This Is Rad!

This week Kyle and Matthew have comedian and father Dave Apkarian on the podcast to talk about the hardest job you'll ever love, being a parent. In a 48 hour period Kyle had two conversations with comics about being parents and wanted to do them as one super episode about parenting, but due to scheduling issues we are splitting this bad boy into two parts. In this episode we talk about Dads. What is it like being a dad? What is it like having a dad? What makes a good dad? What are some of the classic types of Dads? Also, how terrifying is it to take care of a living human? Dave answers these questions and more and you better believe we make some sweet sweet dad jokes. Dave is a delightful and sweet man and we have a ton of fun. Look for part 2 coming sometime in January. And if you just can't get enough Dad talk, check out Sad Dad, Dave's podcast.   Weekly Rads:   Burnside – His new Skateboard! (skateboard)   Kyle – OnRush (video game)   Dave – Shipwrek (EDM artist) (https://shipwrek.bandcamp.com)   Check out

This week on the show, Kyle, Matthew, and Laura are joined by a TON of people for a roundtable discussion of one of the most popular alternative rock bands of the 90's and 00's Green Day. Keith Carey and Nicole Becannon lead the discussion and share their experiences with the band and they each debate what they think are the definitive Green Day songs and albums. The band has been around so long that its interesting to see the different points of entry for different fans and how that colors their vision of the band. But it wouldn't be This Is Rad if there wasn't distractions and this time we have a murders row of distractors: Tom Goss, Tanya Salzer, Taylor Vracin-Harrell, and Jordan Leigh Williams all ready to help provide tangents and some hot hot riffs. Bonus for those who stick around to the end, there just might be a little Tom Lightning Round to close out the show. This one is a lot of fun!   Weekly Rads:   Kyle – Evangelion is coming to Netflix in 2019! (All is right with the world)   also Kyle – Why Ar

This week Kyle is solo having a very intimate chat with Joe Dosch about Black Metal. They talk about the strangely universal nature of this extreme music genre. Joe chronicles his early days of discovering metal and does a pretty fantastic job explaining the appeal of extreme music. They talk about what makes a good black metal band and they explore some of the darker and more unseemly sides of the genre as well. Good lucky trying to spell most of the band names they bring up this episode, but honestly its a pretty solid primer for the uninitiated into the world of black metal. And hey, we even stay on topic for about the first hour and change. The last forty minutes Kyle and Joe totally go off topic and end up talking about life, art, politics, and in general are two friends catching up and chatting. If you don't wanna hear two guys chatting, if you bail about an hour and ten in, you should get pretty much your fill of metal. Also, this was recorded in early June and then go lost in the cracks for a few mont

This Is Rad returns to a tradition that we totally forgot to do last year! Kyle, Matthew, and Laura sat down a few days before Thanksgiving to chat and catch up. Everybody has been pretty brutally busy and we decided it would be fun to talk about things we are thankful for and in general just hang out as the Rad Fam. We talk about being tired a lot. And sleeping on planes. And Pokemon. And Kyle tells a few stories that he has FOR SURE told on the podcast before. But it's fun. If you ever want to know what it sounds like for the 10 minutes before we start recording this is a pretty close approximation. But it's not all gloomy sleepy, there are some fun riffs and bits and some chat about Thanksgiving food. Also a debate about what constitutes a Turkey's butt. All three of us would like to take a moment to truly and earnestly thank everyone that listens to the show. As 2018 comes into the home stretch we've really taken stock of how amazing our community of listeners are. Without you were would be three weirdos

This week on the show Kyle and Matthew welcome Rebekah and David McKendry to discuss the madcap world of exploitation cinema. Rebekah and Dave are incredible sources on the topic and in this episode they barely even scratch the surface. Folks, we got ourselves another going series here! But this episode has some FANTASTIC info if you have ever been interested in the topic. Go beyond the scratchy film filter of iMovie and dig into what defines an exploitation film. Learn that exploitation goes all the way back to the earliest days of motion pictures. They explore early “educational” films that featured dubious information about taboo subjects, plus the group analyzes why everybody at nudist camps plays so much volleyball. This episode is a lot of fun if you love the underbelly of the film world.   Check out Rebekah and Dave's upcoming holiday horror film All the Creatures Were Stirring which is out on December 4thon VOD and perfect for your holiday movie list!   Weekly Rads: (Man we had a whole lot of weekly r

