This week, as the staff creates the episode from their apartments and houses, with our host in quarantine, in this moment when everyone’s reaching out to the people they love, we put together a collection of family stories, with some timely stuff at the top.
This is the Tranquillusionist, in which I, Helen Zaltzman, for the purposes of quelling anxiety and stress and sleeplessness, read the lyrics to ‘Imagine’ by John Lennon, with the words arranged in reverse alphabetical order. This episode resides at theallusionist.org/nmiigea; you can find all the Allusionist episodes, including other Tranquillusionists, at theallusionist.org. The original music is by Martin Austwick, using the cords of ‘Imagine’ but in alphabetical order. Hear his songs at palebirdmusic.com or on Spotify, and he’s @martinaustwick on Twitter and Instagram. The Allusionist is a proud member of Radiotopia from PRX, a collective of the finest independent podcasts. Listen to them all for free on your podding app or at radiotopia.fm. The Allusionist’s online home is theallusionist.org. Stay in touch at twitter.com/allusionistshow, facebook.com/allusionistshow and instagram.com/allusionistshow. Hope you are safe and well in body and mind.
Please read… bear with us on this one — this was originally intended to be our Maximum Fun Drive episode, before the world exploded. So it may seem a little choppy in places, where we chopped out some fairly extensive MFD talk* (also there’s some minor equipment/audio interference toward the end — sorry). Thank you to our intrepid editor Jordan Kauwling for going above and beyond. Anyway, even though this would normally not be a full episode week, we thought we’d post it now anyway, to help keep folks’ spirits up, and if you’re wondering why we don’t even mention the GIANT GLOBAL PANDEMIC, it’s because we taped it before shit got real. Anyway… OH WHAT AN EPISODE. We’re joined by screenwriter and Switchblade Sisters host, April Wolfe, to discuss Wolverine himself, Glenn Danzig’s directorial debut, Verotika — an anthology of “sexy” (?) horror tales. And this time we even managed to give April a working microphone! Brief content warning: because this is an “erotic” horror movie by Danzig, there are some references to violence against women. Honestly, the movie is so incompetent that the awful stuff mostly seems ridiculous in context, but if any reference to that is upsetting, be aware (the episode keeps it to a minimum). * As Jesse notes at the top of the show, the MFD has been postponed indefinitely due to the COVID-19 pandemic, although members should have gotten information to access the bonus content for this year, including The Flop House’s “lost” episode on the movie Life (the Jake Gyllenhaal one, not the Eddie Murphy one), and a Judge John Hodgman where the learned judge adjudicates whether Elliott can drag Dan’s Twitter jokes. If you still want to become a member, you can go to maximumfun.org/join and become a sponsoring member of the community at any time — during this pandemic we want to take care of yourselves first and foremost, (and probably second and third too). Then if you have anything extra, donate to disaster relief. But if you’re fortunate enough to have EXTRA extra, memberships do help keep Max Fun staffers and podcasters salaried, at this time when everyone is struggling, and help keep the network afloat. Enough jabber! We love you all! Please stay safe and healthy, and we’re honored to be there with you while we all struggle through this, if only in your headphones. — Verotika has no Wiki page. Movies recommended in this episode: The Lawnmower Man The Lodge First Cow The Farewell
This week on The Best of Car Talk, after driving in Massachusetts for the first time, Addie is baffled by the concept of the rotary. Happily, Tom and Ray can explain its true purpose. Elsewhere, is “Backseat Driver Syndrome” incurable? Lani got used to yelling at her husband when he was a stinko driver, but now that he’s doing better behind the wheel, she’s still nagging from the passenger seat. Also, Christine is wondering if she needs to give up knitting in the passenger seat, lest a deploying airbag turn her needles into projectiles; Jem needs to clean a stuck valve, but the gunk may be the only thing holding his engine together; and even after three alignments, Russ still thinks his car may be headed for a ditch. All this and more, this week on The Best of Car Talk.
Viruses are big jerks that invade regular cells and hold them hostage, making you sick while they’re doing it. Learn everything you ever needed to know about viruses, including how the common cold works, in this classic episode. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisers
Slate Plus members get ad-free podcasts and bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Dear Prudence. Sign up now to listen and support our work.On the Gist, Trump thinks Peter Alexander is a bad journalist.In the interview, Mike talks with MSNBC analyst and Daily Beast columnist Jonathan Alter about how Trump could position himself as a two-term president. They discuss how a leader in crisis should be conducting himself, examples of great leaders in moments of crisis, and how the economy’s nose-dive will impact the 2020 elections.In the spiel, doctors who aren’t concerned yet. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices