Dan Grubb And Aaron Fletchersmith

Shows

The Dan and Aaron Like-O-RamaLike-O-Rama 56 - Liminal SpacesThis week, Aaron is fascinated by abandoned stores and malls and other spaces that are liminal spaces that transport you to bygone eras! And Dan is not very helpful. We also talk about comics and horses and prisons that get hit by cosmic rays and turn into art galleries.2023-01-231h 08

The Dan and Aaron Like-O-RamaLike-O-Rama 55 - 2023 Year In ReviewHappy New Year! We got together on New Year's Day 2023 and discussed the events of 2023 and what they meant to us. Not just the big ones like the alien invasion ending the war in Ukraine or humanity's first moon prison, but also the entertainment and cultural developments that gave us all something to talk about over the virtual water coolers in our bunkers. And isn't that the slogan of 2023?2023-01-0957 min

The Dan and Aaron Like-O-RamaLike-O-Rama 54 - Holiday SpecialIt's the Like-O-Rama Holiday Special! We talk about holidays I guess and presents and stuff, but mostly Star Wars for some reason. I guess because of Life Day. Also monster trucks and Wade the Duck and making t-shirts and Stephen King and all kinds of stuff. I'm pretty sure we decided to do a holiday special about 12 seconds before we hit record. Oh well, who cares? Hahaha.2022-12-261h 13

The Dan and Aaron Like-O-RamaLike-O-Rama 53 - Jacques TatiThis week, Dan is elated and overjoyed to get to talk about French comedy director Jacques Tati! Tati was active mostly in the 50s and 60s and is best known for M. Hulot's Holiday, Mon Oncle, and PlayTime. His character M. Hulot was also a direct inspiration for Mr. Bean. Besides being a gifted pantomime, Tati was a brilliant director, crafting scenes that are gorgeous, expertly choreographed, and oh yeah funny.2022-12-121h 12

The Dan and Aaron Like-O-RamaLike-O-Rama 52 - The Garden Of Earthly DelightsImagine one of the most celebrated, evocative, studied paintings in history, one that straddles the cusp between the flat religious metaphors of the Middle Ages and the experiments in dimension, light, and subject matter of the Renaissance. Now imagine two idiots talking about it. Yes, this week, Aaron and Dan are going figure by figure through Heironymous Bosch's immortal triptych, "The Garden of Earthly Delights", the notorious-slash-amazing painting and its bizarre depiction of animal-men, torture, surrealism, and butts. So many butts. We focus on the Hell panel because it's the craziest and we recommend that you follow along with your...2022-11-281h 30

The Dan and Aaron Like-O-RamaLike-O-Rama 51 - 1910s and 20s JazzThis week, Dan loves 100-year-old jazz! King Oliver, Jelly Roll Morton, Fletcher Henderson, Bix Beiderbecke, and a bunch more. We love the manic energy, the fun melodies, and the burgeoning complexity that would evolve into a zillion subgenres in just a few years. ALSO! One band we neglected to mention that’s been active since the 60s is New Orleans’ own Preservation Hall Jazz Band. They are amazing. Dan got to see them around 2004 and fell in love with them! If you get the chance, go see them!!! (Dan found out they played by him 2 hours AFTER they finished - boo...2022-11-141h 15

The Dan and Aaron Like-O-RamaDYSlike-O-Rama 50 - Terrible Musical IdeasThis week, Aaron suggests we think of what movies would make horrible musicals. We find out just how far the quality can get between a great movie and a hack musical treatment. We also find out that Dan and Aaron can only think of like three melodies. Hooraaaaay!2022-10-171h 22

The Dan and Aaron Like-O-RamaLike-O-Rama 49 - Ninja WeaponsThis week, we talk about ninja weapons! Katanas, sais, bos, throwing stars, and of course about 40% of 80s culture.2022-10-0358 min

The Dan and Aaron Like-O-RamaLike-O-Rama 48 - Electrostatic DischargeThis week, Aaron is a fan of electrostatic discharge or ESD. He's worked in labs where ESD is handled as a safety issue and a "don't break all the stuff" issue, so he had to learn a lot about it and it's pretty dang neat! We also talk about sandwiches, coworkers, dads, and whatever other random crap fell into our heads. Yay, science!2022-09-1956 min

The Dan and Aaron Like-O-RamaLike-O-Rama 47 - Eagleheart And On CinemaThis week, Dan is bananas for two 10-minute comedies that have insane worldbuilding. It's Eagleheart, starring Chris Elliott, and On Cinema, starring Tim Heidecker and Gregg Turkington! We stay on topic and kind of go back to the book report format (sorry), but Dan is so enthusiastic that it's hard to explain how huge these shows are without doing so. They're very silly, very odd, and star deeply unlikeable and incompetent lunatics. You should dedicate the next two months of your life to watching them. Quit your job, abandon your kids, and take a TV into the woods and watch...2022-09-051h 09

