of THE RADIUM GIRLS is a new discovery.  (You can hear them discuss it in Episode 22, their FOUND FOOTAGE episode. Currently listening to it.)

A binge-worthy podcast. I think after listening to one, you will think so too.

Link Below:

 

https://sirensofscream.simplecast.fm/

Podcasts of the Day!

Discovered two new podcasts today.

They both are not new, have been around a while, but are new to me, and  I am quite enjoying them.

Currently listening to Adam Chapman’s COMIC SHENANIGANS and GROWN ASS MEN by Doug Bost and Adam Bernstein.

 

https://comicshenanigans.podbean.com – His interviews with Bronze age Comic greats, Steve Englehart and Tom Ozechowski are great and informative.

 

 

The duo behind GAM offer three must listen interviews. One with Paul Gulacy, one with Doug Moench, and a third with Jamar Nicholas. Find them and listen to them here:

 

http://grownassmenpod.libsyn.com/rss

 

Great podcasts!

 

Three Defunct Podcasts that are still missed! INDIE SPINNER SIDEBAR HORROR ETC

These three podcasts all had long runs that unfortunately came to an end, and while there have been no end of new podcasts since ( and I’ll cover some of those new discoveries next installment), the niche these three podcasts filled, and the personalities thst filled them… remain unduplicated and sorely missed.

They are INDIE SPINNER RACK and SIDEBAR and HORROR ETC.

The first was a 2 man New York show that covered all things Comics Indie related, with style and panache and good natured, quirky humor. The third was a 3 man Atlanta show that sported some of the best interviews with illustrators, painters, comic pencillers, etc; and the last was a 2 person Canadian show covering Horror films, tv shows, books, comics. All 3 of those excellent shows have given up the ghost, but it is a testament to how good each one was, they remain… sorely missed, and the episodes… particularly SIDEBAR, important.

If you have the opportunity to download any of these podcast’s old episodes ( check the search engines) , get them. They are the real thing… they are pure.

 

BEST EPISODES of Marc Maron WTF PODCAST!

Catching Up

PODCASTS : Currently Listening to WTF. There is a reason why people who hate interviewers and hate interviews decide to do this show.

Marc Maron manages to be actually concerned and interested in what these people have to say, and just wants to have a conversation with them and it illicits a trust in the interviewed and the listener. And it comes across. There is a reason President Obama chose this podcast to give arguably one of the most potent public interviews/conversations a seated President has ever given.

There is something about audio that lends itself to an intimate conversation better than video. It involves the listener in the theater of the mind, and you end up actually listening to people rather than just watching the spinning plates, the stock in trade of most tv talk shows.

Airing since 2009, now in its eighth year, The first three years of the WTF Podcast it was strictly comedians. But the names became ever larger so that by the end of 2011 he was interviewing movie star level comedians.

2012 was when it really transitioned from a comedian interview show to just a great ‘whoever interests me’ interview show. And 2015 with the startling appearance of President Obama on the show is when it rocketed into the Stratosphere of world wide prominence, with now a whole new level of guests appearing.

Episode #327 from 2012 starring Jimmie Walker, was recommended by another great podcast… 11oclock Comics, and became my first introduction to Marc Maron and WTF. That episode, a brilliant show that is a wonderful history of comedy, it remains one of the best episodes, and I’ve been hooked ever since.

Mark Maron’s WTF is arguably not just one of the best ‘podcast’ shows, but is orders of magnitude better than any ‘talk show’ you’ll find on TV, or cable, or streaming.

Here are a few episodes that stand out for me as, not just this show done well, but really pivotal and important additions to culture and the history of entertainment.

This is by no means a comprehensive list, just some of the ones that stood out to me.

Without further ado they are:

#327 JIMMY WALKER 2012 Brilliant and informative history of post 60s comedy and the comedy clubs
REMEMBERING ROBIN WILLIAMS August 11 2014 – Heartbreaking and an essential listen
#523 BOB NEWHART 2014 Excellent
#544 ANDRE ROYO 2014 Fun
#593 HENRY WINKLER 2015 Rich
#605 TOMMY DAVIDSON 2015 Engrossing
#613/614 PRESIDENT OBAMA 2015 Podcast of the Year
#621 SIR IAN MCKELLAN 2015 Riveting and charming, and a masterclass on being an actor and surviving it
#622 WYATT CENAC 2015 Compelling
#624 SINBAD 2015 I like that he stood up for Bill Cosby, as Cosby remains very much THE comedian of much of the pivotal years of the late 20th century, and remains a person I hold in high regard
#638 SIR PATRICK STEWART 2015 Genius and very open about a harrowing coming of age
#684 WILLIAM FRIEDKIN 2016 Brilliant
#761 MIKE SHANNON 2016 Unexpectedly charming and nuanced
#783 BIll PAXTON 2017 Wonderful
#804 WALTER HILL 2017 Great and Bittersweet stories. Including playing part of episode #783 at Bill Paxton’s funeral

Hear these and more here:

https://wtfpod.libsyn.com

This Week’s 10 Favorite Podcasts!

10 Favorite Podcasts for week ending 25 July 2015! Enter any of the below into your podcatcher of choice (I recommend PODKICKER) and start enjoying!

11 O’CLOCK COMICS -Mix three family men, a Broker, an Illustator, a programmer, and a knowledge of drinks, and a love of comics, and great personalities, and you get a show that is always one of the most enjoyable week in and week out

B-MOVIE CAST – Year after year, consistently one of my favorite podcasts

WTF WITH MARC MARON – Hands down the best podcast currently being made. His TV show is likewise one of ths best.

FATMAN ON BATMAN with KEVIN SMITH -fun, irreverant interviews and coverage on all things Batman by filmmaker, comic writer, podcaster, actor, Kevin Smith.

SIDEBAR COMICS, ART, POPCULTURE – great chemistry and knowledge between the hosts, and great art, comics, media talk

KCRW’S THE TREATMENT WITH ELVIS MITCHELL – Best movie interview show

FILMSPOTTING SVU – covering all Notable items on Netflix, Amazon Prime, streaming, on-demand

NERDIST WRITERS PANEL

SNAP JUDGEMENT

GILBERT GOTTFRIED’S AMAZING COLLOSAL PODCAST – The least interesting thing about this podcast is typically Gilbert Gottfried’s ‘humor’ but really interesting guests and the encyclopedic knowledge of co-host Frank Santopadre on classic hollywood makes this a great listen.

Quick (kinda) 2015’s The Best Of Podcasts Primer!!

Starting off 2015 let’s do a lightning quick primer on what podcasts are, how you listen to them, and quick recommendations on some good podcasts to start subscribing to. Cool? Let’s begin!

What are podcasts?

Simplest definition they are the radio programs of the 21st century.

But not quite.

Almost 100 years ago radio (the medium, the invention) was the mass media wunderkind and juggernaut and technological cutting edge of the world. It united the world and united disparate geographically separated people in a way that was largely inconceivable just generations before. It redefined communication, but more it redefined entertainment.

No longer did you have to go to New York or LA or London to see the greatest and most exciting acts of the day, the comedies, the dramas, the concerts, the debates, but now with radio the greatest acts in the world, this sea of entertainment, and news, and interests… with a flip of a switch, comes to you.

Radio of a hundred years ago was a watershed evolution in the way people communicated, it expanded the width of our collective conversation, even if lessening to some degree the depth of the impact of the individual and the local community on that conversation.

TV tends to get the hype, but is nothing more than an extrapolation of that model that radio defined, radio being the true 1st evolutionary leap of the 20th century. The next real evolutionary dialog changer of the 20th century would come at the end of that century, with the mass adoption of the WWW, the Internet. The Internet into the 21st century has been the evolutionary next leap in communication from the medium Radio.

That brings us to podcasts and VOD. In a world where traditional terrestrial radio and television just doesn’t meet the needs of a 21st century audience, the on demand nature of podcasts and VOD platforms such as Amazon Prime or Netflix, perfectly fits the needs of an internet age that wants to “watch what it wants whenever it wants”.

And podcasts (recorded audio files on a near infinite range of topics, available for streaming or download or subscription through select syndication hosts) particularly are dear to me, as someone who grew up on the idea of radio drama, the theater of the mind, and loving shows like THE SHADOW, ESCAPE, SUSPENSE, and recognizing the intimate power of the audio format to move you in a way that television rarely does, I’m thrilled to see the flourishing of audio drama and audio commentary in the 21st century.

So that in a horribly non-brief way is what podcasts are and why they rock. But now how do you get them?

There are a bunch of ways to do it, depending if you are doing it on your smart phone, or tablet, or media player, or computer. I use an android tablet, so that’s the process I’m going to cover here. And we’ll wrap this puppy up with some quick shows to get you started with in 2015:

1- Get a tablet. My personal preference is Android 10″. Android OS because I don’t want to put up with the gatekeeping of Apple or Microsoft, and I like the bang for the buck I get. Your preference may be different and that’s perfectly fine, just telling you what works for me. As far as 10″ , I like reading books, magazines, and comics on the tablet, so that form factor works great for me. All this to say you do your homework, you can end up with a great tablet for around Ebook prices.

2- Find an app to use to subscribe to podcasts: Being tech savvy, I have tried MANY, MANY apps looking for the most useful, least obtrusive podcast app (also known as a podcatcher) and most of them are ultimately disappointing. The exception, and my current podcatcher of choice is PODKICKER. You can easily stream shows or you can download shows you want to keep for posterity, the “WTF Robin Williams” episode comes immediately to mind. Have been using PODKICKER for most of 2014, and still using it in 2015. Highly Recommended!

3- And now last but not least… choose podcasts to start your 2015 off right. Just type the following into your podcatcher search engine to subscribe to them, and job done.

WTF WITH MARC MARON
SIDEBAR SIDEBARNATION
11OCLOCK COMICS
HORROR ETC
B MOVIE CAST
GILBERT GODFREY

Start with those few, guys and gals, as they were all shows I consumed voraciously in 2014, and will remain in rotation in 2015 as new shows are discovered.

Hope this primer has been helpful!

FAVORITE & THE BEST : Favorite July Podcasts! Part 1 of 2!

July’s FAVORITE podcasts Part 1 of 2!

B MOVIE CAST– A great 2+ hours of B-movie celebration. A long running and well enjoyed favorite, that I have praised for years, that I look forward to every week. Consistently one of the best!

COMIC GEEK SPEAK – One of the earliest podcasts and still one of the most popular and enjoyable, this one is a bunch of friends letting you in on their love of all things comics. With closing in on 1500 episodes, this show has seen many changes and many moments memorable and heartfelt. Dedicated to Jamie D, this show will always be one of the best.

FILM SPOTTING – One of the newer movie podcasts I’m trying, after the hiatus of a couple other movie podcasts.

FILM SPOTTING SUV – For those of us who have cut the cable bill and have embraced all things streaming this is an informative listen, keeping you abreast of the latest movies and shows to watch… courtesy of streaming.

HORROR ETC – Another long running show, this Canadian horror movie podcast is up there with B MOVIE CAST as being one of the best, while still being very unique. Always a highly recommended listen.

SIDEBAR – A trio of impressively versed art lovers, helm this excellent process show, with interviews and commentaries of some of the most acclaimed cartoonists, pencilers, painters, etc. A must have addition to anyone’s podcast rotation!

What I’m Listening to!

Sidebar #249 End of Year Art Wrapup

Comic Geek Speak #1450 Misc Start of the Year Geek News