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- Bobby's Snacks Vol. 22: It's My Champagne Birthday, Emotionally Speaking
Bobby's Snacks Vol. 22: It's My Champagne Birthday, Emotionally Speaking
Bob Raymonda
June 23, 2024
Happy #AudioDramaSunday y’all!
You may have noticed that I disappeared from your inboxes last week, which wasn’t on purpose at first, but eventually became so. I’ve been going hard lately, on podcasting. I’ve been writing Bobby’s Snacks for going on a year this week with very minimal breaks, which translates into a lot of audio fiction listening, along with producing (or at least helping to market) half a dozen shows of my own. And while there’s an obvious reason for this (I am absolutely in love with this medium and the people who create within it), there are times that I have to remind myself that I’m a human being who deserves breaks and rest and doesn’t need to be constantly creating content in order to remain relevant.
Immediately after coming back from Boston to visit my ThirdSight Media team, I spent the following afternoon speaking to audio professionals during a Tribeca Film Festival networking event. It was a wonderful time that helped me cross paths with creators and professionals whose work I really admire, as well as a few others who I’ve already got a great relationship with. I had every intention of intention of going to a few more of the incredible panels and performances curated by my pal Davy Gardner and his wonderful team, but I was spent. I woke up the next day, and I just did not have the energy to leave my house, and as much as I was disappointed to skip the festivities, I was really glad that I listened to my body and gave myself the grace that I needed.
That being said, a huge, heartfelt congratulations to all of the talented artists who were chosen for this year’s official selection. I absolutely cannot wait to dive into the new worlds that I know that you’re creating, and commend you on this wonderful achievement. Also, a huge thank you to Arielle Nissenblatt (of the landmark EarBuds Podcast Collective, podcast mega-tool Descript, and just about every major podcast marketing event known to man) for telling me you liked this newsletter. It was a massive ego boost. And to Gabriel Urbina (Wolf 359, Unseen) and Eleanor Hyde (Unwell, World Gone Wrong) for always being willing to listen to my madcap audio fiction schemes, and sharing your love and friendship with me. You’re both truly the best.
In the meantime, I’ve decided to pump the breaks on this newsletter for the rest of this summer. Not a huge amount, I’m still going to commit to 2 releases a month, although I’m gonna be kind to myself on whether the schedule is going to be perfectly reliable. I do this newsletter out of an enormous amount of commitment to this medium, but for these next few months? I wanna give myself time for me too… and all of the other things that inevitably pop up throughout the summertime (queue me dreading/looking forward to next weekend’s Wedding/Baby Shower/High School Graduation party trifecta). A huge shout out to my wife, Sam Twardy, who’s been asking me to take time off for a while now, and my dumb brain, who finally came to this conclusion of its own volition, as if she hasn’t been telling me for months that y’all will forgive me if I miss a regular release.
And with that, audio drama:
The rest of this show was a real pulse pounder. The final twists about who the villain was, and the way in which his shared history with the hero changed the ways we viewed his actions. Not to mention the fact that the Stephen Root character, who spent the entire runtime being clearly shady and a bit emotionally stunted by familial trauma, ended up being a whole lot more complicated than I ever would’ve hoped. I really hope this one ends up getting a second season. It deserves the chance to explore what comes next!
I’m two weeks deep into this show since the last time we’ve talked, and while there have been some real bombshell revelations, it’s hard to not see why Abby’s feeling conflicted about her entire situation. Cryptic, unsettling answers to questions may be coming over the airwaves in the form of Birdie’s continued transmissions, it still brings up a thousand more questions we don’t have a good answer for. Also, the sapphic longing is REAL, even with the core duo finally reunited… and I love it.
We’ve come to the end of this fantastic miniseries, which means it’s time for Faith McQuinn to get her @s$ back in gear working on season 3! I kid, I kid, take all the time you need, my friend! In all seriousness, this specific episode felt like a real throwback for my ex-literary-magazine-editor ass. Getting to experience a character’s history with AVS through their spoken word poetry was absolutely stunning. The inherently beautiful sound of language has been so core to my enjoyment of this medium, along with the performance of literature in its many forms.
This show continues to be a fantastic blend of sci-fi and family drama in a way that reminds me of early-era Amblin films. Stephanie Elie’s brilliant script for the series, along with the show’s talented cast, and Xperience Jay’s stellar sound design keep me coming back every week. We’re nearing the end of the series, and while there are plenty of governmental conspiracies to track, my favorite aspects continue to be the alien attempting to mother Larsen’s children. It’s such a killer character beat that the only one who’ld recognize what’s going on is the real Larsen’s own child, rather than their stepchildren, who seem to be stoked by her newly relaxed (if robotic) demeanor.
This show is so, so, so good. What should be a gritty, dark true crime mystery is always softened by its incessant Canadian politeness. Sure, is it a gruff politeness who might throw down its stick and gloves to punch you in the face on the ice? Of course. But it’s also the kind that knows everything about you and your family, and is always willing to lend a hand if you’re down and out. There are great characters, lots of beer, and red herrings galore!
