Needless Things

Needless Things Podcast Episode 28: San Diego Comic Con 2014

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

Needless Things Podcast Episode 27: Heroes Con 2014

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 JordanT. Neves, Brad McGinty, and Box Brown. I also sat down with the ESO Network’s “Howdy” Mike Gordon and Cousin Bill about the con itself.

Finally, I share a story about a terrifying, atrocious thing that happened to me over the Heroes Con weekend this year. This harrowing tale is not for the faint of heart or the weak of stomach. So sit back, grab yourself a bottle of Pepto, and enjoy some interviews and reminiscences from Heroes Con 2014!:

“Procrastibate” by LeSexoflex.com

Needless Things Podcast Episode 26: LEGO Master Builder Chris Steininger

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 LeSexoflex.com

“Everything is Awesome!!!” by Tegan and Sara feat. The Lonely Island

Needless Things Podcast Episode 25: Tim Clarke

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 such a cheap bastard I'd buy some.

Also be sure to check out the TOTIMS website, where you can find even more awesome imagry.

“Procrastibate” by LeSexoflex.com

 

Needless Things Podcast Episode 24: Godzilla 2014

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

 

 

 

 

Needless Things Podcast Episode 23: Godzilla

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 expert. Also, I figured it would be a cheap way to generate hits for the podcast – what better way to get ears than to put up something related to a huge new movie?

 

That’s enough out of me. I want to keep this brief because you really don’t need to waste time reading it. Instead, go ahead and listen to me, Shoot the Moon Comics’ Scott Stripling, The RevCast’s Gary Mitchel, and pro wrestler and Godzillaologist Johnny Danger for a discussion of the past, present, and future of the King of Monsters and what he means to all of us:

“Procrastibate” by LeSexoflex.com

 

“Godzilla” by Blue Oyster Cult

 

“Godzilla” by Racer X

 

“Godzilla Versus Mothra Theme” by Akira Ifukube

Needless Things Podcast Episode 21: The Gorda

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 writing, directing, and producing and that Sells has a feature role in.

We had a great time talking and I’m definitely looking forward to having these guys on again, but for now check out the new episode:

The Gorda on GoFundMe

Family Curse Films on Facebook

“Procrastibate” by LeSexoflex.com

“You Can't Kill Me” by Mojo Nixon

"Live Wire (Kick Ass '91 Remix) by Mötley Crüe

Needless Things Podcast Episode 19: Masters of the Universe Classics 2013 Year in Review

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.

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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 that they were doing Filmation figures, but that they dedicated an entire six figure subscription to it. Going in I really didn't know how many Filmation characters would be popular enough to warrant a six-figure sub, but in the end it turned out it wasn't about the characters' popularity,but the coolness and execution of the figures themselves

Beau and I had a great time talking about the 2013 line - as we always do with it when it comes to Masters of the Universe. I hope you guys have fun listening to us.

 

 

As his habit now I'll remind you that you can go to Needless Things on Storenvy and buy t-shirts, stickers, and prints to help support us. You can also donate via the PayPal button to the right side of the page.Finally, if you're in a band or have a website or anything like that I am offering advertising on the page. Twenty bucks gets you a big, square icon on the right side of the page for a year.

"Procrastibate" by LeSxoflex.com

"He-Man Closing Theme" by  Shuki Levy, Haim Saban, and Erika Lane (maybe)

 

Needless Things Podcast Episode 22: State of the Phantom Address

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

Needless Things Podcast Episode 20: 2014 New York International Toy Fair

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: