

The Worst of All Possible Worlds
Josh Boerman, A.J. Ditty, and Brian Alford
The first and only podcast bringing you weekly case studies in the pop culture of a dying empire. Every Wednesday, co-hosts Josh, Brian, and A.J. dissect an artifact of popular culture, breaking down how its narrative choices reflect or subvert the reactionary political project. From video games to movies to theater to an apparently infinite supply of evangelical Christian radio drama, we expose the machinations of the worst of all possible worlds in order to figure out how to build a better one.
Also, we have bits.
Also, we have bits.
Episodes
Mentioned books

Nov 13, 2024 • 33min
164 - God’s Not Dead 2
THIS IS A PREVIEW. FOR THE FULL EPISODE, GO TO Patreon.com/worstofall
The lads dare to speak about Christ in the classroom and face the wrath of Ray Wise as they cover Harold Cronk’s 2016 evangelical propaganda film: God’s Not Dead 2. Topics include the horrendous filmmaking, the deeply-flawed rhetoric, and what we can learn about the future of America from a film that posits a world in which the masses will be subjugated by the most annoying people alive.
Media Referenced in this Episode:
God’s Not Dead 2. Dir. Harold Cronk. 2016.
God’s Not Dead (2014) - Financial Information
God’s Not Dead 2 (2016) - Financial Information
‘God’s Not Dead’ Producer Pure Flix Launches Theatrical Distribution Arm
God's Not Dead 2: The Escalation of Christian Propaganda | Big Joel
TWOAPW theme by Brendan Dalton: Patreon // brendan-dalton.com // brendandalton.bandcamp.com
Interstitial: “Harold Cronk Presents: The Vagina Monologues” // Written by A.J. Ditty // Featuring Brian Alford as “Brian Alford” and A.J. Ditty as “Harold Cronk”

Nov 12, 2024 • 29min
ESSAY: Standing
This past summer, Josh wrote an essay about the church and denomination he grew up in, but didn't end up publishing it. The results of the election gave him the push he needed to finish putting it all together. He hopes it helps.

Nov 6, 2024 • 2h 34min
163 - The Blair Witch Project (feat. Tim Sutton)
Tim Sutton (Marble Hornets) joins the lads for a bit of light camping and intense witch-hunting as they cover Eduardo Sánchez and Daniel Myrick’s 1999 horror phenomenon: The Blair Witch Project. Topics include the film’s DIY filmmaking, the unprecedented marketing, and what it means to reap the consequences of a nation’s wrongdoings when you’re just trying to make a dang student film.
Tim Sutton: Twitter // Instagram
Marble Hornets: Youtube
Media Referenced in this Episode:
The Blair Witch Project. Dir. Eduardo Sánchez and Daniel Myrick. Haxan Films. 1999
Curse of the Blair Witch. Dir. Eduardo Sánchez and Daniel Myrick. Haxan Films. 1999.
8 Days in the Woods: The Making of The Blair Witch Project by Matt Blazi.
“The Blair Thumb”. Dir. Steve Odekerk. 2002
The Blair Witch Project: The Dossier by D.A. Stern. Onyx Publishing. 1999.
The Blair Witch Project: An Oral History by Scott Meslow. The Week. January 13th, 2015.
The Blair Witch Project’s Heather Donahue Is Alive and Well by Scott Meslow. GQ. September 16th, 2016.
The Official Blair Witch Website
The extended fan cut of The Blair Witch Project
Old archived list of Blair Witch parody sites
TWOAPW theme by Brendan Dalton: Patreon // brendan-dalton.com // brendandalton.bandcamp.com
Interstitial: “1:49 AM on November 3rd, 2024” // Written And Performed by A.J. Ditty // “Brothers on a Hotel Bed” Piano Cover by Stephen Guilbert