The Dan and Aaron Like-O-RamaLike-O-Rama 46 - Umbrella AcademyThis week, Aaron is wild about Umbrella Academy! He loves the series and the comic books it was based on. We talk about other cool comics and shows based on them, Elliot Page, LGBT activism and representation, as well as the usual dumb jokes. Hooray for Umbrella Academy! Oh, and Dan is again recording in the rain under a tin roof, so there's background AMSR type sprinkling noise. Hope you like it!2022-08-2256 min

The Dan and Aaron Like-O-RamaLike-O-Rama 45 - CreatingThis week, Dan and Aaron are super into making stuff in general. Whether it's for yourself or others, creative or practical, making a thing feels great and is great for you! Even if no one ever sees it.2022-08-081h 39

The Dan and Aaron Like-O-RamaLike-O-Rama 44 - AbsurdismThis week, Dan is into Absurdism, the philosophical cousin of existentialism where you go a step further and actually do something instead of crying into your clove cigarettes. About 2/3 of it is about that; the rest is random gibberish, cool movies, and goofing off. Hooray! NOTES / DON'T @ US: --- We talked about Kafka for a minute. Some say he's existentialist, some say more modernist, and some say neither. So whatever you think, good news! You're right! --- Also, if you're a philosophy expert, we're not! Please leave us alone and don't correct us. We tried. I’m gonna say we we...2022-07-181h 31

The Dan and Aaron Like-O-RamaLike-O-Rama 43 - Star Trek Slash FicThis week, Aaron is all about fan fic. Specifically, he's talking about slash fic, that fan fiction where one character gets romantic (or just sexy sexy) with another character out of canon. We focus on Star Trek slash fic and its influence on that universe's fans and future series. I'm not 100% sure we rounded out the conclusion, but we meant well! We also get into in-canon representation, nerd culture in general, and the X-Men as a metaphor for LGBT folks, and hopefully did it all as well as two straight, cis guys can. We recorded this episode in June because...2022-07-041h 14

The Dan and Aaron Like-O-RamaLike-O-Rama 42 - 2022 Mix CDIt's time for our second annual anniversary episode where we brainstorm the equivalent of a mix CD like it's 2002. There’s some stuff we’ve all heard, some new to us, and because it’s us, a couple of oddball goofy ones. We've been looking forward to this episode for a while and had a ball recording it. And you can listen along to the playlist on YouTube right here: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLPW4Do1NagpFAOg_73-QMwyS_aDzqmbAA 2022-06-202h 01

The Dan and Aaron Like-O-RamaLike-O-Rama 41 - The Dismemberment PlanThis week, Dan and Aaron are immense fans of the DC indie band The Dismemberment Plan! They were rock, post-punk, angular, math rock, electro-pop, and whatever other circa-1999 genres you want to call them. We were in late high school and college when we found out about them and became huge fans, as did everyone we knew. They rule. If you don't know them, check out "Emergency & I" since that's the album most people love the best, but all 5 records are great. We talk about how the band's journey mirrored our own as young people figuring out how to be...2022-05-301h 41

The Dan and Aaron Like-O-RamaLike-O-Rama 40 - Model ScaleThis week, Aaron really likes scale, specifically the scales of the models his builds! We talk about models, scale, suburban dads' psychotic obsessions aka hobbies, a pretty spoiler-heavy review of "The Batman" for some reason, and of course the fog of mediocrity that hung over most 90s comedy. All of which has a lot to do with scale! You're welcome.2022-05-161h 15

The Dan and Aaron Like-O-RamaDISlike-O-Rama 39: SatanWell, we thought about it good and hard and we've decided that the dark lord of evil is NOT a dude we like! It's our first ever Dan and Aaron DISlike-O-Rama! Take that, Satan! We talk about literary and media depictions of the devil, half-remembered biblical stuff, me getting Job's name wrong until I remember like 10 minutes later, crossroadses, going down to Georgia, and about 1000 other things. It was a fun time! Hooray! HAIL DAN AND AARON!!2022-05-021h 10

The Dan and Aaron Like-O-RamaLike-O-Rama 38: Video Game Cover Bands and SoundtracksThis week, we are buzzing with hopefully cool stuff and not just nostalgia as we discuss video game cover bands and their original soundtracks! We love bands that cover music from 80s and 90s video games, and Aaron has some recommendations for music from games that aren't old enough to have kids in college! Plus the usual idiocy, naturally. NOTES / DON'T @ US: -- Here’s the site Aaron talked about with a gazillion video game covers and remixes: ocremix.org -- Game Over, “Little Mac’s Confession”: https://youtu.be/uSFGppy7EUE -- The Advantage, boss theme from Contra: https://youtu.be...2022-04-181h 42

