The Boiled Leather Audio Hour

In the latest episode of our Kaiserreich series, we talk about the three great domestic fights that the ruling conservatives fought in the Kaiserreich: political catholicism (the titular Kulturkampf), social democracy and feminism. All these presented challenges to the authority of the status quo, and all of them were fought vigorously. All these fights failed and left these movements stronger than they had started. Download the episode! Our Patreon page at patreon.com/boiledleatheraudiohour. Torrent Our iTunes page. Previous episodes. Podcast RSS feed. Stefan’s blog. Jim’s blog Jim on Twitter.

The Boiled Leather Audio Hour is 10 years old! Congratulating yourselves isn’t a courteous thing to do, we know. But on a podcast, there’s little choice in how to do this, since we have to record, don’t we? And so, Sean and I delve deep into the memory lane. But of course, we cannot keep this a completely navel-gazing affair. And so, I invited a lot of people over to celebrate with us. Amin Javadi, Steven Attewell, Jim McGeehin, Aziz, Manu, Clint and Merry, Joe Magician and Bookshelfstud are all here to take part in the festivities and to discuss a variety of topics. This is the longest running show to date, and I have learned one thing: I suck as a moderator. Please forgive my bad transitions and just enjoy the different segments. Happy Birthday to us! Download the episode! Torrent Our iTunes page. Previous episodes. Podcast RSS feed. Stefan on Twitter. Stefan’s blog. Sean on Twitter.

After waging the Wars of Unification last time, Jim and I now brace a battlefield on an entirely different sort: the smoke-filled backrooms of parliaments. We are following the creation of the German state not on the battlefield, but on the parchment, as the constitution of 1867 is crafted and then ammended into the constitution of 1871. For good measure, we also look at how the constitution develops and changes over time and find some valuable lessons in all of this. Download the episode! Our Patreon page at patreon.com/boiledleatheraudiohour. Torrent Our iTunes page. Previous episodes. Podcast RSS feed. Stefan’s blog. Jim’s blog Jim on Twitter.

There are quite a lot stories about superheroes gone bad on offer right now. Amazon Prime alone offers two currently: Invincible, which is a pretty good cartoon series bogged down by some issues, and The Boys, which has some good ideas but ends up as a heap of toxic nerddom. I finished both available seasons of The Boys recently, and I felt the urgent need to talk about it. Luckily, DancingSean was available to throw in his considerable expertise and discuss the show with me. We have some spoilers, but those are necessary to explain the show so you can follow the episode even without having seen The Boys. Download the episode! Our Patreon page at patreon.com/boiledleatheraudiohour. Torrent Our iTunes page. Previous episodes. Podcast RSS feed. Stefan’s blog. Sean on Twitter. Sean on Youtube.

In our second episode of the Kaiserreich series, we’re wading through blood and iron as the new nation state is formed in a series of unification wars. Follow us through Denmark, Bohemia and France towards Versailles. Why does the European power system allow for these wars? Why are they over so quickly? How reckless was Bismarck, really? All this, and more, in the second episode to “Kaiserreich”. Download the episode! Our Patreon page at patreon.com/boiledleatheraudiohour. Torrent Our iTunes page. Previous episodes. Podcast RSS feed. Stefan’s blog. Jim’s blog Jim on Twitter.

Together with Aziz from History of Westeros I talk about the  smattering of Fantasy and SciFi shows coming out in the final quarter of  2021.  Foundation, Wheel of Time, The Witcher season 2, The Expanse season 6,  The Expanse‘s final book, a Vikings spinoff, the Dune movie, some Star Wars  shows (Star Wars: Visions, for example) and books, Hawkeye. Three  different Star Trek shows. Dr. Who. Lucifer. The list goes on. Are  the studios and distributors just throwing stuff on the wall to see  what sticks? And if so, will SciFi and Fantasy stick, or will they  return to their status as box office poison they held for so long? Aziz  and I venture into the weeds. Download the episode! Additional Links: Torrent Download Link Stefan’s blog Sean’s blog History of Westeros podcast

We are starting a new series on the history of the Kaiserreich! But before we can actually go into the history of German unification, we need to find out what the German Question is and why it took almost 60 years to answer it. We’re going through the German history from the French Revolution to the eve of the Unification Wars, explaining the nexus of liberalism and nationalism, the revolution of 1848 and Bismarck’s appearance on the stage. Download the episode! Our Patreon page at patreon.com/boiledleatheraudiohour. Torrent Our iTunes page. Previous episodes. Podcast RSS feed. Stefan’s blog. Jim’s blog Jim on Twitter.

