Guys Of A Certain Age

We all recognize the phenomenon whose not-so-secret identity is the Marvel Cinematic Universe.  And perhaps for others, all things DC Justice League.  Even non geeks have heard of them, folks with no nerd qualities at all have watched them, and those roles have become badges of honor (or at least rites of passage) for many actors who might once have feared type-casting.  

But those are just the most recent and perhaps more famous iterations of a long history of superhero cinema and television.  On this episode, The Guys take a brief look at the history leading up to the common era: the good, the bad, the ugly.  (No, those are not the off-mic nicknames of The Guys.)  

Meanwhile, in the Geeks of the Week segment, they talk past stars getting a reboot, including a Monkee, a Kryptonian, and an on call 80’s pop music duo.

This week The Guys take the show on the road, but that hum in the background is not wheels turning on the blacktop, it’s the freezer in the corner keeping gelato at the perfect temperature.  

What’s gelato, you ask?  Or at least, how is that fancy Italian word different from ice cream?  That question and many others you never thought of asking are answered in this episode, recorded live at our local gelato shop.  With summer approaching as rapidly as a mosquito diving for your neck, The Guys talk sweet treats: the frozen kind.  Ice cream v. gelato, shave ice v. snow cone (and all the other iterations of tiny bits of ice soaked in brightly colored sugar water), Blast v. Blizzard v. Concrete, even homemade ice cream v. storebought.  They talk definitions, choose favorites, and reminisce about ice cream trucks roaming the neighborhood.  

So grab the frozen delight of your choice, get yourself in an air conditioned room, and prepare to learn.  There will be a pop(sicle) quiz.  

Do you plan vacation meals around sightseeing, beach chillaxing, or mountain hiking?  Or do you work that stuff in around the meals?  Maybe you’re hardcore and choose your vacay destination based on what restaurants are available.  The Guys are not above this.  

Not long before recording, Robbie went to New Orleans and didn’t invite Jay and Art.  But he sent pix of the meals he was eating, which brought momentary delight to the eyes, followed by long-term envy via the taste buds.  In this week’s rambling… i.e., episode… The Guys talk favorite food destinations.  

Not our favorite local restaurant, but the cities across the country where they love to eat.  New Orleans was a unanimous choice, Chicago came into play, Charleston got a vote - they even talk about what some have declared to be the best fried chicken in Mississippi. (Hint, it’s not your mama’s, but if you want to send some of your mama’s to the studio for The Guys to taste test, DM us for the address.)  

Geeks of the Week focus on expansions of superhero roles, Lord of the Budget, and a new opportunity to fly Jay to one of these food destinations.  Time for a hungry geek road trip.  

It’s summer time and that means one thing: lightning bugs.  No, mosquitos.  Wait, surely it’s more positive than that.  Oh yeah, it’s time to get your grill on!  (While watching lightning bugs and swatting mosquitos, most likely.  We won’t talk about the fire ants.)  

In this fiery episode, Jay and Robbie talk about their favorite grilling techniques.  The discussion involves eggs, pork and coffee, but it’s not a breakfast chat.  What goes in the ideal rub, what’s the ideal vehicle for smoking vs grilling, and what will become of the brisket in the back of Jay’s truck?  All your questions are … asked… and some semblance of answers are given.  

Art joins them for another super-hero studded Geeks of the Week segment, including a new old Superman, a Marvel movie with more rings than the Olympics, and a Bautista manifesto.  Plus, the eerily regular RIP segment conjures up some bizarre imagery from kid shows gone by.  

The second of the major Marvel television series to debut on Disney Plus is over, and The Guys are in mourning. Whatever will they watch now?  Are there more streaming services out there to keep them busy? (That’s another episode or three: check the archives, good listeners.)  It’s a good thing Loki is not far behind.

Falcon and the Winter Soldier is complete after a brief six-episode season, and it ended in dramatic fashion, as expected.  In this episode, The Guys talk suits with stars, Madripoor tzars, and dudes behind bars.   Rich with character development, complicated backstories, and up-to-the-minute ponderings of social issues, F/WS is definitely a series worth watching.  And with Falcon’s new role as you-know-who (spoiler alert), a new Captain America movie has been announced.  