This week on the show Kyle and Matthew welcome Jess McNabb not only to This Is Rad but to the United States. Kyle befriended Jess while up in Canada for the Yukon Comedy Festival earlier this year. Jess is a brilliant stage tech up in the great white north and over the course of the festival we learned that the trio all share a passion for snack food. While on her trip to LA, Jess has been exploring the world of American snack food and comparing it to her homeland. Canada knows a thing or two about snacks and we compare notes to see the pros and cons between our two nations. It's like a fun cultural exchange program where everybody eats on mic! Plus, learn that Canada's version of Corn Pops are really different and see how much it disturbs Kyle. This is as SUPER fun episode and a nice break after all the mayhem of Radtober.   PS- Next week we will have an update with into about Kyle's album rehearsal live stream!   Weekly Rads:   Kyle and Matt: Red Dead Redemption 2 (Video Game/potential solution to all of li

For our final episode of Radtober 2018 we have a very special presentation. Join guest host Sack Weldon as he presents two tales of terror written and read by our very own Kyle Clark!   1stStory: This Is Nothing Wrong With Any of Us   2ndStory: Rabbit Season     Awesome Intro Theme Cover by: Tyler Rogers @jazzyderf (twitter) Download the song (and check out Tyler's other rad music) https://tylerrogers.bandcamp.com/album/versions     Less awesome music beds and outro theme by: Kyle Clark   We will return to our regularly scheduled super long and sidebar filled discussions next week.   Happy Halloween from This Is Rad!!!   Go check out (and buy) our AMAZING Radtober 2018 poster designed by Laura Knight! https://bit.ly/2NqIBgX   Follow us on social media or whatever! Twitter: @ThisIsRadPod @kyleclarkisrad @MatthewBurnside @LMKnightArt Instagram: @thisisradpodcast Tumblr: thisisradpod.tumblr.com http://www.thisisradpodcast.com

This week Radtober rages on as Kyle and Matthew welcome author and filmmaker Allison Star Locke Nelson to the show to discuss one of the most influential authors in American horror literature, Shirley Jackson. And the gang couldn't have timed it better as Netflix has just released a new adaptation of Jackson's masterpiece The Haunting of Hill House. Both Kyle and Allison are big fans of Ms. Jackson's prose and they get into some nitty gritty about her backstory, writing process, and the elements that make Hill House in particular such an incredible book. They compare the adaptations and talk about what works and what doesn't in the various versions. They also discuss her other work including her short stories like The Lottery. They also go on some pretty sweet tangents about creative process, horror films, and Flimstruck.   Weekly Rads:   Kyle, Burnside, and Laura: Halloween (2018) (movie)   Also! Laura started an online store for her art! Go buy all of her stuff!!!https://www.teepublic.com/stores/lmknight?re

This week on the show Kyle and Matthew are joined by three members of Kyle's horror trivia team The Frogurt Is Also Cursed. Brian Wiley, Amy Drolet, and Jacob Davidson help our boys explore the gloriously insane world of Italian Horror. They discuss the dream logic and surrealism of Italian Horror that make it unique. They talk about the influential directors who helped shape the genre and their impact on the larger horror landscape. And of course, they talk about all the gory kills, insane moments, and latent catholic imagery you can shake a stick at. Things get pretty nerdy this episode and it is a lot of fun.   Weekly Rads: Matthew: Mexican Food (type of food)   Kyle Apostle (movie)   Go check out (and buy) our AMAZING Radtober 2018 poster designed by Laura Knight! https://bit.ly/2NqIBgX    Follow us on social media or whatever! Twitter: @ThisIsRadPod @kyleclarkisrad @MatthewBurnside @LMKnightArt Instagram: @thisisradpodcast Tumblr: thisisradpod.tumblr.com http://www.thisisradpodcast.com

This week on the show Kyle and Matthew continue Radtober with the hilarious Jen Saunderson. They chat about the horror anthology movie. The scary short story is maybe horror's purest form and the anthology film has created fun and spooky way to pack a bunch of short stories into one movie. But it wouldn't be rad without some sweet sweet riffs and Jen is truly a riff machine. By the end of this episode you will know to beware the Blandyman. Plus, the recorder falls over at one point and you get to hear Kyle make a pretty goofy sound. We all touch on some of our favorite horror anthologies but man, there sure are a lot of them so please tweet at us and let us know some of your favorites!   Hey! LootCrate's back! Use the promo code “thisisrad” at checkout and get 30% off your order!   Weekly Rads: Kyle: Hell Fest (movie) Matthew: The Good Place (TV Show) Laura: The Great British Bake Off (TV Show)   Go check out (and buy) our AMAZING Radtober 2018 poster designed by Laura Knight! https://bit.ly/2NqIBgX    Follow

