x

75% of people globally want unbiased news (Pew Research) but are concerned they're not getting that.

Get balanced coverage with Symby. See how stories are covered across diverse outlets and spot when one side covers a story the other skips.

PODCAST

Gobbledygeek

Paul Smith and Arlo J. Wiley

A more-or-less weekly podcast dedicated to all things geeky in pop culture and entertainment. We talk about everything from film and television to books, comics, video games, and more.

All Episodes

02:32:30

453 - Gobbledyween: The Fly (feat. Kenn Edwards)

Gobbledygeek ·

2021/10/25

Have you ever heard of insect podcasts? Neither have we. Paul and Arlo continue Gobbledyween 2021 with a deep penetrating dive into the plasma pool, as Alex Jonestown Massacre guitarist Kenn Edwards teleports on over to discuss David Cronenberg’s 1986 classic The Fly. The gang places the film in the context of the AIDS epidemic, marvels at just how charming it is, raves about Jeff Goldblum and Geena Davis’ chemistry, and declares makeup effects artist Chris Walas to be one of the unsung heroes of

en

02:04:59

452 - Gobbledyween: Nightbreed (feat. Joseph Lewis)

Gobbledygeek ·

2021/10/17

Listen to them, the children of the night. What movies they make! For the second installment of Gobbledyween 2021, A/V writer-director Joseph Lewis joins Paul and Arlo for a discussion of Clive Barker’s 1990 film Nightbreed. Butchered by the studio on initial release and restored to its full grotesquerie decades later, Nightbreed is a bizarre fusion of epic fantasy, slasher, and supernatural horror. The gang discusses why that mix is so fascinating, why it’s important that the monsters are the good

en

01:45:15

451 - Gobbledyween: The House of the Devil (feat....

Gobbledygeek ·

2021/10/07

Leaves are on the ground. Blood is on the screen. It’s time for Gobbledyween. Our beloved, bloody tradition returns for another fiendish film fest featuring only the finest (?) of the horror genre. Greg Sahadachny, once and future host of The Debatable Podcast, helps Paul and Arlo kick off Gobbledyween 2021 by giving them a ride to The House of the Devil. Ti West’s 2009 breakthrough was a seminal moment in the indie horror boom of the last decade-plus. The question now, so many years removed, is if

en

01:41:14

450 - FCF: The Spire

Gobbledygeek ·

2021/09/30

For their latest Four-Color Flashback, Paul and Arlo are exploring the world of Si Spurrier and Jeff Stokely’s 2015 mini-series The Spire. Our location is a massive, tiered city surrounded by a desolate wasteland; our cast of characters include privileged aristocrats and the undesired “Sculpted,” hybridized from human and animal DNA; and our story is one of noir sleuthing, extreme violence, racial intolerance, and classism. The boys discuss Spurrier and Stokely’s deceptively simple storytelling; the

en

02:29:07

449 - The Americans: Season 3 (feat. Wesley Mead)

Gobbledygeek ·

2021/09/14

To paraphrase Philip and Elizabeth Jennings’ new/old handler Gabriel, “Podcasting and timeliness in many ways are antithetical.” After a series of delays, Paul and Arlo are back with guest of honor Wesley “Wezzo” Mead to continue their discussion of Joe Weisberg and Joel Fields’ modern classic spy drama The Americans. This time, they’re taking a look at season 3, a masterclass in thematic cohesion. Everything, more or less, comes back to the challenge of parenthood: on a micro level, how the

en

01:35:10

448 - Miserable Children

Gobbledygeek ·

2021/09/08

What happens when a regularly scheduled episode gets regularly postponed? A freestyle, that’s what! In lieu of talking about The Americans season 3, Paul and Arlo talk about...well, whatever the fuck they want to talk about. Paul’s angry, Arlo’s drunk, it’s an angry drunken ramble! “Topics” of “discussion” include dumb reality shows like Clash of Cones, the intrinsic value (or lack thereof) in a star rating system, how disappointing the new Lorde album is, and whether or not the boys are actually

