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Saint and Jim are saying "so long" to season six with a bit of an odds-n'-ends episode. Reason being, sometimes they toss out possible topics that are intriguing, but not necessarily beefy enough to carry much of a look. F'rinstance, when exactly did the "Terminator" franchise jump the shark? Why were we all irrationally afraid of quicksand as kids? And what's more intimidating: hiking across Death Valley, or taking a casual sail through the Bermuda Triangle? No topic too big — but, um...maybe some are too small. Also: nerdy news they had to get out before the annual winter hiatus hit. So, see ya soon! But in the meantime: earholes.
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Now that Jame's Gunn's new Big Blue Boy Scout trailer has hit the interwebs, Saint and Jim thought it might be time to dig a little into The Supe You Think Of When You Think Of Supes — mostly 'cuz it's right there in his name. Not a bird, not a plane, but Kal-El himself. He's been depicted on-screen countless times, dating all the way back to '50s serials right up to yesterday. But who's YOUR Clark? Are you a Cavill person? Soft spot in your heart for Reeve? Or are you holding out "it means hope" for Corenswet? No matter whose "S" is your favorite, go ahead and lend the guys your earholes as they take a look at all the Supermen who have soared across your screens, then let 'em know who YOUR fave Son of Krypton is.
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Everyone needs a day off from time to time, whether that's due to fun activities, it unplanned family events requiring your attention. In this particular case, Ol' Jim needed the week off, so Saint recruited his lovely better half to step into the co-host chair to discuss the nature of fandom, how it can start, and what it even means. Plus news and memes galore! Fun times for all. Unless maybe if you drive a cybertruck. Then probably not.
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No matter what your feelings are on Disney, there’s no denying it: the Mouse House is a complete entertainment juggernaut. Movies, TV, video games…you name it, they do it, and well. But there’s one aspect of their entertainment empire that — despite being absolutely amazing — often gets overlooked. And that’s the music. Disney films have been responsible for some of the catchiest, ear-wormiest, toe-tappin’est tunes in cinema history. And even a couple of grizzled, cynical old-timers like Saint and Jim have to admit as much. From the bouncy “Bibbidi Bobbidi Boo” to the calypso-flavored “Kiss the Girl” to more modern classics like “Let it Go,” Disney ditties slap just as hard as any Billboard chart-topper. So in this episode, the boys break down some of the biggest bangers of Disneydom.
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Advertising. Even just saying the word makes people roll their eyes, since the culture has managed to find ways to cram ads into every bloody crevice in the universe now. We even pay extra just to skip them a lot of the time. But it wasn't always that way, was it? Back in the last golden age of advertising (in the '80s and '90s, which was basically the last best time for everything pop-cultural), ads were actually a form of entertainment in and of themselves. In this edition of FYF, Saint and Jim take a look back at the retro ads of their youth, which — despite being little but crass marketing — still have the ability to evoke a very specific brand of nostalgia. So get your skis shined up, grab a stick of Juicy Fruit, and put this in your earholes.
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Okay, so — total disclosure: Saint and Jim are still doing a little bit of a mood whiplash tour; flailing somewhere in the middle of blinding rage, crushing sorrow and pants-filling terror. But getting back to something that passes for normal (here during the calm before the storm period of the proceedings) seemed like a good idea. So they sincerely hope you're as consoled by hearing this episode on binge-able comfort media as they were in recording it. Things are probably gonna get weird here right quick, but they're still gonna do their best to bring you as much friendly noise as they can, as we all ride out yet another horrifyingly unprecedented period in history. Thanks for listening.
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Hot on the heels of Saint and Jim's controversial food takes last week, this edition of FYF digs through the Trick or Treat bag, and throws back to the halcyon haunts of history's Halloweens — before our boys' pancreases declared mutiny on their glucose levels. The topic? Candy. Which sugary nuggets from your repurposed pillowcases were trash, and which were treasure? Are you more of a sucker for Snickers, or bonkers for a Butterfinger? Are two Twix better than one KitKat? Will you trade us two Almond Joys for a Reese's? And who's eating the Circus Peanuts? Let's all use our sweet tooth to dig into some treat truth, and break down the best and worst of your begged-for bon-bons.
