Two public-school teacher-nerd-geeks (with surprisingly little overlap in our geekdom) teach each other through the common ground of history about our favorite things
293 episodes transcribedDamian reveals the results of far too much time spent reading old microfiche of “Variety” magazines, and he and Ed get into a discussion of the Apollo...
Damian describes the roots of the Screwball Comedy genre and its gender politics dynamics. Ed has an epiphany about screwball relating to the roots o...
In our first episode about Star Wars (!), Ed illuminates how the Jedi should be inherently countercultural figures. He explains where he thinks Lucas...
Producer George judges the contestants in the D&D Thunderdome- Ed continues to marvel at the brutality of Lyudmila, and Damian does likewise about the...
George joins the team to help bring up the technical quality of the whole operation. Damian and Ed initiate him by forcing him to pick the best D&D 5...
In this episode, Ed and Damian wrap up their analysis with a continued look at the representation of LGBTQ+ characters and issues in the X-Men.
In this episode, Damian lauds Stan Lee for his anti-racism, but deducts some points for well-meaning cluelessness. Ed calls Jim Shooter a jackass. G...
Damian summarizes the zeitgeist and current events in the United States at the time the X-Men started. Ed tries heroically to use clean language whil...
Damian continues his analysis of the appeal of possession stories in times of disillusionment with government. Along the way he gives Ed a week's wor...
We find out what possessed Damian to research the zeitgeist of horror movies in the '70s, and why Ed takes a dog with him when he goes house hunting.
Ed develops the connection between the "Stronghold" mechanic of 1st Edition AD&D and assumptions born out of agrarianism. Damian shares his favorite...
To start in on this topic, Ed and Damian share their own opinions on the “Edition Wars” of Dungeons and Dragons. Ed laments the poor toolbox granted...
Derek Lipkin returns to share more of his encyclopedic knowledge of Pinball, and Ed and Damian both geek out over his level of expertise. He explains...
Derek Lipkin joins us to share the history of Pinball, describing the evolution of the machines and simultaneously the legal challenges they faced in...
On the way to describing the roots of the Giant Robot genre, Ed explains why "Grave of the Fireflies" is a must-watch anime, and why it's a "must-watc...
Dr. Rex Stern works with Damian to make the case for a radical reinterpretation of the reasons for Julius Caesar's actions in Gaul. Much like Ed, yo...
Distinguished guest Dr. Rex Stern, professor of Classics at UC Davis, helps Damian lay the groundwork for a paradigm-shattering revelation about the t...
Damian makes the case that the Fantastic Four was actually deeply subversive, a grotesquerie committed by the writers despite themselves, reinforcing...
Ed and Damian discuss the weird fear and fascination that American pop culture (and particularly American science fiction) had for Japanese culture in...
Ed moves from the fictitious history of the Inner Sphere to the real-world history of the Japanese Miracle and MITI, with a brief digression about Lee...
