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- Bobby's Snacks Vol. 11: It's (Still) Godzilla's World, We're (Still) Just Living In It
Bobby's Snacks Vol. 11: It's (Still) Godzilla's World, We're (Still) Just Living In It
Bob Raymonda
March 31, 2024
Happy #AudioDramaSunday Pals!
Today is Easter, which is somehow big in my family even though nobody really cares about the Zombie Jesus of it all. There’s just something about plastic eggs full of candy and a giant glazed ham that makes them go nuts. I’ve never been much one for holidays in general, but this one is usually the least stressful for me. I get to pop on my favorite color (purple) and spend some time with people I love. There’s a whole game where my in-laws pair up and throw raw eggs at each other with spoons to catch, with each round winnowing down as the shells shatter and yolks fly, until one final pair gets to take home bragging rights. For not smashing their egg. Or something. It’s a sight to see.
The last time we chatted, I was gearing up for my band Ghost Tour’s first show as a full band, and wow: it was the best night I could have asked for. Honestly? Playing a headlining slot on a Sunday night in Manhattan was the last thing I wanted to ask anyone in my life to come out and support, and yet? There were at least 80 people that came in and out of Arlene’s Grocery that night. I got to wear my new Wildfang jumpsuit (shoutout to Julia Schifini of Primordial Deep and Spirits for the recommendation), and flail around like a dope while playing four cord songs along with some great friends. It was truly a tremendous joy, and one that I cannot wait to replicate whenever we play the next one! Got some fantastic shots of the night from our friend Arthur Wernham:
For the rest of this week, I’ve been wildly productive on both the listening and creating front. I’ve dialogue edited six podcast episodes ranging from little 4-minute-minis to full lengths that clock in at the half-hour mark, marathon-wrote a brand new script to submit to Jeremy Ellet’s new show, Someone Just Like You (deadline to contribute is today!!), and even had a Forgive Me! recording session for our upcoming Arbor Day Special starring one of Sam’s friends and co-workers, Mary Benjamin:
All in all, it’s been a fantastic week, so how about we get right to it?
Hot dog, this show has been incredible from the jump, but I did NOT expect what was waiting for me on the other side of episode 6: The Sheep & The Goats. We’re introduced to Odysseus and Ariadne, wandering the seas in search of dry land and rations, but they understand the myth that they’re a part of and they’re fighting against having to confront the Cyclops with every fiber of their beings. It’s such an interesting idea, having myths and stories come to life in a world where they’ve been otherwise understood to be just that. It gives our characters something to simultaneously strive towards and also yearn to escape. Beautiful stuff.
The annual Maximum Fun Drive meant that we got not one but two episodes of this show this month, and gosh, what a treat. This week, we returned to the competitive world of the Beef Call-in series of game shows, and all I can say is thank god I’ve never had to compete. The prizes are so wildly specific and the rules are… unclear, to say the absolute least. In all seriousness though, this show continues to be an absolute gift every time it rolls around and I genuinely wish that I could go back to the beginning and hear it all for the first time again.
It’s been another solitary week for Whiskey, after realizing that Harry was not where she expected her to be. That gave us more time to dive deep into the metaphysical questions behind where the are, how they got there, and why she’s so bone-chillingly alone in this situation. It’s melancholy, for sure, especially after the few times in which she was given reason to hope for some real answers. Hopefully next week brings more clarity.
The kid gloves are coming off in the world of the Highest Light as Kozma Lazlo squares off against Moc Weepe. We find out a bit of a bombshell twist during a delicious villain monologue vis a vis, the cause behind season two’s collapsing moon incident, and yet the town’s newest Valorous Individual is less than phased by this. It’s always nice to see two of your most hated individuals in any series go toe to toe with each other, especially when their interests decidedly do not align. I’m gonna be honest with y’all, I’m pretty bummed that this is the last season of this show… but I hope their partnership with Critical Role will mean that we’ll see more of this weird and wacky world yet, in some form or another.
Chapter Two: Between Two Harbors follows the kids through their first night of the Zombie Apocalypse and into the light of day. They’ve certainly got their adventure scout skills in tact, but will that be enough for them to make it off the island alive? And what will be on the other side, if they even get there? Tensions arise as rival counselors from the boys’ and girls’ side of the camp butt heads over who should really be in charge, and they come across an injured hiker who helps clarify the grim reality of their situation. Such a fun new adventure in this world that’s meant so much to me for so long.
We’re already to the penultimate episode of Gideon Media’s newest series, and what a place to be? Mikey’s true motivations are unveiled and Lem finally confronts the A.I. about what he discovered in the last episode, and hoof are tensions high. Back home, Lem’s sister and husband bond over a silent message and their own hopes and fears about their chances of every reconnecting with their shared loved one again. Very excited for all of you to experience the finale next week!
It hasn’t really sunk in for me yet how lucky we are, right now, to be able to listen to season 3 of this wonderful show at the exact same time many of us are working our way through the first novelized Archibald Fleet and Clara Entwhistle story, High Vaultage. Unlike many fans out there, I didn’t become a fan of this show until quite recently, so I haven’t had to go a long stretch of time without these two goobers and their hilarious antics in my life… and as I draw nearer to the upcoming end of both the book and podcast, I know that I’m going to be seriously bummed once I’ve run out.
Texas Death Race pulled off something in audio that I’ve been dreaming of for years now by sending us into a high stakes race with gusto. This show has always excelled at showing us new and inventive corners of the apocalypse to discover, but I’ve always believed fiction podcasting is a perfect medium for this kind of storytelling and it makes me want to immediately dust off my old sci-fi racing pilot and consider bringing it back to life. Kudos to Damian and the entire team over at Red Fathom for this one, because it truly ruled.
BONUS SNACK!
Look, I understand franchise burnout. I really, really do. And I also understand why a lot of folks will scoff at this one like, after witnessing the absolute utter Oscar-winning brilliance of Godzilla Minus One, why even bother? There’s no chance in hell the fifth entry into the Monsterverse could ever hold a candle to something that emotionally deep and resonant… but I want to post something to you: who cares? Sometimes all I need is to go sit in a big room with a bunch of strangers and watch gigantic kaiju punch the absolute snot out of each other. And for me? That’s more than enough.
Besides, Dan Stevens is living his best life as a titan veterinarian in this movie (no I’m not kidding, there’s an extended sequence where they give King Kong a fake tooth), and Brian Tyree Henry continues to kill it like he did in the last movie. Rebecca Hall was unfortunately saddled with the majority of the exposition here… but still did a great job with what she had. Honestly? It’s a terrible movie, and I had an absolute blast. Sometimes for me, that’s more than I’d ever expect or even ask for.