Good god, this show is a force of nature. I mean, that was a given when the team decided to anchor its core story in an audio drama darling as beloved as Jordan Cobb, but what still sticks with me almost a week after listening was its final moments. There is a full, haunting canticle choir performed by Matt Roi Berger, Melissa Lusk, Rissa Montañez, and Brad Colbroock, and it quite literally chilled me to the bone. Between that and the amazing in-world advertisements, I can’t wait to go back to the Church of Unitology upon every new release!
I still haven’t finished the second series of this show, Ephemeris, but I am now one episode deeper. It’s giving me major Jason X vibes, insofar as giving me a villain of my childhood thrown into the unfamiliar reaches of space, although admittedly a whole lot less silly (as far as I can tell, there will not be a plot point involving nipples falling off an android in Ephemeris, but I could be wrong). In all seriousness, though, Bloody FM continues to craft some of the most compelling currently airing horror podcasting out there, and I applaud them for their commitment to the genre!
Happy Anniversary, you old reliable ghosts who continue to linger in my home. I cannot believe that it’s been 12 years since this show first premiered. I know I’ve mentioned it before, but I was at their first anniversary show all the way back in 2013 at Webster Hall in Manhattan. I feel genuinely blessed that the series is still a part of my life, all these years later, and cannot say enough about how great I think the show has been for the last year in particular. This episode, which serves as about the closest we’ll ever get to a Night Vale season finale, was incredibly satisfying, featuring a beautiful mash up of the year’s major themes and characters including the boy with the knife, Mother Lauren, and the trio of new Library Defenders. Wonderful stuff!
Oh we are so back, baby. We are so freaking back. Season 5, Part 3 has officially premiered with a prologue, by the core team, setting up another history-spanning batch of stories, and a premiere penned by none other than Chris & Jen Sugden of the landmark British podcast Victoriocity. And in that premiere? We get the story of every single man that played the role of William Shakespeare, weaving in and out of their trials and tribulations, as the real William Shakespeare wasted that same time frittering around with "writer’s block” and excessive script notes. This outing is brilliant, as can always be expected by this team, and has me so pumped for the rest (including my own addition to the universe later this year)!
We are well and truly in the endgame now. The series finale of this show is coming in just a few days, and wow has the journey it’s taken me on been one of the truly most satisfying experiences I’ve ever had in this medium. I don’t typically do this, but I have a feeling that I’ll be doing a full-series re-listen this summer so that I don’t have to say good bye just yet. Things in Stationary Hill now that the Trust is well and truly destroyed, at this point in the series, are surreal, otherworldly, and dangerous. But at least our pal Lark? She’s got lots and lots of weapons. And is ready to confront Moc Weepe and whatever remnants remain of his lackeys.
The central argument between Malik and Jamie for this week’s episode, about whether or not ghosts deserve to be considered people, was not lost on me. Especially when you remember the fact that Michael Turrentine played Wes, our Uber-Ghost in Unwell, a Midwestern Gothic Mystery, so OF COURSE Malik was the one who felt that ghosts deserved personhood. Unrelated… but related, I happen to know just who will be writing the next batch of episodes for this show, and y’all? You’re going to be really fucking excited once that information is officially announced.
I had two releases to listen to for this show the other day, between last week’s minisode and this week’s full length. And between the two of them? This show just keeps getting better and better. The way in which the citizens of Red Camp, who happen to have come from the Ghost House, are able to navigate the emotional lives of their body partners is magnificent. Also, the ways in which every single cast member was on fire in episode 6? Lauren Shippen’s Noa/Jade has an idea that will use her social media savvy to give the army a taste of its own medicine, Sean Williams’ Graham/Joshua is one step closer to building a tool that will allow them to communicate with the prisoners still trapped inside the ship, and Nat Cassidy’s Travis/[REDACTED] is… well… you should find out what he’s up to all by yourself. It’s pulse-pounding stuff.
I am finally caught up to the second season of this show, and in perfect timing too, as it’ll be returning after a brief hiatus in just over a week. For a series with an often cold, scientific, and even keeled delivery, the horrors that were unveiled in these last two episodes have chilled me to my very bone. I know I’ve said it a bunch of times as I’ve covered this new batch, but the work that Karim Kronfli is doing here, especially now that we’re in conversation with his character in the present, maybe (probably, at least partially anyway) possessed by an alien invader? Truly transcendent stuff. Bravo to Chris Magilton and the whole team for leveling this show up in every single way. It deserves your attention.
BONUS SNACK
Everyone and their mother is talking about The Acolyte (and rightfully so, it fucking rules), but I’d like to shine a light back to the initiative that’s directly responsible for its current ascendance. I’ve been following along with The High Republic since it was first announced as Project Luminous, and what Tessa Gratton has done in this penultimate novel to tie together plots and characters from across books and comics by almost a dozen other authors at this point is truly unmatched. Star Wars has never been as exhilarating (to me at least), as when its been exploring these years of Jedi and Republic excess, combatted by Mad Max: Fury Road-esque villains, The Nihil. I CANNOT wait for Charles Soule’s The High Republic conclusion, Trials of the Jedi to release next year. At least in the meantime, I get to see a character as bad ass as Jedi Master Vernestra Rwoh on screen. If you’re looking to dive into these stories deeper now that you’ve seen the show, my pal Klaudia Amenábar has a great walkthrough covering all of the publications so far for The Beat!