Oct 30, 2024 • 25min
162 - Skibidi Toilet (feat. Donovan Eyre)
THIS IS A PREVIEW. FOR THE FULL EPISODE, GO TO Patreon.com/worstofall
Donovan Eyre (Radio Free Tote Bag) and the lads grab their plungers and do battle with the toilets as they cover DaFuq!?Boom!’s animated YouTube megahit: Skibidi Toilet. Topics include the origins of machinima, the joys of seeing robots punching each other, and the ramifications of adding Hollywood money into a story about cameramen killing toiletmen.
Donovan Eyre: Twitter // Instagram // SoundCloud
Radio Free Tote Bag: A weekly relationship advice podcast hosted by Audrey and Donovan.
Patreon // Spotify // Apple Podcasts // Twitter // Instagram
Media Referenced in this Episode:
Skibidi Toilet by Dafuq!?Boom! (Full Playlist)
america - season 1 (all episodes) by Dafuq1?Boom!
Blugray - demand (Official Music Video) Reupload deleted DaFuq!?Boom! by The Frozen Gorgon. Youtube. 2023.
Deus Ex: The Recut (Fullscreen Original Version) by AbbyRemix. August 11th, 2018.
“Dom Dom Yes Yes” by Biser King. KVZ Music Publishing. April 17th, 2022.
“Garry's Mod/Skibidi Toilet DMCA Claim Has Been 'Resolved,' Creator Garry Newman Says” by Alex Stedman. IGN. July 20th, 2024.
“Give It To Me” by Timbaland. Background Records/Interscope Records. January 1st, 2007.
Half-Life: Full Life Consequences by squirrelking. Iction. January 23rd, 2008.
How Quake Sparked a Filmmaking Revolution by Matthew Byrd. Den of Geek. August 24th, 2017.
“[Mature Content] From the skibiditoilet community on Reddit: How do astro toilets reproduce?” by AcanthisittaNo2510. Reddit. October 24th, 2024.
“‘Skibidi Toilet’ Film and TV Franchise in the Works From Michael Bay, Adam Goodman — Listen to the Exclusive Interview” by Andrew Wallenstein and Robert Steiner. July 24th, 2024.
“Skibidi toilet is now a brand that dafuq SOLD RIGHTS to INVIZ.(IMPORTANT)” by Raptor FN. Skibidi Toilet Wiki. March 2nd, 2024.
“YouTube Phenomenon, Skibidi Toilet, Makes a Plunge to the Toy Aisle with Bonkers Toys and Invisible Narratives Licensing Partnership” by Bonkers Toys. PR Newswire. May 22nd, 2024.
TWOAPW theme by Brendan Dalton: Patreon // brendan-dalton.com // brendandalton.bandcamp.com
Interstitial: “Michael Bay’s Skibidi Toilet” // Written by A.J. Ditty and Eleanor Philips // Featuring Eleanor Philips as “Michael Bay.”

Oct 23, 2024 • 2h 43min
161 - Silent Hill 2 (feat. Aysha U. Farah)
Aysha U. Farah (Life is Strange: Double Exposure) and the lads have some restless dreams and see the titular town of Konami’s 2001 horror classic: Silent Hill 2. Topics include the history of Team Silent, the difficulties of tank controls, and how to cope when you’ve found yourself at the bottom of five holes in a hell of your own making.
Aysha U. Farah: Website // Twitter // Instagram
Second Star to the Left: Scout-explorer Gwen Hartley has five years to explore and prepare her planet for settlement. With no aid but her robots and the anxious voice of her long-distance scout-minder Bell Summers in her ear, she’s hoping to be ready for anything.
Apple Podcasts // Spotify
Media Referenced in Episode:
Silent Hill 2. Konami. 2001.
“The Hidden Math of Silent Hill 2’s Endings” by Punchy
Making of Silent Hill 2 - HQ
The Making of Silent Hill | 25th Anniversary
Creating Silent Hill 2 | How 'Team Silent's Failure Became a Horror Classic | Game Documentary
James Sunderland Dancing
“E3 2001: Silent Hill 2 Interview” by IGN Saff. IGN. May 17th, 2001.
“Interview with Silent Hill 2’s Artist Takayoshi Sato” by IGN Staff. IGN. August 11th, 2001.
TWOAPW theme by Brendan Dalton: Patreon // brendan-dalton.com // brendandalton.bandcamp.com
Commercial: “Holes” // Written by A.J. Ditty // Featuring Brian Alford as “James Sunderland” and A.J. Ditty as “Alan/Max/Sam”

Oct 16, 2024 • 24min
160 - Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb
THIS IS A PREVIEW. FOR THE FULL EPISODE, GO TO Patreon.com/worstofall
The lads protect their precious bodily fluids and fight in the war room as they cover Stanley Kubrick’s Cold War paranoia masterwork: Dr. Strangelove or, How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb. Topics include Kubrick’s early career, fluoridation, and what it means to worry about the bomb when the rest of the world is burning.
DONATE TO PRISM COMMUNITY COLLECTIVE, PROVIDING SERVICES FOR THE LGBTQ+ COMMUNITY IN COLORADO SPRINGS, COLORADO.
Media Referenced in this Episode:
Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying And Love the Bomb. Dir. Stanley Kubrick. 1964.
“Armando Iannucci: Why I rewrote Dr Strangelove for our new era of nuclear terror” by Armando Iannucci. The Telegraph. October 5th, 2024.
Citations Needed: Episode 134: The 80-Year PR Campaign that Killed Universal Healthcare
“Dr. Strangelove (1964): Nightmare Comedy and the Ideology of Liberal Consensus” by Charles Maland. American Quarterly, Vol. 31, No. 5, Special Issue: Film and American Studies (Winter, 1979), pp. 697-717. The John Hopkins University Press.
“Mr. Roughcut: or: how graphic designer Pablo Ferro learned to split the screen, cut the crap and tell the story (in the time it took to run the titles)” by Steven Heller and Pablo Ferro. Eye Magazine. Summer 1999.
TWOAPW theme by Brendan Dalton: Patreon // brendan-dalton.com // brendandalton.bandcamp.com
Commercial: “Dr. Strangelove’s Subterranean Swingalows” // Performed and Improvised by David Armstrong // Encouraged by A.J. Ditty

Oct 9, 2024 • 2h 26min
159 - Father Shades of Gilbert (feat. Kevin Vibert) [Whit’s Endless Summer 39]
Kevin Vibert (The Penumbra Podcast) and the lads get kidnapped and do battle with demons as they dive into the neurotic mind of one of the pivotal showrunners of Adventures in Odyssey: Paul McCusker. Topics include the utility of goons, the intricacies of sound design, and why Father Gilbert Mysteries might be the show that finally breaks them all.
Kevin Vibert: Twitter // Twitch
The Penumbra Podcast: At the Penumbra, you might follow Juno Steel, a brooding, sharp-witted private eye on Mars, as he tangles with an elusive homme fatale, tracks dangerous artifacts of an ancient alien civilization, and faces his three greatest fears: heights, blood, and relationships. Or you might enter the world of the Second Citadel, where the merciless Sir Caroline must corral a team of emotionally distraught all-male knights to defend their city against mind-manipulating monsters...even the ones they’ve fallen in love with. These audio dramas and more await you in the Penumbra, dear traveler. We hope you enjoy your stay.
Supercast // Website // Spotify // Apple Podcasts // Twitter // Instagram // Tumblr
Media Referenced in this Episode:
Adventures in Odyssey
#309-311: “The Perfect Witness Parts 1-3"
Father Gilbert Mysteries
#3: “Dead Air”
TWOAPW theme by Brendan Dalton: Patreon // brendan-dalton.com // brendandalton.bandcamp.com
Commercial: “Nic Nicea” // Written by A.J. Ditty // Featuring Joshua Ilon as “Nic Nicea” // Piano Cover of Fleetwood Mac’s “The Chain” by Gleesinnpiano

Oct 2, 2024 • 26min
158 - Don’t Hug Me I’m Scared
THIS IS A PREVIEW. FOR THE FULL EPISODE, GO TO Patreon.com/worstofall
The lads grab their chicken picnics and get creative as they dive into the madness and glitter of THIS IS IT’s 2010s horror musical sensation: Don’t Hug Me I’m Scared. Topics include the virality of the pilot, DIGITAL STYLE, and how to fully express your creativity when you’re trapped in a house of nightmares.
Media Referenced in this Episode:
Don’t Hug Me I’m Scared (THIS IS IT, 2011-2016)
Episode 1
Episode 2
Episode 3
Episode 4
Episode 5
Episode 6
Don’t Hug Me I’m Scared (Blink Industries/Channel 4, 2022). Available at Channel4.com
“Don’t Hug Me I’m Scared press pack interview with Becky Sloan, Joe Pelling and Baker Terry”, Channel 4.
“The creators of Don’t Hug Me I’m Scared offer us a glimpse behind the puppets” by Liz Gorny. It’s Nice That. September 23rd, 2022.
TWOAPW theme by Brendan Dalton: Patreon // brendan-dalton.com // brendandalton.bandcamp.com
Commercial: “Skin” // Music by Donovan Eyre // Book and Lyrics by A.J. Ditty // Featuring A.J. Ditty as “Red Guy/Yellow Guy/Duck” and Donovan Eyre as “Boneman/Skinman”

