We're diving deep into the eccentric and pioneering world of Kool Keith, one of the most influential and enigmatic figures in hip-hop. Keith has been around since his time in the 80s with the group ULTRAMAGNETIC MC’s and he first came to my attention for the album he released under the Doctor Octogon name in 1996, which was unlike anything I’d ever…

For this episode we’re exploring one of the most iconic and enduring games of all time: Dungeons & Dragons! For 50 years, D&D has captivated players with its mix of imagination, strategy, and storytelling. When the game’s at its best it can function as this really fun way to do collaborative storytelling - it can seem life and death while also prov…

We're discussing one of the most influential films ever made—the 1920 silent horror film, The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari. Directed by Robert Wiene and written by Hans Janowitz and Carl Mayer, Caligari is a film that not only redefined the horror genre but also helped lay the groundwork for German Expressionism in cinema. It’s got twisted abstract sets…

I would like, if I may, to take you on a strange journey. We are talking THE ROCKY HORROR PICTURE SHOW with special guest Greg Bell! Rocky Horror was originally a U.K. stage show that fused what was going on in the glam rock scene with old science fiction b-movies. The show was written by Richard O’Brien and was enough of a stage success that it wa…

We're joined by Cash the Composer to talk about their new immersive/interactive musical Fantasmagoriana! What’s Fantasmagoriana about? In the summer of 1816, at the Villa Diodati, Lord Byron, his personal physician John Polidori, his friend Percy Shelley, Shelley's fiancée Mary Godwin, their infant son William, and Godwin's stepsister Claire Clairm…

Doctor Who first aired on November 23, 1963, making its debut on BBC One. Initially conceived as a children’s show with educational elements, it quickly evolved into a groundbreaking science fiction series that captivated audiences of all ages. The story revolves around the Doctor, a Time Lord from the planet Gallifrey, who travels through time and…

We're talking with Carly Dwyer and Tristan Reynolds from Intramersive Productions about their upcoming show DAEMONOLOGIE, SIGNALS AND SIRENGS! Daemonologie is an interactive, open-world theater anthology that explores the intersections of gender, social change, and the supernatural. The series encourages audiences to engage with the events around t…

120 Minutes was an alternative music show that aired on MTV on Sunday nights from Midnight to 2am, playing some of the formative acts of the day (The Cure, Depeche Mode, The Smiths), introducing us to exciting new bands, and - particularly in the years before Nirvana hit big with "Smells Like Teen Spirit" - acting as an oasis for those of us intere…

Kevin is joined by Shaun Rosado (of Popcycled Baubles) to continue their discussion of Chris Claremont's epic run as writer of The Uncanny X-Men! Picking up where we left off in the previous installment, the two discuss The Asgardian Wars, the Wolverine mini-series with Frank Miller, the arrival of artist Jim Lee, the Brood, Magneto, Kitty's Fairy …

I'm joined by Shaun Rosado (Popcycled Baubles) to discuss Chris Claremont's seminal run as writer of the Uncanny X-Men comic book from 1975-1991. Claremont did come back a few times after that but we limit our discussion to that initial run and its ancillary titles, which is a good thing because we talked so long that I felt I had to split this epi…

Bloom County is a newspaper comic strip by Berke Breathed that originally ran from 1980 to 1989. (It returned with new strips in 2015.) The comic and its characters Bill the Cat, Steve Dallas, Opus the Penguin and many others would satirize politics, culture and the comics page itself. Like Peanuts the strip had children with adult vocabularies and…

Kevin is joined by filmmaker David Bettencourt and film superfan Bryan Murray to discuss Sam Raimi's 1987 horror/comedy classic Evil Dead 2: Dead By Dawn! Evil Dead 2, which stars the great Bruce Campbell, is credited with inventing a new film genre - splatstick, which combines physical humor reminiscent of The Three Stooges with the extreme gore t…

G.I. Joe is the code name for America's daring, highly-trained special mission force. Its purpose: to defend human freedom against Cobra, a ruthless terrorist organization determined to rule the world! It's also a toy line, a cartoon, a series of comic books, and a nostalgic touch point for dudes of a certain age. Kevin is joined by two such dudes:…

Kevin is joined by author Jane Duffus to talk all things regarding the Sarah Records label. Jane's new book, These Things Happen: The Sarah Records Story, tells the story of the record label, the bands who released music on it, and the people and culture who were affected by it. Sarah was started in 1987 by Clare Wadd and Matt Haynes in Bristol (Un…

One of the first and best punk bands, The Ramones recorded their first album in 1976 and they existed as a band for about 20 years after that. Their 70s material is the most beloved, although they continued to tour and put out records until they broke up. It's not an overstatement to say that despite achieving very little commercial success during …

Infocom was a software company founded in 1979 who released a series of graphics-free text adventure games, which came to be known as Interactive Fiction. Notable Infocom releases were the Zork series, Planetfall, Infidel, Deadline, The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (which we discussed a little bit in our previous installment), Trinity and A Min…

Kevin is joined by writer and musician Andre Salles and Amber Lee from the Queer in Cyber podcast to discuss The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy - the radio shows, the books, the stage adaptation, the tv series, the film, the computer game and the towels. Every facet of Douglas Adams' infinitely improbable comedy science fiction franchise is tackl…

This time out we're discussing Watchmen, the 12 issue comic book maxi-series by Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons. Watchmen is widely regarded as one of the great achievements of the comic book medium and, like a lot of people, it totally blew my mind the first time I read it. I'm joined by Kevin Eldridge of The Flopcast to discuss the comic, its influen…

Sleep No More is a long-running immersive theater show in New York and we're joined by original cast member Kelly Bartnik to discuss the show's magical run in Boston, the transition to NYC, the challenges of creating immersive work, the art that inspired her, and her experience in being part of the launch of such a long-running, successful show. Ho…

It's our first full episode! Welcome to The Best Stuff in the World, the podcast for people who like things. This time out we're joined by TV Reporter (and Beatles superfan) Bob Ward and filmmaker Guy Benoit to discuss 1964's A Hard Day's Night, the first film by the Beatles. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.…

Kevin gives a brief overview of the show in this short trailer and a preview of topics to come. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.