This Is Rad!

3...2...1...Happy Rad Year! This week Kyle, Matthew and Producer Natalie ring in the New Year by taking a look back at their favorite rad things from 2015. From Tangerine to Tomb Raider, Mad Max to METZ, and Rocket League to Review, no movie, show, album, podcast or video game is left unturned! Things also get a little intense at the end when they discuss the purpose of art and their respective creative journeys over the past year, and Kyle talks about the making of his most recent standup album. Let us know your New Year #Radsolutions by tweeting us at @ThisIsRadPod!

Yearly Rads: A Place to Bury Strangers, The Jesus and Mary Chain, Spiritualized, Modest Mouse's Strangers to Ourselves, METZ's II, Culture Abuse, Cursed Graves, Ghostlimb, Tidemouth's Velvet & Stone, Dogs' The Ongoing LP, Prince's HitNRun Phase One, Dame Funk, Mark Ronson & Uptown Funk, Fidlar's Too, Silversun Pickups' Better Nature, Courtney Barnett & Sometimes I Sit and Think, and Sometimes I Just Sit, Desaparecidos' Payola, Kacey Musgraves, Jason Isabelle, Clutch, Yo La Tengo, Foals, Murs, Built to Spill, Wilco, the Max Levine Ensemble, Galactic's Hey Na Na, Apple Music's Psychedelic Jazz playlist, Burton's, Ex Machina, Mad Max: Fury Road, Trainwreck, Tangerine, Ted 2, Star Wars: The Force Awakens, It Follows, Dude Bro Party Massacre 3, Everly, Rise of the Tomb Raider, Rocket League, Ori and the Blind Forest, Race the Sun, Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask for DS, South Park, Last Man on Earth, Nathan for You, Master of None, Review, Maron, The Last Podcast on the Left, Murderfist, The Black Tapes podcast, The NoSleep Podcast, The Movie Crypt podcast, Criminal

Direct download: 82_2015_The_Year_in_Radview_-_This_Is_Rad.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 9:00pm PDT

Merry Clashmas! This week Kyle and Matthew "rad" the Casbah with returning guests Chris Estrada and Kasey Clark. They give a brief history of the The Clash, followed by an album-by-album breakdown of the band's best (and worst) songs, their musical evolution and their ideology. They explore the band's politics and how much the band was a product of their time - for better and for worst. They also yell a lot because Kyle, Kasey and Chris are all insane Clash fans. If you are new to the band, this is a great primer. If you love The Clash, listen and yell and scream at us about what you do and don't agree with. They also discuss the post-Clash works of the various members and give some records to check out if you feel like expanding into the outer Clash-iverse. This holiday season, give someone in your life the gift of The Clash and drown out all that awful Christmas music with "London Calling."

Weekly Rads: Tweet a real band name or a fake band name to @ThisIsRadPod and have Natalie guess what it is!

Raddendums: Joe Strummer, The 101ers, Fecal Matter, The Melvins, Cleveland Screaming, Police and Thieves, Clampdown, Give 'Em Enough Rope, London Calling, Guns of Brixton, Lost in the Supermarket, Train in Vain, Spanish Bombs, Sandinista!, Somebody Got Murdered, Combat Rock, Cut the Crap, Should I Stay or Should I Go?, Bankrobber, Know Your Rights, Car Jamming, Rock the Casbah, Straight to Hell, Big Audio Dynamite, The Mescaleros, Johnny Appleseed

Direct download: The_Clash_-_This_Is_Rad.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 11:00pm PDT

Are you ready for some football??? Good!!! Cause this week Kyle and Matthew are joined by Sharon Hills (@NerdistMom), Katie Levine (@kt_money) and Benji (@NerdistDog) to talk about their love of watching pros pass around the ol' pigskin. Sharon talks about her son Chris Hardwick's "sporty" youth, her ranting on @midnight ("Fuckity fuckeroos!"), and Katie talks about football players being taken down by the dick. They close out by giving their take on the current state of sports injuries and what can be done to prevent them. Hut...hut...hike!

Weekly Rads: Electric Boogaloo: The Wild, Untold Story of Cannon Films, Wikipedia articles about the oldest buildings on Earth, scorpion best friend necklaces, A Very Sunny Christmas

Weekly Bads: Burnside's dislike of roller coasters

Raddendums: The Miami Dolphins, Orleans Darkwa, The Browns, The Cowboys, The Carolina Panthers, The Denver Broncos, Peyton Manning, Vince Lombardi, Antonio Brown's nutcracker, The Hurricanes, The Dan Patrick Show, The Rich Eisen Show, Chris Paul, French Montana

Direct download: 80_Football_-_This_Is_Rad.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 11:41pm PDT

The Doctor is in! This week Kyle and Matthew take a wibbly-wobbly adventure through space and time with April O'Neil and Brandon Flick. They explain what Doctor Who is and why they love the adventures of the Time Lord and his companions. Kyle retells the story of how Brandon and April first met and bonded over their love of the Doctor. They discuss their favorite versions of the Doctor and how the first version of the show a person comes into contact with influences how they feel about the show. They also talk about what creatures from the show are the scariest. Who is afraid of being exterminated by Daleks? Who is afraid that they are actively being followed by The Silence? Plus, the gang chats about the current season and predicts what they think may be in store for the future! Keep up to date with April at heyitsapril.tumblr.com.

Weekly Rads: Krampus, The Good Dinosaur, Fallout, The X-Files

Raddendums: Unfortunately none this week because Producer Natalie was out of town.

Direct download: 79_Doctor_Who_-_This_Is_Rad.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 9:03pm PDT

Welcome to "This Is Brad!" That's right, this week Kyle and Matthew are sitting down with their favorite returning funnyman Brad Gage to talk about Peanuts - the comic, the cartoon... the legume? They discuss the best and worst of the Sunday funnies, bad community theatre productions of "Dog Sees God," the Peanuts holiday specials, and they get Brad's take on the new movie. Check out Brad's new web series "Rough Day" on YouTube at youtube.com/bradgagecomedy!

Weekly Rads:  Last Shift, Rise of the Tomb Raider, Kyle's album recording on December 4th at Meltdown Comics!