The Dan and Aaron Like-O-RamaLike-O-Rama 37: OSHAThis week, Aaron loves OSHA! Yes, that OSHA, the one that oversees workplace safety. We even spent maybe seven minutes of the episode talking about it! It's maybe our favorite episode so far, albeit our least informative.2022-04-0459 min

The Dan and Aaron Like-O-RamaLike-O-Rama 36: Hellzapoppin'This week, Dan is a huge fan of the 1941 insane comedy "Hellzapoppin'"! Ole Olsen and Chic Johnson star in this beyond screwball comedy based on their stage show of the same name. Besides breaking the fourth wall and never going more than 7 or 8 seconds between jokes, they also feature terrific singing and absolutely jaw-dropping dancing (care of Whitey's Lindy Hoppers), all while demolishing the movie as they make it. It's a stunning comedic achievement. It's also all on YouTube, so you have no excuse to not watch it. We also go on a digression about the phenomenal Cass Daley, who...2022-03-211h 05

The Dan and Aaron Like-O-RamaLike-O-Rama 35: MIL STD And LogisticsOn today's Like-O-Rama, Aaron is really into military standards and logistics that he works with at his job! Hey, where are you going? Come back! Dan was skeptical about how much one could like them, but after realizing it's Mythbusters: The Home Version, he knows Aaron is right and they're super great. Basically MIL STD is the zillions of torture tests people have performed on every piece of equipment (computer, car, or shooty thing) to document how it can and should be used in the field. Like we said, Mythbusters!2022-03-071h 00

The Dan and Aaron Like-O-RamaLike-O-Rama 33f - College Radio, part 6 with Chris LockeWe promise, this is the last part of our college radio likefest. There's six parts because we love it so dang much. We wrap up our discussion with Chris Locke about his and Aaron's time together doing radio at George Mason University, Chris' art, and how he got his various URLs. Check out his stuff at the site they all redirect too, www.heartlessmachine.com!2022-02-2129 min

The Dan and Aaron Like-O-RamaLike-O-Rama 33e - College Radio, part 5 with Chris LockeThis week, Aaron and Dan continue reminiscing with Aaron's other college radio partner, Chris Locke! Chris is an artist and teacher in Austin, TX. You may have seen his spiders made from scissors confiscated by the TSA, his modern fossils, his donut mugs, his acoustic phone amplifiers made from instruments, or his books "Draw Like This!", "Sticky Note Portraits", and "99 Ways to Die: A Coloring Book for Adults". (They're all available at www.heartlessmachine.com!) We talk about their time at George Mason University's radio station doing Fantastic Plastic Crap and Vinyl, introductions to cool music, and goofy memories of...2022-02-0742 min

The Dan and Aaron Like-O-RamaLike-O-Rama 33d - College Radio, part 4 - The Jake and Aaron Hella ShowAaron and Dan talk with Aaron's college radio partner Jacob Geib-Rosch about their show, how they made it happen, and what they like about the medium. Also Terra Haute, calls from strangers, promos from internet celebrities, Flash, and plenty of goofy memories from when we were all half our ages and twice as stupid.2022-01-241h 29

The Dan and Aaron Like-O-RamaLike-O-Rama 34b - Favorite Comic Book Arcs, part 2It's part 2 of Dan and Aaron gushing about some of our favorite comic book arcs, mere moments after watching the new Spider-Man movie! We talk about Squirrel Girl, Transformers, Hawkeye, and Star Wars! It was one of those nights when everything is filtered through a layer of happy fandom with a belly full of crowd pleasing, and we had a great time showing each other comics. Yay, comics!2022-01-101h 19

The Dan and Aaron Like-O-RamaLike-O-Rama 34a - Favorite Comic Book Arcs, part 1This week, Dan and Aaron, fresh from seeing Spider-Man, gab about a few of their favorite comic book arcs. Spidey doesn't make an appearance, but Batman, the X-Men, and the entire Marvel Universe do. So, yeah, I guess Spidey would be off to the side, probably being sad about whatever states his love life and career are currently in. Also, plenty of comical book-type tangents. Part 2 in two weeks, yaaaaaay! [insert kermit "yay" gif]2021-12-271h 01

The Dan and Aaron Like-O-RamaLike-O-Rama 33c - College Radio, Part 3It's part three of our celebration of college radio! It's really the best. Maybe it's different now since everyone has podcasts and YouTube and streaming apps, but until five minutes ago, college radio and indie / community / freeform radio was really the best source to find new, unusual, different, or just plain weird stuff. In this episode we talk mainly about Aaron's time at George Mason University with our friend Chris Locke (whose art you can find at http://www.heartlessmachine.com/), creating soundscapes, playing the mixing board like an instrument, and a general wrap-up of why we love that form...2021-12-1345 min

