Guys Of A Certain Age

What if The Guys went into space with a bald-headed billionaire?  What if Jim Shatner were really a spaceship captain? What if there was yet another Star Wars series or candy corn wasn’t everybody’s favorite Halloween candy?  

What if the hosts of this podcast weren’t actually Robbie, Art, and …. What’s his name? What if it’s just Art doing all the voices? This week’s episode asks a lot of “what if” questions and answers virtually none. But The Guys do wax eloquently about the Marvel What If series, talking voices, plot, cohesiveness, favorites…all the things

Even if the guys can’t agree how to pronounce Shang Chi, or remember how they said it seven minutes before, they agree on the quality of the movie.  At least they think Art will, also, as soon as he sees it.  It’s Marvel’s latest addition to the MCU, and The Guys give it Ten Rings. 

In the Geeks of the Week segment, Jay returns to the Wonder Years, Art gives an update on Spidey’s rights, and Robbie lets everybody know that they just missed the limited edition toy purchase of a lifetime.  

The Emmy Awards have happened, and it was a big night for the streaming services.  Historic, almost.  Much like all three Guys being in the same room to record this episode: historic.  Did the right shows, actors, directors, and off-screen-but-super-important technical folks win?  Listen and The Guys will tell you. 

Meanwhile, in Geek-Land, Jay has a big day, because he loves it when all the people come back.  Babylon Five has been found again, Robotech and Russell Davies return, and Willy Wonka is getting another weboot.  

Everybody likes toys, right?  Especially the geeks and nerds (and the Guys) that have shelves of superhero figurines (they’re not dolls), Star Wars ships, tricorders from the USS Enterprise, maybe even a vintage Stretch Armstrong.  Some are mint in the box, some were played with until the light sabers no longer projected from the arms.  (Of the toys, not the Guys…yet.)  

In this episode Art and Jay look at how far the figurine fascination has flown, beyond the usual suspects of Kenner and McFarlane, now to Jim Shore, Hallmark, and Precious Moments.  Is there a market for this new kind of figurine?  Is the niche being saturated?  Will the wives of the Guys be getting limited edition Precious Moments Batman figurines for Christmas this year?  

Robbie was on the road from the Windy City, but called in his Geek of the Week which probably had something to do with Dr. Who.  It’s a safe bet.  Listen while dusting your toy shelves.  

Jay is absent once again, citing irreconcilable differences (of work schedule), so Art and Robbie are finally able to get some mic time.

Robbie has a plethora of Geeks this week, including; a look at the Hawkeye trailer, Haley Atwell's giving up Captain Carter's shield for a certain Tomb Raider's backpack, an irreverent look at Batman and the Wayne family, and a version of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde with strong Dr. Who connections.

In the second segment, the Guys discuss series they're currently binge-watching. Some are new shows, some not quite so new, and one reaches way back to days when we weren't so hard to please. Hulu and HBO Max are this episode's winning streaming services, so see how the Guys' suggestions stack up.

This week The Guys are Art-less, but that doesn’t mean they didn’t get creative.  

Jay and Robbie stick to the music them of late, and discuss movies that are about music, but aren’t musicals.  Or music documentaries. Just good movies (most of them) that make you want to sing, play, cry, or all of the above.  And per the usual, Jay admitted he hadn't seen a “cult classic” - listen for the sound of crickets when Robbie throws out a reference - so his future appearances on this podcast are once again in jeopardy.  Thankfully, with Art gone, there is little to no singing in this episode.  

Geeks of the Week pay homage to a new holiday special coming soon to a  Bat-avision near you, an update on more movie timeline changes just announced, and perhaps some answers to why the ice cream machine is always broken at a certain fast food restaurant.  But they aren’t naming any Mc-Names.  

Don’t be afraid, dear listener of a certain age, but in this episode Art and Jay make a bold move: they pass on the spontaneous singing to Robbie.  It was quite a shock to all in the studio.  

Ok, he didn’t really sing, but it’s almost as bad. He actually watched a few episodes of AppleTv+’s streaming musical, Schmigadoon.  Turns out the “you may also enjoy” button that attempts to lure the viewing public into yet another binge ... is sometimes right.  The Guys (even Robbie) talk favorite songs, shout-outs to classic musicals, and the sheer joy it brought to two of them.  

And in Geek news this week, the food guy gets excited over a sweet announcement, Asimov returns to television (but not in a musical), and Captain America gets his wings.  Listen to this one and sing along.  

No doubt, listeners are hungry for part two of Robbie’s interview with Roland Mann.  

Mr. Mann takes the true believer through his Silverline journey with slight detours through fairy tales and classic American literature all they ay up to his latest Kickstarter.  And his inside connections on how to get a comic printed quickly.

Plus, Jay is (always) hungry and eager to eat in the newly opened Avengers Campus at Disney’s California Adventure.  Giant croutons, tiny sandwich buns, and perhaps a shawarma with the dude who looks strangely like Tony Stark? Art takes us to a Dark place, a place that used to be a movie and will soon become a television series.  

Robbie is considering travel as well, and is seeking a sponsor for The Guys’ 2022  live broadcast from the Star Wars Galactic Starcruiser at Walt Disney World.  Go ahead - sell some of those NFT’s you’re not using anymore and The Guys will give you a shout-out!  Elite level sponsors will have their names pronounced correctly.  

This week's episode is extra big and extra special because it features comic book writer/editor/publisher Roland Mann of Silverline comics. Roland talks about his career in the comic book industry that started in a grocery story somewhere in 1970's Mississippi and took him to Marvel comics.

Never fear True Believers because Geeks Of The Week is also in here!

Jay explains his Geek of the Week process, using a metaphor.  Then he tells a story of a Hot Wheels car - a story that’s only about ten years old, which for him is almost like a current event.  Art brings everybody up to speed on a Widow who’s now saying to Disney, “You’re dead to me,” yet still hoping for an inheritance.  But wait, is Robbie also reaching into the past for his GOW? All the way back to 1975?  Was he even out of diapers then? Rest assured, old or not, his discovery is Fantastic.  

[Robbie's note: The cool Fantastic Four radio plays from the early 70's can be heard at Archive.org. Much more fun than some weird Hot Wheels stuff.]