We're adjacent to 1984 this episode as Todd and Peter take a look at the Terry Gilliam film Brazil, which also features a dystopian society, fascistic government bodies, and a doomed love story, but with noticeably more laughs. Though Gilliam did eventually get his version of the film to audiences, it didn't come without a fight, which you'll learn a bit about here. Email: bannedthingshappen@gmail.com Facebook: https://facebook.com/bannedthingshappen Web: https://blahblahblahmedia.com Patreon: https://patreon.com/blahblahblahmedia Support: https://buymeacoffee.com/blahblahblah Merch: https://shop.spreadshirt.ca/blah-blah-blah-media/

We've made it to the end of 1984, experiencing life in Oceania, and learning what Room 101 contains, and now it's time to finish things up with our final thoughts on whether this book was a decent predictor of what the today's United States of America might start drifting towards (short answer, yes; longer answer, just listen to the podcast, okay?) Todd and Pete share their take on this dystopian novel while answering a few pointed questions from the live audience. Email: bannedthingshappen@gmail.com Facebook: https://facebook.com/bannedthingshappen Web: https://blahblahblahmedia.com Patreon: https://patreon.com/blahblahblahmedia Support: https://buymeacoffee.com/blahblahblah Merch: https://shop.spreadshirt.ca/blah-blah-blah-media/

In this look at Part Three of George Orwell's 1984 we finally see the inside of the Ministry of Love, and eventually even get a look at room 101. But will the Ministry of Love live up to its name? Will there be a heart-felt reunion between Winston and Julia? Will Goldstein overthrow Big Brother? There's only one way to find out! Well, there are more than that, but one of them is listening to this podcast. Email: bannedthingshappen@gmail.com Facebook: https://facebook.com/bannedthingshappen Web: https://blahblahblahmedia.com Patreon: https://patreon.com/blahblahblahmedia Support: https://buymeacoffee.com/blahblahblah Merch: https://shop.spreadshirt.ca/blah-blah-blah-media/

In the second part of our look at George Orwell's 1984, love, or something like it, blooms in the grey-dusted despair of Oceania as Winston meets and gets to know, yes in the biblical sense, Julia, and our pair dabbles in revolution. Surely nothing terrible could happen in this dystopia. Email: bannedthingshappen@gmail.com Facebook: https://facebook.com/bannedthingshappen Web: https://blahblahblahmedia.com Patreon: https://patreon.com/blahblahblahmedia Support: https://buymeacoffee.com/blahblahblah Merch: https://shop.spreadshirt.ca/blah-blah-blah-media/

It's time to get a little dystopian up in here as Todd and Peter begin their look at George Orwell's 1949 novel 1984. As we gaze at the news south of the Canadian border, it's kind of hard to believe how prescient this book is until you remember it was written following a previous attempt at fascism when the dangers were fresh in the mind of the author. And if you think we're looking at this book without making some comparisons to recent events, you'd be mistaken. Email: bannedthingshappen@gmail.com Facebook: https://facebook.com/bannedthingshappen Web: https://blahblahblahmedia.com Patreon: https://patreon.com/blahblahblahmedia Support: https://buymeacoffee.com/blahblahblah Merch: https://shop.spreadshirt.ca/blah-blah-blah-media/

Todd and Pete dig into some media controversies ripped from the headlines, including the the arrest of Daddy's Little Toy author, Lauren Tesolin-Mastrosa, and Kanye West's release of the song Heil Hitler. How much is too much, and do either of these works cross a line? Join us for the conversation. Email: bannedthingshappen@gmail.com Facebook: https://facebook.com/bannedthingshappen Web: https://blahblahblahmedia.com Patreon: https://patreon.com/blahblahblahmedia Support: https://buymeacoffee.com/blahblahblah Merch: https://shop.spreadshirt.ca/blah-blah-blah-media/

We're doing something a little different this week as we invite producer Allyson Rice to join us as we discuss her new documentary Banned Together. The film is a look at the in book bans and challenges in the United States in recent years, particularly under the hand of the Republican Party. We talk about the film, the weaponization of language, and how things are likely to get worse before they get better. Watched Banned Together here: https://watch.eventive.org/bannedtogether/play/680946b470d7a15f473ad676 Email: bannedthingshappen@gmail.com Facebook: https://facebook.com/bannedthingshappen Web: https://blahblahblahmedia.com Patreon: https://patreon.com/blahblahblahmedia Support: https://buymeacoffee.com/blahblahblah Merch: https://shop.spreadshirt.ca/blah-blah-blah-media/

