This Is Rad!

Rad control to Major Tom... This week we sit down with comedian/Animorphs expert Brent Schmidt to talk about Sekret Machines, the new multimedia project by Blink-182's Tom Delonge. Brent read the books Chasing Shadows and Gods, both first parts in two separate trilogies of books in the series. Brent first walks us through Chasing Shadows, the 700+ page novel, and it is a sci-fi epic of the highest caliber. Kyle, who was never a Blink fan, is blown away simply by the sheer scope of the project. There are a few spoilers along the way, but we'd be hardpressed to think that after everything you hear you won't be at least a little curious to give it a read. After breaking down the novel, the gang is just getting started. They move over to talk about Gods, the non-fiction sister book to Chasing Shadows, and this where things get weird, folks. Kyle and Brent take Natalie and Burnside on a journey around the stars and into the deepest recesses of the human mind. Thrill at the idea of theories beyond the comprehension

Ceci n'est pas une podcast! This week Kyle, Matthew and Natalie sit down with comedian Kevin Macias to talk about Art History, as they discuss their favorite time periods and artists through the ages. Natalie likes cave paintings and ancient art, Kevin and Kyle share their mutual love of fascist artwork, and Matthew phones a friend (Laura) to learn why Greek/Roman nudes weren't "packing heat." They also talk graffiti, performance art and give a lot of great recommendations for contemporary artists you should totally check out!  Weekly Rads:  Our new website thisisradpodcast.com, The Limestone Comedy Festival and radsters in Bloomington, Indiana; Teen Witch Fan Club, David Cook aka Bonethrower, Octopus Pie by Meredith Gran, Bernie Wrightson's The Amazing Spider-Man Hooky, Slowdive, Day of the Dead Raddendums: Nat Geo WILD, Cave of Forgotten Dreams, Picasso, Rothko, Mondrian, Yves Klein, Keith Haring, Robert Arneson, Cindy Sherman, Pecker, De Chirico, Neo Rauch, Cake/Cake 87, The Artist Is Present, Narcissister

This one time at rad camp… Kyle and Matthew welcomed Grant Bubar, our youngest guest ever, to talk about Marching Band and Marching Band related memories! This week they talk quads, snares, timpanis and more! French horns are hard. Choir kids suck. And band camp is where you go to test the limits of hydration. But really this episode just turns into a middle school boy free-for-all as they talk about band trip make outs and fingering... like way more than appropriate. And Matt addresses the rumor about whether trumpet players are good at going down on girls (hint: "clenching my embouchure"). Natalie rolls her eyes through most of the episode until she’s caught looking at pictures of Pokemon, so who is she to judge? Grant is in a band called The Ladyfingers! Their EP is called "Couches"! Check ‘em out! Weekly Rads: Casey's Buffet in Wilmington NC, Alien: Covenant, DC Comics/Dark Horse: Aliens Digital Comics, Friday the 13th The Game, SUPERHOT VR, Fargo: Season 3 Raddendums: Voodoo Glow Skulls, Kraftwerk, Bomb

Mucha Lucha! This week Kyle and Matthew sit down with graphic design/tattoo artist J. Gonzo (http://jgonzodesigns.com/) and author Keith Rainville (frompartsunknown.com) to talk about the art of Mexican wrestling: Lucha Libre. First, Gonzo talks tattoos, his history of giving them, and the scary ways to get 'em. Turns out Kyle has a lot of friends with prison tattoos, which should surprise no one. Natalie also gets upset because Gonzo has offered to give Kyle his long sought after “Slow Ride” tattoo. But that is a story for another day. The boys get down to business and discuss the history and cultural significance of Lucha Libre wrestling. They talk about how Nacho Libre was many Americans' first exposure to Lucha culture. Gonzo defends the film for all its flaws and points out a few ways that the film could have gone from third-tier Jack Black movie to legit love letter to Lucha wrestling. Speaking of movies, Kyle picks Keith's brain about the history of Luchadores on film. For those who don't know, Luchado

This week Kyle, Matthew and Natalie dip their balls in it with Beowulf Jones (RISK! Podcast) and talk about the seminal '90s sketch show The State, which launched all of your favorite comedians. The State taught him how to think and got him out of some dark times. The gang discusses favorite sketches, the Halloween special, the brilliance of Role Models and how Paul Rudd is charming as fuck. Beowulf talks about working on Wainy Days and as a professional techie for State alumn like Kevin Allison. And they calculate the cost of $240 worth of pudding today with inflation. Also, Matt has fond memories of Forever 21. Will there be a Cake Like reunion? We're outta hereeee! This episode is sponsored by Loot Crate. Give yourself a geeky gift this month! Visit www.lootcrate/thisisrad and enter the promo code thisisrad for $3 off on any new subscription.                                      Weekly Rads: The Flaming Lips Raddendums: The Sifl and Olly Show; Daria; Cake Like; You Wrote It, You Watch It; Writing Movies fo

