Curated Pop Culture
In part two of the “Fandom Set” the Banzai Boys view Adam Rifkin’s 1999 KISS tribute teen comedy Detroit Rock City. What will the band of fictional rock misfits teach us about fan culture?
To kick off their fandom set, the Banzai Boys read the memoir “Searching for John Hughes: Or Everything I Thought I Needed to Know about Life I Learned from Watching ’80s Movies” by Jason Diamond, a writer and a John Hughes fan who sets out to write the biography of John Hughes but through his… Continue reading Fandom: Part 1 “Searching for John Hughes”
The Banzai Boys say a terror-tear-filled-goodbye to a set about an author who they were really digging, but before they do, they compiled their very own Stephen King playlist with songs from everything they took away from the horror master!
You can’t talk about Stephen King without discuss all the storytellers he has inspired…or in this case…sired. That’s right! The Banzai Boys are reading “Basketful of Heads” a product of King’s kin, his son, Joe Hill. What elements of King are passed done to his son?
In the second episode of their Stephen King set, the Banzai Boys read and discuss King’s 1985 collection of short stories “Skeleton Crew”. With so many stories to discuss, this episode is packed with tons of King discoveries.
On the first episode of their Stephen King set, the Banzai Boys make a wish on a Monkey’s Paw and travel back to the 1970’s to take a bite out of the TV mini series movie based on the Stephen King novel Salem’s Lot. The boys explore the tenants of a King story in their… Continue reading Stephen King: Part 1 “Salem’s Lot” 1979 Film
The Banzai Boys wrap up their four part beach series by creating a playlist the encapsulates all they have learned about the beach. This one is a real musical rollercoaster of gene. Check out the full playlist on Spotify.
In 1996, Alex Garland wrote what would become a cult novel for backpackers called “The Beach”. In 2021, the Banzai Boys add the novel to their summer “Beach Set” in hopes of discovering what makes a beach such an enduring setting in pop culture. Jay and Travis discuss the novel’s protagonist, Richard’s drive for adventure… Continue reading Beach Set Part 3: “The Beach” by Alex Garland
Skates up on this 2001 Stacy Peralta documentary on the legendary skate/surf crew “Z-Boys”. The Banzai Boys discuss how time and place define a scene in the second part of their summer “Beach Set”.
In the first episode of the “Beach Set”, the Banzai Boys dip their toes into beach culture with a viewing of the 1991 film “Point Break”. What does the character of Bohdi mean to surf culture? Why is this the film still so charming and enduring? Tune in to find out.
The Banzai Boys take on the immense responsibility of compiling the ultimate “Ladies of Rock” playlist to go along with their latest set. We are talking rock here people and Jay and Travis have looked back through the last 60 years of rock and roll to build a kickass playlist for you.
In part three of their “Ladies of Rock” set, Jay and Travis flash back to the 1980’s to check out the 1982 Lou Adler film, “Ladies and Gentlemen, the Fabulous Stains”. As they pick the film apart, they begin to see many of the ingredients found in the culture of female rockers today in the… Continue reading Ladies of Rock Set: Part 3 “Ladies and Gentlemen, the Fabulous Stains
In the second part of “The Ladies of Rock” set, the Banzai Boys binge several rockumentaries on some of America’s most influential female rockers: “Suzi Q”;Suzi Quatro, “Bad Reputation”, Joan Jett, “The Go-Go’s”, The Go-Go’s”, and “The Punk Singer”, Kathleen Hanna. What ideas will come out of their rock soaked brains? Tune in the find… Continue reading Ladies of Rock Set: Part 2 “Rock Docs Collection”
It seems you can connect just about everyone in the music business to Patti Smith. She has been such an influence on both artists and genres as a whole. What better way for Jay and Travis to kick off the Ladies of Rock Set than to listen and discuss her debut 1975 Arista Records album,… Continue reading Ladies of Rock Set Pt. 1: Patti Smith “Horses”
In their final episode of their “Coming of Age” set, Jay and Travis go through their personal puberty playlist to share some stories about how music developed them and make some deeper connections to the ideas discussed throughout the set.
In part 3 of their “Coming of Age” Set, Jay and Travis read through Frank Portman’s coming of age novel “King Dork”. Hear them gush over Dr. Frank’s previous work with the band Mr. T Experience and find out what they think about his story about navigating high school and solving family mysteries.
“You got your “freak” in my “Geek”“Well, you got your “Geek” and my “Freak”! In part two of the Pop Banzai “Coming of Age” set, Jay and Trav are joined by the comedic-punk rocking-freak, Heidi, to discuss the 1999-2000 18 episode arc of the show “Freaks and Geeks”. In addition to discussing the importance of… Continue reading Coming of Age Set: Part 2 “Freaks and Geeks”
Jay and Travis kick off their “Coming of Age” set with a look at the 2002 Portuguese film “City of God”, directed by  Fernando Meirelles and Kátia Lund. Through the film, the Banzai Boys begin to take a look at some of the principles behind the genre and how this film weaves the coming of age stories… Continue reading Coming of Age Set: Part 1 “City of God”
They might not know much about PlayStations but Trav and Jay know a lot about playlists. Need proof? Check out the 4th and final installment of their Gamer Set podcast series. In this episode, the boys go from Sonic Youth to Lou Reed to discuss what they have learned from their pop culture exploration of… Continue reading Gamer Set Part 4: Gamer Playlist
In the Banzai Boy’s third gamer set, they are pouring through the pages of Ernest Cline’s much anticipated follow-up to “Ready Player One”: “Ready Player Two”. After a brief summary, the boys discuss how Cline portrays the gamer archetype in his novel. Are Jay and Travis any closer to plugging into the gaming world? Tune… Continue reading Gamer Set Part 3: Ready Player Two
In the second episode of the “Gamer Set”, Jay and Travis take a look at Seth Gordon’s 2007 documentary “King of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters”. How do the persona’s of Stevie Wiebe and Billy Mitchell match up with the Banzai Boy’s real-world perception of gamers. Tune in to find out!
Lance Speroni of the “Couch Crunchers Podcast” joins the Banzai Boys, Jay and Travis, to kickoff their four part gamer set. And what better way to start off a conversation about gamer representation in pop culture than by re-visiting Edgar Wright’s 2010 film “Scott Pilgrim vs. the World”? Could Scott represent a subculture within a… Continue reading Gamer Set: Part 1 “Scott Pilgrim Vs. the World
In the final “Hotel Set”, Jay and Travis wrap up their discussion of hotels in the pop culture zeitgeist by creating a playlist that embodies the themes they have discussed about hotel living as well as filling in any missing holes. From Taco to Motorhead, this playlist has it all!Spotify Youtube
In part three of “The Hotel Set”, Jay and Travis pull into the seedy and dark world of highway motels as they unpack John Lees and Dalibor Talajic’s graphic novel anthology “Hotell”. What will these terrifying tales of transient living add to pop culture’s take on hotels? Tune in to find out!
For part two of their “Hotel Set”, Jay and Travis continue their quest down the murky corridors of hotels as seen through a pop culture lens. In this episode, the Banzai Boys break down the Eagle’s 1977 masterpiece song “Hotel California”. Speaking of rock and roll, the conversation evolves into a look at the famous… Continue reading Hotel Set: Part 2 “Hotel California” & “The Hyatt House Hotel”
In this first of a four part series, Jay and Travis take a look at the 1995 anthology film “Four Rooms”. If hotels are a eclectic mix of characters and stories, what better way to showcase this than by having four directors tell their wacky (often dark) tales of what goes on behind the closed… Continue reading Hotel Set : Part 1 “Four Rooms”
On this episode, Jay and Travis look at how passion can quickly devolve to violence and how violence can be portrayed with passion. The Banzai bros look a the 1986 Jonathan Demme film “Something Wild” and the 1996 Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds album “Murder Ballads” to talk about love and murder. Is Jeff… Continue reading Dark Passions Set
Jay and Travis are abducted by alien Glam Rockers and transported back to the 1970s to explore the odd, colorful, and deeply transformative world of Glam Rock. The Banzai Guys take a look at the 1998 film “Velvet Goldmine” and discuss the merits to fictionalizing biopics. Also, stay tuned as they discuss their favorite 10… Continue reading 70’s Glam Set
It’s been a strange year, and who does “strange” better than Bill Murray? That’s why this episode Jay and Travis are taking a look at the 1988 Richard Donner film, Scrooged. What makes Murray “Murray” and is “A Christmas Carol” all that great? Tune in to find out, and stay onboard as the boys discuss… Continue reading Scrooged Set
Sit back and slick back boys and girls because this week we are squeezing a big tube of Grease into your ear holes! That’s right, Jay and Travis go full pop feature this episode as they discuss all things Grease. Not only do they discuss their favorite scenes and which Pink Lady they would date,… Continue reading Grease Set
“Every year millions of American families get together for the holidays…and wonder why”. On this episode, Jay and Travis compile a pop culture set that facilitates a discussion about the dynamics present during a holiday family-get-together. We watch the 1995 Jodi Foster film, “Home for the Holidays”, listen to bruce Springsteen’s 1982 album “Nebraska”, as… Continue reading Family Gathering Set
This week on Pop Banzai, Jay and Travis string together some pop culture pieces that touch on the issue of assimilation. When moving from one culture to another, what are the challenges people face? How does one decide what parts of their past do they take with them? The podcast takes a look at Jim… Continue reading Assimilation Set
As Halloween approaches, it’s time to arm yourself against all that goes “bump in the night”! Pop Banzai is here to help. This episode we take a deep pop culture dive into to wild and weird world of werewolves. For a little history we listened to the Weird Darkness Podcast: Werewolf Episode. To scratch our… Continue reading Werewolf Set
Some of the greatest pieces of pop culture are created with a lot of passion and little funds. On this Pop Banzai set, we talk about horror done on a budget. What does it take to create a spooky story on a dime? We discuss this as well as looking at the 1994 film Ed… Continue reading Budget Horror Set
Pull those shit-kickers out of the back of your closet and saddle up for an adventure into the wild west. In this episode, Jay and Travis take a look at the American mythic pop culture figure: the Western Scoundrel. We created a set of Western Scoundrels from “The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly”, Willie… Continue reading Western Scoundrel Set
Dust off those old records and strap on your headphones because this episode Jay and Travis banzai deep into the grooves of a vinyl records experience. The Banzai brothers watch 2001’s “Ghost World”, a mini doc on Third Man Records, and a re-listen to the White Stripes Album “White Blood Cells”.
Jay and Travis kick off the podcast by curating a pop culture set about a classic piece of Americana: the diner.That’s right, pour yourself a cup of java and settle into a vinyl booth cause we are discussing the joy of greasy spoon diners through our discussion of Barry Levinson’s 1982 film, “Diner” and Tom… Continue reading Diner Set