The Dan and Aaron Like-O-RamaLike-O-Rama 33b - College Radio, Part 2In part 2 of the College Radio trilogy, Dan and Aaron go into depth on their time at WUVT (Dan) and WIUS (Aaron) and compare their methodologies. The Jake & Aaron Hella Show was more planned out and crafted, while The Big Waste of Time was more seat-of-the-pants and hectic. Part 3 is up in two weeks, in which we discuss Aaron's next radio show with our friend Chris and give the final paragraph to this thesis-support-conclusion structure that we accidentally fell into. Stupid English major background always subconsciously providing frameworks!2021-11-291h 13

The Dan and Aaron Like-O-RamaLike-O-Rama 33a - College Radio, Part 1This week, we're going back to our salad days when we were idiots. No, wait. We're idiots now. Um...young! Yes, young. We worked at the radio stations at our respective colleges and loved just about every minute of it. In this first section, we talk about college radio in general, what the experience was like as a newbie, and the feeling of seeing that immense music library for the first time like when Dorothy opens the door to Oz. If I had another 10 hours a week, I'd be back on the air in a heartbeat. NOTES / DON'T @ US: ...2021-11-151h 14

The Dan and Aaron Like-O-RamaLike-O-Rama 32 - De La Soul Is DeadThis week, we're talking about one of our favorite records ever, "De La Soul is Dead"! It was De La Soul's second album, after their first album's single "Me Myself and I" was a huge hit. We talk about the frame stories, the hilarious comedy interludes, the fantastic sampling, and the general amazingness of this big deal album. NOTES / DON'T @ US: - We know that diss tracks weren’t invented in 1995 or whatever. For instance, here's an awesome one from 1981 where Kool Moe Dee destroys Busy Bee: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=86XG7gw4RIA - We know we di...2021-11-011h 21

The Dan and Aaron Like-O-RamaLike-O-Rama 31 - HR GigerThis week we're talking about the Swiss artist HR Giger. Giger is most well-known for his artwork that became the basis for the xenomorphs in the "Alien" franchise. He also created album art for various bands, had significant success as an exhibiting artist, and published an art book, "Necronomicon", that made a big impact in the worlds of art and Hollywood. Giger is known for his mixtures of the body and technology. His work often blurs the line between humans and machines, as well as often incorporating designs inspired by insects, mollusks, genitals, and other less-than-wholesome items. NOTES / DON'T @ US: ...2021-10-181h 04

The Dan and Aaron Like-O-RamaLike-O-Rama 30 - Syd MeadThis week, Aaron is to the moon and back over Syd Mead. Mead was a concept artist for US Steel whose futuristic designs inspired many science fiction movies, including some he worked on himself. This is another in our series of concept artists who are fantastic. NOTES / DON'T @ US: - The 64bit video game console from Apple in the early 90s might have been the Pippin. - For tons of Mead's brilliant art, go to http://www.sydmead.com 2021-09-2053 min

The Dan and Aaron Like-O-RamaLike-O-Rama 29 - Chesley BonestellThis week, Aaron is crazy about Chesley Bonestell, the groundbreaking Hollywood matte painter and space concept artist! His art is simply breathtaking, and played a big role in capturing the public's imagination and understanding of space exploration. Do an image search for his work and lose a couple of hours. It's wonderful stuff. NOTES / DON'T @ US: - Apollo ended with 17, not 15 - I think we corrected ourselves on the rest - There are several books collecting Bonestell’s art. Here are some Google Shopping search results: https://www.google.com/search?q=chesley+bonestell+art+book&hl=en-us&prmd=sinxv&so...2021-09-061h 18

The Dan and Aaron Like-O-RamaLike-O-Rama 28 - "Eon" By Greg BearThis week, Aaron is really into the 1985 novel "Eon" by Greg Bear. It's the story of a hollowed-out asteroid that holds a futuristic series of chambers that become something incredible. By the way, nothing but spoilers. Aaron read the book and loved it. Dan read the Wikipedia page and goes on a bunch of tangents rather than being helpful. So, you know, a typical episode. We tie it into sci-fi series in general, Godzilla, Arthur C. Clarke's "Rama" series, hard vs soft science fiction, Dune, X-Men, and how we interact with media. NOTES / DON'T @ US: - We pretty much corrected...2021-08-231h 20

The Dan and Aaron Like-O-RamaLike-O-Rama 27 - Mauricio KagelThis week, we're closing out our trilogy of Old Weirdos with the Argentine-German composer Mauricio Kagel. Kagel's work is a combination of impressive musicality, performance art, and pantomime. Kagel’s pieces can be really funny, quite serious, or just plain weird. We dive into it (in the shallow end, though, as we only just found out about him recently) and tie him into the traditions of nontraditional artforms. It was a lot fo fun! NOTES / DON'T @ US: - We most likely used the word "dada" wrong. We go into some depth about our intellectual failings in this matter, so we've go...2021-08-091h 32

