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Bobby's Snacks Vol. 40: A Very Well Documented Coffee Addiction
Bob Raymonda
March 30, 2025
Happy #AudioDramaSunday Y’all!
We’re finally back with a whole bunch of snacks. Life has been coming at me hard and fast lately, and while all of it has been fantastic (two separate weekends in the studio with Ghost Tour, a trip up to Boston for the 20-year reunion of The Receiving End of Sirens, followed by a baby shower with our entire family), I won’t lie and tell you that it hasn’t been a bit draining too. That being said, I’m actually sitting on the floor of the studio at Hilda Music listening to guitar tracking for the first song that I’ve personally written since probably 2014, and it’s making me feel extremely giddy in the way that art and art making of any kind (especially with friends) always does.
Another thing I’ve also been doing a lot of lately, since the aux cable broke in my car, has been listening to other music I made back in college on CD, when I thought this was the major passion I’d earnestly pursue. It broke my heart a few times, enough that I pivoted straight back into writing in a way that begat both the now defunct Breadcrumbs Magazine, Windfall, and Forgive Me!, but coming back around and playing/recording again is finally making feel comfortable enough re-engaging with those songs I agonized over. Particularly proud of my brother and I’s old band Mechanics of the Heart (who all reunited a few weeks ago for the TREOS show), especially of a batch of songs we started 14 years ago and never officially finished recording or released.
I’m genuinely feel very glad that I’ve gotten past the whole idea of “making it” in any of my creative pursuits. Of course, I would love for more than anything else to do this kind of work in a full time way that required no supplemental income… but at the same time, I don’t want to define something that has brought me so much joy for so long purely by the amount of capital that it produces. At this point in time? I’m just thrilled that I’m still doing all of these things that feed my soul. It makes living in this fucking hellscape of a country slightly more bearable. And right now? That’s all I can ask for.
But let’s get to fiction, shall we?
We’re officially 1/3rd of the way through our second season, and the most recent episode we released was one of the ones I’ve been most excited about for years. Argus is an incredibly special character for me, as he was one of the first ones that I created for this world, so he’ll always hold a special place in my heart. Plus, Marcus Xavier Stewart is an old friend from undergrad, so any chance we have to work together is always delightful, because they are a true force of nature, and I’ve known that since the first time I saw them performing Shakespeare in a student production my freshman year. On top of that? We get to meet some reprehensible new villains played by Dallas Hawthorn and Henry Vick that were able to really make my skin crawl. We’ll be back in a few weeks with our first minisode of the season that sees the return of another well beloved character, and then one of our most action packed releases the week after that. I can’t wait.
One of the things that I truly adore about the horror in this show is how effective it is in its subtlety. Sure, Travis Vengroff can sound design some of the gnarliest, skin crawling moments you’ve ever heard, but how about those times when your fear is far more rooted in the uncertainty of whether or not the person you’re speaking to is actually the person you know, or if it’s some otherworldly nightmare just puppeteering them in order to manipulate you into doing its bidding? Dragana deals with a specter from her past, and we’re left wondering if they were actually who they said they are, or if they had in fact disappeared all those years ago and were simply being used as a weapon against her. Chilling stuff, and Tanja Milojevic acted her pants off, as always.
And with that, we’re already two episodes deep into season 5 of this show! And my gosh, after spending six years getting through that many seasons of Unwell, a Midwestern Gothic Mystery, it’s delightful to have gotten this much new story in just over one. I’m so happy that Jamie and Malik have worked through some of their overwhelming baggage from last season, because it’s so nice to see them on the same page with each other. Life is still terrifying and overwhelming and all we can ask for most days is to simply be baseline… but they have each other. And there’s no longer that tension simmering under the surface that you could cut with a knife, which allows them to plan their first ever live (to them, not us) in-person studio record with a visit out West. Lord knows when it will happen, because there’s still gestures hands this whole hellscape they’re living through to contend with, but Malik is going out to visit, and I for one can’t wait to experience that right alongside them.