It's movie night at 'Banned Things' headquarters so Todd and Peter decided to check out what is almost certainly the funniest movie about fascism that's ever graced the silver screen, Charlie Chaplin's The Great Dictator. This film, which was released before the United States had joined World War II, satirized Adolph Hitler's rule over Germany at a time when few people were giving the man a second thought. Email: bannedthingshappen@gmail.com Facebook: https://facebook.com/bannedthingshappen Web: https://blahblahblahmedia.com Patreon: https://patreon.com/blahblahblahmedia Support: https://buymeacoffee.com/blahblahblah Merch: https://shop.spreadshirt.ca/blah-blah-blah-media/

Todd and Pete wrap up their look at 'The Chocolate War', the controversial 1974 young adult novel by Robert Cormier, in which a catholic school's annual chocolate sale becomes a battleground for freedom. Do we dare disturb the universe? Well, we do, but you may have to make up your own mind. Email: bannedthingshappen@gmail.com Facebook: https://facebook.com/bannedthingshappen Web: https://blahblahblahmedia.com Patreon: https://patreon.com/blahblahblahmedia Support: https://buymeacoffee.com/blahblahblah Merch: https://shop.spreadshirt.ca/blah-blah-blah-media/

Todd and Pete glide through the second half of Robert Cormer's The Chocolate War to reach the controversial ending, as well as the true answer to the question "Do I dare disturb the universe?" And no, you probably don't want to know what the answer is.  Email: bannedthingshappen@gmail.com Facebook: https://facebook.com/bannedthingshappen Web: https://blahblahblahmedia.com Patreon: https://patreon.com/blahblahblahmedia Support: https://buymeacoffee.com/blahblahblah Merch: https://shop.spreadshirt.ca/blah-blah-blah-media/

After some delays, we're BACK (we hope) to a more regular release schedule starting with this episode, part one of our look at Robert Cormier's The Chocolate War. This 1974 young adult novel sees what should have been a standard high school fundraising chocolate sale turned on its head when one student asks the question, "Do I dare disturb the universe?" The answer might surprise you! Or maybe it won't! You could probably google that answer. Email: bannedthingshappen@gmail.com Facebook: https://facebook.com/bannedthingshappen Web: https://blahblahblahmedia.com Patreon: https://patreon.com/blahblahblahmedia Support: https://buymeacoffee.com/blahblahblah Merch: https://shop.spreadshirt.ca/blah-blah-blah-media/

Holy crap it's our 75th episode and we're celebrating by covering a video game! Actually, we already did that when we livestreamed us playing Postal 2 while we talked about it! You can find that on YouTube if you want to watch (and honestly, it's probably the optimum way to experience this episode). But if for some reason you don't want to do that, we've whittled that episode down to a pretty spry 25 minutes of us talking about the game with a smattering of game sound effects in the background. Also, some of the early audio is not ideal. Look, just go watch the YouTube version, okay? Email: bannedthingshappen@gmail.com Facebook: https://facebook.com/bannedthingshappen Web: https://blahblahblahmedia.com Patreon: https://patreon.com/blahblahblahmedia Support: https://buymeacoffee.com/blahblahblah Merch: https://shop.spreadshirt.ca/blah-blah-blah-media/

Todd and Pete head back to the 17th century courtesy of Ken Russel's The Devils, a notoriously controversial film that is next to impossible to see. But somehow we got our hands on it! And we're here to talk about it! Email: bannedthingshappen@gmail.com Facebook: https://facebook.com/bannedthingshappen Web: https://blahblahblahmedia.com Patreon: https://patreon.com/blahblahblahmedia Support: https://buymeacoffee.com/blahblahblah Merch: https://shop.spreadshirt.ca/blah-blah-blah-media/