The Dan and Aaron Like-O-RamaLike-O-Rama 26 - The Futurist CookbookThis week, we discuss FT Marinetti and Fillia's Futurist Cookbook. This very strange book from 1932 combines the Manifesto of Futurist Cooking, various contemporary newspaper and magazine responses to the futurists' culinary experiments, and many, many recipes and futurist-inspired scenes of possible meals. As we say at the front, the futurists were giant, enthusiastic fascists with terrible ideas, and we're not saying that's ok. This weird little book, however, is a bizarre delight. Ignoring the underlying desire to keep Italy as strong as possible so they could conquer the world, the food and presentation are so unpleasant and nonsensical that many...2021-07-2658 min

The Dan and Aaron Like-O-RamaLike-O-Rama 25 - Dr Faustroll By Alfred JarryThis week, we're talking about Alfred Jarry's novella "Exploits and Opinions of Dr. Faustroll, Pataphysician". It's the 1898 absurd story and philosophical ideas of a ridiculous, impossible man. It's not a very long book and is easy to find online. If you like metanarrative, dada, absurd satire, dirty jokes, or feeling like a real smart smartie, check this book out. NOTES / DON'T @ US: - Jarry's plays about Pere Ubu are also a lot of fun. Those are about a dumb baby-man instead of an impossible genius, so they're kind of the "Waiting for Godot" to Faustroll's "Tristram Shandy". - If you...2021-07-1250 min

The Dan and Aaron Like-O-RamaLike-O-Rama 24 - Mike PattonThis week, we are ranting and raving about Mike Patton, one of the most diverse musicians around. We start with his 80s and 90s bands Mr. Bungle and Faith No More as well as his solo stuff and go into the more project-y projects like Fantômas, Tomahawk, Mondo Cane, and Peeping Tom. We also touch on his many, many collaborations, mentioning almost 1/10th of them! Patton can growl, croon, yelp, scream, and rock. We're big fans of not just his music, but also of his approach to creativity and craft. If you liked Tomahawk’s first record, check out the...2021-06-281h 43

The Dan and Aaron Like-O-RamaLike-O-Rama 23 - 2021 Mix CDIn honor of our first anniversary, we're making a mix CD of stuff we're really into right now. We alternate tracks and don't know what songs the other has chosen. It was a lot of fun. Here's the link to the playlist on YouTube: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLPW4Do1NagpGgGHm6lhPPr-5ZfkYFaLdL NOTES / DON'T @ US: - We tried to keep the clips short to stay within Fair Use guidelines. Obviously you should buy the songs and albums you like and support the artists whenever possible. - We hope to do this every June, assuming podcasts still exist and...2021-06-141h 44

The Dan and Aaron Like-O-RamaLike-O-Rama 22b - Indie Comics, Pt 2It's Part 2 of Indie Comics! We're going from the 80s to today, covering Art Spiegelman, Dark Horse, Image, Johnny the Homicidal Maniac, Too Much Coffee Man, Milk and Cheese, Dork!, Bone, and the Tick! We also talk about how many indie comics became big movies and TV shows that you have enjoyed and how one self-published comic became one of the 20th century's hugest franchises. NOTES / DON'T @ US: - We know that we left out approximately two billion comics that you and we love. We note that and leave the door open for another round of "OMG this is good...2021-05-311h 11

The Dan and Aaron Like-O-RamaLike-O-Rama 22a - Indie Comics, Pt 1We are talking about indie comics, aka underground comix, aka alternative comics! In part 1 we start with their scandalous origins and get up to the 80s. Along the way we talk about R Crumb, The Fabulous Furry Freak Brothers, Harvey Pekar, Wimmen’s Comix, Bill Griffith, Lynda Barry, Life in Hell, Love and Rockets, Elfquest, and Cerebus. For real, there are sooooo many other types of comics out there besides Muscle Man fighting Beefcake Boy. From the silly to the somber, autobiographical to fantastical, wholesome to obscene, there's something for everyone. Not liking comics is like not liking music or no...2021-05-171h 01

The Dan and Aaron Like-O-RamaLike-O-Rama 21 - Livestock Guardian DogsThis week, Aaron is talking about LGDs: Livestock Guardian Dogs. These are large working dogs who guard flocks and herds. They're also one of the earliest versions of a dog cooperating with humans. We also look at pictures of dogs and go awwwwwww. NOTES / DON'T @ US: - Dogs are great! - Here are the links to the breed histories we discussed: https://janedogs.com/early-livestock-guardian-dogs/ https://www.ancient-origins.net/history-ancient-traditions/becerrillo-0014283 http://www.dogkangal.com/the-breed-history-2/ - Here’s an image search of maremma dogs and penguins: https://www.google.com/search?q=penguins+maremma&client=safari&hl=en-us&prmd=in...2021-05-0354 min