Radtober 2018 begins!!! This week we kick off our month long block of spooky themed episodes with a loving tribute to Kyle's favorite action horror franchise, The Purge!!! And joining Kyle and Matthew on this adventure into the dark heart of future America is the brilliant and hilarious comedian and podcaster Caitlin Cutt (aka Caitlin Lemaire, cause sometimes Kyle forgets that people have stage names...). Caitlin pitched this episode idea months ago and they held it over as their kick off episode for Radtober 2018 and boy is it a doozy. They go film by film exploring the highs and lows of the franchise. They talk about what makes a good Purge movie and they touch on what each of them would do with their own Purge story. Plus, if you want to hear people reference a bunch of very specific Orange county comedy stuff, that also happens. But this might be one of the most focused and intense explorations the gang have done in a minute and if you haven't dived into the world of The Purge, this is a pretty fantastic

This week on the show Kyle and Matthew are joined by comedian Eric Bell to discuss the Nintendo 64. Thrill as three dudes of a very specific age wax poetic about their formative years spent with the system. Yeah,we talk about Golden Eye. Yeah, we talk about Smash Bros. This episode is fun because everybody had a different set of games that defined the system for them. They chat about the glory days of local multiplayer. Kyle recounts a story of trying to play Golden Eye after years of playing twin stick shooters. They all discuss that magical summer Smash Bros came out where it felt like you couldn't go anywhere without getting sucked into play. But they also bring up some deep cuts. This is one of those great episodes where we didn't even notice we'd done two hours and felt like we could have done even more. If you're feeling nostalgic for the early days of 3D gaming, strap in. And while you're at it, DO A BARREL ROLL!   Weekly Rads:   Matthew: The Playstation Mini (video game thing)   Kyle: Universal Hallow

This week on the show Kyle and Matthew took a field trip to Disgraceland, the home of their sister podcast The Goods From The Woods, to chat with Rivers Langley, along with River's Mom Gail Langley and first time guest Rosalie Atkinson about one of the great American rock bands The Allman Brothers Band. Kyle and Rivers both share their fandom for the band and Matt talks about his discovery of the band through Rock Band. But Rosalie... Rosalie is on a whole other level. Over the past few years Rosalie has been working on a project about the band that included a pretty incredible road trip/pilgrimage with her Mom to significant locations in the bands history. Along the way she's talked to a ton of folks who worked with the group and her knowledge on the subject is pretty nuts. This is some good old fashion music nerdery. Whether you are a longtime fan or totally unfamiliar with their music, this is a fantastic primer and celebration of the band, their music, and their somewhat tragic history. So kick back, eat

This week on the show Kyle and Matthew chat with their friend and fellow former NerdMelt staffer, Jack Kelly. Together, they break down the most popular broadway musical of the last decade. They are reverent, focused, and absolutely do not spin off on any weird tangents whatsoever... Man, you should see your face right now. This week on the show, Kyle, Matthew, and Jack Kelly breakdown the unstoppable cultural juggernaut that is Hamilton. They discuss their experiences with the play and how it has emotionally effected them. They break down the brilliance of Lin-Manuel Miranda and the fine art of balancing historical accuracy with dramatic storytelling. They get into how the play reflects the larger idea of American identity and how that seems to have manifested into a play that speaks to and has effected so many people in so many ways. Also, they talk about fan fiction. Erotic fan fiction. Over the last few years Jack created a massive alternate universe fan fiction using the characters from this popular play

This week on the show, Matthew is on assignment so Kyle and Laura welcome Kyle and Lucia. Wait, two Kyles?! Oh my medication! Kyle McCormick and Lucia Fasano are two of Kyle C's favorite people. They're amazing musicians, podcasters, and comedy people and they've come on the podcast to chat about their mutual love of RomComs. Now before you scoff, let's remember that every genre of movies has good and bad so before you turn up your nose, give us a chance to sell you on this often maligned genre. Okay, that out of the way, we have a grand old time breaking down what makes a good RomCom and believe it or not, we go on some tangents and riffs. Is The Wedding Singer a perfect movie? What vintage classics hold up and which ones don't? Is it possible to find Billy Crystal kinda hot? All this and more will be explored! Come meet cute with us!   Weekly Rads:    Matthew: Magic For Humans (Netflix)    Kyle: Blank Check (podcast)    Check out our merch!  https://bit.ly/2NqIBgX    Follow us on social media or whatever! T