It might be autumn, but it's time to finish up our summer of Sex, Drugs, and Rock and Roll with the Rolling Stones controversial concert film Cocksucker Blues, a movie with plenty of rock and roll. And also some sex. And some drugs. Honestly, this movie could have been dedicated to all three things. It's a hard movie to find, but Pete and Todd tracked it down on archive.org to experience in all its low-res, digitized from video tape glory, and they're more than happy to tell you what they thought about the film. Email: bannedthingshappen@gmail.com Facebook: https://facebook.com/bannedthingshappen Web: https://blahblahblahmedia.com Patreon: https://patreon.com/blahblahblahmedia Support: https://buymeacoffee.com/blahblahblah Merch: https://shop.spreadshirt.ca/blah-blah-blah-media/

It might have felt like the longest short book they ever read, but Todd and Pete made it through the end of William S. Burroughs' 'Naked Lunch'. It was a meal consisting of sex, drugs, the black meat, homosexuality, jism, protoplasm, and, of course, ectoplasm, and so clearly not for everyone's tastes. But you'll have to listen in to this live episode to know how Pete and Todd landed with their thoughts on this one. Email: bannedthingshappen@gmail.com Facebook: https://facebook.com/bannedthingshappen Web: https://blahblahblahmedia.com Patreon: https://patreon.com/blahblahblahmedia Support: https://buymeacoffee.com/blahblahblah Merch: https://shop.spreadshirt.ca/blah-blah-blah-media/

Todd and Pete finish up their final bites of William S. Burroughs' Naked Lunch, and though they enjoyed the meal overall, they probably couldn't tell you what it tasted like. Maybe the black meat? It's a strange journey that feels impossible to talk about, but they try. Email: bannedthingshappen@gmail.com Facebook: https://facebook.com/bannedthingshappen Web: https://blahblahblahmedia.com Patreon: https://patreon.com/blahblahblahmedia Support: https://buymeacoffee.com/blahblahblah Merch: https://shop.spreadshirt.ca/blah-blah-blah-media/

We're back! After some unscheduled away time from the podcast, Todd and Pete return just in time to strip down and enjoy a tasty Naked Lunch, courtesy of author William S. Burroughs. It's beautiful! It's weird! We can't tell what's going on! It's all part of the ride. (NOTE: Due to technical difficulties, Pete's audio quality drops substantially about halfway through this episode. We suspect he was recording from the Interzone, while trying to source more of the black meat) Email: bannedthingshappen@gmail.com Facebook: https://facebook.com/bannedthingshappen Web: https://blahblahblahmedia.com Patreon: https://patreon.com/blahblahblahmedia Support: https://buymeacoffee.com/blahblahblah Merch: https://shop.spreadshirt.ca/blah-blah-blah-media/

We celebrate our 69th episode with a look at SEX! No, not the act, but the coffee table book by Madonna from 1992. Also, yes, it was entirely an accident that this turned out to be the 69th episode, but we're gonna lean into it like it was intentional. Heck yeah. Let's talk about sex! Email: bannedthingshappen@gmail.com Facebook: https://facebook.com/bannedthingshappen Web: https://blahblahblahmedia.com Patreon: https://patreon.com/blahblahblahmedia Support: https://buymeacoffee.com/blahblahblah Merch: https://shop.spreadshirt.ca/blah-blah-blah-media/

This LIVE episode features Todd and Pete wrapping up their look at Beloved by Toni Morrison, the Pulitzer Prize winning novel on the horrors of slavery, and how far a mother might go to save her children from those horrors. Email: bannedthingshappen@gmail.com Facebook: https://facebook.com/bannedthingshappen Web: https://blahblahblahmedia.com Patreon: https://patreon.com/blahblahblahmedia Support: https://buymeacoffee.com/blahblahblah Merch: https://shop.spreadshirt.ca/blah-blah-blah-media/

Todd and Pete push through the sometimes confusing, sometimes confounding, and always engaging final section of Toni Morrison's Pulitzer Prize winning Beloved to get to the final moments of this book about slavery, suffering, and sacrifice. Email: bannedthingshappen@gmail.com Facebook: https://facebook.com/bannedthingshappen Web: https://blahblahblahmedia.com Patreon: https://patreon.com/blahblahblahmedia Support: https://buymeacoffee.com/blahblahblah Merch: https://shop.spreadshirt.ca/blah-blah-blah-media/