Needless Things

Dragon Con is over and I may only have one podcast to show for it! Due to many different factors – one of which was me neglecting to turn on my digital recorder – I only recorded one panel. But that's okay because it was a great one! I felt very fortunate to once again be at the table with the wonderful and talented William Stout, this time for a discussion of Conan the Destroyer. Listen in as Tegan and Gary from RevCast and I talk with Mr. Stout about his work on all of the Conan-centric films! “Procrastibate” by LeSexoflex.com “Conan the Barbarian Theme” by Basil Poledouris

Have you ever wondered what it would be like to be part of a conversation with the DCW Hooligans? Today’s Needless Things Podcast is your opportunity to find out! Of course, none of that may mean anything to you. If you’re not a regular visitor to NeedlessThingsSite.com then you probably don’t know what the heck a DCW Hooligan is. The DCW Hooligans are a group of people that attend Dragon Con Wrestling (DCW) every year. We started off as a tight-knit group of probably ten friends, but as of this year we have forty-five members. Last year we got our own section. We fucking love DCW. We have shirts made, we make signs, and we are the loudest and most ridiculous people there. That’s saying something, because the audience at a DCW event is the loudest and most ridiculous audience you’ll ever see or be a part of. That’s because DCW itself is the very best and most insane wrestling event of the year. Today I sit down with Beth V, Ryan, Jay, and Noel to discuss Dragon Con in general and DCW specifically. But bef

this episode I welcome Mr. Beau Brown back to the Podcast, this time not as my co-host, but as a guest! He’s here in his role as Director of the Dragon Con Puppetry Track. You’ve heard Beau talk about his passion for Masters of the Universe, but today we turn the spotlight on the true great love of his life – puppetry. Join us and our guests Stacey Gordon and Madison J. Cripps as we discuss the National Puppet Slam coming to Dragon Con, as well as the specifics of the Puppetry Track. We also learn about Stacey and Madison’s backgrounds in puppetry and the roles they will be playing at Dragon Con this year. So listen in as we talk puppets, scheduling, busking, and – yes – just a bit of Masters of the Universe. Because Beau is still Beau. And thanks goodness for that. “Procrastibate” by LeSexoflex.com “The Young New Mexican Puppeteer” by Tom Jones

It’s no secret that I adore Gary Mitchel and Joe Crowe – the men behind Dragon Con’s American Sci-Fi Classics Track. A large part of that adoration is the fact that they so wholly embrace the way that I present myself and my opinions on pop culture. I’m not above letting my ego influence my likes. Or anything else, for that matter. My respect for these two guys goes far deeper than that. Sure – it’s great that they like me. But what they do at Dragon Con every year is nothing short of a miracle. Joe and Gary take a bunch of wildly varying, disparate franchises and turn them into an ongoing experience that brings all kinds of very different people together as one. And they manage to jam so much into the weekend. I’ll be honest – before I saw any American Sci-Fi Classics panels I was very dismissive of fan panels. To a certain extent I still am. But this track finds the best selection of presenters. Everybody that’s part of the track has a ton of personality and passion. I have yet to see a panel that was a

Time to get these Dragon Con episodes underway, Phantomaniacs! Last year Beau and I talked to DJ Spider about cosplay and conventions. She was so delightful we knew we wanted to have her back this year. I’ve been wanting to have Sean Patton of SMP Designs on since the first time I spoke to him. He’s the guy that sparked my desire to learn more about cosplay and feature it like I did during last year’s Dragon Con coverage. This year we managed to schedule some time before Con to talk. Join me and Beau as we chat with Spider and Sean about cosplay and Dragon Con in the first Needless Things Dragon Con episode of 2014! Plus, find out more about what Needless Things will be doing at Con. “Procrastibate” by LeSexoflex.com “Lame Claim to Fame” by Weird Al Yankovic