Raddendums: Charles Schultz, The documentary "Stripped," Mother's Cookies, "Snoopy can't melt steel beams," Peter and the Wolf, Wilson on Home Improvement, Dog Sees God, You're a Good Man Charlie Brown, The Wonder Years, Scooby-Dum, the Dilbert cartoon, Dragnet hippie puts a baby in the oven, Working (with Fred Savage), The Brady Bunch Movies, Head & The Monkees, Davy Jones, Tiny Toons Adventures: How I Spent My Vacation

Direct download: 78_Peanuts_-_This_Is_Rad.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 3:01pm PDT

Cue the spooky synth music! This week Kyle and Matthew sit down with musician Kasey Clark and comedian Andy Sell to talk about the films of director John Carpenter. In the third installment of their "Rad Directors" series, they go through Carpenter's complete filmography - with a few deviations along the way. They talk about their fond memories of Big Trouble in Little China (which they can quote almost entirely from memory), that time Andy got to meet J.C. in the flesh, and Kasey shows off his sweet "They Live" tattoo. Check out Tidemouth's new album Velvet and Stone and Andy's web series "Andy Talks to Bands" and web comic "Kyle and Grandpa Forever"!

Weekly Rads: What you guys are radful for!

Raddendums: Dark Star and the song "Benson, Arizona," Shock Value by Jason Zinoman, Assault on Precinct 13, Someone's Watching Me!, Elvis, Halloween, The Fog, Escape from New York, El Rey, The Thing, Christine, Stephen King & Joe Hill, Starman, Big Trouble in Little China, Prince of Darkness, They Live, Joe Bob Briggs, Memoirs of an Invisible Man, Body Bags, In the Mouth of Madness, Village of the Damned, Escape from L.A., Vampires, Ghosts of Mars, Masters of Horror, Pro-Life, Cigarette Burns, The Ward, Esther Williams

Direct download: 77_John_Carpenter_-_This_Is_Rad.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 8:40pm PDT

CONNNN! This week Kyle, Matthew and Producer Natalie sit down with comedian Jeff May to talk about the pros of cons. From basement cons to SDCC, they discuss the wide world of fan expos and conventions: comic book, pop culture, gamer, horror, LGBT, sci-fi or otherwise. Jeff has been to literally hundreds of cons and talks about his odd experiences along the way - performing stand up, working out with an actor who shall not be named, and picking up a treasure trove of goodies from "con artists." Check out Jeff May on the "Unpopular Opinion" podcast and at Motor City ComicCon in May. And visit a con near you!

Weekly Rads: The new album "Peaks" by Tigue, delicious BBQ, Rivers Langley's hospitality

Raddendums: Con Air, Dragon*Con, basement cons, Twitch, Virgil, Glenn Shadix and Dunston Checks In, Wizarding World, Marvel Legends War Machine, Street Sharks and Big Slammu, Retrojunk, Michael Turner, Skottie Young, X-Force and X-Statix, Axel Alonso, Mike Allred, George Pérez, Horrorhound, Doom Patrol, Mark Hamill, World War Z audiobook, Iron Fist, Black Cat, Bent Con, Shirtlifter, Geeks Out, C2E2 - Chicago Comic & Entertainment Expo, Boston Comic Con, Mike Manohla, Art Adams, Grant Morrison, Granite Con, Baltimore Comic-Con, Hero Con, Motor City ComicCon, Emerald City Comicon, Long Beach Comic Con, Wondercon, Rob Liefeld, running the crank

Direct download: 76_Cons_-_This_Is_Rad.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 10:34pm PDT

Welcome to "This Is Rad!", brother! This week Kyle and Matthew tackle their most requested episode topic since Dungeons & Dragons: Wrestling. And who better to do this topic justice than the fine fellows from the Goods from the Woods podcast: Rivers Langley, Pat Reilly and Mr. Goodnight. In this "Rad from the Woods" crossover, the boys present an in-depth historical overview of Wrestling in all its glory. Rivers teaches us carny speak and wrestling terms, Goodnight talks about the Memphis scene, Pat professes his views on '90s creative stagnation, and Kyle gets a dollar stapled to his tit.

Weekly Rads: Halo, Junji Ito, Noboru Iguchi and "F is for Fart" from the ABCs of Death, Master of None, bouncy houses

Raddendums: Marc Mero, Beyond the Mat, WWE, Tupac, NWA (National Wrestling Alliance), AWA, WWWF, Vince McMahon, Ric Flair, Andre the Giant, the Iron Sheik, Hulk Hogan & Hulkamania, Andy Kaufman, Jerry Lawler, indie wrestling, Lucha VaVOOM, Clownvis, Tartar Control, Sunny, Gorilla Monsoon & the gorilla position, GLOW, Sgt. Slaughter, Big Boss Man, Mantaur, Doink, WCW & Monday Nitro, Sting, Dusty Rhodes, Future Shock & James Brown, Big Josh, Oz, Johnny D. Badd, The Shockmaster, Sid Vicious, Harlem Heat, Jesse Ventura, Colonel Robert Parker, King Curtis Iaukea, Meng aka Haku, the Booty Man, Lex Luger, Razor Ramon, Bash at the Beach, Hollywood Hulk Hogan and "This Is the New World Order, brother," NWO, Chris Jericho, The Rock, Stone Cold Steve Austin, the Wolf Pack, Hollywood, X-Pac, Mike Awesome aka That 70s Guy, the Undertaker, Mick Foley, Val Venis, CM Punk, John Cena, Bloody Good Horror podcast, Brock Lesnar, How To Wrestling, Randy Orton, WWE NXT, Sasha Banks vs. Bayley, Triple H, Dee Dee Ramone, Lucha Underground, Steve Blackman, WWE Raw

Direct download: 75_Wrestling_-_This_Is_Rad.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 10:03pm PDT

Yo quiero "This Is Rad!" This week Kyle, Matthew and Producer Natalie are joined by return guest Becky Joiner to talk about her supreme love for Taco Bell. They discuss Becky's iron stomach, living in close proximity to test kitchens, Kyle's aversion to mixing sweet and savory, swap meat swap meets and "Drop the chalupa, pick up the mic." Also, Becky introduces everyone to her new holiday "Livemas."

 

P.S. Sorry the music at the beginning drowns us out a bit. What can we say, we love us some Das Racist.


Weekly Rads: Stan Lee's Comikaze Expo, our new YouTube video "How to Make a Giant Watermelon for $50!", Nathan for You (third season), Reminder to donate to the Kickstarter for Friday the 13th: The Game

Direct download: 74_Taco_Bell_-_This_Is_Rad.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 9:48pm PDT

Join us for a very special Halloween edition of "This Is Rad!" where Matthew, our spooky host with the most, introduces two spooky tales written and read by Kyle and Producer Natalie. In Kyle's, a struggling author visits the site of a mysterious plane crash in search of ghosts—only to find more than he bargained for. In Natalie's, a greeting card store employee finds herself trapped in the mall after close—with a mysterious Christmas killer on the loose. This Radtober episode was inspired by The NoSleep Podcast and The Black Tapes Podcast. Next week we'll be back to regular rads, so stay tuned!


P.S. The audio on Kyle's story is a little funky due to some recording issues. Our apologies. We hope it adds to the spooookiness.

Direct download: 73_Spooky_Stories_-_This_Is_Rad.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 9:23pm PDT

Nobody is gonna die! This week Kyle and Matthew sit down with three of the masterminds behind 5-Second Films and Dude Bro Party Massacre 3—Tomm Jacobsen, Mike James and Michael Peter—to talk about the renegade world of independent filmmaking. They explain the origins of 5-Second Films, the process behind writing and making Dude Bro Party, and the importance of always using what you have around you. Celebrate Radtober in style! Visit www.dudebropartymassacre3.com and enter the promo code SPOOKY to get 30% off Dude Bro Party Massacre.

Weekly Rads: Tracy Morgan on SNL, Kickstarter for Friday the 13th: The Game, our new sketch "Watermelon Spears" and behind the scenes video on YouTube, Make Your Own Damn Movie!: Secrets of a Renegade Director by Lloyd Kaufman

Raddendums: Troma & Lloyd Kaufman, Tangerine (2015), artist Jenny Fine

Direct download: 72_Indie_Filmmaking_-_This_Is_Rad.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 11:00pm PDT

This week Kyle and Matthew continue the Radtober celebration with returning guests Alex Jacobs and D'arby Rose. They sit down on the NerdMelt stage to talk about the underground, low budget horror film movement known as "mumblegore." The gang explores what defines a mumblegore movie and gives a brief history of the movement. They also explore the ways that horror movies reflect the culture of a specific era. They also list like a billion movies to check out. This episode makes a great epilogue to last week's “History of Horror Movies” episode. Check out Alex and D'arby's recent Channel 101 pilot “The Not Invited” and look out for a super sweet cameo from Kyle, Burnside and Producer Natalie!

Weekly Rads: The Last Podcast on the Left, Star Wars Battlefront Beta

Raddendums: “Mumblegore” LA Weekly article, Ti West, Adam Wingard, The Roost, The Inn Keepers, The Signal, Pat Healy, Home Sick, Pop Skull, Baghead, Poughkeepsie Tapes, The Dowdle Brothers, The Duplass Bros, The Soska Sisters, Dead Hooker in a Trunk, American Mary, The Sacrament, Trigger Man, House of the Devil, A Horrible Way to Die, Drag Me to Hell, The Soska You're Next, V/H/S, "Safe Haven" in V/H/S 2, “L is for Libido” from ABCs of Death, Cheap Thrills, The Guest, It Follows, Slenderman and Marble Hornets, Night Thoughts YouTube channel, Darby O'Gill and the Little People (1959), “Take That, Joe Swanberg”

Direct download: 71_Mumblegore_-_This_Is_Rad.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 12:35am PDT

The horror! The horror! This week Kyle and Matthew sit down with Radtober favorites Chris Korn and Lawrence Mercado to creep through the history of horror movies. Where does horror come from? They start with German Expressionism and dive into the Universal movie monsters, the era of teenage delinquency and monster movies, the '70s film school generation, the slasher films and anthology series of the '80s, '90s found footage films and Japanese horror, the 2000s' obsession with zombies, torture porn and Paranormal Activity, up to the spooktacular indie films of today. Holy hell, this episode ended up being 3 hours long. One of us, one of us...

 

Weekly Rads: Dave & Buster's, Season 2 of Last of Man on Earth

 

Raddendums: The Strain, Guillermo del Toro Cabinet of Curiosities, Bundle of Nerves on YouTube, Edgar Allen Poe, Mary Shelley, HP Lovecraft, Bram Stoker, Call of Cthulhu, Fear of the Unknown: Lovecraft Documentary, The Tiger Lillies and Alex Hackes - The Mountains of Madness, Faust (1926), Nosferatu, Häxan: Witchcraft Through the Ages (1922), German Expressionism, The Cabinet of Caligari, The Golem (1920), Metropolis (1927) and Karl Freund, Tod Browning's Freaks (1932), Spanish Drácula (1931), The Bride of Frankenstein, Night of the Hunter, Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein, Boris Karloff's Thriller, Creature from the Black Lagoon, Batman trailer from the '30s, Cat People, William Castle's The Tingler, House on Haunted Hill (1959), Teenagers from Outer Space, Ed Wood, Alfred Hitchcock's Psycho and Spellbound, Deviant: True Story of Ed Gein, Hammer Horror Films, Jason Zinoman's Shock Value, Richard Corman's A Bucket of Blood, George A. Romero's Night of the Living Dead, Dario Argento, Suspiria, Lucio Fulci, John Carpenter & Dan O'Bannon, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Alien, John Carpenter's Halloween, Wes Craven's Last House on the Left and The Hills Have Eyes, The Return of the Living Dead, Re-Animator, Hellraiser, Sam Raimi's Evil Dead, Tom Savini, Rick Baker, Rob Bottin, Never Sleep Again: The Elm Street Legacy, Silence of the Lambs, Scream, Behind the Mask: The Rise of Leslie Vernon, Ringu, Audition, Masters of Horror & Takashi Miike's Imprint, Mick Garris, Eli Roth & Hostel, House of 1000 Corpses, The Devil's Rejects, Shaun of the Dead, Saw, Hostel, Final Destination, Dick Smith, Let the Right One In, It Follows, The Babadook, James Wan

Direct download: 70_The_History_of_Horror_Movies_-_This_Is_Rad.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 12:59am PDT

Radtober returns! This week Kyle and Matthew are joined by the amazing author/producer/podcaster Emily V. Gordon (Indoor Kids, The Meltdown Show) to talk about all things Goth. Emily recounts her Gothy beginnings and teenage years in North Carolina, the struggle of being different, and being "ugly" on your own terms. Check out Emily's new book "Super You: Release Your Inner Superhero"!