Sep 25, 2024 • 2h 21min
157 - Blasphemous II (feat. Tom O'Mahony)
Tom O’Mahony (Beneath the Skin, Lions Led by Donkeys) and the lads grab their rosary blades and make for the miraculous city of Cvstodia as they cover The Game Kitchen’s gothic 2023 Metroidvania: Blasphemous II. Topics include the game’s Sevillian origins, the literal Piss-Christ, and the importance of gamifying Catholicism as a merciless, guilt-ridden bloodbath.
Tom O’Mahony: Twitter
Beneath the Skin: A podcast chronicling the interconnected history of the world through the complicated history of tattooing. Hosted by Art History professor, museum curator, and tattoo historian Dr. Matt Lodder, and podcast producer, and tattoo collector Thomas O’Mahony. The show is trying to tell the history of tattooing as it interweaves with politics, society, and the weirdest corners of the world. So why don’t you join us, and take a journey beneath the skin.
Spotify // Apple Podcasts // Patreon // Twitter // Instagram
Lions Led By Donkeys: A military history podcast for laughing at the worst military failures, inept commanders, and crazy stories from throughout the history of human conflict.
Spotify // Apple Podcasts // Patreon // Twitter // Instagram
Glue Factory Podcast: A new comedy podcast from the creators of Trashfuture, BudPod and more. Milo Edwards, Olga Koch, Pierre Novellie and Riley get together with guests and pour out the contents of their addled minds.
Spotify // Apple Podcasts // Patreon // Twitter // Instagram // Youtube
Media Referenced in this Episode:
Blasphemous 2. The Game Kitchen/Team17, 2023.
Blasphemous. The Game Kitchen/Team17, 2019.
“Blasphemous: 16th-17th Century Andalucía Nightmare Fuel for the Soul—now in Spanish!” by Tiffany Funk. VGA Gallery. September, 2020.
“Blasphemous: How Spanish Art & History Inspired The World of Cvstodia.” The Lore Hunter. October 21st, 2019.
“Blasphemous II, EP02: Touring Cvstodia | Dev Diaries” The Game Kitchen. 2023
“Blasphemous II, EP03: “The Art and the Miracle” | Dev Diaries” The Game Kitchen. 2023.
Landing Blasphemous: The Making of Blasphemous 1 (Full Documentary). Dir. Rodri Vazcano. The Game Kitchen. 2021.
“La historia de Blasphemous 1 y 2 explicada – Análisis a fondo del ‘lore’” by Julián Ramírez. GamerFocus. October 21st, 2023.
“Feeling History in Blasphemous: Monstrosity and Spectacle through Time” by Jack Orchard. Play the Past. February 22nd, 2022.
“Spain’s dwindling knife sharpeners” by Tom Burridge. BBC News, Madrid. January 8th, 2014.
TWOAPW theme by Brendan Dalton: Patreon // brendan-dalton.com // brendandalton.bandcamp.com

Sep 18, 2024 • 21min
156 - The Magic School Bus
THIS IS A PREVIEW. FOR THE FULL EPISODE, GO TO Patreon.com/worstofall
The lads go surfing on a soundwave and swing through the stars as they tag along on the increasingly alarming field trips of Ms. Frizzle in the landmark children’s franchise: The Magic School Bus. Topics include the original books, the extraordinary TV show, and the computer game adaptations that taught a generation about the nightmarish mini-games hiding in their kidneys.
Media Referenced in this Episode:
The Magic School Bus: Inside the Human Body by Joanna Cole and Bruce Degen. Scholastic. 1989.
The Magic School Bus: Lost in the Solar System by Joanna Cole and Bruce Degen. Scholastic. 1990.
The Magic School Bus TV Show:
#1: “Gets Lost in Space”
#2: “For Lunch”
The Magic School Bus Explores the Human Body (Computer Game) Developed by Music Pen. 1994.
The Magic School Bus Explores the Solar System (Computer Game) Developed by Music Pen. 1994.
Interview With Bruce Degen (Magic School Bus)
Interview With Joanna Cole
“Joanna Cole, Author of ‘The Magic School Bus’ Book Series, Dies at 75” by . The Hollywood Reporter. July 15th, 2020.
“Two Decades of Fun and Learning on the Magic School Bus” by Sally Lodge. Publisher’s Weekly. July 27th, 2006.
Obituary: Joanna Cole by Shannon Maughan. Publisher’s Weekly. July 16th, 2020.
TWOAPW theme by Brendan Dalton: Patreon // brendan-dalton.com // brendandalton.bandcamp.com
Commercial: “A Normal Field Trip” // Written by A.J. Ditty // Featuring Josh Boerman as “Arnold”
“Ride On the Magic School Bus” Covers by:
Piano: Guess the Theme Songs
Organ: Jonny Music
Electronic: Stuart Pett