Meanwhile, in the actual universe, it’s Apple season, and there aren’t a lot of new varieties to pick.  And Jay is looking for a sponsor so he can afford an Autoking Mark 5 helmet in lieu of a mask.  

It’s been a rough few days for Robbie and his crew at the studio, as they dealt with everybody’s tech nightmare: ransomware.  They survived (as you can see), but it inspired The Guys to remember other technology disasters from the past.  

No, they’re not talking about Y2K.  These disasters were real.  Art is even more dedicated than ever to doing good backups,  and Jay has a firm life rule: no sweet iced tea within a five foot radius of his laptop.  And be sure to keep your eye on the family iguana.  

In the Geek of the Week segment, a certain bat-actor is confirmed for an upcoming movie, though he could easily be unconfirmed and reconfirmed before this episode drops.  Marvel fans have a holiday special to look forward to, and Netflix now has their own superhero team.  

In the RIP segment, Art shares the loss of a famous robot, an Ewok, and a short hairy dude, who are actually all the same person.  Be sure to back up all your Guys of a Certain Age episodes before your next tech disaster hits!

These days, if you’re looking for something to eat, you don’t have to go far.  But sometimes you do have to go, and maybe not-so-surprisingly, some of the best ready-to-eat hot food may be found in places that are required for “going” (unless you are Elon Musk).  

That would be gas stations, by the way. Perhaps even truck stops.  They don’t just sell fuel for your vehicle, anymore.  In fact, some may be more famous for their high octane fuel for the body.  And we’re not just talking about Buc-ee’s, because we don’t have one in Mississippi, yet - though that is certainly a good option if where you’re going sends you by one of those.  In The Guys’ neck of the woods, it might be the fried chicken and jo-jo potatoes (aka tater logs, or potato wedges for you fancy-talking folk) in the station across the street from the Guys of a Certain Age World Headquarters and State-of-the-Art Broadcast Studio.  

In this episode, the chatter in your earbuds is liable to tickle your tastebuds, as they talk about their favorite gas station food, what to look for if you really want the good stuff, and how to make a Koolickle.  Regional specials and a little history are also included, free of charge!

Hooray!  The Robbie and Art Guys let the Jay Guy come back to the studio!  Why?  Because you can’t have a superhero team without a sidekick.  (Or is it a side to kick?)

Anyway,  on this exciting episode, teams are actually the topic.  One might say, The Guys are the Team Titans.  With the Avengers and Justice League off the proverbial table - because they get plenty of press already - this time the focus is on other supe groups that deserve the attention of an award-winning podcast.  Or this one.  Do you watch the Watchmen?  Are the Teen Titans all grown up now?  What are the Defenders defending?  And The Boys - well, that one is not for boys.

The Guys are pumped for what they hope is coming down the pipeline (once the pipeline gets caught up): the X-Men as a bigger part of the MCU, and the fourth Fantastic Four film actually being fantastic.  If not, we at least know the Incredibles are indeed incredible and Zemo can dance.  

What would happen if the Axis powers had won World War II? Or if the Confederacy had won the Civil War? Or if there were only 2 Guys of a Certain Age on this podcast? These things and more are discussed as Robbie and Art look at Alternate History science fiction; stories that imagine how things would have developed if some moment in time had gone differently. 

The Geeks of the Week segment features new movies that are being made and old projects that are being abandoned, at least in our timeline. 

After months of chatter and anticipation, the Snyder Cut of DC’s Justice League movie finally debuted on HBO Max in all its glory, angst, and extended scenes.  Really extended scenes.  Not to worry, though - this podcast episode is a little shorter than the movie. The Guys talk differences between the Whedon and Snyder versions, easter eggs, and the secret life of Lois Lane.  

Meanwhile, in the Geek of the Week segment, Jay covers a Marvel nod to Star Wars, Art reports news from DC’s casting office, and Robbie shares a new audio series about You-Know-Dr-Who.  All the bases are covered.  There may not be any Justice League sequels, but this podcast will go on.  And on.  And on.