Weekly Rads: This Is Rad! YouTube Channel, water on Mars, the intensity of Halloween decorations this year

Raddendums: Dana Gould's Halloween albums, Bonzo Dog Band, Screamin' Jay Hawkins, Skinny Puppy, The Cure, Marilyn Manson & the Spooky Kids, Nine Inch Nails, Nick Cave, Bela Lugosi's Dead, Bauhaus, The Guest soundtrack, the ABCs of Death, Tales of Halloween, Krampus, Poppy Z. Bright's Love in Vein and Lost Souls, Hot Topic, The Doom Generation, #HealthGoth, Snow Crash by Neal Stephenson, Grant Morrison, @MonkeeArmada

Direct download: 69_Goth_Stuff_-_This_Is_Rad.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 1:12am PDT

It's the Weird Al-pisode! In this hostful ep, Kyle, Matthew and Producer Natalie dare to be stupid and discuss the master of parody songs and the accordion arts: "Weird Al" Yankovic. They traverse his career from the good and the bad to the young, dumb and ugly, and talk about his cross-generational appeal along the way.

Weekly Rads: Working out with Justin Williams, Off Season by Jack Ketchum, Eye on Springfield: A Simpsons Art Show at Meltdown Comics

Raddendums: Al TV - interviewing Celine Dion, UHF, The Weird Al Show, Al's Disney Channel documentary, Al's Behind the Music, Dr. Demento, Bonzo Dog Band, Paul, Bad Hair Day, Running with Scissors, The Butthole Surfers, The Steve Austin Show - Unleashed

Direct download: 68_22Weird_Al22_Yankovic_-_This_Is_Rad.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 1:24am PDT

Pump it up! This week, Kyle, Matthew and Producer Natalie sit down with comedian Justin Williams to discuss his fascination with Bodybuilding - just in time for Mr. Olympia! They debunk some myths regarding steroids, talk about body image and body dysmorphia, and learn about Justin's current quest to get pumped. We wish for everyone to feel good about themselves no matter how they look!

 

Weekly Rads: They Came Together, Hurricane of Fun: The Making of Wet Hot, "Dark Days" by Randy Blythe (again), life lessons, Apple announcements & electronics, Some Space Zine, The War of Art by Steven Pressfield

 

Raddendums: Joe Weider's Olympia Weekend, Rob Liefeld, Kai Greene, Pumping Iron, Generation Iron, Bigger, Faster, Stronger, The Art of Manliness, the "Zombies, Run!" App, Rich Piana and hamster arms, American Ninja Warrior, Rob and Dana Linn Bailey, CT Fletcher, The Rock

Direct download: 67_Bodybuilding_-_This_Is_Rad.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 12:39am PDT

Submitted for the approval of the Radnight Society, we call this story: The Tale of "Are You Afraid of the Dark?" Kyle and Matthew were two simple podcast hosts going about their busy Canadian lives when one day they were joined by the eccentric Canadian drifter/mad scientist Adam Murray (accent on the "Mur"), the bad-Canadian-kid-about-to-learn-a-lesson-through-a-visceral-paranormal-shakedown Tom Seiniger, Laura "secretly an alien" Knight and pool monster Producer Natalie to discuss this mainstay SNICK horror staple that scared the pants off everyone as kids. Anyways, they all almost died but broke the curse on the haunted dollhouse/pirate jewel/voodoo paintbrush just in time, and eventually everything went back to normal. Or did it? Mua ha ha ha ha!

 

Check out Adam's new Indiegogo campaign for "Jo and the Pirates"!

http://igg.me/at/joandthepirates/x/11854103

 

Weekly Rads: The Mad Max video game, Dragon Age Inquisition, This Is Rad! Video, "Dark Days" by Randy Blythe, "God Loves Man Kills," Emmylou Harris

 

Raddendums: John Carpenter's "Cigarette Burns" from Masters of Horror, Goosebumps, Tales from the Darkside, Tales from the Crypt, Twilight Zone, Stephen King's "Word Processor of the Gods," Powerman 5000, Korn's "All in the Family" and "Follow the Leader," Creepshow, "Psycho Chicken" by The Fools, The Guest, comedian Simon King, Jeff Lemire's "Essex County" trilogy, and "Amblin-esque"

Direct download: 66_Are_You_Afraid_of_the_Dark_-_This_Is_Rad.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 12:29am PDT

Rad smash! This week Kyle and Matthew are joined by comedian Jeremy Scippio to talk about the ups and downs of the Marvel Cinematic Universe - along with comics, video games and other Marvelous paraphernalia. They fly through the X-Men, Iron Man, The Incredible Hulk, Thor, Captain America, The Avengers, Guardians of the Galaxy, Ant-Man, the Fantastic Four and more. What sucks? What doesn't? Listen in to find out! Check out Jeremy's work at jeremyscippio.com.

 

Weekly Rads: Tom Sibley on Bumble


Raddendums: Boogerman, Vectorman, Rachel and Miles X-Plain the X-Men, Snowpiercer, Fantastic Four's Johnny Storm rapping, Masters of the Universe, Captain America (1990), Punisher: War Zone

Direct download: 65_Marvel_Movies_-_This_Is_Rad.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 12:29am PDT

Are we there yet? This week Kyle, Matthew and Producer Natalie are joined by Johnny Brillantes to wrap up their Summer of Rad vacation and talk about some of their favorite souvenirs they've picked up along the way. They pay a visit to Cougar Bob's, Area 51, a Cleveland orgy and Intercourse, Pennsylvania - but not without bringing back some slide pens, podunk town t-shirts and, of course, Producer Natalie's precious pennies. Now please join in as they all give a big middle finger to "back to school."