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There are a lot of weird quirks inherent to being human. Everyone has different fashion sense, different thought processes, and a different worldview. But one of the biggest things that truly makes us all individual? Our palates. One person's yum is another's yuck when it comes to all things food. On this edition of FYF, Saint and Jim break down controversial food opinions, e.g. — Does cilantro taste like soap to you? What are your feelings on tomatoes? Does pineapple belong on pizza? What's the most repulsive food in the world, and why is it mayonnaise? Plus, all the news that's fit to nerd. Eat up!
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A bit of trivia: did you know that the largest toy distributor in the world is way better known for selling billions of burgers? The humble McDonald's Happy Meal has been a staple of American kids' diets for decades. But as much as everyone loves McNuggets and fries, the real appeal of those brightly-colored little boxes has always been the plaything inside. Whether you preferred Barbies, Hot Wheels or Beanie Babies, there was always something cool in there to help fill up our toy box. In this edition of FYF, Saint and Jim take a look back at some of the best, worst, weirdest and most collectible Happy Meal toys of the last 50 years.
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What's the first film you think of when you see the words "Cult Movie"? Chances are, it's either some perennial classic full of fishnets, gold lamé shorts and rolls of toilet paper being lobbed at the screen, or a pulpy grindhouse thriller that's hardly ever seen the light of day — because it's only ever screened in seedy cinemas at midnight. Or, maybe it's even a deeply personal picture you and a small group of friends got together to watch over and over in college. That's really the beauty of the cult movie — any one can be a quotable quip-off that holds up to repeated viewing. On this edition of FYF, Saint and Jim take a look at the phenomenon of cult films, discuss what makes for the perfect flick-with-a-following, and go over some of the biggest movies to have ever earned the label.
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The world still isn't sure what to do with (or ABOUT) AI. On the one hand, you have breathless tech bros sinking trillions into "innovations" they swear will revolutionize the world, even as the coffers drain and the oceans boil from the power consumption. On the other, you have everyday folks wondering when the droids are gonna take our jobs, and if so, will we be able to get a little UBI for the trouble. And on yet a third hand, we have like seven or eight fingers. So nobody's really sure what's going to happen. At least in the meantime, we have some cool toys to play with! And on this episode, that's exactly what Saint and Jim get up to. SUNO is an AI music generator with the capability to create fully produced songs in any style, and about any subject, just based on a text description. They've played with it a bit on previous installments. But this time out, they decided to drop some impromptu prompts into it, and react to the results in real time. And like most things AI, the results are equal parts cool, fascinating, terrifying and a little unethical. But what the hell? It's the future. PLUS: Diddy, or didn't he?
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Wow. Episode #200 already?!? What else is there to say but "Thank You"? You the listener have helped the humble Fuel Your Fandom podcast reach this major milestone, and the gratitude on our side is truly massive. For their part, Saint and Jim kicked around a whole lot of ideas on possible ways to commemorate this benchmark...and then promptly chucked 'em all right straight out the window since SO MUCH HAPPENED THIS WEEK, and we had to get to it all. So earhole up for the triumphant return of the Nerd News Nexus — now with a snappy new theme song!
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"Billionaire." Even saying the word in 2024 prompts eye rolls, rants, and memes about guillotines. And when it comes to the real-world wealthy, it's possible that reaction isn't entirely unwarranted. But what about the filthy rich of fiction? Are they just as worthy of envy and ire, or are their considerable resources just as much detriments as they are literal assets? In this edition of FYF, Saint and Jim do a deep dive (like Scrooge McDuck into a vault of cash) into the finances of fiction's most fiduciarily fluid folks to see if they're using their gold for good, or...if they're more like the kind we actually have.
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Relationships are funny things. They can take a lot of forms, too. Family, romantic, friendship...even emnity counts. But the rise of the internet, celebrity culture and social media has give rise to a bizarre variant: the parasocial relationship. Loosely defined, a parasocial relationship is any one-sided situation wherein one individual invests time and emotion in the other, while party two is completely unaware of the first person's existence. Sometimes, these relationships are just fine: I like the singer, I went to the show, I bought the t-shirt. Other times, these bonds can border on worshipful, cult-like behavior. So, in the wake of some public figures (e.g. Chappell Roan) having to be pretty clear as of late about establishing clearer boundaries surrounding their public vs. private personas, Saint and Jim thought they'd take a look at some of the underlying issues surrounding parasocial behavior.
