The Flopcast

The new list of Rock and Roll Hall of Fame nominees was just released, and as usual we spend a whole episode kicking it around. And once again we're joined by writer, publisher, and podcaster (BatChums, Dragon Con Report, Earth Station Who) Michael Gordon! Join us as we recall seeing INXS live, wonder if this will finally be Mariah's year, and try to figure out what a "sussudio" is. Of course, Air Supply still has not been nominated. And that's why we're furious. Find all of Mike's projects here! And our regular links... The Flopcast website! The ESO Network! The Flopcast on Facebook! The Flopcast on Instagram! The Flopcast on Bluesky! The Flopcast on Mastadon! Please rate and review The Flopcast on Apple Podcasts! Email: info@flopcast.net Our music is by The Sponge Awareness Foundation! This week's promo: Dragon Con Report!

Back in the 70s and 80s, the television broadcast of The Wizard of Oz was a hugely anticipated annual event. The kids had their Wizard of Oz dolls from Mego, and their Wizard of Oz comic book from Marvel and DC, just to get them through the long year between viewings. But that was the classic movie from 1939. Have you ever seen the 1925 version? Kevin and the Mayor just did, so we're here to file our report for you. This is a bizarre little silent slapstick comedy, and it features a Buster Keaton-type Scarecrow, a Dorothy played by a lady actually named Dorothy, Oliver Hardy (pre-Laurel) as the Tin Man, an unhealthy dose of blatant racism, and a vomiting duck. It's not great, but it is a curiosity. And since it's silent, you don't have to worry about the duck breaking into "Over the Rainbow." The Flopcast website! The ESO Network! The Flopcast on Facebook! The Flopcast on Instagram! The Flopcast on Bluesky! The Flopcast on Mastadon! Please rate and review The Flopcast on Apple Podcasts! Email: info@flopcast.net Our music is by The Sponge Awareness Foundation! This week's promo: Have Coffee, Will Travel!

The Mayor is back in Chickentown with a full report on her trip to Los Angeles for Gallifrey One, the long-running annual Doctor Who convention! Including: The 1986 Doctor Who USA Tour! The Mayor's panel about the Doctor's companions! A quick bonus visit to the Comic-Con Museum in San Diego! A special appearance by Flash Gordon! And the return of a long lost Flopcast segment, What's in the Bag! And now with this California adventure out of the way, we can get back to enjoying the soul-crushing miserable winter. The Flopcast website! The ESO Network! The Flopcast on Facebook! The Flopcast on Instagram! The Flopcast on Bluesky! The Flopcast on Mastadon! Please rate and review The Flopcast on Apple Podcasts! Email: info@flopcast.net Our music is by The Sponge Awareness Foundation! This week's promo: Earth Station Who!

It's been over a year, but we're finally returning to The Super Dictionary, that bizarre book from the 70s that taught vocabulary to the children using DC Comics superheroes. This time we're learning (sort of) about words starting with H, I, and J. But because this book is so weird, we're really learning that Batgirl is fascinated by geese, whales love Wonder Woman's shoes, Atom rides hummingbirds, Supergirl irons her cape, Catwoman's house is filthy, and Comet the Super Horse hates chickens. Yikes, we've learned so much, and we're not even halfway through The Super Dictionary. But we're trying to pace ourselves, lest our heads explode with too much very important information. (Is Aquaman secretly a kangaroo? We'll find out soon, when we get to the K section.) The Flopcast website! The ESO Network! The Flopcast on Facebook! The Flopcast on Instagram! The Flopcast on Bluesky! The Flopcast on Mastadon! Please rate and review The Flopcast on Apple Podcasts! Email: info@flopcast.net Our music is by The Sponge Awareness Foundation! This week's promo: Earth Station Trek! This week's other promo: the MarsCon Comedy Music Track!