The Dan and Aaron Like-O-RamaLike-O-Rama 20 - Giorgio MoroderThis week, Aaron is over the moon about Italian electronic music pioneer Giovanni Giorgio Moroder! Dubbed “the Father of Disco”, Moroder was hugely influential in the 70s, when his work with synthesizers attracted the attention of big deals like David Bowie and Donna Summer, who he later worked with in the super cool song “I Feel Love”. His discography is wild, including big names like Blondie, Lady Gaga, and Kylie Minogue, lesser-known but important artists like Philip Oakey, and lots of film soundtracks like “Midnight Express”, “American Gigolo”, and “Top Gun”(!!!!). NOTES / DON’T @ US: - The fantastic background music that sounds like a fun...2021-04-1959 min

The Dan and Aaron Like-O-RamaLike-O-Rama 19b - Art Blakey, Part 2It's part two of Dan's love-fest for jazz drummer and bandleader Art Blakey! This time we're talking about the timeline of Blakey's life and how he was woven into the timeline of jazz as a genre. NOTES / DON'T @ US: - Yes, it was Cab Calloway’s band that Dizzy Gillespie was kicked out of. Dan had heard it was because he got up and danced during shows, but apparently he stabbed Calloway in the leg during a rehearsal, which seems like much stronger grounds for dismissal. - Dan misnamed Ornette Coleman’s album “The Shape of Jazz to Come” as “The Sound...2021-04-051h 00

The Dan and Aaron Like-O-RamaLike-O-Rama 19a - Art Blakey, Part 1This week, Dan is gushing about jazz drummer Art Blakey, the powerful and unique musician who not only inspired thousands of drummers, but also used his band The Jazz Messengers as a training ground for up-and-coming musicians, most of whom would go on to lead their own bands. Do yourself a favor and get some Art Blakey records. They're exciting examples of where jazz was at and where it was headed at any given time from the 50s and 60s. (His music in the 70s and 80s didn't follow the genre's path as much.) This was another long one, so...2021-03-221h 05

The Dan and Aaron Like-O-RamaLike-O-Rama 18 - West and SodaThis week, Dan talks about the 1965 Italian western cartoon comedy "West and Soda" by Bruno Bozzetto. It debuted almost a year after "A Fistful of Dollars", but began production earlier and so co-invented the spaghetti western genre. It's a hilarious movie, similar in technique (though not style) to the howlingly funny series "Roger Ramjet". Dan was so happy talking about it that he left out some of his favorite bits, so be sure to watch it somehow. We also talk about how the animation industry evolved from about 1940 on and what a jerk Walt Disney was. NOTES / DON'T @ US: - "...2021-03-081h 19

The Dan and Aaron Like-O-RamaLike-O-Rama 17 - Nuclear VehiclesThis week, Aaron tells us about nuclear-powered cars, trains, and planes, a weird fad in the 50s and 60s. They might seem like bad ideas, and they are! Also submarines, which turn out to be pretty good ideas. NOTES / DON'T @ US: - There's about 10 minutes of solid facts before Dan the Idiot takes us on nuclear-powered tangents for an hour. The conversation kept derailing. Hey, that’s a train joke! Huzzah! - The origin of the "slap a chicken real hard to cook it" thing seems to be this Reddit thread: https://www.reddit.com/r/NoStupidQuestions/comments/aqk9la/if...2021-02-221h 27

The Dan and Aaron Like-O-RamaLike-O-Rama 16 - Jelle's Marble RunsThis week Dan overflows with joy about the charming faux-sport of Jelle's Marble Runs, a YouTube account with many, many videos where marbles compete in races and Olympic events. It is seriously the best. Their channel is here: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCYJdpnjuSWVOLgGT9fIzL0g NOTES / DON'T @ US: - The theme music is "Light Utopia" by FormantX, which they provide free of copyright and can be found here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Iu2mXESoiN0 - Jelle's Marble Runs is the brainchild and production of Jelle and Dion Bakker and you should support it by buying lots of...2021-02-081h 15

The Dan and Aaron Like-O-RamaLike-O-Rama 15b - Booker T & the MGs, part 2We continue our fanning out on the landmark studio musicians for Stax Records and accomplished band in their own right, Booker T & the MGs. We’re around 1970 at this point, which means more soul classics, the Blues Brothers, the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, and victory laps celebrating their greatness. NOTES / DON’T @ US: - Sorry for all the typing noises. Aaron thought Dan would edit it out and Dan thought Aaron was gonna edit it out. Our collective bads. - Here’s that Jesse Thorn interview with Bill Withers that Dan talks about, one of the best you’ll ever hea...2021-01-2555 min