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A month has passed. The spoiler moratorium is up. The movie made more than $1.2 billion. And listeners of this podcast have no doubt seen it twice already, just like Saint and Jim each have. So, it's time to talk about it. And if you somehow HAVEN'T seen it yet? Then you are hereby instructed to neither read, nor listen further — because the boys are gonna break it down. The action! The Easter eggs! The cameos! The story! The parts where there could've been more story! The parts that weren't even remotely necessary for the story, but were still pretty fun anyway! Sure, Wade & Logan's Excellent Adventure was a fanservice-filled romp, but there were still some chaotic head-scrathers to discuss as they make their way into the MCU, and leave the last shreds of the former Fox-verse in tatters. So LFG.
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Sometimes, Saint and Jim talk about light, fluffy stuff like their favorite burgers, or whether or not the Hulk could beat up Superman. Other times, they get taken with the intricacies of a particularly hard-to-pin-down subject. This would be an episode of the second kind. “Monoculture” — at least in popular fiction — is a term often used to describe a given race, species, or group within the story. Specifically, one that exhibits a limited, universally common cultural trait their creators use to define them. Think, “Klingons are warlike,” or “Dwarves are good blacksmiths.” It's a way for writers to project aspects of human existence onto fantasy characters, usually in order to examine said aspects without the risk of the analysis hitting too close to home. So because they're diving into a complex subject, Saint and Jim knew they’d need a guest who was up to the task of helping them break it all down. And when it comes to examining nuanced concepts in fiction and how they apply to real life, there's just no better person to talk to than "Mission Log" co-host and friend of the show John Champion…since that's really his jam. So earhole it up with your intrepid co-hosts and their esteemed guest as they take a look at monocultures in storytelling, and puzzle out what they can teach us about our own idiosyncrasies.
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Food. It's a fandom! As the boys say in every episode, everything is. We all have our favorites, whether that's simple, home-grown comfort food, or high-end fine dining and gourmet cuisine. But what if you knew your next meal was going to be your last? That's a pretty heavy choice. It's gonna be the final thing you'll ever eat, so you might as well make it count. And while not all of us get the luxury of knowing which plate will be our exit indulgence, it's exactly this momentous decision that faces many death row inmates. How could one possibly decide? On this edition of FYF, Saint and Jim take a look at the dank, delicious and downright daffy dishes some of these doomed souls selected as their final meal. Plus, the usual news and wandering tangents. You and your earholes know what's up.
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In 2022, one-time BoingBoing.com editor Cory Doctorow coined the term "Enshittification" to describe a phenomenon with which every internet user is intimately familiar. Also referred to as "Platform Decay," enshittification is (according to Wikipedia): "a re-prioritization pattern where online product and service providers experience a decline in quality over time." In other words, That Thing You Like is great at first, and then morphs into a lesser version of itself. Think: apps that de-activate features, websites that install paywalls, DRM *yoinking* a book off of your e-Reader over rights issues, and video games that wedge in ads and microtransactions. Clearly, we can't have nice things. So in this episode of FYF, Saint and Jim take a look at the well-worn idea of "They changed it, now it sucks."
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When it comes to digital entertainment, Saint and Jim have been eyebrow-deep in pixels since LONG before it was even called that. Videogaming is one of the biggest bricks that forms the foundation of fandom for each of them. But, just like movies, TV and comics, videogames are constantly evolving – and so are the people who are playing them. So in this edition of FYF, your intrepid co-hosts take a look at how games are changing, how the fandom is adapting, and what that means for the state of the hobby. Plus, Comic-Con happened. And there was no notable news there. So there's no reason to discuss any of THAT, or anything, right? Ooof.
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Hey, Friends of Fuel. Saint and Jim are back from their summer vacation, and they're kicking off the second half of the season with a bang. As promised, FYF welcomes a very special guest for the first post-hiatus show. Jenny Stiven may well be the ultimate ascended fan. After growing up geek playing D&D, reading comics and watching Star Trek, Jenny eventually went to work as a marketer within some of the biggest nerd media that's ever hit pop culture — creating award-winning campaigns for titanic entities like 20th Century Fox, MGM, Star Trek, James Bond, Star Wars, DC, Stargate, Predator, Alien, Buffy, and tons more we just don't have the space to discuss. For the last decade, she's worked as a consultant liaison helping to build and manage relationships between content creators and their fandoms. As such, her insight on the state and nature of these communities is second-to-none. You do NOT want to miss the wisdom she drops about toxic fandoms, creator accountability, fan responsibility, and how it all comes together. So earhole it up with a quickness.
- Visa fler