My gosh, I can’t believe this season is already almost over. I’m still an episode behind (two if you count the next release that just arrived in my email inbox for supporting the team on Indiegogo)… and honestly? Right now I’m okay with it, because I want to savor every single one. But in The Case of the Migratory Mustache when he showed up? I was fist pumping the air! Especially after the way we learned how his absence (and really, his presence in the past) have truly affected those who were most important to him on the mid-season finale. A true perfect return to form. A queer icon. I’m vague writing because I don’t want to spoil this but good god, are Lauren Grace Thompson and Ian Geers a perfect dynamic duo. And hey, look at that, they’re getting married soon! Love that for them, and love this for them, and can’t wait to keep experiencing the magic they make together for years to come.
I’m all caught up with these three misfits, and while their tango with an assassin two episodes ago was an absolute delight, there’s nothing that will ever top a Honey I Shrunk the Kids homage for me. You’re telling me that my erstwhile pals have been transformed into thimble-sized versions of themselves, and are forced to navigate the dangers that come with being that much lower on the ecological totem pole? Chef’s kiss I’m in, say less, this will forever be one of my favorite episodes of all time. Full stop. And look, that isn’t not because my favorite part of going to Disney World as a kid was the now defunct Honey I Shrunk the Kids playground at MGM Studios where you could sit on a gigantic ant the size of a horse, or go down a slide made out of “film” from a broken open canister. Why do you ask?
The first season of this delicious Midst-sequel series may have already ended, but that doesn’t mean this team’s storytelling is done quite yet! We just got the first of a few new interludes, and this one is a prequel that features Sam Riegel in the role of a journalist interviewing our intrepid captain, Merlin, about his impending journey through the cosmos. I’ll admit, I’m not a Critical Role guy myself, so this cameo means less for me than it does for some folks, but is an awesome extension of this team’s overall collaboration with the wider group. I really am so glad that they’ve been able to develop this partnership, because it means that I’ll have new stories in this world that is legitimately my favorite new IP to come out of this medium for years to come. Plus, we got some more time with the Bocular Man when he was still more Bocular than Man, and that’s always a delight.
Speaking of beloved amusement park attractions from my childhood, welcome to Hysteria Land! The all new theme park gracing our pals in the desert wasteland, offering up lots of tricks and treats for any who dare to enter its screaming maw. But really, the episode that did it for me this month was Duet, which saw the return of voice actor royalty James Urbaniak, playing Cecil’s mentor and previous host of Night Vale’s Community Radio Station, Leonard Burton. I always love when this man shows up in anything, whether it’s as Dwight’s creepy friend on The Office or Dr. Venture in The Venture Brothers, not to mention his own fantastic fiction podcast from the early days of Night Vale, Getting On With James Urbaniak. So, suffice it to say, I was well fed this month.
This show is such a cup of mulled apple cider for me. It’s cozy, it’s kind, and I can see the orange crispy leaves all around the ground every time I listen to it. I’m an October baby myself, and one whose entire life is defined by the stories I’d rather escape into (or create) than witnessing what’s actually going on around me, so I can confidently say that it is a place I would like to find a way to make my own mark on, as Yvonne is looking for on her journey to meet the Kaiju. It was nice to see her on a solo venture, not because I don’t want things to work out between her and Karo, but because it was good to see her grappling with these thoughts and feelings away from the partner who they’re about in the first place. And, again, my pal Dallas Hawthorn? Gives a real masterclass as the werewolf Grey here (and in the monologue minisode released a few weeks ago!).
I’m still one episode behind on this one, but in From Life, Georgia Cook gave us the kind of cosmic nightmare that can come from getting lost in both the art you’re creating and the subject whose work has become your muse. Very Cronenbergian and the performances from both Anusia Battersby and Lauren Grace Thompson were pitch perfect for the eerie world that this story resided within. But also… can we all give it away for the opening narration on this show by Peter Lewis? He has become such a beautiful stand-in for Rod Serling in this clear Twilight Zone for our audio fiction times, and every time he leads me into a new story, I know that it’s time to put my phone down and start paying attention. Kudos to Jeremy Ellett and team for knocking my socks off, every single time.