The Dan and Aaron Like-O-RamaLike-O-Rama 15a - Booker T & the MGsThis week Aaron brings us Booker T & the MGs. They had a few big hits, most notably “Green Onions”, and were the studio band for Stax Records (aka Satellite Records). Along with other studio session bands like The Funk Brothers, The Wrecking Crew, and the Muscle Shoals Rhythm Section, they provided the music for some of the biggest songs of the era. We decided to start splitting the ones that go really long (such as the Buster Keaton episode), so this is part one of two. Enjoy! NOTES / DON’T @ US: - We got one of the Stax founders wrong. It was...2021-01-111h 09

The Dan and Aaron Like-O-RamaLike-O-Rama 14 - Ernie KovacsThis week, Dan is talking about Ernie Kovacs. Kovacs and his wife, Edie Adams, had several short-lived comedy programs in the 1950s and early 60s, on NBC, CBS, ABC, and the DuMont network. Ernie's humor was chaotic, experimental, silly, and masterful. It's one of the few programs where you really had no idea what was going to happen next. NOTES / DON'T @ US: - Most of the surviving recordings are copyright by Ediad Productions. We assume the various networks retained some rights. - There are several terrific box sets, any of which would be a fantastic addition to your collection. Do...2020-12-281h 22

The Dan and Aaron Like-O-RamaLike-O-Rama 13 - General Alexandre DumasThis week, Dan is talking about Thomas-Alexandre Dumas Davy de la Pailleterie, the remarkable French general and father of the famous novelist Alexandre Dumas. He inspired much of his son's stories with his daring military adventures, experiences as a prisoner and son of a slave, and years-long feud with none other than Napoleon himself! NOTES / DON'T @ US - We cannot recommend Tom Reiss' biography, "The Black Count", highly enough. It really is one of the best books of the 2010s, period. It should be pretty easy to find, so read it and be immensely happy. There's way more to Dumas...2020-12-142h 15

The Dan and Aaron Like-O-RamaLike-O-Rama 12 - Satellite CommunicationsThis week, Aaron tells us all about the history of satellite communications and we demonstrate that we are both the smartest guys in the world and the dumbest guys in the world. From Arthur C. Clarke's 1945 article that first proposed the idea through today's world of SpaceX and GPS, we discuss how it works and how it developed. It's fascinating stuff! Also, we crack each other with our usual goofery. NOTES / DON'T @ US: - This site has the Clarke article both as scans and plain text: http://lakdiva.org/clarke/1945ww/ - The second Aaron mentions Sputnik, Dan stops talking...2020-11-302h 05

The Dan and Aaron Like-O-RamaLike-O-Rama 11 - Ground Effect VehiclesAaron takes us on a wild ride through the world of ground effect vehicles! He also explains what those are, so don't worry. We go into the Lun-Class Ekranoplan, the Bartini Beriev, and the Alexiev A-90 Orlyonok. These are low-flying, bizarre-looking monstrosities that adhere to the laws of physics and then go crazy. Do yourself a favor and look them up, preferably when they appear in the show so you can share Dan's shock and delight. NOTES / DON'T @ US: - Early on, Aaron talks about planes landing and what they do in the last few hundred miles. Obviously, he meant...2020-11-161h 01

The Dan and Aaron Like-O-RamaLike-O-Rama 10 - Buster KeatonThis episode, Dan goes on at great length about Buster Keaton, a truly phenomenal filmmaker and silent era comedy star. His comic imagination and the unbelievable punishment he'd put himself through in order to realize it are unmatched to this day. Almost all of his movies (as well as Roscoe Arbuckle's) are on YouTube, so go check those out! NOTES / DON'T @ US: - For the first chunk, Dan had a mean mic that ate up the ends of some words. It was eventually beaten into submission and surrendered. Alternatively, Dan was leaving the ends off of words because he’s su...2020-11-022h 48

The Dan and Aaron Like-O-RamaLike-O-Rama 9 - Giant RobotsThis week, Aaron brings us the ginormous genre of giant robots, aka mecha! From its origins in Japanese cartoons and live action sci-fi, to its trek across the Pacific and subsequent reinvention as toy commercials, to its 90s era of...well, horniness. We talk about Astroboy, Ultraman, Gundam, kaiju robots, Transformers, Voltron, Mazinger Z, Neon Genesis Evangelion, Pacific Rim, and about a million other shows and why they all rule. NOTES / DON'T @ US: - I think we nailed it! But then, it's Dan typing this and I don't know anything about mecha except that the Soundwave toy was rad, so...2020-10-191h 50