en

01:54:06

447 - Eric Sipple: The Return

Gobbledygeek ·

2021/08/30

That Sipple you like is going to come back in style. It’s been a long while--we’re talking pre-pandemic here--but Eric Sipple is finally making their return to this humble little podcast. Author of Broken Magic and one-third of the Deli Counter of Justice braintrust, Eric tells Paul and Arlo all about their new YA fantasy novel Mimesis--including the loaded, sometimes confusing connotations inferred by the term “YA.” The gang discusses the gorgeous cover art by Demetrio Kring, what inspired Mimesis,

en

01:23:35

446 - FCF: Sweet Tooth: The Return

Gobbledygeek ·

2021/08/22

You can’t go home again. But you can return to the creator-owned post-apocalyptic fantasy saga that captivated comics readers for 40 twisted, beautiful issues. That’s exactly what Jeff Lemire did last year with Sweet Tooth: The Return, a sequel miniseries that takes place three whole centuries after the original Vertigo series’ ending. Considering that ending was perfect, does The Return need to exist? Paul and Arlo aren’t so sure. They discuss what The Return adds (or subtracts) from the greater

en

02:07:28

445 - Black Widow (feat. Tanya Cochran)

Gobbledygeek ·

2021/08/17

After a two-year absence--thanks, global pandemic!--the Marvel Cinematic Universe makes its return to the big screen with the long-awaited Black Widow. And we do mean long-awaited: it’s been 11 years since Scarlett Johansson made her debut as Natasha Romanoff, and only now, after we’ve seen Nat die in Avengers: Endgame, does Black Widow get a solo movie. Paul and Arlo are joined by pop culture fan and academic Tanya Cochran to discuss whether or not Cate Shortland’s film was worth the wait. There’s

en

02:07:36

444 - Loki (feat. Michael Holland)

Gobbledygeek ·

2021/08/10

Gobbledygeek’s very own MCU TV brain trust reconvenes somewhere in the multiverse, as post-production supervisor to the stars Michael Holland joins Paul and Arlo to discuss Michael Waldron and Kate Herron’s Loki. The gang untangles the kooky timeline shenanigans, falls in love with the incestuous narcissism at the heart of the Loki/Sylvie relationship, find themselves wowed by Owen Wilson, and ponders where the show’s timey-wimey finale leaves the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Plus, Arlo likes Blade

en

01:52:44

443 - FCF: Sweet Tooth: Deluxe Edition - Books Two...

Gobbledygeek ·

2021/08/02

Nature is healing. For this month’s Four-Color Flashback, Paul and Arlo conclude the post-apocalyptic journeys of The Boy and the Big Man with Jeff Lemire’s Sweet Tooth: Deluxe Edition - Books Two and Three. The remnants of humanity fight tooth and nail for survival against the paws and claws of the human/animal hybrid children, who only seem to be increasing in number. Which begs the question, Whose apocalypse is this, exactly? The boys discuss the obvious influence of Lost on the book, whether or

en

01:33:43

442 - Geek Challenge: Sunset Blvd. vs. My Favorite Year

Gobbledygeek ·

2021/07/24

For Norma Desmond, the pictures got small when words stole her mystique; for Alan Swann, it was when his drunken antics got him downgraded to the boob tube. They’re both stand-ins for larger-than-life stars past their prime, Norma in Billy Wilder’s scathing Sunset Blvd. (1950) and Alan in Richard Benjamin’s cozy My Favorite Year (1982). In our latest Geek Challenge, Paul and Arlo discuss these fallen idols and how their respective movies take much different approaches to a mentor/mentee

en

01:58:18

441 - The Americans: Season 2 (feat. Wesley Mead)