I’ve been so excited to sink my teeth into this one, and not the least of which because my wife, Sam Twardy, designed the logo for my friend and fellow ThirdSight Media producer Alexander Danner. The conceit of this show is so simple: take the same general story and story beats, and use shifts in perspective, location, and circumstance and allow you to experience it in a hundred (theoretically… eventually) different ways. It features the always brilliant Jordan Higgs and Jordan Stillman as its two principal voices, and relies on the deft direction of James Oliva to consistently morph in tiny, yet immense ways from micro update to each subsequent micro update. A wonderful teaching tool for narrative and sound design on so many fronts, and one I hope you’ll all consider dipping your toes into!
Things for Nick and Vera have both heated up with some massive emotional bombs being dropped on each of them over the last few episodes. Vera has learned the intriguing (and yes, still a little menacing) truth about her father and the wider family he’s a part of, while Nick learned about the death of his own father figure, Michael. That puts us squarely through the first two chapters of this new season, and my gosh, what a trajectory they set out for us. Vera is staying behind to learn more about the life that her mother kept her from, while Nick sets off with the others to go and try to intercept his own mother, lest she get killed trying to save him. I’m sad to see the party splitting again, especially after just reuniting like this, but I understand everyone’s decisions implicitly and know that the journey they take us on will be well worth the heartbreak.
I’m savoring this show incredibly slowly, so I’ve only gotten through episode three, but good god, the sapphic yearning is impeccable. Getting to witness Laura and Carmilla interacting directly with one another, it becomes abundantly clear what draws both of them to each other. I know that I still have a long way to go to catch up, but I know that I can trust this entire team to stick the landing, and this story is only making me that much more excited for the production of Re: Frankenstein that they’ll be working on this year.
There’s nothing quite so fascinating as vending machines for hot foods. You can’t but help but wonder: how on earth is this little contraption storing these delights in a way that is both a) shelf stable, and b) sufficiently warm. But Jerry Wood’s certainly seems to have it all figured out with his new meat pie dispensaries, available all over America. Although, we should be careful before we find ourselves biting into one, as we weren’t raised to prepare ourselves for the piping hot magma that comes out of a savory pie on your first bite, so we’re liable to singe our tongues off. Ridiculousness, as always, and I still have both of March’s episodes to catch up to! But hilarious, too, every single time.
New to me this week is this wonderful slice-of-life gem from Robbie Hyne (The CW’s Stargirl), care of my pal Wil Williams. This show owes a lot to the work of Lauren Shippen, as it follows Lucas, a recently-turned-18 year old who has fled his home in middle America to give life as a gay man a shot in New York City, and just so happens to meet and fall a little in love with a charming boy named Caleb. Lucas moves into a boarding house with the last few dollars he has, and has very little idea on what’s next for him as he enters this new phase of his life, but is helped by cassette tapes hidden under the floorboard of his room from Carter, a previous resident of his room who arrived to the house in strikingly similar circumstances. Between these celluloid secrets, and the support from his newfound family of other misfits, he carves out a future for himself, away from the parents who’d rather try to fix him than accept him for who he is. A charming entry to the YA LGBT podcast canon, and one that just so happens to be returning for a second season very soon!
BONUS SNACK
I was lucky enough to catch this new sci-fi body horror flick directed by Flying Lotus in theaters before it hits Shudder soon, and I’m so glad I did. Elza Gonzales and Aaron Paul anchor a small cast of erstwhile colonists, marooned on a foreign planet lightyears away from the only home they’ve ever known, as the gored bodies of the rest of their crew are splayed around them, and neither one of them is entirely sure how they got there. Gonzels’ Riya because she’s got amnesia, though sporadic memories of the horrors strike her throughout the film, slowly painting the picture of what gruesome terrors have transpired, and Paul’s Brion because he was the sole crew member tasked with monitoring their team’s survival chances from an orbital ship above. It’s a taught, tight little thriller that owes a lot to both Alien and The Thing, but still has plenty of its own tricks up its sleeve. Totally worth a watch!