Guys, it finally happed. After months of talk on the intros, we are finally devoting a whole episode to Overwatch. And in case that wasn't enough, we brought Adam Murray along as well. Join Kyle, Matt, Adam, and fantastic first time guest and streamer Sloan Wolf as they explore what it is about this game that has taken the world by storm. They break down the complicated lore and the interesting ways it brings people in with its diverse cast of characters. Plus, Adam and Matt get in a pretty heated debate about a hamster. They talk about the positives and negatives of online gaming and they try to assuage Kyle's anxieties about getting made fun of my teens. (Spoiler: he's still afraid) Plus, we learn that Laura really loves blimps.   This episode is sponsored by the fine folks at Mack Weldon. Go to mackweldon.com and use the promo code RAD to get 20% of your order. (And tell em Sacky sent ya...)   Weekly Rads: Kyle: Trackmania Turbo (video game)   Kasey: Pettyjohn Chime (guitar pedal)   Nancy/Mom: That's From

This week Kyle, Matthew, and Laura are joined by comedian/national treasure Jackie Kashian for a chat about the steamy world of romance novels. We learn that the term “romance novel” carries with it about a million sub-categories that range from the delightful to the deranged and just about everywhere in between. For our hardcore book nerds out there this episode also explores a bit of the history of the paperback novel and it's place in the American cultural lexicon. Plus, since Jackie and Kyle are in a room together things of course turn to the broader world of pulp novels including many a fantasy/sci-fi/horror recommendation. Expect to pause this one to write stuff down pretty regularly. If you are a fan of this show you may or may not know that Kyle produces The Jackie and Laurie Show, in which Jackie Kashian is the aforementioned Jackie (along with Laurie Kilmartin). It's a great show and if you are a comedy nerd there are some amazing inside baseball stories. So dim the lights, light a few candles, and

This week on the show we welcome writer and comedian TK Kelly for a chat about one of America's greatest songwriters, the one and only Tom Petty. The gang explore Petty's career for his early days through the massive success of Damn The Torpedos to some of his incredible collaborations with the grandmasters of rock music. They break down what is is about the Heartbreakers as a backing band that works so well. Kyle highly recommends the 2007 documentary “Running on a Dream” that covers his career in detail and is a great addendum to this episode. Plus, it wouldn't be Rad without a few side tangents and we get into it about Third Eye Blind. What does that have to do with Tom Petty? You'll have to listen to find out. (Spoiler Alert: it doesn't really, but the tangent is pretty fun anyway.)   This episode is brought to you by Mack Weldon! Go to www.mackweldon.com and use the promo code RAD at checkout to get 20% off your entire order.   Weekly Rads:   Kyle: The Raid: Redemptions (movie)   Matthew and Laura: The O

Anna Valenzuela and Jenny Chalikian have returned for another installment of our ongoing retrospective of Battlestar Galactica. First and foremost, let's all celebrate the fact that we have gotten Matthew addicted to the show. Now that he's as sick as the rest of us, everyone can dive in and explore season one of the series. At this point, the parallels between the show and the changing political climate of the time are really starting to show. For a show about space robots there sure are a lot of metaphors about 9/11 and the war on terror. Thrill as Burnside has his first hot takes about characters! Plus, Jenny and Anna have been doing rewatches and reflect on how time as influenced their feelings about different characters. The gang dig in and time flies. This retrospective has been super fun and we hope that it has encouraged some of you to watch along with us.   Weekly Rad:   Matthew: Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice (video game)   Kyle: So You Wanna Be A Outlaw by Steve Earle and The Dukes (album)   Follow u

This week Kyle and Matthew sit down with comedians Christine Little and Leah Lamarr for a delightful chat about self help. Kyle has spent the better part of this year immersed in the world of self help and recently started working with Christine on a new podcast called “A Little Advice” in which she uses her BA in psychology to give other comedians life advice. Leah was her first guest and after they recorded that episode, she stuck around. Here's a fun thing you'll find in this episode, Kyle and Leah (who'd never met before this episode) learn that they have the same terrifying laugh. For real, you'll hear it in this episode and it's pretty haunting. The gang discuss The Artist Way, a creative recovery program that Kyle, Christine, and Leah all participate in. They also discuss relationship advice books and make a few recommendations for books that have been helpful to them. This episode stats real silly but also gets pretty intense by the end. Thrill as Christine and Matthew break down his relationship (spo