Gobbledygeek ·

2021/07/11

You know what they say: Parenting is hard, especially when you’re undercover KGB operatives masquerading as a suburban American couple. As Paul, Arlo, and special guest Wesley “Wezzo” Mead dive into season 2 of Joe Weisberg and Joel Fields’ modern classic The Americans, they discover all the ways child-rearing is difficult for Philip and Elizabeth Jennings. This includes concealing your secret identity; setting up a decoy aunt; keeping your kids out of the church; and shielding them from the dreaded

en

01:40:01

440 - FCF: Sweet Tooth

Gobbledygeek ·

2021/06/19

Imagine a world where a global pandemic killed millions and changed society forever. Spooky stuff, huh? Well, take a break from reality with this month’s Four-Color Flashback: Sweet Tooth: The Deluxe Edition - Book One, comprising the first 12 issues of Jeff Lemire’s offbeat breakthrough about a little deer boy and the post-apocalyptic hell that awaits him in the wilds of Nebraska. Along the way, he meets a Frank Miller-style tough guy named Jepperd, who seems to be the grizzled protector to Gus’

en

01:39:16

439 - My Favorite Sunny Murder Crime in Philadelphia...

Gobbledygeek ·

2021/06/11

On a new freestyle episode, Paul and Arlo spend the whole podcast telling you about other podcasts you should be listening to instead (and one you should not). You see, Paul has descended into true crime madness, his paranoia reaching heretofore unseen levels as he falls asleep to the sounds of violence. There are also serial killers following him. Elsewhere, Arlo’s vestigial nose twin stalks the night, plotting his revenge. Oh, and Arlo provides a really detailed recap of an episode of It’s Always

en

01:22:11

438 - FCF: Goodnight Punpun, Vol. 1

Gobbledygeek ·

2021/06/07

The Four-Color Flashback, that most venerated non-Gobbledyween tradition, has been around in some form for nearly all of this podcast’s 11 years. And yet--we’ve never discussed manga, the world’s most popular comics format. Paul and Arlo have decided to rectify that with the first volume of Inio Asano’s Goodnight Punpun, the surreal exploration of one young boy’s troubled adolescence. Punpun Punyama has a crush on the new girl at school, stays with his hipster uncle because of his abusive dad,

en

02:08:17

437 - The Falcon and the Winter Soldier (feat....

Gobbledygeek ·

2021/05/27

Paul, Arlo, and returning guest Michael Holland aren’t in Westview anymore. For its second TV series, the Marvel Cinematic Universe returns to more conventional superheroics. The Falcon and the Winter Soldier is the Captain America sequel we’ve been waiting for, filled with stellar action sequences, resonant character work, and a twisty-turny plot. The gang debates how well that last element works, but one thing they can all agree on: director Kari Skogland and head writer Malcolm Spellman do their

en

01:53:09

436 - The Americans: Season 1 (feat. Wesley Mead)

Gobbledygeek ·

2021/05/04

Deception is as American as apple pie. Elizabeth and Philip Jennings are well aware of this--they’re Russian spies under deep cover as a suburban couple in the U.S., after all. Their new next door neighbor, FBI Agent Stan Beeman, threatens to throw a wrench into their long con. Over the course of The Americans season 1, there are plenty of twists, turns, betrayals, and confessions. Wesley “Wezzo” Mead has infiltrated the podcast to join Paul and Arlo as they begin a retrospective on Joe Weisberg’s

en

01:12:01

435 - Who’s With Me? (feat. Austin Allan James)

Gobbledygeek ·

2021/04/27

We've all been isolated, to some degree, for the last year. Austin Allan James' debut feature Who's With Me?, available for free on YouTube, perfectly captures the sense of loneliness and paranoia to which many of us have become accustomed. His film was also almost entirely finished pre-pandemic. Paul and Arlo talk with Austin about his clairvoyant powers, working on a shoestring budget, the inspiration he draws from filmmakers such as David Lynch and Joel Potrykus, how much of a fee turtles can

en

01:48:27

434 - The Shorter Stick Up Arlo’s [Bleep]

Gobbledygeek ·

2021/04/19

This is a freestyle episode, so you better believe Paul and Arlo talk about all manner of goofy shit, but--there’s also kind of a topic too? Look, we make this stuff up as we go along, get that look off your face. Arlo watched John Carpenter’s 1981 cult classic Escape from New York for the very first time, and he absolutely loved it. He and Paul rave about the movie, its highly relatable cynicism, and its amazing music...which leads Arlo to proffer a shocking apology. The stick up his ass, it’s

en

531 results