"Podcasts need three basic things in order to be content: they need to feel competent at what they do; they need to feel authentic in their lives; and they need to feel connected to others."
Alex, Jodi, and Laurie discuss Lodi's first Community-Wide Read of Sebastian Junger's book Tribe: On Homecoming and Belonging. They reflect on the panel event in July, what went well and what might be done differently, and where things could go next.
Alex, Emily, and John discuss Christopher Nolan's 2023 movie Oppenheimer. They also discuss Taylor Swift's cultural omnipresence, Emily's ranking of the Jurassic Park franchise movies, the idea of "You Must Watch This..." as a future podcast theme, and the genre of science fiction.
Andrea and Emily discuss two albums of alternate rock band Death Cab for Cutie: Transatlanticism (2003) and Asphalt Meadows (2023). An episode 6 months in the making, they talk about these albums that are separated in time by 20 years but are connected by many themes. Topics include: our punk roots, the pandemic, the Beatles, glove compartments, and more!
Intro music: Bossa In My Heart by SergeQuadrado. Outro music: Life of a Wandering Wizard by SergeQuadrado.
Alex and Emily discuss two of the big movies released in 2023: The Killer (David Fincher) and Killers of the Flower Moon (Martin Scorsese). They start the conversation with a short discussion of the band The Killers, and Alex gives a top 5 of songs with the word "Killer" in the title.
Music discussion at the start
"The Killer" discussion starts @ 11:00
"Killers of the Flower Moon" discussion starts @ 37:00
Vince Breunig and Bryan Bilse stop by the library to talk about the Lodi Pride Campaign, which aims to create a sense of unity around the wonderful things happening at the school and in the broader Lodi community. The theme this year is "Guardians of Lodi Pride" and it is the 10th anniversary of the pride campaign.
Vince Breunig is the District Administrator of Lodi and Bryan Bilse is the Project Coordinator with Lodi Community Action Team (LCAT).
Videos of past pride campaigns can be found on the school district Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/LodiSchoolsWI
Alex, Andrea, Emily, and John share the meaningful songs of their lives in five year increments until the present day.
Andrea and Emily discuss The Super Mario Bros Movie (2023)! Does it live up to the hype? Is it better than the 1993 live-action Super Mario Bros.? Find out as they touch on topics of voice acting, story structure, adaptation, plumbing, and more.
Intro music: Bossa In My Heart by SergeQuadrado. Outro music: Life of a Wandering Wizard by SergeQuadrado.
Alex, Emily, and John discuss Iain Reid's psychological thriller I'M THINKING OF ENDING THINGS (2016).
What did you think the book was about when you first saw the title? Is the book funny? Is it frightening? What was your reaction to the end of the story? Are dramatic twists just storytelling gimmicks or do they add complexity to a story?
In addition to the book, Alex, Emily, and John chat about the Id, the Ego, and the Superego, as well as the ways that isolation impacts modern life.
"Monday, I'm all high
Get me out of FLA
In school, yeah
I fooled ya
Now I know I made a podcast"
Alex and John create individual playlists for Wilco's 1996 alt-country double album "Being There," discussing country music, Uncle Tupelo, unease with Tweedy's lyrics, and more!
Alex, Emily, and John discuss George Orwell's landmark fable ANIMAL FARM (1945).
Is the satirical allegorical novella funny? Does it secretly loathe the animals on the farm? What truth does it capture about life inside a totalitarian system?
In addition to the fable, Alex, Emily, and John chat about Louis Menand's character study essay about George Orwell that appeared in the New Yorker in 2003, entitled "Honest, Decent, Wrong." The last third of the pod touches on the negative influence of smart phones, digital photography vs. film photography, and Charlie Chaplin.
Not to be confused with Disney's Pinocchio (2022)! In this episode, Emily and Andrea discuss Guillermo del Toro's stop-motion masterpiece - a strong contender for Best Animated Film. You haven't seen Pinocchio quite like this, in a tale about free will, family, life, death, and hot chocolate.
Recommendations:
Uzumaki/Spiral into Horror by Junji Ito
Tomie by Junji Ito
Gyo/Fish by Junji Ito
No Longer Human by Junji Ito
Convenience Store Woman by Sakaya Murata
Metropolis (1927)
Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery (2022)
Intro music: Bossa In My Heart by SergeQuadrado. Outro music: Life of a Wandering Wizard by SergeQuadrado.
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