From the third leg of the unstable milking stool that is The Perspective umbrella of podcasts comes an analysis of the first season of The Muppet Show on this, the occasion of its 45th anniversary. (We were too impatient to wait another five years!) Join Ben and his new co-host Pete for an analysis of … Continue reading Guest-starring Rita Moreno!
The Machinations of Memory
In the episode focused on Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, Ben chastised Anna for her desire to describe the cloaked, hidden machine that produced the Everlasting Gobstoppers as "a Rube Goldberg device". Ben quickly clambered up on his high horse to disabuse her of that particular description, but in doing so forgot some of … Continue reading The Machinations of Memory
7 July 1971: Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory
In this super-sized anniversary analysis, enjoy Anna and Ben's discussion about whether children's entertainment has a duty to be moral, whether Gene WIlder was scripted or unhinged, and whether this film holds up to either scrutiny or our childhood memories. And try not to count how many times Ben says something is "Fascinating..." https://audioboom.com/posts/7902224-7-july-1971-willy-wonka-and-the-chocolate-factory Sources … Continue reading 7 July 1971: Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory
Episode 18: Live from the Grill-O-Mat
For the low, low cost of your entire savings, Ben and Nathan will remove this broadcast containing "sponsored" content by the University of Edinburgh Press, musings on the academic definition of satire, and pointed trivia about Royal societies, all of which could add up to divorce, premature retirement, and criminal proceedings for a company director … Continue reading Episode 18: Live from the Grill-O-Mat
19 February, 1971: Cold Turkey
Anna and Ben cough, gasp, and wheeze their way through the 1971 Norman Lear satire about a whole town that tries to quit smoking, Cold Turkey. Will they come to a consensus about whether the film unfairly judges the characters or successfully establishes stakes, or will Big Tobacco keep their findings from the light of … Continue reading 19 February, 1971: Cold Turkey
9 February, 1971: Little Murders
Anna and Ben venture into the heretofore unknown territory of 1971, and investigate Jules Feiffer's and Alan Arkin's Little Murders. They forensically dissect the romantic power dynamics between Elliot Gould's and Marcia Rodd's characters, but come to very different conclusions about the essence and impact of Donald Sutherland's satirical preacher. If they agree, fine; if … Continue reading 9 February, 1971: Little Murders
Episode 17: The Buzz Aldrin Show
The BBC would like to apologize for the following summary: just for the halibut, Nathan and Ben fish through the episode's many inside references and call-backs, floundering to find a unifying theme. They cod have found something better than this one, but you know what they say: hake it 'til you make it! Reach for … Continue reading Episode 17: The Buzz Aldrin Show
Episode 16: Déja Vu
Tonight, on "It's the Mind", we examine the phenomenon of déja vu, that strange sensation when it feels like Nathan and Ben have already talked about the possibility of last minute edits, Scottish "racism", the hilarity of explosions, and the world record for balancing eggs before. https://audioboom.com/posts/7763036-episode-16-deja-vu Sources and References The Official William McGonagall website … Continue reading Episode 16: Déja Vu
24 December 1970: The Aristocats
Anna and Ben divert somewhat from the traditional format of the podcast and after comparing The Aristocats to its canine antecedents and pondering feline genetic— and financial! — inheritance, they get lost in the weeds of discussing Disney's influence on and responsibility to popular culture. So much so that after the quiz on "catnappings", there … Continue reading 24 December 1970: The Aristocats
A Square With A Horn
The background music that allowed Ben to reference the racist lyrics in "Ev'rybody Wants To Be A Cat" without repeating them, came from a Aristocats karaoke track on YouTube, and was excerpted for the purposes of comment and review. Sources consulted but not referred to include the "Disney Odyssey" blog entry on the Aristocats and … Continue reading A Square With A Horn
Farced Perspective 