Continue making mine Marvel! This week Kyle and Matthew welcome back comedian Jeremy Scippio for a Marvel movie threepeat. They start off sharing strip club stories before giving their rundowns: Jeremy makes a case for Doctor Strange. The expectations are set pretty high for Guardians 2. Kyle needs to get off his ass and watch Logan already. This Logan talk allows Kyle to bring up his hope for a hard reboot of the X-Men franchise. He wishes the show would get a more grounded feel similar to that of the Daredevil Netflix series. Speaking of Netflix, the guys talk about the hits and misses on the streaming front. They also point out that the new Thor trailer takes pretty liberally from the Guardians playbook. Plus, Jeremy breaks down why a solo Hulk movie is never going to work. It's a good old fashion nerd round up. Excelsior! This episode is sponsored by Loot Crate. Give yourself a geeky gift this month! Visit www.lootcrate/thisisrad and enter the promo code thisisrad for $3 off on any new subscription. Weekl

We are… we are VR! This week Kyle and Matthew are joined by The FOO Show's Will Smith - no, not THAT Will Smith - to talk about the past, present and future of VR. Will hosts a virtual reality talk show about video games and discusses building an avatar and parts of their show in VR. The gang discusses early gaming experiences (mad love for the Wavebird, yo), drone races, experimenting with narrative structure and, of course, the shittiness of VR Troopers. What are you waiting for? Move all your furniture out of the way, pop on your goggles and plug in for some virtual rad-ality! This episode is sponsored by Loot Crate. Give yourself a geeky gift this month! Visit www.lootcrate/thisisrad and enter the promo code thisisrad for $3 off on any new subscription. Weekly Rads: Clive Barker's Hellraiser Anthology, Squatty Potty, Snipperclips Raddendums: Horizon, Red Dead, BioWare, Film & Odyssey, Breath of the Wild, Tilt Brush, Jedi Training Academy video, Google Cardboard, Keep Talking and Nobody Explodes, Daydr

Someone better call the fire department because "This Is Rad!" is smoooookin'! This week Kyle, Matthew and Natalie welcome back comedian Brandie Posey (151 episodes later) to talk about her love of Canadian comedian Jim Carrey... and how he inspired her to be a big weirdo! She appreciates his physicality and commitment as a performer and the place of anger it comes from. She's seen basically every Jim Carrey movie and has been to every Jim Carrey movie on opening day since Ace Ventura: When Nature Calls. Together they talk about his early and underrated stuff, the importance of bringing your own popcorn to the movies, and why taking your kid to see Scary Movie might be irresponsible parenting. This episode is sponsored by Mack Weldon. Enter the promo code RAD at mackweldon.com for 20% off your next order. Weekly Rads: John Dies at the End, Dr. Luigi, Bill Nye Saves the World Raddendums: VH1 Award shows, The Duck Factory, Once Bitten, Teen Wolf, Peggy Sue Got Married, Earth Girls Are Easy, In Living Color, Ace

It's "Lifestyles of the Rad and Luxurious"! This week Kyle and Matthew welcome back comedians Monika Scott and Tom Seiniger to talk about personal luxury and comfort. Kyle and Natalie talk about their trip to a Korean spa and the massages, saunas and public nudity that followed. Monika comes bearing hydrating eye masks and talks about her years in the trenches working as an esthetician. Tom gives some cooking tips and sells Kyle on getting a tongue scraper to make his breath smell better. The conversation works to show that luxury is not something that should only be enjoyed by the super rich. By being better to your body and mind, you can live a better life without having to spend a lot of money. Plus, a certain Cajun mutant stops by to dole out some life advice. Treat yourself to a mani/pedi, pop in your headphones and enjoy! This episode is sponsored by Mack Weldon. Enter the promo code RAD at mackweldon.com for 20% off your next order. Weekly Rads: Kendrick Lamar's Damn, Poultrygeist: Night of the Chicken

This week Kyle, Matthew and Producer Natalie welcome return guest Ron Babcock to nerd out about computer security. Ron discusses the importance of having a password manager, VPNs, and backing up your stuff (and porn) on both an external hard drive and somewhere off-site. Ron and Matt talk about the pros and cons of converting from Mac to PC. The gang also gabs about the trade-off between convenience and privacy, cleaning up your memory (and the satisfaction of "zap" noises), and everyone gives Natalie a hard time because her desktop is a cluttered wasteland but she likes it that way and everyone can go screw themselves THANK YOU VERY MUCH. Check out Ron's new album "This Guy" at http://www.ronbabcock.com. This episode is sponsored by Loot Crate. Give yourself a geeky gift this month! Visit www.lootcrate/thisisrad and enter the promo code thisisrad for $3 off on any new subscription. Weekly Rads: Angie Tribeca, the Secret Skin podcast with Open Mike Eagle, Ben & Jerry's Cocoa Loco ice cream Raddendums: ReB

