ORIGIN STORIES: “Penguins, parodies and politics I didn’t get.” After months of TV, film and more TV, Bob and Tim are finally taking the time to read something. And that something is BLOOM COUNTY, the classic comic strip dissection of the 80s at large. So find out who read it daily, who got it in book form and whose life was forever altered by its creative influence. And probably a crude joke or two.
00:00:00 - PRE-SHOW PRATTLE - Band width and bad grain
00:00:52 - EMPOWERED OPENER - still inspired by a prior theme / “The Secret Of My Success”
00:02:35 - WIKI TWEAKS - Mis-pronouncements and billboard placements
00:09:06 - CLASSIC OF WESTERN LITERATURE - getting their daily dose of Bloom County
00:14:00 - ANCIENT BOOKSTORES AND THEIR TOONS FOR OUR TIMES - excavating book shelves
00:21:51 - FUNNY ANIMALS AND A CLOSET OF ANXIETY - roll call of characters and Tim relates to Binkley.
00:30:14 - ITS EASIER TO PRONOUNCE TRUDEAU - How this isn’t Doonesbury
00:32:31 - RELATIVE IMMEDIACY OF AN EVOLVING EPIC - character arcs and storylines on a day-to-day basis
00:39:14 - SNOT-NOSED SATIRE IN THE AGE OF HYPOCRISY - making fun of your immediate surroundings
00:43:46 - CANNING DREAMS AND STRANGER THINGS - how all this got Bob into cartooning
00:49:48 - POLITICAL CLIMATE CHANGE - coping with Trump one panel at a time
00:58:23 - HAPPY TRAILS … ‘TILL WE COME RIGHT BACK - ending with the end of the 80s before continuing on
01:03:48 - CLOSINGS - Contacts, plugs and no catchphrases / “Take On Me”
Read a 2009 VICE magazine interview with creator Berkley Breathed HERE.
Watch a 2016 interview with this (still) same author on the DIANE REHM SHOW, discussing his decision to return to Bloom County HERE.
And (finally) hear the author pronounce his own name and more for about half an hour at the 2016 New York Comic-con HERE.
The use of audio and video clips linked from YOUTUBE are for educational purposes and without the expressed permission of their legal holding companies. All rights remain with with their original distributor.
This episode of 20TH CENTURY POPCAST was recorded by ZENCASTR, a high fidelity podcast recording platform that records multiple guests from multiple zip-codes all as if they were in the same room. Log on for studio quality recordings NOW! (exclamation point also provided by ZENCASTR)
MUSIC FEATURED IN TODAY’S EPISODE:
“The Secret Of My Success” performed by Night Ranger from the 1987 original motion picture soundtrack “SECRET OF MY SUCCESS”.
“Take On Me” performed by A-Ha from their 1985 album “Hunting High And Low” and your first IPOD.
The use of these songs are for entertainment purposes and without the expressed permission of the recording artist
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20TH CENTURY POPCAST! will return next week with RETRO SHOCK.