Were you listening to the radio half a century ago? And was it ridiculous? We're looking at a list of the Top 100 songs of 1976, and it sure seems that way. But it's a fun mix of classic rock, disco, easy listening, disco, novelty songs, and a little more disco. There's even a TV theme song on the list, and it just might involve a Sweathog or two. If you remember when the Bay City Rollers ruled the charts, this will take you back. Slip into your Starland Vocal Band concert t-shirt and enjoy. The Flopcast website! The ESO Network! The Flopcast on Facebook! The Flopcast on Instagram! The Flopcast on Bluesky! The Flopcast on Mastadon! Please rate and review The Flopcast on Apple Podcasts! Email: info@flopcast.net Our music is by The Sponge Awareness Foundation! This week's promo: The 42cast! This week's promo: Luke Ski's Animation & Stuff Podcast!

This is a short one, because here in Chickentown, we're all a bit under the weather. (And the weather is not good. A massive snowstorm approaches, and we may be trapped in the studio until June. Please send coffee.) But we do have a quick concert report on The Monkee Men, an excellent Monkees tribute band we learned about from our friends at the Monkeeing Around podcast. This leads to a discussion of tribute bands in general, and we also announce the formation of Toy Soldiers, our new Martika tribute band. But that might be the medication talking. The Flopcast website! The ESO Network! The Flopcast on Facebook! The Flopcast on Instagram! The Flopcast on Bluesky! The Flopcast on Mastadon! Please rate and review The Flopcast on Apple Podcasts! Email: info@flopcast.net Our music is by The Sponge Awareness Foundation! This week's promo: Monkeeing Around!

With the Mayor away on special assignment, it's a quick solo show with Kevin just yammering about comic books from 1976. Our collection of goofy 50-year-old comics includes: An evil space cowboy riding Superman, Harvey Pekar on the streets of Cleveland, the Joker and his pet hyena, Alfred E. Neuman as George Washington, Ronald McDonald in the Olympics, super heroes battling super gorillas, Andy Panda's tricky pal Charlie Chicken, and much more. Half a century ago, comic books cost thirty cents. But this podcast is free. All we ask is that you waste your time giggling about Aquaman with us. The Flopcast website! The ESO Network! The Flopcast on Facebook! The Flopcast on Instagram! The Flopcast on Bluesky! The Flopcast on Mastadon! Please rate and review The Flopcast on Apple Podcasts! Email: info@flopcast.net Our music is by The Sponge Awareness Foundation! This week's promo: EnterpriseSplaining!

Here's the second half of our memorial show, celebrating those we lost in 2025 from the world of pop culture and beyond. And yes, this week's list includes both actresses who played Flo, the sassy waitress at Mel's Diner, in the movie and TV versions of Alice. We also cover the mom from Lost in Space, the receptionist at WKRP, the sarcastic little sister on What's Happening!!, a Phantom Zone villain, a Spinal Tap keyboardist, a ghost-busting gorilla, a Cricket, a Turtle, a Spaceman, heavy metal's Prince of Darkness, and Buck Rogers. Plus many more. So get a beverage, get comfortable, and get a few Tom Lehrer songs stuck in your head. The Flopcast website! The ESO Network! The Flopcast on Facebook! The Flopcast on Instagram! The Flopcast on Bluesky! The Flopcast on Mastadon! Please rate and review The Flopcast on Apple Podcasts! Email: info@flopcast.net Our music is by The Sponge Awareness Foundation! This week's promo: BatChums!

We do this every year - time to look back and remember the people we lost in 2025 from the world of pop culture and beyond. This week's list includes favorites from music (Roberta Flack, Brian Wilson, Sly Stone), television (Ruth Buzzi, Loretta Swit, George Wendt), movies (Gene Hackman, David Lynch, Val Kilmer), comics (Peter David, Jules Feiffer, Jim Shooter), and many more. And we're not done, so come back for Part 2 next week. As always, bring plenty of beverages. The Flopcast website! The ESO Network! The Flopcast on Facebook! The Flopcast on Instagram! The Flopcast on Bluesky! The Flopcast on Mastadon! Please rate and review The Flopcast on Apple Podcasts! Email: info@flopcast.net Our music is by The Sponge Awareness Foundation! This week's promo: The Watch-A-Thon of Rassilon!