It is time once again for the Knights of Needless Things to assemble and discuss the goings-on at the biggest media event on the planet – San Diego Comic Con! Sadly Reverend Dan Wilson and The Oncoming Josh were unable to join us due to calamitous acts of one form or another. But we sallied forth with Phantom Troublemaker, our lovely co-host Mr. Beau Brown, the Belligerent Monkey, and Sir Ryan of House Schweck. In this roundtable discussion we cover the SDCC reveals from our favorite toy lines – Star Wars, TMNT, DC Collectibles, Marvel Legends, Masters of the Universe Classics, and many more! This one went a little long and we still weren’t able to cover everything. But we did get in a bit of movie and television talk. Tune in now and see what the Needless Things Irregulars had to say about the Comic Con toy scene. “Procrastibate” by LeSexoflex.com “The Toys Go Winding Down” by Primus

You guys – it rained on us again while we were driving to Charlotte for Heroes Con. That makes three years in a row. This year’s deluge wasn’t the sort of violent meteorological upheaval that the prior years had provided, but we did encounter some very heavy rain and lightning. Thankfully it was brief and did not impede our travel to the only proper comic book convention that I attend. If you don’t know, Heroes Con is a specifically comic book-oriented, family-friendly convention. The guests are comic book creators and independent artists. You will not find actors, athletes, or other types of personalities at the guest tables. You also won’t find adult-themed prints and media littering the floor for kids to see. The folks that run the con are very serious about maintaining an all-ages atmosphere. That’s why my family makes a point of going every year. This year I only managed to get interviews with three creators before the con floor got too busy to allow for it. In this episode I chatted with Jor

Everything really is awesome. Today's Needless Things Podcast continues my special LEGO coverage that is leading up to this weekend's LEGO KidsFest at the Cobb Galleria Centre. I had the opportunity to talk to somebody that I consider to be a true superhero of the toy industry – LEGO Master Builder Chris Steninger. Chris has been a Master Builder for five years now and has worked for the LEGO company for seven. If you don;t know, the Master Builders are the guys that design and build the large-scale LEGO displays you see in malls, amusement parks, and various exhibitions around the world. And there are only seven of them. I talk to Chris about his career, his love of LEGO, and the various aspects of the modern and classic LEGO toy line. It's a very interesting conversation about one of the most legendary and high-quality toy lines ever! When you're done listening, be sure to check out the LEGO Kids Fest website and see what's going to be going on this weekend. “Procrastibate” by LeSexof

Join Phantom Troublemaker and Mr. Beau Brown as we talk with Tim Clarke!   Tim worked with Kermit Love and for Jim Henson as a puppet builder and designer on Sesame Street and The Muppet Show. He worked on The Dark Crystal and Fraggle Rock, and is the man that built Uncle Traveling Matt. Tim also had a huge hand in the toy industry in the 80s, as he was the creator of both the Sectaurs and Boglins toy lines – two of the most original and notable lines of an amazing era of toys. In this episode Tim regales us with stories of puppet and toy design and fills us in on what he’s up to now – still designing truly unique creations and even re-launching the Boglins! Listen now and enjoy! After you finish the episode, you MUST go and check out Tim's Instagram feed TIMCLARKETOYS. It features his work on all of his projects, including prototypes and the design process. You can also find pictures of his unbelievable TOTIMS line. These are some of the coolest looking designer toys I've seen. If I weren't su

If you listened to last week’s (LAST WEEK!) Episode 23 of the Needless Things Podcast, then you know that we had a great time talking about the history of the Godzilla franchise. We barely scratched the surface, though, so there will be a sequel episode later this year. After we finished recording I was so excited by talking to Gary, Johnny, and Scott that I asked if they would be interested in getting back together after we had all seen the new movie. Everybody was in -  Shoot the Moon Comics’ Scott Stripling, The RevCast’s Gary Mitchel, and pro wrestler and Godzillaologist Johnny Danger.  I saw it at the IMAX in 3D Friday night with the family and the movie blew me away. There were some minor issues, but overall I was just amazed at what Godzilla accomplished. I couldn’t wait to talk to the guys about it. We got online Sunday night – a mere week after recording Episode 23 – and had a great conversation about the movie.   ***CAUTION: There will be SPOILERS!***     “Procrastibate” by LeSexoflex.com    

