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I review, analyze, and drop some info about L$D by A$AP Rocky.  Mellow out and enjoy the trip. I am rather soft spoken for the first 13 minutes because this was recorded at 1am and my landlords were asleep. Let me know if you get any ASMR tingles.   Show notes: -Is this a rap song? -When I first heard L$D -Videos complimenting their songs -I’m part of the MTV generation -The L$D video -An ode to LSD and love -The At Long Last album -A$AP Rocky’s influences -A$AP Rocky’s other work -Even if you don’t like rap . . . -My experiment -“It helps me cope with life” -Studies on LSD

I read and comment about a tweet thread from Cindy Otis (@CindyOtis), a former CIA Analyst and current author, on how to handle disturbing news and negative content.    I also talk about how I deal with the news as well as Donald Trump, his awful administration, and his Republican enablers.   Here is Otis’ tweet thread. Her tips are capitalized in the show notes.    Feel free to follow along! https://twitter.com/CindyOtis_/status/1012488916178436096   Show notes: -Who is Cindy Otis? -What did she tweet? -How we get our news -The 24 hour channels -The slow crawl towards authoritar [...]

I review Martin, the George A. Romero vampire movie.  Spoilers come at you faster than blood from a wrist.  Ewwwww.   Show notes: -The last time I saw Martin -I knew the ending from Tom Savini’s Scream Greats -What I thought of Martin back then -What I looked for in Martin as kid -Knightriders -What I think of Martin now -Guerilla filmmaking -The budget and way it was shot -It’s vibe -The special effects -Savini’s philosophy -The blood -Dick Smith formula -The plot -Was he or wasn’t he? -The pace of the plot -Character development

This is my immediate reaction to Deadpool 2. Spoilers are ahead!   Show notes: -That was a yawn -What did I think? -Why did I get scared? -Seeing the first Deadpool -How does it compare to the first one? -The comedy -The drama -The characters -Ryan Reynolds -My familiarity with the comic -Cable -X Force -The Vanisher -The after credits -The jokes -Negasonic Teenage Warhead -Colossus -The X-Men -Monster Magnet -Tales of Brave Ulysses -The Marvel films and stakes -What makes Deadpool stand out -Superhero movies and comedy

I review Knightriders, the somewhat forgotten George A. Romero movie starring Ed Harris, about a troupe of motorcycle riding, renaissance faire knights.  Yes, really!  I haven’t seen this movie since I was a kid and I found it boring then.  Does the 41 year old me feel the same way?  Listen with your purposely dulled sword, mace, or axe to find out! It doesn’t take a Merlin to know that spoilers are coming at you faster than a Harley with a lance.   Show notes:  -Not Knight Rider with David Hasselhoff. -Ed Harris -When I first saw Knightriders -After seeing Knightriders again -The acting -The message of the movie [...]

I review “START”, the series finale of The Americans. You don’t have to be in counter-intelligence to know that there will be spoilers   Show notes: -What did I think? -The ending -Previous episodes this season -What the creators think -What stood out -Stan Beeman -Predictability, a Last Jedi digression -The music and With or Without You -The train to Canada -Paige Jennings -Henry Jennings -What would happen in modern America -Philip and Elizabeth are my parents age -A letdown -The Americans compared to other series endings -What I wanted to see -What stood out in the series -Rooting for Phili [...]

Welcome to the Black Parade . . . Breakdown.  The Black Parade by My Chemical Romance is one of my favorite albums.  After a few listens, I began to discover the similarities to certain songs by other artists that I liked. By similarities, I don’t mean that MCR is stealing, I use think they’re using their influences wisely. Therefore, I have picked songs from The Black Parade that I feel are the most similar to other songs, play clips of those songs back to back, and then give my thoughts. This podcast focuses on MCR’s The Sharpest Lives and Welcome to the Black Parade being influenced by Queen’s Now I’m Here and Bohemian Rhapsody, respectively. Show notes: -We hear birds! -The last Black Parade Breakdown (

Erin and I review Solo: A Star Wars Story about a half hour after watching it.  Does it hold together or is it truly a piece of junk? Spoilers arrive at light speed!   Show notes: -What did we think? -Trying to go into Solo blind -What the movie conveyed -Ethics and morals -Alden Ehrenreich’s performance -Donald Glover -Mike’s initial worry -Suaveness? -A criticism -Beckett -Where on the timeline -Donald Glover fans take over the Donald Trump subreddit -This is Cloud City (not “The Empire”) -Crimson Dawn -Han Solo and Lando Calrissian’s relationship -Nitpicking -L [...]

The great acting teacher Harold Guskin, has died.  He was known throughout the acting circles due to his famous students like Kevin Kline, Glenn Close, and James Gandolfini but his actual approach did not enjoy the mainstream attention like Lee Strasberg, Sanford Meisner, Stella Adler, etc.  I talk about Guskin’s approach to acting and his book “How to Stop Acting”, which was a game changer in my life.   Show notes: -I’m tired -How I found out Harold Guskin died -Game changers in life -Guskin’s book, “How to Stop Acting” -When I first read it -Lee Strasberg -How Strasberg taught -Being yelled at -How I feel about tough love -How I discovered “How to Stop Acting”

SPOILERS START RIGHT AWAY for this Music, Movies and More quickie!   Show Notes: -What would be fantastic -What we all know -I haven’t read the comics -The brave move -What I thought -The amount of characters -What I wished -What I think of the Marvel movies I’ve seen -The after credits -If you did not read the comics -The humor -The writing -What Avengers: Infinity War sparked -Do you have to see all the movies -Thanos -What makes a good villain -Thanos and Killmonger -Plugs Twitter https://twitter.com/mikelaneact Email

I decided to buy CDs with my Barnes and Noble gift card and then wait for them to arrive via snail mail.  Yes, I know it’s not 1999.  Yes, I know I can easily listen/buy these albums on the Internet, but I chose not to. I decided to wait until these CDs arrive to listen to them.  This decision brought me back to buying music as a kid, and my reaction to these feelings are explained.   Show notes: -How and why I did what I did -How I like to read books -Hanging on to my past -What I’m currently reading -The new book I ordered -The importance of paying for music -Once I get these CDs . . . -What I discovered while ordering -The bad and good par [...]