 

Weekly Rads: Burnside's FYF band picks: Broncho, Tennis, Always, Dinosaur Jr., Run the Jewels, King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard, Mets, Andrew Jackson Jihad, Spiritualize


Raddendums: A Rugrats Vacation, Steve Harvey, George Wallace, Legoland, A LEGO Brickumentary, The Amazing Pizza Machine, www.pennycollector.com, www.parkpennies.com, Vinylmation Japanese Wishing Dolls

Direct download: 64_Souvenirs_-_This_Is_Rad.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 11:54pm PDT

It's all about the family, y'all! This week Kyle and Matthew sit down with filmmakers Alex Jacobs and D'arby Rose to discuss The Fast and the Furious franchise. They race through the series, from 2 Fast 2 Furious and Tokyo Drift to Furious 7 and the tears that follow. Warning: Spoilers ahead! Check out "My Girlfriend Is a Cat" on alexjacobsmakesmovies.com.

 

Weekly Rads: "Review" with Andy Daly, the Sip-N-Oodle, Tiki Oasis, Swank Bastards, The New Waves

 

Raddendums: Limp Bizkit and Fred Durst, Ready Player One, D-BOX, It Follows, Wiz Khalifa, Beavis and Butthead Do America, Justin Lin, Better Luck Tomorrow, San Andreas

 

Direct download: 63_The_Fast_and_the_Furious_-_This_Is_Rad.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 12:29am PDT

This week Kyle and Matthew are celebrating the Summer of Rad by sharing music festival memories with comedian Rivers Langley and musician Kasey Clark. And oh, the memories they have! That time at FYF when Matthew maced himself in the face and Kyle destroyed his foot on a bottle - oh, and all that rad music too! They talk about  Bonnaroo, Beach Goth, Coachella, Vegoose and the Lollapalooza that never was. They also discuss Rivers' friend Jingles, the Tupac hologram, night bacon and pocket meat, the amazingness of Bruce Springsteen, being "DTF," double-headed dildos, and best of all, Rivers reads excerpts from his younger self's snarky Bonnaroo blog. Check out Rivers' show Yellahammered and Kasey's bands Dogs and Tidemouth!

 

Weekly Rads: Kwik-E-Mart LEGO set, "Wet Hot American Summer: First Day of Camp" on Netflix

Raddendums: "O Brother, Where Art Thou?", At the Drive-In, Cypress Hill, Matisyahu, M.I.A., Wolf Mother, The Flaming Lips, the Waverly "Old 280" Boogie, Jason Isbell, "Erykah Badu was huge for Jingles"

Direct download: 62_Music_Festivals_-_This_Is_Rad.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 8:22am PDT

This week Kyle, Matthew and Producer Natalie sit down with comedian Brent Schmidt to unpack the 90s love child of Scholastic and K.A. Applegate: Animorphs. And boy, is it a doozy. Brent's kind of obsessed, to say the least. He outlines the entire 54-book series (plus 10 companion novels) in painstaking detail, and everyone realizes just how fucking dark the series got as five kids struggled to save the human race in a universe populated by Andalites, Yeerks and Hork-Bajirs. Eventually they get to the main crew - Jake, Rachel, Cassie, Marco, Tobias and Ax - and Brent tells us all how it all ended. It may leave a tear in your eye.

 

Weekly Rads: Lay's Southern Biscuits and Gravy Potato Chips, Pools, The Fade Out by Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips

Raddendums: The Andalite Chronicles, the Hork-Bajir Chronicles, The Ellimist Chronicles, Tomorrow People, Space Cases, Hey Dude, The Secret Adventures of Alex Mack, The Mystery Files of Shelby Woo, Frozen (Dir: Adam Green), Shawn Ashmore, Cousin Skeeter, Fake Nature, soaring on thermals

Direct download: 61_Animorphs_-_This_Is_Rad.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 11:54pm PDT

GOOOOAL! This week Kyle and Matthew sit down with actor Demorge Brown, who serves as their soccer spirit guide through their first rad sports episode. They talk about Title IX, the World Cup, the '90s upsurge in popularity and the problems with American broadcasters. Demorge also opens up about his love of Arsenal and his experiences coaching 11 year old girls and combining soccer with Scottish accents. Check out Demorge on Harmontown!

Weekly Rads: "Don't ask me for a dollar," Shin Megami Tensei, Kid Icarus, Mr. Robot

Raddendums: Mia Hamm, Title IX, Arsenal, Dundee United, Ian Darke, Keith Jackson, the Doug Stanhope bit about rooting for the Yankees, the non-Jimmy Fallon version of "Fever Pitch" on YouTube

Direct download: 60_Soccer_-_This_Is_Rad.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 12:18am PDT

Sweet home Rad-a-bama! This week Kyle and Matthew are joined by comedian Matthew Broussard and Producer Natalie to talk about the South and their conflicted relationship with where they grew up. (Boo racism… but spicy mac and cheese!) Together, the gang has a semi-intelligent discussion about the state of the South and their feelings on its past and present. Check out Matthew Broussard on "Not Exactly News" on MTV2!

 

Weekly Rads: Rocket League, Trainwreck, This Is Rad! merch

 

Raddendums: Bryan Guttman, "You Were Good Too" by Ramin Nazer, Kacey Musgraves, Sturgill Simpson, Kyle Kinane, Don't Mess with the Zohan, World War Z, Rivers Langley's Facebook post

Direct download: 59_The_South_-_This_Is_Rad.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 10:00pm PDT

This week Kyle and Matthew are joined by The Nerdist's very own Matt Mira and The Aquabats' Ian Fowles to geek out on guitars - particularly of the left-handed variety. As possessors of the "hand of the devil," they talk about the discrimination against southpaw guitar players and why righties get to have all the fun. Matt opens up about his guitar obsession and ongoing quest to get his dream Burns Bison guitar with "mad dog." Other topics include luthiering and repairs, eBay guitar shopping politics, the ABCs of Boston rock and the "Ivory Shaft." Check out Matt on SModCo's new "Talk Salad and Scrambled Eggs" podcast, among many others, and Ian on "The Aquabats! Super Show!"