I am not a Godzilla fanatic.   I do love Godzilla as a monster. I am awed by his place in cinematic history. I think he is one of the best monster designs ever, in movies or otherwise. And he has certainly been mimicked and paid tribute to more than any other modern monster. He also has the best rogues gallery of anybody, ever.   I can’t tell you which Godzilla movie I saw first or when I saw it, but I do know that the King of Monsters has been a part of my consciousness since I was very small. I know this because he is still a monster to me. As much as I love 60s Godzilla and his victory dance, there’s a part of me that is still terrified of Godzilla. And that fear must have been put there when I was young.   I think that the fear will be back this Friday, because the new Godzilla movie looks like it gets back to the roots of the 1954 original. It’s because of that impending release that I wanted to gather some folks and talk about the Big G. I am fascinated by the history of the monster, but hardly an expe

I’ve known James T. Warbington for about two decades now and I find myself hard-pressed to describe him. He’s a punk rocker, an entrepreneur, a musician, a director, a redneck, an arranger of things, a wrestlemaniac, a mentor, and one of the most unselfish people I’ve ever met. And he writes like a loud insane person. James was the first subject of one of my 13 Questions posts and I still feel like it’s the best one. He took full advantage of the format to express himself and talk about his movie, The Black Earth. Ever since that Q&A I’ve wanted to do an actual interview because I thought it would be fascinating and hilarious. Much to my surprise James does not interview like he writes. He’s thoughtful and almost quiet, in a way. We had a great conversation about wrestling, life, and his new movie, The Gorda; which starts shooting in July. About halfway through the interview wrestler and comedian Matt “Sex” Sells and his lovely wife, Jen, drop in to join us in discussing this new Western that James is

Yes, the picture is correct - this is Episode 19 of the Podcast. We recorded it back in January, but for various reasons I have not been able to publish it until now. This makes the image for the Stephen Platinum episode incorrect, but the numbering is right on everything now. 2013 was a huge year for Masters of the Universe and now it's time for me and Mr. Beau Brown to finally get together and talk about it. Or time for me to post our talk about it anyway. We actually recorded this back in January, but I haven't been able to put it up until now because of the restrictions I had on my hosting. Thanks to you Phantomaniacs I have finally been able to upgrade and I can do more podcasting than ever before. We'll see how that goes. I have lots of big plans for the future. As for Masters of the Universe, 2013 was pretty unbelievable. Not only did we get the long-awaited and often thought impossible Castle Grayskull, we also got the Filmation subscription. This was a big surprise - not so much t

In which Phantom Troublemaker discusses matters of health, finance, and rocking the mic.   Seriously, though - I just wanted to have a nice little fireside chat with all of you Phantomaniacs and let you in on what's happening. We hit our goal, the podcast will go on to be bigger and better.  But there are other things afoot, as well. Give it a listen and leave your feedback here, on Facebook, or send it in to the e-mail on the right side of your screen. The one under the PayPal Donation button.   Ahem.   Anyway, give it a listen. I talk about stuff and then at the end share a very perosnal, special treat with you guys. Enjoy.   "Procrastibate" by LeSexoflex.com "Proceed" by TheRoots.com

This past Sunday I got online with Mr. Beau Brown (SciFiJanitors.com), Ryan Schweck (Evil), Jay Hornsby (The Belligerent Monkey), Josh Wilson (The Oncoming Storm), and Reverend Dan Wilson (Poddy Humor) to discuss the recent New York International Toy Fair. Check it out:

