Episode 122: Let's Get Nuts | Batman (1989), Philosophy of Justice & Victor Hugo

You ever dance with the devil in the pale moonlight? As the pop culture conversation surrounds Todd Phillips' Joker, we're going back to the iconic portrayal by Jack Nicholson in Tim Burton's 1989 Batman. We'll discuss the film's philosophy of justice, Batman's enduring legacy, and the movie's parallels to Victor Hugo's gothic novel The Hunchback of Notre Dame. 

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Midnight Myth Time Machine | Episode 14: Cha-Ching

Do you know what’s better than watching the Incredible Hulk smash aliens and robots? Listening to Derek and Laurel talk about it! Seriously, we talk about the emergence of the comic book movie genre, in all of its glory, splendor, wonder, and pitfalls. We discuss the point where art meets commercialism, and how the influence of big capitalist money alters the direction of art. To achieve this, we take a time machine and travel back to the Middle Ages, The Renaissance, and Victorian England. We attempt to understand modern artistic decisions through the prism of Medieval Patronage, and how this applies to our (well at least’s Derek’s) favorite movie (film if you went to film school) genre, the comic book— as well as Hollywood at large, the nonprofit arts sector, and politics today. Buckle up.

Episode 121: Farcical Aquatic Ceremony | Monty Python & the Holy Grail, Medieval History & the Arthurian Legend

Let us ride… to… CAMELOT! That’s right, listeners, we’re heading back to the Middle Ages and the time of King Arthur, his knights of the Round Table, the golden age of chivalry and virtue… on second thought, let’s not go to Camelot. It is a silly place. This week, we investigate the best, most accurate cinematic adaptation of the Arthurian Legend, Monty Python & the Holy Grail. From the origins of the legend to the history of the rivalry between England and France, we’ll explore the ways in which comedy can enlighten our understanding of the stories we hold most sacred. It’s only a flesh wound.

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(Bonus) The Wheel of Ka: Episode Eight, Wolves of the Calla pt. 1

Fellow travelers on the path of the Beam, The Wheel of Ka featuring Derek and Steve is back at it again, discussing Stephen King’s epic Dark Tower book series. This month, our Ka-Tet talks about the first half of Book V: Wolves of the Calla. What does Calla Bryn Sturgis represents? What is happening with this black magic orb called “Back 13?” Who is Pere Callahan? Once a generation, the Wolves come on top of grey horses in green hoods and cloaks, stealing one of every twin born in the Calla. The twins return “runt” with their minds hollowed and their bodies growing to unnatural size. Who, if not our heroes, can stand to save the poor children and lead the good and true Calla folk from their peril? Let’s all go a little todash, and find space between our world and Roland’s as his Ka-Tet makes a stand on their dangerous quest for the Tower.

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Midnight Myth Time Machine | Episode 13: The Clock Is Broken | Doctor Who, Mythology & Thermodynamics

It’s bigger on the inside… What is? The TARDIS! By that, we mean Time And Relative Dimension In Space. Ya know, the blue box that the Doctor travels in? If you haven’t figured it out yet, this episode introduces Derek & Laurel’s analysis of Doctor Who. We zoom in on Series 2 ,Episode 5 (of the David Tennant era) “The Girl In The Fireplace”— one of the hidden gems in a legacy of amazing TV sci-fi. This episode traces time’s arrow, thermodynamics and the mythology of Greek demi-gods. Listen as we live, learn, and love with the Doctor and Madame De Pompadour.

Episode 120: I Am a Golden God | Almost Famous, Mythology, Virtue Ethics & the History of Rock & Roll

In the second part of a mini-series on stories concerned with popular music, this episode takes on the award-winning Cameron Crowe film Almost Famous (2000). The rock and roll odyssey about a teenage rock journalist touring with Stillwater, a mid-level band struggling with its own success in the harsh face of stardom, engages with questions about gender, hedonism, and virtue. We’ll dig into the history of rock and roll, the development of “cool,” and the concept of the muse—from Greek mythology to modernity.

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Midnight Myth Time Machine | Episode 12: Zoo Me | Zootopia, Fairy Tales & Anthropomorphism

So don’t you hate it when you just want to eat some pie with your grandma and a giant wolf jerk eats you? Yeah, it’s the worst. Join us as we talk about anthropomorphic animals from ancient fables to fairy tales to modernity. We talk about the boy who cried “WOOOOOOOLF,” Red Riding Hood and Disney’s Zootopia, and ask ourselves why these stories endure—and what they can teach us along the way.

Episode 119: Too Many Notes | Amadeus, Classical Music, History & Ancient Greek Drama

Do you believe in it? A fire which never dies, burning forever? In this week’s episode, we discuss the Oscar-winning 1984 film Amadeus, directed by Milos Forman and adapted from the stage play by Sir Peter Shaffer. The highly fictionalized account of the entwined lives of Antonio Salieri and Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart reframes an ancient conflict, makes myths of its subjects, and sparks a flame of inspiration through music. We’ll explore the historical context of Austria-Hungary in the 18th century, the development of Classical music, the legends surrounding Mozart’s life and career, and how the legacy of Ancient Greek theatre works its way into this modern myth.