In part two of the “Fandom Set” the Banzai Boys view Adam Rifkin’s 1999 KISS tribute teen comedy Detroit Rock City. What will the band of fictional rock misfits teach us about fan culture?

To kick off their fandom set, the Banzai Boys read the memoir “Searching for John Hughes: Or Everything I Thought I Needed to Know about Life I Learned from Watching ’80s Movies” by Jason Diamond, a writer and a John Hughes fan who sets out to write the biography of John Hughes but through his… Continue reading Fandom: Part 1 “Searching for John Hughes”

The Banzai Boys say a terror-tear-filled-goodbye to a set about an author who they were really digging, but before they do, they compiled their very own Stephen King playlist with songs from everything they took away from the horror master!

You can’t talk about Stephen King without discuss all the storytellers he has inspired…or in this case…sired. That’s right! The Banzai Boys are reading “Basketful of Heads” a product of King’s kin, his son, Joe Hill. What elements of King are passed done to his son?

In the second episode of their Stephen King set, the Banzai Boys read and discuss King’s 1985 collection of short stories “Skeleton Crew”. With so many stories to discuss, this episode is packed with tons of King discoveries.

On the first episode of their Stephen King set, the Banzai Boys make a wish on a Monkey’s Paw and travel back to the 1970’s to take a bite out of the TV mini series movie based on the Stephen King novel Salem’s Lot. The boys explore the tenants of a King story in their… Continue reading Stephen King: Part 1 “Salem’s Lot” 1979 Film

The Banzai Boys wrap up their four part beach series by creating a playlist the encapsulates all they have learned about the beach. This one is a real musical rollercoaster of gene. Check out the full playlist on Spotify.

In 1996, Alex Garland wrote what would become a cult novel for backpackers called “The Beach”. In 2021, the Banzai Boys add the novel to their summer “Beach Set” in hopes of discovering what makes a beach such an enduring setting in pop culture. Jay and Travis discuss the novel’s protagonist, Richard’s drive for adventure… Continue reading Beach Set Part 3: “The Beach” by Alex Garland

Skates up on this 2001 Stacy Peralta documentary on the legendary skate/surf crew “Z-Boys”. The Banzai Boys discuss how time and place define a scene in the second part of their summer “Beach Set”.

In the first episode of the “Beach Set”, the Banzai Boys dip their toes into beach culture with a viewing of the 1991 film “Point Break”. What does the character of Bohdi mean to surf culture? Why is this the film still so charming and enduring? Tune in to find out.

The Banzai Boys take on the immense responsibility of compiling the ultimate “Ladies of Rock” playlist to go along with their latest set. We are talking rock here people and Jay and Travis have looked back through the last 60 years of rock and roll to build a kickass playlist for you.

In part three of their “Ladies of Rock” set, Jay and Travis flash back to the 1980’s to check out the 1982 Lou Adler film, “Ladies and Gentlemen, the Fabulous Stains”. As they pick the film apart, they begin to see many of the ingredients found in the culture of female rockers today in the… Continue reading Ladies of Rock Set: Part 3 “Ladies and Gentlemen, the Fabulous Stains

In the second part of “The Ladies of Rock” set, the Banzai Boys binge several rockumentaries on some of America’s most influential female rockers: “Suzi Q”;Suzi Quatro, “Bad Reputation”, Joan Jett, “The Go-Go’s”, The Go-Go’s”, and “The Punk Singer”, Kathleen Hanna. What ideas will come out of their rock soaked brains? Tune in the find… Continue reading Ladies of Rock Set: Part 2 “Rock Docs Collection”

It seems you can connect just about everyone in the music business to Patti Smith. She has been such an influence on both artists and genres as a whole. What better way for Jay and Travis to kick off the Ladies of Rock Set than to listen and discuss her debut 1975 Arista Records album,… Continue reading Ladies of Rock Set Pt. 1: Patti Smith “Horses”

In their final episode of their “Coming of Age” set, Jay and Travis go through their personal puberty playlist to share some stories about how music developed them and make some deeper connections to the ideas discussed throughout the set.

In part 3 of their “Coming of Age” Set, Jay and Travis read through Frank Portman’s coming of age novel “King Dork”. Hear them gush over Dr. Frank’s previous work with the band Mr. T Experience and find out what they think about his story about navigating high school and solving family mysteries.

“You got your “freak” in my “Geek”“Well, you got your “Geek” and my “Freak”! In part two of the Pop Banzai “Coming of Age” set, Jay and Trav are joined by the comedic-punk rocking-freak, Heidi, to discuss the 1999-2000 18 episode arc of the show “Freaks and Geeks”. In addition to discussing the importance of… Continue reading Coming of Age Set: Part 2 “Freaks and Geeks”

Jay and Travis kick off their “Coming of Age” set with a look at the 2002 Portuguese film “City of God”, directed by  Fernando Meirelles and Kátia Lund. Through the film, the Banzai Boys begin to take a look at some of the principles behind the genre and how this film weaves the coming of age stories… Continue reading Coming of Age Set: Part 1 “City of God”

They might not know much about PlayStations but Trav and Jay know a lot about playlists. Need proof? Check out the 4th and final installment of their Gamer Set podcast series. In this episode, the boys go from Sonic Youth to Lou Reed to discuss what they have learned from their pop culture exploration of… Continue reading Gamer Set Part 4: Gamer Playlist

In the Banzai Boy’s third gamer set, they are pouring through the pages of Ernest Cline’s much anticipated follow-up to “Ready Player One”: “Ready Player Two”. After a brief summary, the boys discuss how Cline portrays the gamer archetype in his novel. Are Jay and Travis any closer to plugging into the gaming world? Tune… Continue reading Gamer Set Part 3: Ready Player Two