For our final show of 2025, we're just relaxing and reflecting on another year of this, the most popular podcast in the world (if you don't count every other podcast). So we're looking back at Flopcast subjects, segments, and guests, as well as concerts, conventions, and whatever other weird junk kept up occupied all year. We also reveal our New Year's Resolution. It will shock you. The Flopcast website! The ESO Network! The Flopcast on Facebook! The Flopcast on Instagram! The Flopcast on Bluesky! The Flopcast on Mastadon! Please rate and review The Flopcast on Apple Podcasts! Email: info@flopcast.net Our music is by The Sponge Awareness Foundation! This week's promo: Dragon Con Report!

It's our annual holiday spectacular! And once again we're talking about old Christmas cartoons, because that's all we care about. But this time, we're looking at a couple of cartoons we've never discussed on the show before, and they're both based on classic comic strips. (They're also both on YouTube, if you want to play along.) From 1979, A Family Circus Christmas features a ghost Santa, a candy cane farm in the clouds, a busty mom, and plenty of crazy jazz flute. And from 1982, Ziggy's Gift features the scrawny tree from Charlie Brown Christmas, the Irish cop from Frosty the Snowman, a creepy gray guy, and a million screaming turkeys. Both are magnificent. Also: A glitter bomb Christmas card from Panda! A Manos: The Hands of Fate Christmas card from Jacob! A lost Ziggy pencil sharpener! A lost TV show described as "Mission Impossible meets The Love Boat"! And the Mighty Morphin Figgy Pudding Pages! So please throw up the sash, turn with a jerk, and enjoy. The Flopcast website! The ESO Network! The Flopcast on Facebook! The Flopcast on Instagram! The Flopcast on Bluesky! The Flopcast on Mastadon! Please rate and review The Flopcast on Apple Podcasts! Email: info@flopcast.net Our music is by The Sponge Awareness Foundation! This week's promo: Tales From Hollywoodland!

It's the stupid holidays, so 'tis the season for a Top 4 1/2 List of our favorite holiday dogs! Of course our list includes dogs from Christmas cartoons (compliments of Charlie Brown, the Grinch, the Simpsons, and more), as well as Christmas books and even a goofy Christmas song. If we missed your favorite holiday dog, let us know! Or just keep it to yourself! That works too. Also: An evening with the stars of Stand By Me (they brought along plenty of cherry flavored Pez), and a holiday show with a Carpenters tribute band in Woonsocket, Rhode Island! It's all just so festive that we can't stand it. The Flopcast website! The ESO Network! The Flopcast on Facebook! The Flopcast on Instagram! The Flopcast on Bluesky! The Flopcast on Mastadon! Please rate and review The Flopcast on Apple Podcasts! Email: info@flopcast.net Our music is by The Sponge Awareness Foundation! This week's promo: Have Coffee, Will Travel!

Every year, dozens of ridiculous identical holiday movies are unleashed by Hallmark, Lifetime, Netflix, and the like. (They're so cookie-cutter that many of them literally involve cutting cookies.) And every year, we try to fix them by making them weirder. So we've selected a few new Christmas movies, and we're discussing their plots (featuring time travel, glassblowing, and pickleball) and casts (featuring, as always, Lacey Chabert). Then we're randomly inserting some strange new element (a camel with wings, perhaps) into each movie so it meets our strict weirdness standards. There, we just saved Christmas. Pass the figgy pudding. The Flopcast website! The ESO Network! The Flopcast on Facebook! The Flopcast on Instagram! The Flopcast on Bluesky! The Flopcast on Mastadon! Please rate and review The Flopcast on Apple Podcasts! Email: info@flopcast.net Our music is by The Sponge Awareness Foundation! This week's promo: Earth Station Boo!