Weekly Rads: The legacy of President Iwata, World War Z: The Lost Files, Trader Joe's Soft Pretzel Sticks

Raddendums: Rocksmith, Marty McFly's shredding in Back to the Future, Stew-Mac repair videos, Gibson Flying V, Steven Seagal, Premier Guitar's Rig Rundown, Peter Frampton's restored Les Paul, Retrofret in Brooklyn, Guitar Center used gear, Matt Umanov Guitars, Southpaw Guitars, Suhr Guitars, Epiphone, Ian on Fender's "Made to be Modded," NAM

 

Direct download: 58_Guitars_-_This_Is_Rad.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 11:50pm PDT

Wipeout! This week Kyle, Matthew and Producer Natalie kick off the Summer of Rad with the lovely Gabriela Contreras. They hang ten and talk about surf rock from the past to present, including its three waves (no pun intended). Other topics include Rockabilly vs. Tiki culture, Dick Dale vs. The Beach Boys, and The Munsters vs. Addams Family (*snap snap*). Surf's up, radsters!

 

Weekly Rads: The Late Show Podcast with Stephen Colbert, The Black Tapes Podcast, The No Sleep Podcast, the Women's U.S. Soccer Team

Raddendums: Murder at Party Beach, Jan & Dean, Rick and Morty, Walk Hard, Agent Orange, Tiki Oasis, The Growlers, The Reigning Monarchs, Surf Rock Museum in Huntington Beach, Venice Slam Jam, Man or Astroman, Guantanamo Baywatch, Tijuana Panthers, Deadbolt, Los Straightjackets, The Red Elvises

Direct download: 57_Surf_Rock_-_This_Is_Rad.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 11:16pm PDT

This week Kyle, Matthew and Producer Natalie sit down with comedian/monster enthusiast Matthew Curti to talk about Godzilla (aka Gojira aka "gorilla whale") and other Kaiju films from the 1950s to the present. Other topics include nightmare-inducing extinct animals and Super Fan Frank's top five monster designs. Also, does American Godzilla come with just a little more monster to love?

 

Weekly Rads: Finders Keepers by Stephen King, the Supreme Court, Ted 2

 

Raddendums: Angry Video Game Nerd's Monster Madness, Dark Star: H.R. Giger’s World, YouTube video of a Pelican eating a pigeon, Baby Godzilla, Gigan, Mechagodzilla, Biollante, Destoroyah and that awful P. Diddy song "Come With Me"

 

Direct download: 56_Godzilla_-_This_Is_Rad.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 12:41am PDT

This week Kyle and Matthew are joined by comedians Brad Gage and Pat Reilly to celebrate Father's Day with a loving tribute to Dad Rock in all its open shirt grillin', cold brew crackin', hard rock lovin' glory.


Weekly Rad: Dads

Direct download: 55_Dad_Rock_-_This_Is_Rad.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 11:30pm PDT

DUN DUN! This week Kyle and Matthew are joined by comedians Monika Scott and Tom Seiniger to discuss their love of True Crime.

Weekly Rads: Dude Bro Party Massacre 3, The Artist Is Present

Raddendums: Criminal podcast, Hush Money on YouTube

Direct download: 54_True_Crime_-This_Is_Rad.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 9:42am PDT

Oh, behave! It's time for another rad hostful, and this week Kyle, Matthew and Producer Natalie are taking a shagadelic trip back to the '90s to analyze the pop culture phenomenon that is Austin Powers. They reminisce about Dr. Evil, Frau, Scottie, Mini-Me, Fat Bastard and Number 2 and analyze whether these movies/cultural touchstones still hold up. Natalie shares her fascination with Goldmember, which Burnside doesn't quite get, but it leads to a deeper discussion about the current comedy landscape. Is this episode swinging, smashing and totally switched-on? Yeah, baby!

Weekly Rads: Japanese Kit Kits, X-Men '92, The Witcher 3: The Wild Hunt

Raddendums: Mike Myers on WTF with Marc Maron, A Million Ways to Die in the West, MacGruber, Idiocracy

 

Direct download: 53_Austin_Powers_-_This_Is_Rad.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 11:30pm PDT

Slow ride! This week Kyle and Matthew take it easy with Jake Robinson and Mike Robinson (no relation) to discuss the wonderful and existential world of director Richard Linklater. They talk about his start with "Slacker" and segue into "Dazed and Confused" and "School of Rock." They discuss the unrealistic romantic expectations set by the "Before" trilogy, the narcissism in not liking "Boyhood," as well as "Waking Life" and "A Scanner Darkly." They also talk about being in a band. Did you know Jake's dad was in The Diodes? Rad! Check out SketchMelt on the first Thursday of every month at Meltdown Comics and Jake's new zine "Some Space." http://somespacezine.tumblr.com

Direct download: 52_Richard_Linklater_-_This_Is_Rad.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 11:30pm PDT

Live from Meltdown Comics, it's "This Is Rad!" Kyle and Matthew sit down with comedian Joe Raines and Producer Natalie to attempt to scratch the surface of this long-running comedy juggernaut. Joe has seen every episode of SNL and enlightens Kyle on the appeal. From 1975 to the present, they break down underrated cast members, the best casts and years, as well as the seasons Joe needed a lot of weed to get through. They also take a brief detour to talk about their own sketch comedy show Camp NerdMelt - with a special appearance from "Mr. Gribbles." Big thanks to Kasey Clark for being our Don Pardo!

Direct download: 51_Saturday_Night_Live_-_This_Is_Rad.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 6:47pm PDT

Ask and ye shall receive! In this 50th episode spectacular, Kyle and Matthew finally sit down for their most requested episode topic yet: Dungeons & Dragons. They're joined by their Dungeon Master Adam Murray and Saving Throw's Ben Dunn to take an adventurous foray into a fantasy world filled with witches, tree people and Cool Ranch Doritos. Their ragtag team includes the poorly named Seth Drogen, Deb and Dan the Destroyer twins, Dwayne Wade the Rad-Dar Johnson and Gary Wolf. Will they instantly regret having zero healers and survive their quest?

Thanks to all our rad fans for helping us reach 50 episodes!

Direct download: 50_Dungeons__Dragons_-_This_Is_Rad.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 3:08pm PDT

Accio rad! Boy wizards Kyle and Matthew sit down with Laura Knight and Sarah Wines to talk about the wizarding world of Harry Potter. Kyle and Matthew aren't huge fans...do their guests persuade them to give the Boy Who Lived a second chance? Other topics include prime numbers, memories of waiting in line for the books and throwing smoothies at windshields. They also play the game Superfight! by Skybound. It's the podcast that must not be named!