After watching The Last Jedi for the third time, I felt inspired to give a few reasons why this is the best of them all.  I defend the movie from some of its criticisms, while possibly going mad in the process of doing so.   Your thoughts don’t betray you. There are spoilers ahead.   Show notes: -How I feel after the third time -Purists -Older people getting resentful -My age and how it relates to Star Wars history -Hanging on to the past -Bitterness and resentment does not escape the world of Star Wars -Why The Last Jedi irked some people -Being different -Gray areas -White men -Star Wars was never and will never be “ours” -Attacking Star Wars for the wrong reasons -What The Last Jedi represents -Movies and life -When I don’t like a movie -If I don’t like a Star Wars movie -Goi [...]

I analyze the Radiohead classic while I wait for my truck to be jump started.    Show notes: -My predicament -My Radiohead fandom and opinion on OK Computer -90s music -The effect of No Surprises on me -My mind -The meaning of the song -The music -The subject of No Surprises -The lyrics and reverse psychology -Complacency -What I originally thought the song was about -The name of my production company -Songfacts.com and Alessandro from Besnate Italy -The lyrics -The conversation within the lyrics -How to decrease anxiety in 2018 America -A handshake of carbon monoxide -What I think of silence -What [...]

This is the second, and hopefully final, podcast of The Flu Sessions.  I’ve been meaning to see Arrival for a while and the flu gave me that chance.  Was it worth the wait or did it make me just want to get a spaceship and go? You don’t have to be a cunning linguist to know that this podcast contains spoilers. Show notes: -I’m still recovering from the flu -What was really great about Arrival -The main conflict -The twist -Science, logic, and reason -Mah Jong -The daughter -Back to the flu and how it’s made me feel -If I was Louise . . . -Louise’s life -Atypical -Contact -Communication -The l [...]

This podcast contains the flu, and spoilers for both the show and the comic. I had at the flu during this review. Hey, that rhymes! I felt like the walking dead so it’s only appropriate that I review The Walking Dead, Season 8, Episode 14 “Still Gotta Mean Something”. For the past few seasons, The Walking Dead has had some good episodes in a mostly dark sucky void of awful. So did this episode continue the trend of awful and cringeworthy or did it shine a bright light across the void? I review the show and then play my thoughts about the episode, during the episode itself. Show notes: INTRO -I have the flu -My thoughts on The Walking Dead, these past few seasons -The last great episode

In 2014, I recorded my thoughts about Nirvana’s Nevermind, song by song, and put them on YouTube.  Now those musings are on the Music, Movies, and More podcast so feast your ears on my thoughts about “Polly”. I analyze the music, describe my very first reaction hearing the song in 1991, the true story of “Polly”, and some “what if Nirvana” questions. Show notes: -What I thought the song was about before actually listening to it -What the song is really about -What makes this unique -Polly’s parallel to Slayer’s Angel of Death -What I thought the purpose of songs were -What this song does -The melody and harmonies -When the listener pays attention -The emotions experienced when listening < [...]

Erin and I go into this movie not knowing that much about Black Panther’s history in the comic book world.  Since neither of us saw Captain America: Civil War at the time of the recording, this was our first exposure to Black Panther.  This podcast was recorded a few minutes after watching the movie. Spoilers are in vibranium like abundance. Here are the notes! -What did we think? -Going into movies blind -What Mike knows about Black Panther -What makes Black Panther different -The characters and conflict -Klaue -The movie’s different parts -Killmonger’s motivation -T’Challa’s motivation -Wakanda’s ultimate decision -The loo [...]

It’s been a while since I’ve seen The Phantom Menace and Erin barely remembers seeing it at all.  How do I feel about this movie, after years of reading and watching its virtual beatdown on The Internet (cue ominous music)?  How does Erin feel about it after hearing me talk about its virtual beatdown?  You don’t need a high midichlorian count to find out since you can just listen. Spoilers will be coming at you faster than a podrace at Boonta Eve and make sure to stay tuned for the bonus commentary. Here are the show notes:   INTRO -Judging this movie -What will Mike think of this movie? -Words are hard -The last time Mike saw this movie -Erin’s expectations and the last ti [...]

I analyze the best performance to ever grace the Howard Stern Show.  I also talk about my history with Stern and Lady Gaga as well as a few similarities between them.   The performance itself : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cce36nhHTP8   Show notes: -A clip from the show - Performances on Howard Stern - Lady Gaga’s attire - Lady Gaga as an interview - Howard Stern as an interviewer - Gaga’s performance of Edge of Glory and the difference from the album version - Acoustic Gaga -Gaga’s rock influences -Connecting to the meaning of The Edge of Glory -Singers and morning hours -My knowledge and [...]

I review and analyze The Unforgiven III.  The trilogy is now complete.   Here are the show notes: -James Hetfield’s Road Recovery interview (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4p8q9svQXBo) -The intro to my intro -The frog in my throat -Doing laundry -The very beginnings of The Unforgiven I, II and III -The sound of Death Magnetic -The melody -Hetfield singing and playing at the same time -Hetfield’s lyrics -Hetfield’s voice -The lyrics of The Unforgiven I, II and III (them, you, myself) -Forgiving yourself and forgiving others THE LYRICS -Sailing a ship -New dawn’s [...]