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- Bobby's Snacks Vol. 25: I Came Here to Create, I've Got a Lot To Say
Bobby's Snacks Vol. 25: I Came Here to Create, I've Got a Lot To Say
Bob Raymonda
August 04, 2024
Happy #AudioDramaSunday Pals!
It’s been a busy few weeks over here in my little pocket of the world. Sam and I took a sub-24-hour trip to Boston to see blink-182 at Fenway Park with her oldest brother and our niece. Ghost Tour just announced our next gig, opening an emo night DJ’d by Fred Mascherino of The Color Fred, Say Anything, and Taking Back Sunday on August 15th at The Kingsland in Brooklyn. To say that I’m excited to be sharing the stage with a man whose music has meant so much to me for 20 years at this point doesn’t come remotely close to how I’m feeling. If you happen to be based in NYC and wanna see me get real teary-eyed while I flail around on stage, this is your next best chance to do it. Tickets are available here.
This weekend, I also got to see some of my best friends from college reunite their band LVL UP for a 10-year anniversary celebration of the record Hoodwink’d. Up next, I’ll be seeing Snarky Puppy, Primus, and Coheed & Cambria (at two separate gigs) with my brother Adam while I visit our family upstate, and the week after that both Jeff Rosenstock and Why? are on the docket. I truly cannot overstate how much having music be such a core part of my life again has been a boon for my mental health. Not to mention the fact that my band’s heading into the studio to record our first ever single with our official three-piece lineup. This summer’s really turning out to be one for the books.
And now, for something completely different:
I’m finally ALMOST caught up to the public feed of this show, with only one episode of their current Welcome to the Horizon miniseries left to hear. Granted, I pay for Fable & Folly+, so I have access to several more releases beyond that, but as I’ve mentioned before the average runtime of this show makes it harder for me to stay present. That being said: this season is wonderful. What I love is that, after the all-encompassing threat of The Teds of yore and the terrifying majesty of Clementine, the chaos of this year stems primarily from the Diner’s refusal to work in the way that it’s supposed to. Our friends can’t leave Pasadena… so Pasadena’s continuing to get a whole lot weirder while they’re there. Brilliant stuff!
We follow Emmeline Ayuba as she continues to explore the depths of the Church of Unitology’s depravity, not giving up despite having already found the answers behind her sister’s unfortunate disappearance. Sure, there’s a certain sense of defeat and despair, as she rails against the cruelty of her sister’s meaningless death, but her quest for the truth hasn’t stopped just because that mystery’s solved. Shoutout to the much beloved podcast darling Newt Schottelkotte for having a guest appearance here! Always love getting to hear indie folks pop up in large productions like this one.
The end is here for Julia Paige’s investigation into Richard Roe and the Accountability Killings. And while there are still some clearly dangling threads (as the public answer given for the identity of NO/ONE is less than satisfactory and ultimately unbelievable), but that’s it for both the podcast and the comic it was based on for now… although, it isn’t all! It was just announced at San Diego Comic Con that this story from Black Market Narrative’s Massiveverse will actually be making the jump to the big screen in a documentary style re-telling of the story’s events! I’m a sucker for trans media initiatives, so I’m stoked to see what the evolution will do to change and adapt the story I’ve already been following along with for over a year!
We’re officially halfway through this gritty religious-cult-themed murder mystery now that it’s publicly releasing, and good god, is it brilliant. The interplay between Kelly Marie Tran’s out of her depths sheriff and Sanaa Lathan’s hard-nosed FBI agent is perfect, but who I really want to this week is Patrick Fabian, previously known to me primarily as Howard Hamlin from Better Call Saul. In this series, he plays a wolf-toothed pastor who clearly knows more about what’s going on in his world than he’d like to let on, and the performance Fabian is bringing to the role is truly next level. Can’t wait to keep working my way through this show!
In the penultimate episode of season 2, we step away from the usual podcast format of exploring a single phenomena from the end of the world, and instead explore the contents of Jamie’s Dad’s go-bag. I was already sold, simply from reading the title, but the execution was even better than I’d expected. Jamie’s Dad continues to be one of my favorite characters in this world, and getting to see the ways in which he is making sure they stay prepared for every possible horrifying outcome was fantastic. Plus: we see a little bit more about how the cracks are starting to show in both friends’ precautions when it comes to existing in this new abnormal.
I had two months of this show to catch up to, which was a delight as always. There is just something about the production of beef animals and dairy herds that really makes for one of the most compelling and hilarious experiences I’ve ever had in podcasting. I mean, where else can you hear the kind of hard hitting journalism that explores whether or not cows, like sheep, should be shaved in the summer time. Special shout out to both Mike Wozniak and Tom Crowley who can both always put me in stitches without fail.
Speaking of Newton Schottelkotte, can we all give it up for them for their blisteringly brilliant script for Copernicus? Stunt-casting Josh Rubino and Dallas Hawthorn as a couple of married publishers fed up with their client, whose work could help change the face of our understanding of the universe, if only he’d stop revising it and let them actually release it into the world was truly inspired. Their chemistry in this episode, and in real life, which I can easily attest to because I saw it forming before they even did, is such a testament to A) their love for one another and B) their versatility as both comedic and dramatic performers. It was my favorite. I need you to go listen to it right the hell now.
Well, holy shit then. I’m going to keep this as vague as possible since it was only just released and I’m sure many of you aren’t caught up, but Gideon Media have unveiled the end of this show’s second season. The confrontation between Morgan, Travis, and the Committee will truly keep you on the edge of your seat from the jump, and when you realize who was pulling the strings that got us here? You probably won’t be surprised, but you will get a whole bunch of icky and exciting feelings in your stomach that have you chomping at the bit for even more! I’m so sad that it’s done for now, but I CANNOT wait for it to come back. This team has proven time and time and again that they’re some of the best in this business, and I can only imagine where Red Camp will go from here.
After a well-earned break during the month of July, this show is back for another year of weird and wild storytelling. The major ramifications of Father Kevin and Mother Lauren’s ascent among the town seem to have melted away, and a sort of status quo seems to have returned. But we all know that the status quo in a town like Night Vale is nothing short of a delicious mix of haunting and mundane. Because sometimes you’ve gotta answer your mom’s insistence that you need a job by creating a company whose entire purpose is not getting you where you’re supposed to go. And you’ve gotta see a whole bunch of weird and unsettling stuff on your way there!
Our summer of crossovers continues today with an episode written by the always amazing Faith McQuinn. What I loved about doing this one was having to solve how on earth these two worlds could collide, being set several hundred years apart and all. But what better way than to send Father Ben (or, you know, a digital A.I. amalgamation of him) into the future? This was genuinely a joy to put together for all of us and I really hope that you’ll enjoy it. Next month i’ll be our final crossover of the year with Arden, and after that you may or may not be hearing a bit more about our big plans for season 4!
BONUS SNACK
Silvia Moreno-Garcia’s haunting take on traditional gothic horror tropes was eerie and beautiful. It took me longer to get through this one than I wanted, since I spent so much of July busy and surrounded by loved ones, but when I finally was able to sit down and tear through the second half of it I truly couldn’t put it down. It’s got big Pride & Prejudice meets The Last of Us vibes, with a dash of The Picture of Dorian Grey thrown in there for good measure, and I really hope you’ll consider picking it up. You’ll be so glad you did!