This week Kyle and Matthew sit down with Harry Potter fanatics Laura Knight and Klee Wiggins to talk about their love for the movie Fantastic Beasts and Where To Find Them. They feel like this 1920s take on the Harry Potter universe got a bad rap. They like the series and how it has reinvigorated the franchise and kept them from Harry Potter withdrawals. They discuss their favorite fantastic beasts, Dumbledore's middle names, what's the deal with Grindelwald, magical racism vs. just regular racism, how the current political climate has affected their re-reading of the books, and what was really going on with Moaning Myrtle. Plus, they debate Snape, and Kyle still hates all the camping in the 7th book. This episode is sponsored by Loot Crate. Give yourself a geeky gift this month! Visit www.lootcrate/thisisrad and enter the promo code thisisrad for $3 off on any new subscription. Weekly Rads: Rick and Morty Season 3 premiere, Viveport subscription service, The Taxpayers' "To Risk So Much for One Damn Meal," an

To close out Varch/Garch/Smarch, Kyle, Matthew, Natalie and Laura bring you a special bonus episode which takes you back to their roots. That's right, they're finally releasing two episodes they recorded way back in the very beginning of the podcast (circa 2014) but had to hold back due to Burnside's work NDAs. In the first episode, they talk to comedian/podcaster Jordan Morris (from "Jordan, Jesse, Go!") about fighting games. Streetfighter is discussed. Water is spilled. Then they talk to their friend Aldrin Cornejo in their original Legend of Zelda episode, which serves as a good primer and overview of the series and why it's rad. Also, they make (now outdated) E3 predictions and talk Nintendo, and Natalie plays the ocarina. Two episodes for the price of one? It's a Garch miracle!

It's This Is Rad!'s 150th episode radtacular! Two years and 100 episodes later, the rad crew saddles up for another game of Dungeons & Dragons. Kyle, Matthew, Natalie and Laura are joined on their quest by podcast friend Ben Dunn and podcast frenemy Adam Murray to play some 5th edition D&D. Together, their eclectic party ventures to the land of Maw to retrieve the stone of King Obould—with kenku attacks, pan flute playing and Escape from New York-esque consequences along the way. Adam returns as their Dungeon Master, Kyle plays as Rad'amet, a chill druid, Natalie reprises her role as half-orc barbarian Deb the Destroyer, Ben is the foppish and acrobatic half-elf bard Poncifer de Cruise, and Matthew and Laura join forces as a two-headed tiefling named Tiefli-Amber Thiessen (and Mutt). Also, Cutesy the controversial miniature donkey is along for the ride. Hee haw! We would like to thank all our radsters for making our 150th episode possible. Here's to 150 more! This episode is sponsored by Loot Crate. G

You've met with a terrible fate, haven't you? This week Kyle, Matthew and Natalie celebrate Varch/Garch/Smarch by welcoming back Aldrin Cornejo ("Aldrintendo Power" podcast) and talking about the long-running Legend of Zelda series. (They first discussed the series 3 years ago in a soon-to-be-released lost episode but had to shelve it for various reasons.) They discuss the brilliance of the N64 controller, the drawbacks to the Wiimote and Skyward Sword and debate backwards compatibility. They also talk about their first Zelda gaming experiences, why Zelda II: Adventure of Link might not be terrible, and unpack the awesomeness of Breath of the Wild and how it breaks from Zelda tradition. At one point, they have a fight over stylus storage, in which Nat and Laura think putting it back in the DS is optional, while Kyle and Matthew think they are monsters (Moblins, Tektites, Bokoblins... you choose). So sit back and enjoy the episode, but first, remember to go into the cave and grab your sword. After all, it's da

Snake! Your mission this week on This Is Rad! is to talk about the visionary video game auteur Hideo Kojima with special guests Garrett Ross and Alexis Quasarano. Kojima is one of those beautiful people who makes the world extra special. From his legacy as one of video games' greatest directors to his insane yet brilliant Twitter feed, the gang celebrates the man, the myth and the legend behind Policenauts, Zone of the Enders, and of course, the Metal Gear Solid franchise. Thrill as Kyle and Garrett try to explain the madness of the Metal Gear continuity. Kojima deftly combines military history, science fiction and pervy anime weirdness into a web of classic games that has spread over numerous console generations. From the mind bending hardware tricks in the PSOne Classic to the bold narrative choices in Metal Gear Solid 2, Kojima's distinct voice is analyzed. If you've been a Kojima fan for years, you'll love the celebration of his weirdness. If you are new, this is a fun primer for where you might want to s

Take me down to the Raccoon City where the zombies are green and the tank controls are shitty! Our all-gaming month Varch (Garch? Smarch?) kicks off with one of our most-requested episodes: Resident Evil! To help discuss the long-running franchise, Kyle and Matthew are joined by Jacob Davison and Ken Carr, Kyle's teammates from Dead Right Horror Trivia and lifelong fans of the series. They begin by breaking down the world of survival horror games before RE, including some talk about the NES gem Sweet Home, which heavily influenced the first game. They talk tank controls. They talk fixed camera angles. They ponder what product or service the evil Umbrella Corporation actually sold that made them so much money. They work their way through the series, talking about which games made the most impact on them. They chat about their favorite monsters in the series. Plus, they break down the shift in gameplay style between the classic RE games and Resident Evil 4. RE4 might be a masterpiece, but it also led to some da

This week Kyle and Matthew sit down with comedian, actress, musician and Chipotle-lover Zara Mizrahi to talk about the crazy life she's lived… and a bunch of other topics. Zara talks about her love of Disney trivia and how she dropped out of school at age 16 to become an actress and live her current, cool hippie lifestyle. The gang shares prom stories, drug stories and tattoo stories, and Natalie rambles about Forensic Files. It's like a fun "get to know the people on your freshman dorm floor" sesh. This episode is sponsored by Loot Crate. Give yourself a geeky gift this month! Visit www.lootcrate/thisisrad and enter the promo code thisisrad for $3 off on any new subscription. Weekly Rads: The latest episode of The Flash, "My Brother, My Brother And Me" on Seeso, I Am Not Your Negro, Fire Emblem Heroes, the LA City Zoo, the 12th season of It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia

This week Kyle, Matthew and Producer Natalie sit down with comedian Jenny Chalikian to discuss her favorite actress: Lucy Lawless! …With a lot of topics in between. They discuss basic cable fantasy shows from the '90s like Xena and Hercules, the greatness of Star Trek: The Next Generation, and Kyle goes apeshit at finally being able to talk with someone about Battlestar Galactica. Also, Eurotrip. Does it hold up? (Spoiler: No.) Hail Baltar! Weekly Rads: Artist Juan Zamora, Caddyshack, Legion on FX Raddendums: Xena: Warrior Princess, Ash vs Evil Dead, Hercules, Highlander, Melissa Etheridge, Spartacus, Star Trek: The Next Generation, Blind Spot, Parks and Recreation, Gillian Anderson, Hannibal, Chef's Table, Eurotrip, Saw, The Great Wall, Hostel, The Descent, XX, The Goods, Danny Devito, Detective Pikachu, Scream Queens, Glee, Ryan Murphy, Jane Lynch, Role Models, Hamlet 2

Let the good times roll! This week Kyle and Matthew sit down with comedian Christian Spicer to talk about rollerblading. Christian is a man who has led many lives, from being a professional roller blader to a lawyer to a father and a standup comedian. Christian discusses the rise and fall of rollerblading and what caused the fad to flip. The gang discusses rollerblading as seen in various pop culture franchises; Kyle insists that the rollerblading scene in Mighty Ducks 2 might be the greatest moment in film history. Plus, an in-depth chat about wrist guards and stylish wrist guard alternatives. And Kyle fondly remembers how rollerblading played a part in the plot to the first softcore porn he ever saw. Check out Christian's new stand up album “We're All Going to Die” on iTunes! Weekly Rads: RuPaul's Drag Race: Ruvealed: Season 6, John Wick 2, La La Land, Adventure Time's miniseries "Islands," Fox Bodies, Sturgill Simpson, Michael Bolton's Big, Sexy Valentine's Day Special, Fright Night 2, and our special gues

This week Kyle and Matthew go to the dark side of the rad with the Spoon Man himself Mike Mitchell (The Birthday Boys, Doughboys Podcast), to chat about Mitch's all-time favorite band: Pink Floyd. The gang talks about their first exposure to Pink Floyd and take a look at Floyd's place in the classic rock cannon. They also ruminate on why their music seems to hold up better over time than their contemporaries. Kyle and Mitch debate the merits of Syd Barrett-era Pink Floyd (Kyle is a fan) vs. later era Post-Roger Waters Pink Floyd (Mitch is a fan). Mitch also talks about the film adaptation of The Wall and how there really is no other movie like it. Plus, all parties involved share their experiences with laser shows. There are some mighty fine tangents about the modern movie landscape, a defense for “uncool” bands, East Coast vs. West Coast hippies, and Kyle gushes about The Birthday Boys. (Note from Kyle: Seriously! The whole series is on Netflix! Go watch it! Now! We'll wait...) Get ready to shine on like a c