The Worst of All Possible Worlds

The lads, along with special guest Matt Barbot (@BarbotRobot), have rockets in their pockets as they rumble with Steven Spielberg and Tony Kushner’s 2021 adaptation of the musical theater classic: West Side Story. They discuss the complicated legacy of the original musical, the pitfalls of adaptation, and the importance of producing new work in an industry obsessed with refurbishing the old.   Frijoles by Matt Barbot: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vtjZU2Cvo74   Matt’s New Play Exchange: https://newplayexchange.org/users/1342/matt-barbot   Buy Matt's Play! https://www.betterworldbooks.com/product/detail/red-bull-shorts-volume-3-1946259152    TWOAPW Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/WorstOfAll   Theme by Brendan Dalton www.brendan-dalton.com https://brendandalton.bandcamp.com

THIS IS A PREVIEW. Check out the full thing at patreon.com/worstofall   Bust out your ring lights and twenty dollar phone clamps because this week the lads dive headlong into the world of influences with the hit (?) reality shows Netflix’s Hype House and Hulu’s The D’Amelio Show. Topics include the emptiness of influencer culture, the pressures of being the most famous teenager in the world, and the arduous but necessary work of differentiating the person from their persona.   Josh’s video: https://youtu.be/CQ8vgXOFuUo   TWOAPW Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/WorstOfAll Website: Worstpossible.world   Theme by Brendan Dalton www.brendan-dalton.com https://brendandalton.bandcamp.com

The lads face down the dastardly Dr. Regis Blackgaard as they once again return to Odyssey for a dizzying foray into the world of forgiveness and electronic stores. Topics include Midwestern social mores, the nature of revenge, and the importance of unionizing in a world full of John Avery Whittakers. Episodes discussed: #155 & #156: Waylaid in the Windy City, Parts 1 and 2 #159 The Homecoming #160 A Rathbone of Contention For further Context, check out TWOAPW episodes: 7 - In a Gadda da Whitta 8 - Blackgaardology TWOAPW Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/WorstOfAll Theme by Brendan Dalton www.brendan-dalton.com https://brendandalton.bandcamp.com

THIS IS A PREVIEW. Check out the full thing at patreon.com/worstofall Things get WILD as the lads, along with special guest Anne Huston (General Manager of Caveat), strap on their Gibson Flying V/EB-0 1961 Bass guitars and dive headlong into the Loony Tunes madness and shocking poignancy of Kazuya Tsurumaki and Yōji Enokido’s hit anime: FLCL. Topics include the horrific comedy of puberty, Japan’s complicated relationship with the West, and the serenity that comes with no thots, only robots. Caveat: https://www.caveat.nyc Anne Huston on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ultimateegg/ TWOAPW Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/WorstOfAll Theme by Brendan Dalton www.brendan-dalton.com https://brendandalton.bandcamp.com

The lads make their long-awaited return to Odyssey as they bring special guest Nate Lamagna (@vrunt) along for some wacky adventures in dealing with the second coming of Christ, the Dead Sea Scrolls, and the realization that your best friends’ dad has debilitating alcoholism! Topics include the business of rapture-mongering, the parallels between AiO and The Simpsons, and one of the strangest episodes of Odyssey ever as Dr. James Dobson comes to town.    EPISODES DISCUSSED: #145 The Second Coming #222 The Jesus Cloth #150 Home Is Where The Hurt Is #167 Dobson Comes to Town   Nate Lamagna Twitter: @vrunt   TWOAPW Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/WorstOfAll   Theme by Brendan Dalton www.brendan-dalton.com https://brendandalton.bandcamp.com

THIS IS THE FIRST HALF OF OUR DISCUSSION. For the full episode, check us out on Patreon: patreon.com/WorstOfAll Special guest Trevor Beaulieu (Champagne Sharks) joins the lads as they solve a pretty boilerplate case and then dress up in fancy disguises for a negligible amount of screen-time to discuss the immensely popular and massively overlooked (by white people) Dick Wolf procedural: New York Undercover. They discuss the Network Wars of the mid-90s, the brilliant music and outdated storylines of Undercover, and the procedural empire of Richard D. Wolf. CW: contains discussions of episodes of television that involve rape/pedophilia. Trevor Beaulieu: Twitter: @rickyrawls Champagne Sharks: https://open.spotify.com/show/4rhjZsJeN2kQ6qNvSq8sFo?si=9f4c09af8ba04d98 https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/champagne-sharks/id1242690393 Twitter: @ChampagneSharks Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/champagnesharks/posts TWOAPW Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/WorstOfAll Theme by Brendan Dalton www.brendan-dalton.com https://brendandalton.bandcamp.com

The lads and special guest Trevor Strunk (No Cartridge, Story Mode) take up the mantle of the Chosen Undead as they attempt to link the fire by climbing the trap-filled Snake Fortress of video game culture that is Dark Souls. They discuss difficulty settings in video games, the pernicious gatekeeping of gitting gud, and what Dark Souls can teach us about surviving an apocalypse. Trevor Strunk: Twitter: @Hegelbon No Cartridge: https://open.spotify.com/show/0nvqvbeKNXYnCngVWQwanL?si=d1d254ff82304435 https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/no-cartridge-audio/id1212245244 Story Mode: Video Games & The Interplay Between Consoles and Culture https://www.powells.com/book/story-mode-9781633886803  Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/WorstOfAll Theme by Brendan Dalton www.brendan-dalton.com https://brendandalton.bandcamp.com

THIS IS THE FIRST HALF OF OUR DISCUSSION. For the full episode, check out our Patreon: patreon.com/WorstOfAll The lads and special guest Josh Sawyer (Fallout: New Vegas, Pillars of Eternity) go beard to beard with the mob as they face down one of Shakespeare’s most brutal and overlooked tragedies: Coriolanus. They discuss Ralph Fiennes’ excellent 2011 film adaptation, the dehumanizing weaponization of soldiers in an ever-expanding empire, and the uncanny horror of Chekhovian Slendermen. Was Zizek right to say that this movie is "like God's eyes in an Orthodox icon?" You'll just have to listen to find out. Josh Sawyer Twitter: @jesawyer Theme by Brendan Dalton www.brendan-dalton.com https://brendandalton.bandcamp.com 

The lads, along with special guest Ashleigh Stoneman (The Very Worst, The Merry Worst), venture off into the tall grass to do battle with the literal wild animal that is the Pokémon franchise. They discuss the pastoral origins of Pokémon, its literal demonization at the hands of the Christian Right, and the existential nightmare of being the very best, like no one ever was. Ashleigh Stoneman Twitter: @ashstoneman The Very Worst Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-very-worst/id1434474756 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/1GC277C5qDCAUnzONwtTHh?si=d7134d571463416e Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/WorstOfAll Theme by Brendan Dalton www.brendan-dalton.com https://brendandalton.bandcamp.com

THIS IS A PREVIEW. Check out the full thing at patreon.com/worstofall The lads knock back a few eggnogs and experience a true Christmas miracle as they cover the first actually good episode of Adventures in Odyssey: “Monty’s Christmas”. Topics include the power of empathy, Christmas angels, and the legacy of the late, great voice actor Will Ryan. Episodes Discussed: 87: Elijah Part 1 88: Elijah Part 2 97: Monty’s Christmas 98: The Visitors 115: An Act of Mercy Theme by Brendan Dalton www.brendan-dalton.com https://brendandalton.bandcamp.com