I am absolutely delighted to be bringing you an interview with the most brilliant professional wrestling mind I have ever had the pleasure of meeting, Stephen Platinum. But he’s more than just a booker, he’s also a pop culture aficionado, which plays into his booking style in more ways than you could imagine. We talk about Steve’s life, career in wrestling, and Dexter. His tour of Full Moon Studios comes up – something I’ve always wanted to ask him about – and of course we spend some time on the genesis of PCW (if you want that whole story you need to watch the excellent documentary, The Booker). The Booker -Trailer- from Mike Perkins on Vimeo. I had great fun talking to this man and I think you guys are really going to dig this one. It was hard to wrap up at the end; I think we probably could have talked TV and movies and horror all night. Enjoy! “Procrastibate” by LeSexoflex.com “The Wizard” by Black Sabbath -Phantom

I couldn’t be more excited and quite frankly impressed with myself as far as how this year is shaping up so far. I am pretty awesome. Just let me have this moment. I have three podcast episodes in the can already and two more on the schedule. Three of these episodes are interviews that to me are Big Deals – dany only, today’s with Adam WarRock, and another one that you’re just going to have to wait a week or so to find out about. I’m almost wishing I had more monthly space on Podbean, but that’s not going to happen because that takes even more money. On a related note, if you like what you hear, ypu can donate by clicking that PayPal button to your right! I give my whole Adam WarRock story in the show, so I’m not going to repeat it here. The deal is that his Doctor Who Mixtape dropped on January 7th and once I listened to it I was dying to talk to this guy. I didn’t know what format it would be – ideally we’d do an hour long Needless Things and record a ten minute drop-in about The Doctor Mixtape for Earth

Hey Phantomaniacs – it’s an all-new year and I’m proud to be kicking it off with an interview I’ve been waiting over a year for. My goal is to bring you no less than twenty-four new episodes over the next twelve months, and I have a lot of cool stuff planned. If you don’t know, dany only (yes, that’s correct – no caps) is a professional wrestler that’s been working the Southeast for over a decade now. He’s a three time APW Tag Team Champion, a former GCW Tag Team Champion, and held the NWA Anarchy Tag Team titles with his partner, Stryknyn, for 77 days. All he ever wanted to do was wrestle, and he does it as much as he can. Over the years he’s developed a strong philosophy about the business and the people in it, and he’s not afraid to voice that philosophy loudly and often. Sometimes to the chagrin of others. More recently The Human Hand Grenade has taken up the flag of the patriot, pointing out fallacies in American culture and society; particularly the media. His recent time in Afghanistan opened only’s ey

Time to put together all of the stuff that I didn’t know what to do with and stick it in a podcast! I had two episodes that didn’t work out right at the end of the year, so I need to use up that storage space I’m paying for (feel free to chip in through the PayPal widget on the right side of your screen!). I have two recordings from Walker Stalker Con that never made it onto Needless Things. The first is an interview with Zack Galligan that was too short (not entirely his fault) and the second is a roundtable interview with Andrew Lincoln that I didn’t put up because there were nine other people involved and I figured they’d all put it up in bigger media outlets than I had access to. But now I feel kind of bad about not posting it (or about reviewing the Con, which was actually pretty great) so here it is. Finally, Beau and I did an audio review of the Masters of the Universe Jet Sled. It went on too long and I didn’t think it would make a very good episode by itself, but after going back and giving it a l

Join me, Phantom Troublemaker, and my co-host Mr. Beau Brown as we talk Doctor Who with our guests Beth Van Dusen and Dana Swanson. We discuss our first experiences with Doctor Who, how we've followed throughout the years, our reactions to the relaunch in 2005, and our hopes for the post-50th Anniversary era. It was a great talk with a cool bunch of people. If you've got a few bucks to throw at the podcast, please click on that link to your right. This stuff ain't cheap, and it isn't getting any cheaper. “Procrastibate” by LeSexoflex.com “Doctorin' the TARDIS” by The Timelords -Phantom