This week we explore the concepts of musicals in film and Christopher Guest via Little Shop of Horrors and Waiting for Guffman. Major topics: Greek-ish tragedies, forgivingly easy-to-sing musicals, erotic vines, deliberate artificiality, depictions of gayness, anti-irony, and personal identification with community theatre awfulness.

This Is My Son

#16: Little Shop of Horrors v. Waiting for Guffman (with Mouse)

This week we peer into our awful future and examine two grim, delightful movies about the future: Zardoz and Looper. We discuss red underpants, future tech, "mundanity," the consequences of Sean Connery capering, failed utopias, sonspaces, ingots, feet, Willis-impressions, The Eternal Bernie, "We're sorry, Paul Dano," and the Zardooperverse.

#15: Zardoz v. Looper (with David Faulkner)

This week on This Is My Billy, we compare prominent Billies Corgan and Joel. Also covered: dog sounds, sad teens, feelings, the Nirvana-Dislike Society, one of the top proverbs in the Bible, maddening cassette tapes, Cinderella 5, floppy thumbs, speaking Billy Joel lyrics quietly to yourself, and real facts about Kris' workout.

#14: Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness v. River of Dreams (with Kris Jacque)

Today we broach a new son variety called “book.” Kris Jacque brings her son You’re An Animal, Viskovitz! and Cathy brings her precious boy The Master and Margarita. Discussed: animals are aliens, sex and death, tweeting octopi, the origin of Buzzfeed, getting a Dr. Pepper blast downstairs, Everybody Loves Behemoth, displaying a complete lack of knowledge of Soviet history, and deciding that being a witch is pretty sick.

#13: You're An Animal, Viskovitz! v. The Master and Margarita (with Kris Jacque)

In a This Is My Son first, Cathy is joined by her good friend Nikita to talk about their shared son, Lin-Manuel Miranda's hit musical, Hamilton. Along the way, much attention and thought is given to the role of hustle in American history, founding father fandom, whether or not Alexander Hamilton could've had a three-way, and knee-jerk backlash.

#12: Hamilton CO-SON PRO-SON MEGA-EPISODE (with Nikita Desai)

This week Whitney returns with her venerable old son, Vampire Hunter D. Cathy picks her son from the same year, 1985, the Terry Gilliam film Brazil. Along the way, they discuss the emotional power of your gateway anime, cool teen goth phases, bad dubs, how to inspire people to ganbatte in a post-nuclear mutant-ridden hellpocalypse, snake lady tiddies, cookie-covered Bob Hoskins, and interrogating male privilege.

#11: Vampire Hunter D v. Brazil (with Whitney Reynolds)

Max returns to the Son Zone with his grotesque boy, The Name of the Rose and a son for Cathy, Volcano. Also discussed: medieval garbage chutes, film major pedantry, seminal moments, Clavdivs, the sound of masculinity, melting physics, Disaster Man, and volcanoes fixing racism.

#10: The Name of the Rose v. Volcano (with Max Eddy)

David stops by to present a concept album about Mega Man, The Protomen. Cathy responds with a concept album about drinking urine, Urinal Street Station. Also discussed: gun hands, fantasy worlds, the unique properties of the Midwestern mind, piss freaks, Get Filthy to Come Clean by The White Rapid Lads, fingerless gloves, and smoking film. The FBI is coming to arrest them as we speak.

#9: The Protomen v. The Yellow River Boys (with David Faulkner)

In our first IRL live and in person episode, Cathy is joined by Aggie Traye and her precious boy, That Mitchell and Webb Look. Cathy presents her charming child The League of Gentlemen. Also discussed: British comedy pipelines, pandering, Native American ghost sex, and monster values.

#8: That Mitchell and Webb Look v. The League of Gentlemen (with Aggie Traye)

Mouse returns as we continue our music streak, presenting heavy metal nerd band DragonForce. Cathy responds with apparently critically acclaimed prog/jazz/salsa/experimental group The Mars Volta. Also discussed: cool dragons, subcultures, furries, elitism, virtuosity, and many things in between.

#7: DragonForce v. The Mars Volta (with Mouse)

Security Boy Max Eddy returns and plunges everyone down to the deepest depths of their ids as we explore Wilco's album "Star Wars" and the original cast recording of The Phantom of the Opera. Also discussed: gettin' dirty, moderately-priced vaporwave rugs, Wilco's cartoon island, extremely inaccurate synopses, and our mutual hatred for the musical Cats.

#6: Wilco's "Star Wars" v. The Phantom of the Opera (with Max Eddy)

Mark brings '90s alternative lo-fi garage rock Guided by Voices to the table, along with his ambivalence about the band. Cathy ripostes with melodic Michigan boys Lord Huron. Also discussed: beard inheritance, Lena Dunham, Dean Quixote, and the beauty of lakes.

#5: Guided by Voices v. Lord Huron (with Mark Popham)

Mouse breaks precedent by proposing both her son (the anime Nichijou) and Cathy's son (Tim and Eric). Along the way, they spend a lot of time talking about different states, cultural context, and fear of inauthenticity.

#4: Nichijou v. Tim and Eric (with Mouse)

Kris presents her son, The Plague Dogs, and Cathy counters with The Science of Sleep. We discuss the art and catharsis of the Sad Dog Story, why this podcast is #1 in the iTunes charts, and the dying art of horse tailoring.

#3: The Plague Dogs v. The Science of Sleep (with Kris Jacque)

Whitney presents her boy, One Direction. Cathy responds with Barenaked Ladies. Along the way they talk about fandom, betrayal, Morgan Spurnedlock, and Whitney gives us a bona fide 'sclusie!

#2: One Direction v. Barenaked Ladies (with Whitney Reynolds)

Friends share their media boys with each other.

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This Is My Son

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