Before we plunge into weeks of holiday silliness, here's something different for you! Five years ago, our friend Amanda decided to run at least one mile in each of the 351 towns and cities that make up Massachusetts. A month ago, she finished. And she's here to tell us all about the whole project. Including: Covered bridges, waterfalls, murder roads, World War II bunkers, Jaws filming sites, an alleged UFO encounter site, Myles Standish's legs, a chicken with a backpack, sweaty women on a bus, and much more. It all wrapped up in the geographic center of the state with dozens of friends, special Running Massachusetts t-shirts, and beer. But even if you weren't there, you can still help Amanda support Voices Against Violence; we'll have a link for you. Next week we'll be back to our usual festive shenanigans. Please bring eight gallons of egg nog. Amanda's Worcester Magazine story about her running project! To donate to Voices Against Violence, click here! (When asked which program you're supporting, write "VAV" or "Voices Against Violence" in the open field.) The Mayor is talking Doctor Who on The 42cast! Kevin is talking Mad Magazing on The Best Stuff in the World! And our regular links... The Flopcast website! The ESO Network! The Flopcast on Facebook! The Flopcast on Instagram! The Flopcast on Bluesky! The Flopcast on Mastadon! Please rate and review The Flopcast on Apple Podcasts! Email: info@flopcast.net Our music is by The Sponge Awareness Foundation! This week's promo: Earth Station Who!

As we creep into the holidays, once again we're looking back at Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parades of the past. (Debbie Gibson is scheduled to perform at this year's parade, so you should all be road-tripping to Manhattan RIGHT NOW.) We start with the 2015 parade (featuring that top-hatted honey-roasted freak, Mr. Peanut), then keep jumping back ten years at a time, all the way to the premiere of the Underdog balloon in 1965. (Underdog has been watching us from above ever since, and he is most displeased.) Along the way, we'll meet some of our favorite pop culture stars (even Alice from The Brady Bunch shows up), and we'll pay our respects to the giant balloon characters that were torn apart by trees and lamp posts. (Now we know why Kermit the Frog and Pink Panther hate Thanksgiving.) So fix yourself a festive plate of popcorn, jelly beans, pretzels, and toast, and enjoy. The Mayor on The Doctor's Beard podcast! And our regular links... The Flopcast website! The ESO Network! The Flopcast on Facebook! The Flopcast on Instagram! The Flopcast on Bluesky! The Flopcast on Mastadon! Please rate and review The Flopcast on Apple Podcasts! Email: info@flopcast.net Our music is by The Sponge Awareness Foundation! This week's promo: Earth Station Trek!

When our favorite 1980s soft rock band comes to the town where we spent the 1980s, you know we'll be there. And so Kevin has a report from the sold out Air Supply concert at the Stadium Theatre in Woonsocket, Rhode Island! (We were front row center. Close enough to catch an official Air Supply guitar pick? You bet.) Also: The Mayor of Chickentown joins the Early Birds Club! Kevin accidentally runs a half marathon! And Finnish nannies sing Badfinger! Next week we'll have some holiday stuff. This week we're just being goofy. The Flopcast website! The ESO Network! The Flopcast on Facebook! The Flopcast on Instagram! The Flopcast on Bluesky! The Flopcast on Mastadon! Please rate and review The Flopcast on Apple Podcasts! Email: info@flopcast.net Our music is by The Sponge Awareness Foundation! This week's promo: Cosmic Pizza!

We're back with our full report on the city of Seattle, which turned out to be way over on the other side of the continent. (Probably should have packed a bag or something...) How many weird and silly activities could we squish into just a few days out west? Let's find out. Including: Retro-futuristic fun at the Space Needle! A robot on the monorail! Angry otters at the aquarium! A massive collection of nerd stuff at the Museum of Pop Culture! Giant trolls! A visit to Archie McPhee's Rubber Chicken Museum! A visit to filming locations from Twin Peaks and Northern Exposure! A fortune-telling psychic chicken! And yikes, even more. Why, we'll even teach you the proper way to pronounce "Seattle," if you believe everything from The Brady Bunch. And we do. The Flopcast website! The ESO Network! The Flopcast on Facebook! The Flopcast on Instagram! The Flopcast on Bluesky! The Flopcast on Mastadon! Please rate and review The Flopcast on Apple Podcasts! Email: info@flopcast.net Our music is by The Sponge Awareness Foundation! This week's promo: The 42cast! This week's promo: Monkeeing Around!