Note: This episode is free of major spoilers. Some minor details are spoiled but nothing integral to the plot.

Direct download: 49_Harry_Potter_-_This_Is_Rad.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 11:19pm PDT

Heeeeere's Johnny! Kyle and Matthew sit down with Becky Joiner and Tim Kozlenko to discuss the master of the macabre, the king of horror, the scribe of all things scary: Stephen King. They talk about his spookiest novels, novellas and short stories - as well as his shittiest TV movies. Other topics include malt shop obsessions, Cujo memory lapses and the hubris of "Maximum Overdrive." Radrum...Radrum...

Direct download: 48_Stephen_King_-_This_Is_Rad.mp3
Category:Society & Culture -- posted at: 12:25am PDT

Let's have a poke ball! Kyle and Matthew catch up with Aldrin Cornejo and Producer Natalie Hazen to channel the power that's inside: Pokemon! They discuss the games, the cards (TCG) and merchandise, and go in depth with their game and battle strategies. Also, who's banging Ash's mom and why Professor Oak is kind of a dick in Pokemon Snap. Gotta catch 'em all!

Direct download: 47_Pokemon_-_This_Is_Rad.mp3
Category:Society & Culture -- posted at: 12:10am PDT

Tag, you're it! Shake up your Krylons and stir up your wheatpaste 'cause this week Kyle and Matthew are sitting down with the super rad graffiti artist Spencer Emmons (aka Serf). The crew takes a fascinating look at graffiti art as Serf recounts his history growing up in the L.A. graffiti scene. Topics include black books, wild style, fat caps, burners, heavens, run ins with the police and SpongeBob Switchblade. Serf is part of the TCF Crew, and you can follow him at @serflosangeles.

Direct download: 46_Graffiti_-_This_Is_Rad.mp3
Category:Society & Culture -- posted at: 11:58pm PDT

Float on! Kyle and Matthew sit down with Kevin Kimmel to talk about the band Modest Mouse - the old stuff, the new stuff, and everything in between. Learn how Kevin discovered his favorite band while on a car ride back from Togo's. Hear the gang discuss The Moon & Antarctica, the bleakness of "The Lonesome Crowded West" documentary, and the importance of dad rock. Tangents along the way include Tom Green and tomfoolery, "switchy bagsies," shining bright spotlights at humans/animals, and losing your virginity to 311. Also, Kevin met the president!

Direct download: 45_Modest_Mouse_-_This_Is_Rad.mp3
Category:Society & Culture -- posted at: 11:59pm PDT

It's a rad world after all! Kyle and Matthew sit down with Keith Carey, Laura Knight and Julia Prescott to discuss their deep enthusiasm for the happiest place on earth (minus Burnside's). Learn about Grad Night and the inevitable deaths that follow (along with morning-after apologies at Baha Fresh), lost Disney parks, and being productive while on Walt's home turf. Keith shares his stories from working as a cast member and using Oogie Boogie Man money to buy meth. Also, the Nicolas Cage curse. Yo ho, yo ho, a podcaster's life for us!

Direct download: 44_Disneyland_-_This_Is_Rad.mp3
Category:Society & Culture -- posted at: 2:51pm PDT

We're going back in time! Kyle and Matthew sit down in the present with guests Alex Jacobs and Yedoye Travis to discuss time travel in science, movies, TV shows, pop culture and beyond. This is heavy, Doc. Kyle and Alex share how they made time travel movies after getting their hearts broken, and Matthew shares his knowledge of Stephen Hawking. Other topics include Isaac Asimov, the Kutch, "Flipping a Time Bitch," the food pyramid and dinosaurs. And if there's one love that stands the test of time - it's Taco Bell. Check out Alex's awesome movies at www.alexjacobsmakesmovies.com!

Direct download: 43_Time_Travel_-_This_Is_Rad.mp3
Category:Society & Culture -- posted at: 12:00am PDT

Live free or rad hard! Kyle and Matthew sit down with comedian Justin Williams to discuss the fun, thrills and epic blood loss resulting from action movies. Learn why "Die Hard" is the ultimate Christmas movie, why Keanu Reeves will forever be rad, and the importance of protagonist relatability. But it's not all a "testosterone jerk off fest." They discuss strong female protagonists, Kyle's lack of power fantasies, and Justin makes some astute points about the realistic portrayal of violence in movies. Other topics include Commando, Predator, Running Man, The Professional, The 5th Element, the Matrix, RoboCop, Terminator and the undeniable awesomeness of Arnold Schwarzenegger. Hasta la vista, baby!

Direct download: 42_Action_Movies_-_This_Is_Rad.mp3
Category:Society & Culture -- posted at: 12:59am PDT

Way down yonder on the Chattahoochee (or more accurately, on Gardner Street in West Hollywood), Kyle "The Colonel" Clark and Matthew "Achy Breaky" Burnside sit down to talk country music with Rivers Langley ("The Goods from the Woods" podcast, "Hush Money," shot a man in Reno just to watch him die). Intertwined are tales of jam bands and the darndest things hippies say, the saddest songs ever written, and that dark period when country music met rapping. Also, drugs. And Rivers recounts his time as a college radio DJ. Yee haw! For a good time, check out the monthly show @Yellahammered, hosted by Rivers, Joe Raines and Wes Van Horn, which brings a little 'Bama to the 'Angeles. The next one is March 28th!

Direct download: 41_Country_Music_-_This_Is_Rad.mp3
Category:Society & Culture -- posted at: 10:34pm PDT

It's a rare condition, this day and age, to see podcasts about "Family Matters" on the iTunes front page. Thank goodness Kyle and Matthew are joined by the hilarious Hampton Yount to discuss the classic sitcom - and you bet there's real love burstin' out of every seam. Topics include the incomparable Reginald VelJohnson and Jaleel White, the unstoppable force of Urkel - dolls, dances and cereal - and of course, "Did I do that?" Also, they break down the rest of the TGIF lineup, including the sexual expertise of the "Boy Meets World" cast, the awesomeness of "The Drew Carey Show," and why it's not so fun hangin' with Mr. Cooper. It's the bigger love of the family! Check out Hampton's new album "Bearable" on AST Records!

