The Geek Agenda

In which Thom ventures into the wilds of Woodland Hills to chat with friend of the show Robbie Rist about his newfound love of con culture, the eternal tug of war between art and commerce, rock'n'roll movies great and small, and the coming of Sharknado! Plus, how The Empire Strikes Back ruined Star Wars. From a certain point of view.

In which Thom Bowers, R. Andru, and Bernie Bregman engage in leg-sweeping, crane-posing, and a hell of a lot of on-waxing. Join us at the Nerds Like Us midnight movie (http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/342853) or play the home game. Thanks for listening!

In which Thom and special guest Kielen King chat about early influences, synthesized subversions, imaginary narratives, and the upside of rejection, all while delving into the musical meal that is Kielen’s new album, Soundtrack For An Automated Night II. Plus, puppet talk!

The first in a series of commentaries created to coincide with the Nerds Like Us midnight movies. Insights, anecdotes, and jocularity from Thom Bowers, R. Andru, Bernie Bregman, and Travis J Coleman. Sync with movie after introduction, at 3:10. (You'll know it when you hear it.)

In which Thom & Andru embrace a new DIY aesthetic, catch up on holiday happenings, assess the vowels and hairstyles of their Rocky Mountain motherland, recount video game failings both classic and contemporary, and jaw over a grip of recent movie releases (including Skyfall, Could Atlas, Looper, and Django Unchained) with special guest Bernie Bregman of Nerds Like Us.

In which Thom & Andru valiantly attempt to keep the studio gear functioning while saying goodbye to New Dissident Radio with the help of Ingrid Oliansky, Travis Coleman, and a few regular callers, as well as the musical accompaniment of Robbie Rist, Chris Jackson, and John Borack. In classic show form, pop culture is pondered, superenthusiasts are celebrated (or at least acknowledged with a minimum of heckling) and in a rare on-mission twist, tech is actually tackled! Plus, the future of GifSpeak, the study of BondPeople, tales from the bleeding edge of the GooglePlex, and how to spot loose bricks in the Netflix wall.

In which Thom finally settles down for a "real" interview with regular guest Robbie Rist, which barely scratches the surface of Rob's childhood acting adventures before evolving rapidly into a philosophical evaluation of all things pop culture, from shark-jumping to double-dip nostalgia, to vain attempts to engineer creativity and control one's own noise in a post-heroic age. Yeah, it's that kind of show. Get some.

In which Thom & Andru join forces with Chris Jackson of ACME Archives, Bernie Bregman of Nerds Like Us, and Matt Wrather of Overthinking It to weight in on the great conjunction between Disney and Lucasfilm, and what implications the intertwining of these two entities might have for the future of art, commerce, and various iterations thereof. Plus, valiant (if futile) stabs at specificity, objectivity, and natural segues!

In which Thom & Andru are joined by Bernie Bregman of Nerds Like Us on a journey from vampire-infested Santa Clara to alien-threatened Skid Row, stopping along the way for a brief stay in the pop culture netherworld of Hard Harry's Phoenix, a working vacation amid the glacial grandeur of the Game Grid, and epic TV marathoning sessions with only the TARDIS to protect them. Saddle up! Music by Kielen King.

In which Thom & Andru are re-launched into the orbit of Kielen King, who returns to the show to discuss his new electro-soul sci-fi concept album, Star Pilot's Revenge, along with combining musical and familial bonds, the virtues of data hoarding, making and breaking friends through podcasting, and the and the advantages to not having a Plan B. Plus, Thom falls for Farscape, and Andru preps for Tron's 30th anniversary.

In which Thom's interview with Derek W Dick (aka Fish) continues, joined by writer/director David Barras. Topics include Fish's experience making Electric Man, his reputation for provocation, the inspiration of Scottish nationalism, the catharsis of live performance, the upside of Internet conflict, the politics of Batman, and why so many prog rock fans end up in tech fields. Music Notes: "Openwater" (from 13th Star, 2008); "Vigil" from Vigil In A Wilderness Of Mirrors, 1990); "Big Wedge" (from Vigil In A Wilderness Of Mirrors, 1990); "Internal Exile" (from Internal Exile, 1991); "The Pilgrim's Address" (from Fellini Days, 2001)

In which Thom travels to Edinburgh Scotland to chat with prog rock icon Derek W Dick (aka Fish) about his early days as front man for Marillion, the joys and perils of the road, embracing technology as an independent artist, the evolving nature of fandom, and the travels that inspired his upcoming solo album A Feast Of Consequences. Music Notes: "Credo" (from Internal Exile, 1991); "Moving Targets" from Field of Crows, 2003); "Mission Statement" (from Raingods With Zippos, 1999); "The Company" (from Vigil In A Wilderness Of Mirrors, 1990); "Arc Of The Curve" (from 13th Star, 2008); "The Perception Of Johnny Punter" from (Sunsets On Empire, 1996)

In which Thom & Andru land hard but stay squarely (if not steadily) on their feet while talking noir, zombies, brit-coms, screen blood, cassette tech, faux-historical meta-fiction and more with special guest Chris Wiltz, writer/producer of Batman: Puppet Master and Semi-Dead. Plus, Avenger plotholes, vocal spoiler alarms, a dash of Spanglish, the sound of three knuckles cracking, and Indyyyyyyy. Music by Jonathan Coulton and Detroit CYDI.

In which Thom & Andru stand amazed (from a sitting position) as special guest Bobby Bognar tells tales of high adventures in the musical, culinary, and gaming arts, embodying the show's mission statement with gobsmacking gusto. Plus, remembering Phil Hartman, ranking the holidays, the power of Qi & Za, and minimum member requirements to form a Justice League. (Oh, and NSFW language abounds, just so's you know) Music by The Piper Downs.

In which Thom & Andru go brain-to-brain with Overthinking It mastermind Matt Wrather on the joys of applying analytical complexity to pop culture simplicity, while keeping online discourse (drink!) civil in the age of surly. Plus, a recap of the Comickaze Expo, an autopsy for The Newsroom, the tenuous future of convergence devices, the aspirational qualities of Inspector Gadget, and a nontrivial amount of inside baseball about the podcasting world.