Guys Of A Certain Age

It’s the end of the year review, but with a twist.  Jay is subjected to a Geek Quiz to see if he cuts the mustard with his geek cred after multiple years of soaking in knowledge from Art and Robbie.  

Will he pass and enjoy a lunch from Robbie and an extension of his co-host contract?  Or is his future in jeopardy?  (Can a guy of a certain age even be expected to remember things?) Take the quiz yourself along the way to see how you rate as a long time listener (or a future listener!)  

Meanwhile, Jay and Robbie lead off with Geeks of the Week, including a new (and stranger) thing premiere/finale that Netflix is doing, an interesting update to Mad Men streaming, and a rumor about a Marvel actress making the leap to DC.  You heard it here next!

YouTubeTV and Disney have reached an understanding so the Guys no longer have to jump through hoops to watch sports, but what are they watching when their favorite teams aren't playing?

This week Robbie and Art give an update on what shows (or "content" as the cool kids call it) are currently taking up their time. Some of the offerings include a historical drama, a sci-fi offering and a spy family sequel, and a series on cabin life on YouTube. We also mention a favorite way to "Ring" in the holidays with a  couple of favorite movie franchises.

It’s beginning to sound a lot like Christmas.  And when, exactly, is it okay to start listening to Tiny Tim’s playlist of Tinsel Tunes?  

Robbie and Jay tackle the tough issue of timing: can you listen to Jingle Bells prior to Thanksgiving?  Or will Grandma get run over by a reindeer if you get ahead of the game?  Then, once it is allowable to listen, what style is preferred?  Jay promotes his subscription music service and Robbie runs through the seemingly endless list of Christmas music channels on SiriusXM.  

Art was out enjoying a potluck (did he get the better end of the deal?), but the remaining Guys had Geeks of the Week, of course.  Jay is grateful he got his personalized Funko Pop figure before the company goes out of business, and will probably have to rely on eBay to complete his collections.  R

obbie takes listeners through the trials and troubles of the Walking Dead lawsuits (can zombies sue?), and shares news of yet another potential streaming service takeover that could shake up the whole game.  Listen and sing along: this one is Holly Jolly.  

It’s here, it’s finally here!  That’s right, this episode marks the return of the JRSU, aka Jay’s Regrettable Segment Universe.  

With the completion a few months back of the sometimes mostly weekly-ish segment highlighting the characters in the Jon Morris book, The League of Regrettable Superheroes, listeners were left to wonder, “What will happen next?  Will Jay ever get to speak again?”  Well, wonder no more.  Robbie discovered that Mr. Morris was something of a prolific super-profiler with multiple books of similar ilk.  And he bought them all.  

Enough regrettable supervillains, sidekicks, and heroes to keep the JRSU alive and well until at least the 2030’s.  And for three Guys from the 1900’s, being that busy for that long will be a true accomplishment.  

Listen as they kick off the Legion of Regrettable Supervillains with a bit of history and a three-villain profile.  Four if you count the mute mummified ape…and we’re not talking about Jay.  

This episode is so full of podcast excellence it’s hard to put into words.  But there are a lot of words in the episode itself.  

Thanksgiving is coming, so there is talk of turkey and fun things to do with dressing on the day after.  There are multiple Geeks of the Week from all the Guys, including the most amazing (or terrible) Oreos ever to be invented and on the way to Jay’s house, a multitude of non-human and particularly Trekkie obituaries of a sort from Art, and advice from Robbie about even more shows he’s somehow watching despite having at least half a dozen jobs.  

After the break, they revisit the polite discussions YouTubeTV is having with Disney that are keeping The Guys from watching SEC football on what was their live TV streamer of choice.  Even that sentence had a lot of words.  

This episode is sure to send the listener to The Dreaming, but not for the usual reasons.  Art is out taking a nap, which is appropriate, as Jay and Robbie discuss Season 2 of The Sandman, Neil Gaiman’s Netflix exposition of his award-winning comic.  Sadly, Season 2 may be the final season.  The video version was faithful to the comics, the story was compelling, the visuals were fantastic, and the characters (as well as the actors who played them) were fascinating.  If ever a show went out on top, this is the one.  No sleeping here, but definitely dreaming that more seasons might show up later.  In this week’s Geeks, Jay takes us on a journey to Notting Hill for lunch and a stroll in a bookstore it would be hard for him to leave.  (It’s not a travel bookstore, by the way - he’s just a boy, standing in front of a cook, asking her to feed him.)  Robbie talks of exits: Dr. Who from Disney, Sheridan from Paramount, and Disney (along with hopes of watching college football on ESPN over the weekend) from YouTubeTV.  It’s a big show - don’t sleep through it.  

Wes Shelton, one of GOCA’s most frequent guests, is back… but is it even grilling season?  Well, it is if Wes is around.  He joins Robbie and Jay in the studio to talk about grilling for the holidays.  

Thanksgiving approaches, which means turkeys will be smoked, fried, roasted, and otherwise prepared for feasting, and much of that can (and should) be done outdoors on grills, eggs, etc.  Or perhaps a duck?  Maybe pheasants?  And even in Mississippi, it will eventually get cold outside.  How does that affect smokers working low and slow?  Wes has ideas, answers, tips, and more for the holiday outdoor cooking enthusiast.  

In this week’s Geeks, Robbie takes Art’s usual role in sharing a notable obituary for Barbara Gips, while Jay takes the listeners on a tour (in past tense, unfortunately) of the latest iteration in snack food-based nightclubs.  As it turns out, in space, no one can hear you crunch Cheez-Its.  

With Jay still on his magical mystery tour and Halloween upon us, Robbie and Art share some of their favorite memories of spooky seasons past. Some of these stories have been shared before, but it's always good to hear the cautionary tale of homemade werewolf makeup. They also share their top 3 essential scary-ish movies.

Art went out for coffee instead of coming to the studio, leaving Robbie and Jay a choice: talk about Art?  or talk about coffee?  Perhaps there was a little of both.  

One of Robbie’s entrepreneurial adventures won a major award this fall for the seasonal coffee drink everyone loves to have an opinion on: the Pumpkin Spice Latte.  That excitement led to a discussion about all things coffee.  Methods vary, milk types vary, ratios vary, and coffee shops vary, but both the Guys agree: they want to taste the coffee.  

In this week’s Geeks, Jay announces a title change for an actor with lots of geek cred, and Robbie tells of the upcoming anniversary of a Marvel-DC clash of the universes between an alien and an arachnid.  Grab a PSL and listen up.  

Steve Taylor, recording artist, filmmaker and producer, is back for part two of his interview covering his directing career and recent entry as a member to the PGA (Producers Guild of America).

Jay and Robbie’s formative years were spent listening to Steve Taylor’s music.  Then Robbie grew up, became a video media guru, crossed paths with Steve in the film world, and that’s the focus of this episode’s interview.  From avant-garde film school, to Donald Miller, and on to Sketch (recently in theaters), Steve’s film career as a director, producer, and early adapter of Kickstarter funding is quite the adventure.  

This week’s Geeks takes an interesting turn…Robbie forgets to bring one!  But Art and Jay save the day, with news of Marvel exiting the Peach State and a rumor about the new (in many ways) James Bond.  Pop some popcorn and head to the movies with Steve Taylor!