In the fourth and final part of our trilogy on the US presidents since FDR (don’t ask), Jim and I talk about presidential mythology and cults. From the New Deal to JFK, from “Morning in America” to “Yes we can”, we take apart mythologies, ask why cults develop and see if you really can shoot a guy on Fifth Avenue to make Watergate disappear.  Download the episode! Our Patreon page at patreon.com/boiledleatheraudiohour. Torrent Our iTunes page. Previous episodes. Podcast RSS feed. Stefan’s blog. Jim’s blog Jim on Twitter.

Ten episodes ago, I gathered political operatives and consultants Marcus A. Roberts and Frank Spring and talked about the narratives of politics. Today, we continue in this vein, looking at the language used, the framings employed and the tropes weaponized in politics today. You can listen to Frank explaining why numbers don’t matter and it’s actually political malpractice to try and explain how you’re going to pay for stuff. You can listen to Marcus explaining to you why Marvel is wrong telling stories in the Multiverse and what that has to do with contemporary American politics. You can listen to me throwing out wild claims and asking stupid questions. You can support us on Paypal (http://www.paypal.me/boiledleather) or on Patreon (http://www.patreon.com/boiledleatheraudiohour), where a lot of bonus material is available! Download the episode! Torrent Our iTunes page. Previous episodes. Podcast RSS feed. Stefan on Twitter. Stefan’s blog. Marcus on Twitter. Frank on Twitter.

In this epic final (?) instalment of our series on the American presidents, Jim and I end the Cold War with an assessment of George H. W. Bush, move over to the presidency of Bill Clinton and then try to answer the question of whether George W. Bush was the worst president of modern times. After that, we take an in-depth look at Obama’s presidency. We will not take a full measurement of Trump, as it’s too early for that - we’re already stretching it with Obama. Download the episode! Our Patreon page at patreon.com/boiledleatheraudiohour. Torrent Our iTunes page. Previous episodes. Podcast RSS feed. Stefan’s blog. Jim’s blog Jim on Twitter.

In 1992, Westwood Studios created “Dune 2”, the first real time strategy game ever, spawning one of the most succesful genres ever. With “Command and Conquer” in 1995, they created one of the most succesful IPs of the era. At the same time, Blizzard Entertaintment earned its merits with the “WarCraft” and “StarCraft” series, in a time before they gained behemoth size with their roleplaying IPs and their foray into first person shooters. With historian Bret Deveraux, I venture deep into the history of these games. We examine the unique mentality of the times they were made, the innovations they brought and what remains from them today. Being teachers, of course we can’t shy away from drawing lessons as well. Buckle in, this is going to be quite a ride. Download the episode! Our Patreon page at patreon.com/boiledleatheraudiohour. Torrent Our iTunes page. Previous episodes. Podcast RSS feed. Bret’s blog. Stefan’s blog.

After we explored the role that magical creatures play in ASOIAF in episode 131, it’s time to look at other fantastical elements. From magical portals to telepathy, from blood sacrifice to Asshai and the Wall itself, we explore the role magic plays in the greater narrative. Download the episode! Torrent Our iTunes page. Previous episodes. Podcast RSS feed. Stefan on Twitter. Stefan’s blog. Sean on Twitter.

After covering FDR to LBJ in our first episode, this two-parter now comes to a close with our in-depth look at the remaining presidencies. It’s a juicy episode of almost 2 hours, so we cover a lot of ground and manage to get to *checks notes* the end of the Reagan presidency. Ok, a three-parter then. This is our fate. Download the episode! Our Patreon page at patreon.com/boiledleatheraudiohour. Torrent Our iTunes page. Previous episodes. Podcast RSS feed. Stefan’s blog. Jim’s blog Jim on Twitter.

Do Snarks and Grumkins exist? Do Squishers? If they did, what would it mean? And what have the Brothers Grimm to do with it? Are direwolves monsters or animals? What’s the deal with the Others? And, most importantly, why are monsters in this story in the first place? All this, and more, in the current episode of the Boiled Leather Audio Hour! Download the episode! Torrent Our iTunes page. Previous episodes. Podcast RSS feed. Stefan on Twitter. Stefan’s blog. Sean on Twitter.

It has been a wild week. After all that casting news of “House of the Dragon”, the new bid-budget HBO show on the Dance of the Dragons, we not only got news about a Broadway theatrical play about the Tourney at Harrenhal, but also about three (!) other shows being in development as well as an animated (!) show, all set in Westeros. Do these shows excite us? Maybe? Do we have thoughts on them and the decision making process or the artistic potential? Definitely! You can support us on Paypal (http://www.paypal.me/boiledleather) or on Patreon (http://www.patreon.com/boiledleatheraudiohour), where a lot of bonus material is available! Download the episode! Torrent Our iTunes page. Previous episodes. Podcast RSS feed. Stefan on Twitter. Stefan’s blog. Sean on Twitter.