The Dan and Aaron Like-O-RamaLike-O-Rama 8 - Kelly Sue DeConnickToday Dan is gushing about comics writer Kelly Sue DeConnick. Most well-known for reimagining Captain Marvel as well as for her creator-owned comics Pretty Deadly and Bitch Planet, Kelly Sue is a feminist pusher of boundaries in a field long dominated by men. And even if you ignore all that, she's also just a darn good writer! She's currently wrapping up her work on Aquaman, which has garnered critical and commercial acclaim. NOTES / DON'T @ US I think we actually didn't screw up too badly this time! We tried to eliminate background noise but it was raining and we have dogs...2020-10-051h 21

The Dan and Aaron Like-O-RamaLike-O-Rama 7: Mr T's Be Somebody...or Be Somebody's Fool!Oh man. Dan and Aaron talk about the best thing ever made. Probably the greatest bringer of joy to our lives (sorry, our kids!), Mr. T's 1984 motivational video for kids, "Be Somebody...or Be Somebody's Fool!"!!! It's the best. It's your favorite. A classic of "passing around videotapes to your friends" culture, this 51-minute tape is hilarious and corny, goofy and inspiring, but most of all it's 80s as hell. We talk about how Mr. T and this tape have improved our lives and brought us hours and hours of happiness over the decades. Mr. T is the best and...2020-09-211h 50

The Dan and Aaron Like-O-RamaLike-O-Rama 6: Space GhostDan and Aaron gush about the brilliantly stupid, trendsetting weirdo shows that Cartoon Network had starring Space Ghost, Zorak, Brak, and Moltar. From "Space Ghost Coast to Coast" to "Cartoon Planet" to "The Brak Show", it's a love letter to strange little cartoons in the middle of the night that helped pioneer Adult Swim and make the comedic landscape a little more bizarre. NOTES / DON'T @ US: Dear Aaron, Sorry for leaving my laptop 11-12 minutes into this episode to do something else so it sounds like I ghosted you. Love, Dan At one point, Dan confused Mr. Thundercleese’s voice wi...2020-09-071h 29

The Dan and Aaron Like-O-RamaLike-O-Rama 5: The HivesDan and Aaron talk about one of their favorite rock bands, The Hives! (You are legally required to use exclamation marks when referring to The Hives!) If you don't know the name, you've probably heard their music in a commercial or action / sports montage. Trust us, you love them. NOTES / DON'T @ US: We listed a few other 90s/00s garage bands, but here are some more to check out: The Woggles, Man or Astroman?, Mono Men, The Fleshtones, The Mortals, Satan's Pilgrims, and The Dukes of Hamburg. Some are surfier or fuzzier, but they're all super fun and great. An...2020-08-241h 03

The Dan and Aaron Like-O-RamaLike-O-Rama 4: The Turbo EncabulatorThis week, Aaron brings a favorite industry gag of his: the Turbo Encabulator! An inside joke among engineers and other techy / mechanical people over the decades, the Turbo Encabulator is the most amazing iteration of its kind to date. We also veer off into related topics such as Darth Vader and the collaboration between Jim Henson, Raymond Scott, and IBM. NOTES / DON'T @ US: - Here's a link to "The Paperwork Explosion" on the Jim Henson Company YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_IZw2CoYztk Clips used for critical purposes under fair use.2020-08-1044 min

The Dan and Aaron Like-O-RamaLike-O-Rama 3: The Goon ShowDan and Aaron talk about one of Dan's favorite things, "The Goon Show"! It was a 1950s BBC radio comedy that changed comedy and molded the sensibilities of an entire generation. This will probably be the longest episode by far because Dan is obsessed with this show, despite its occasional cringe-inducing dips into racism (which we discuss). NOTES / DON'T @ US: We couldn't find the really impressive Fred the Oyster sound effect, so instead we included the scene where the racetrack announcer talks about the food Neddie's digesting. We recorded this right before the protests and discussions following the murder of...2020-07-251h 54

The Dan and Aaron Like-O-RamaLike-O-Rama 2: Numbers StationsAaron introduces Dan to the fascinating world of Numbers Stations, where seemingly random frequencies carry seemingly random bursts of numbers at seemingly random times. It's all very mysterious and covert. We talk about what they might be used for, how they could disrupt or be disrupted, and why governments may want to leave them alone.2020-07-131h 05

The Dan and Aaron Like-O-RamaLike-O-Rama 1: The Young OnesDan and Aaron open the podcast with something we can both gush about for hours: "The Young Ones"! A 12-episode comedy from the early 80s, it exploded the possibilities of television and helped a generation of British comic actors get deservedly famous. There's a great DVD set that includes both seasons as well as episodes of "Bottom" and "Filthy, Rich, and Catflap" and a making-of documentary. NOTES / DON'T @ US: - We didn't know until after recording this that Mayall is pronounced "Mail" and not "May-all". Rest assured, we know now and are flagellating ourselves appropriately. - We mention Ade and...2020-05-311h 19