For our Halloween episode, we're revisiting a favorite subject: the cheapo department store Halloween costumes produced for decades by the Ben Cooper company. Kids loved slipping into their uncomfortable plastic masks and weird vinyl smocks for an evening of begging the neighbors for Twix bars. We look at superhero costumes (including some odd ones like Web Woman), Krofft costumes (you could be a Sleestak, a Bugaloo, or even Dr. Shrinker), and lots more, including the infamous Fonzie "He-e-y!" costume. Also: The classic Universal monster movies! A brilliant new monster t-shirt from cartoonist Kerry Callen! And the new Muppet-style versions of Franken Berry, Boo Berry, and Count Chocula! So have a festive Halloween, kids. We recommend shivering in a pumpkin patch all night until your angry sister drags you inside. Jason Young's Oldtimes Digest books! The 1980 Ben Cooper catalog on plaidstallions.com! And our regular links... The Flopcast website! The ESO Network! The Flopcast on Facebook! The Flopcast on Instagram! The Flopcast on Bluesky! The Flopcast on Mastadon! Please rate and review The Flopcast on Apple Podcasts! Email: info@flopcast.net Our music is by The Sponge Awareness Foundation! This week's promo: Luke Ski's Animation & Stuff Podcast!

We're back from a quick visit to Albany, New York, where Kevin ran a half marathon (finishing in 309th place, probably not qualifying for the Olympics) and learned the shocking truth about Alice from The Brady Bunch. Now here in Chickentown, we're looking at an odd 1959 comic book called Weather-Bird. It stars a chicken and a goat, and the whole thing is a promotional gimmick to sell children's shoes. We love it. And we were reminded of some other weird comic book shoe ads. Several 1970s ads star a shoe-themed superhero called the AAU Shuperstar. One of his enemies is called Missile-Toe. And we can't stop thinking about them. We might have a problem. The Flopcast website! The ESO Network! The Flopcast on Facebook! The Flopcast on Instagram! The Flopcast on Bluesky! The Flopcast on Mastadon! Please rate and review The Flopcast on Apple Podcasts! Email: info@flopcast.net Our music is by The Sponge Awareness Foundation! This week's promo: BatChums!

It's no secret that we're rather obsessed with the 80s around here, so this week we're chatting with author Debby Meltzer Quick. Debby's first novel (the first of several!) is May I Have Your Attention Please, a mid-80s high school romance set in Eastboro, Massachusetts. Kevin and Debby discuss the novel itself, how much pop culture nostalgia to include in a story, how to draw from one's own life without getting too autobiographical, and much more. Including: 80s movies both well-remembered (The Breakfast Club) and largely forgotten (Give My Regards to Broad Street); going to the Worcester Centrum to see Van Halen, Ratt, and U2 (but alas, not Journey); getting up early for Underdog cartoons; working at the cookie shop at the mall; the weirdness of Orange Julius; early video game systems; bad coffee; new Coke; and the dining room carpet Debby has not been allowed to walk on for forty years and counting. We really enjoyed this conversation, and you will too. And if you can find Eastboro, Massachusetts on a map, please let us know. Debby's website! Debby on Amazon! The Mayor of Chickentown discussing Travelers on The 42cast! And our regular links... The Flopcast website! The ESO Network! The Flopcast on Facebook! The Flopcast on Instagram! The Flopcast on Bluesky! The Flopcast on Mastadon! Please rate and review The Flopcast on Apple Podcasts! Email: info@flopcast.net Our music is by The Sponge Awareness Foundation! This week's promo: The Watch-A-Thon of Rassilon!