Direct download: 40_Family_Matters_-_This_Is_Rad.mp3
Category:Society & Culture -- posted at: 12:47am PDT

Good news, everyone! It's time for our "Futurama" episode! Fresh from cryogenic hibernation, Kyle and Matthew sit down with Frank Gidlewski and Adam Murray to discuss the animated escapades of Fry, Leela, Bender and the rest of the Planet Express gang. Favorite characters, favorite episodes, hidden math, Schrodinger's...cock? Frank reveals how Futurama caused his split from the church, and quotes abound. Don't like it? Then you can bite our shiny metal asses! Adam and Frank are awesome animators. Check out their YouTube channels at atommurray & frankg111.

Direct download: 39_Futurama_-_This_Is_Rad.mp3
Category:Society & Culture -- posted at: 11:34pm PDT

Hit me baby one more time! Kyle and Matthew sit down with comedy duo The Martin Duprass (Jeremy Martin and Lauren Thomas-Martin) to talk about their favorite pop stars: Kesha, Tay-Tay, Xtina, Katy P. and Britney, bitch. For a topic so bubblegum, it gets pretty deep. Learn how Miley Cyrus helped Lauren stop drinking and hear everyone have an on-air quarter-life crisis. Mmm...bop. Check out "Their Satantic Majesties Baby Shower Gift Registry" at duprass.bandcamp.com.

Direct download: 38_Pop_Stars_-_This_Is_Rad.mp3
Category:Society & Culture -- posted at: 11:11pm PDT

Dar si siht ot emoclew! In this damn fine episode, Kyle and Matthew sit down with Paul Cibis (comedian!) and Ben Waters (L.A. Foodie podcast!) to discuss the brilliant and weird world of David Lynch. From the infuriating Inland Empire to the horror of Eraserhead to the divisiveness of Wild at Heart and scummy Bobby Peru, no film is left unturned. Other topics include the ups and downs of Laura Palmer, Twin Peaks and the "James Hurley Adventures," Transcendental Meditation, Muppet Babies, and a box of electric bees!

Direct download: 37_David_Lynch_-_This_Is_Rad.mp3
Category:Society & Culture -- posted at: 12:30am PDT

Will you go to the dance with me? In this Valentine's Day hostful, Kyle, Matthew and Producer Natalie sit down to talk about the trials and tribulations of school dances. They discuss hiding your boner during a slow dance and when your blossoming boobs wither in a strapless sparkle dress. Also, Kyle and Matthew defend juggalos. Like, a lot. Warning: This episode deals a heaping dose of honesty, so get ready!

Direct download: 36_School_Dances_-_This_Is_Rad.mp3
Category:Society & Culture -- posted at: 2:37am PDT

Welcome back for part two! (If you haven't listened to part one, please check out that episode first.) In part deux, the rad gang plays the negotiation board game "Chinatown" with guests Brent Weinbach, Andrew Michaan and Trevor Ames. In the process, they learn a lot about each other - mostly how much Andrew likes Tender Greens. They also give good recommendations for beginners if you're looking to dip your toe into the board game waters.

Direct download: 35_Board_Games_-_Part_2_-_This_Is_Rad.mp3
Category:Society & Culture -- posted at: 11:01pm PDT

Viva la resistance! The rad gang sits down for a friendly board game night with guests Brent Weinbach, Andrew Michaan and Trevor Ames to get to the bottom of what makes board games so rad. However, when tensions run high during "The Resistance," their newfound friendships may never be the same. Can you guess the spies in their midst? Part one of two! Check out Brent's work on brentweinbach.com.

Direct download: 34_Board_Games_-_Part_1_-_This_Is_Rad.mp3
Category:Society & Culture -- posted at: 10:47pm PDT

Think outside the box! Or rather, what box do you think...inside? Kyle and Matthew sit down with fellow ENFJ Rachel Mac to talk about the mystery cult of personality boxes that is the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator personality test. Rachel's a big fan, and she gives them some insight into her fascination with the 16 personality types. Other topics include sheltered boarding school life, mentorships and educating the Amish. Check out Rachel's work at RachelTellsItLikeItIs.com.

Direct download: 33_Myers-Briggs_-_This_Is_Rad.mp3
Category:Society & Culture -- posted at: 11:00pm PDT

Happy Birthday, Kyle! This week our heroes in a half shell are joined by Laura Knight and comedian Paul Palmeri to spend the afternoon at Producer Natalie's house eating pizza, celebrating Kyle's birthday and recording a commentary for the original Ninja Turtles movie. Topics include cool youth gangs, Corey Feldman, and April O'Neil's nips. Turtle Power!

Direct download: 32_Teenage_Mutant_Ninja_Turtles_-_This_Is_Rad.mp3
Category:Society & Culture -- posted at: 7:34pm PDT

Sometimes miscommunications arise, and sometimes we spend an episode talking about "The Land Before Time." In this strange episode, Kyle and Matthew are joined by comedians Kevin Macias and Rob Schultz (normalwebsite.com) to discuss the 1988 Don Bluth animated classic. Sort of. It's real weird and all over the place. A lot of "Have you seen (pop culture reference)?" Rob's real funny. So is Kevin. Guys, Producer Natalie is sorry that she can't tell when comedians are joking about episode premises sometimes. She promises next week will be better. Rock-A-Doodle.

Direct download: 31_The_Land_Before_Time_-This_Is_Rad.mp3
Category:Society & Culture -- posted at: 1:03am PDT

Kyle and Matthew sit down with the delightful comedian Wendi Starling to examine nutrition, holistic remedies, and balancing healthy living with horrific lifestyle choices. Does taurine weaken your butthole? Why is it important to alkalize (and what the hell does that mean)? Is a parasite cleanse for you? Bee pollen, zeolite clay, excitotoxins, it's all here. Plus, Mountain Dew Red Code. Disclaimer: We are not responsible for any health claims, no matter how badly you may want to sue us.

Direct download: 30_Holistic_Living_-_This_Is_Rad.mp3
Category:Society & Culture -- posted at: 11:58pm PDT

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