Hola, Sneakers! Welcome to Sneaky Dragon! We never close! (Our mouths!)
This week: the tell-tale octopus; fish brains; the stricken record; Transformers gourmand; cartoon fun; the Popeye of the beholder; popular hillbillies; living off the land; moon money; impractical schemes; the perfect crime; the wizard equation; LOTR nerdery; The Hobbit films are garbage; broody dwarf; Dopey the monk; new segment; vampire amnesia; Dave’s new obsession; true Hollywood stories; soaped up; mind candy; reverse psychopathy; Jedi = vampire; apologies all round; easy peasy, cheesy squeezey; some like it hot; all creatures; likely lasses; Question of the Week – Sneakers respond; delicious grey gloop; the unstoppable Ted Danson; is it a sit-com; you need a star gate; le Vachon qui rit; no to banana flavour; Maul’s well that ends well; disgusting food; and, finally, another chocolate air drop.
Thanks for listening.
Question of the Week (from Canaan Grall!): How did you discover Sneaky Dragon? How long have you been a Sneaker?
Sub-question: What TV show(s) have you been obsessed with?
Video Corner
Want to watch Ian yak it up with fellow Critical Hit performers and former friends of the show, Joanna Gaskell and Eric Fell, please follow this link!
Ian would like you to watch this classic SCTV sketch!
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Hi David & Ian,
A quick final chapter of my life story, just because David asked. You don’t have to read this on air if you don’t want to. So I stopped having contact with my dad when I was 16 because we just never got on. My mum made me go and visit him all through my childhood but it was never a particular happy visit. I got on all right with his new wife, but him and I just always seemed to butt heads. We were like opposites. As I got older we seemed to argue about everything. When I was 16 my mum said I was old enough to decide myself if I wanted to visit him. I didn’t. There was no big final fight, no giant argument, no final straw. I just stopped contacting him and he never contacted me. Seems we were both happier not talking to each other I guess.
As for Canaan’s question of the week, I think like a lot of people I discovered you through your Beatles series, still one of the very best Beatles podcasts out there. When I finished I thought I’d give the rest of your shows a go. I listened to Full Marx because I’m a huge Groucho fan. I love the films and progressed from them on to You Bet Your Life. I watched and listened to them so much I was really considering trying to buy a Plymouth DeSoto. Advertising really does work, even decades later! I was always in the Asterix rather than Tintin camp so I haven’t listened to Totally Tintin. Fansplainers I love, and really look forward to it returning in the post-Covid, post-Trump, post-Brexit utopia that’s on it’s way. I listen to most episodes of Listening Party too, though it still seems odd hearing Mary playing the part of Ian. So I guess I’ve been a proud UK sneaker for about three years now and hopefully for many more.
Funny you should talk about Coronation Street in the last episode Ian. That was my only real TV show obsession. We went on holiday once years ago, back in the VCR days. I set the video to record each episode of Corrie, looking forward to a six episode binge when we got back. Unfortunately something went wrong. For some reason it recorded the sound but there was only ‘snow’ to look at. I tried and tried to fix it but it was useless. There was no picture. Ladies and gentlemen, I listened to each and every episode. Three and a half hours of audio-only Coronation Street. I was obsessed though. I had to know if Ken had found out about Deirdre’s affair. I was worried about Vera’s declining health, and praying Phyllis had forgiven Percy. This was important! I had to know. I finally had to go cold turkey about ten years ago. It went to five episodes a week and I just couldn’t make that kind of time commitment. So now I fill the soap opera shaped hole in my schedule with Sneaky Dragon, and I’m much, much happier.
Stay safe David, Ian and all my fellow sneakers.
All the best,
Scott
My first TV obsession was probably Star Trek, which led to being a regular viewer of Next Gen and DS9. I bailed partway through Voyager and almost immediately on Enterprise. They got me back with Discovery. Dave mentioned Longmire. My sister and I were happy when Netflix snapped it up after A&E cancelled it. On paper, a series about a small-town Wyoming sheriff (played by an Australian) didn’t sound like our can of Rainier beer, but while the town is small, the stories are big. We liked the strong male and female actors in the cast and the multi-dimensional Native American characters. Small pet peeve: The character played by Lou Diamond Phillips does not use contractions. Apparently that is from the novels. I am curious as to why he is always speaking like that.
Thanks for the tip on Jane Eyrehead (1982). I think it’s the 1970 TV movie with Susannah York and George C. Scott they’re spoofing. It’s not my favourite version so I enjoyed their skewering of it. But I wonder if SCTV splurged on fancy costumes, sets, an outdoor shoot and a donkey, just so Joe Flaherty could play Rochester as that other Rochester. The way the sketch brings the characters into the old black and white Jack Benny Show actually reminded me of the opening episodes of Wandavision. BTW, I hope my theory about what is happening to Wanda is wrong.
I started listening to Sneaky Dragon in 2014. My first episode was Yellow Submarine on Compleatly Beatles. I knew you were doing a regular podcast as well so I checked that out. You won me over with your banter and title cards.
It wasn’t my first, but I second the obsession with Star Trek. A local affiliate in Dallas used to show old syndicated reruns of the original series at 4am, so I’d set my VCR to record each episode. I’d watch each one the following night while following along in my “Star Trek Companion” book!
Hey gents,
Great to hear that the Christmas chocolates arrived. Not so great that they arrived half way through January. I guess that’s air mail in the age of COVID. Better send my 2021 Christmas chocolates soon.
Great question Canaan. I discovered the SDU (Sneaky Dragon Universe) via the less conventional Totally Tintin route in mid 2018. I’d just left a long term office-based job and was working from home for the first time in my career (long before we all started working from home of course.) I was looking for podcasts to listen to while I worked that aligned with my (narrow range of) interests. Top of the list was TinTin.
I started with the TinTin in Tibet episode and was hooked in minutes. You guys are authentic, warm, respectful, funny and always thinking about the audience. I
loved David’s research and I loved hearing Ian discovering Herge’s work.
When I finished Totally TinTin, I jumped straight into Completely Beatles and loved it too. I’ve been listening to everything Sneaky ever since.
A TV show I was briefly obsessed with was Hill St Blues back in 1991. It was being rerun late on Sunday nights on the ABC (the public broadcaster in Australia) from the first episode. I don’t love the cop drama genre generally, but I was having a rough time settling into post high-school life, and the weekly hour-long episodes were the incentive that got me through each week. A bit like Sneaky Dragon got us through 2020, I guess.
That’s enough from me!
Keep doing what you do gents.
Mick
Hill Street Blues was a terrific show, I used to watch it with my Dad every week. I used to hate when Furillo’s ex-wife Faye showed up every week, bawling him out over something.. I enjoyed Steven Bochco and David Milch’s writing so much, I invested years into also watching “NYPD Blue” and “Deadwood”, both in their entirety at the time they were originally aired.
I think you guys already know this, but my Sneaky Dragon gateway podcast was “Full Marx.” From the looks of my history on Facebook, my Sneaky start date goes back to around June or July 2018. I remember I was listening to the “Marx Brothers Council” podcasts, so I searched for other podcasts that were centered or had anything to do with the Marxes, little did I know you guys had recently started “Full Marx”, so I caught up quickly. Not long after that I jumped over to the flagship Sneaky Dragon podcast and struck gold again! “These podcasts things are wonderful!” I thought to myself, “These guys talk about the same stuff I talk about!” Up until that point I hadn’t considered myself a podcast enthusiast and as I explored other podcasts I quickly learned that none of them spoke to me like Sneaky Dragon did (or the Sneaky Dragon Universe like Mick mentioned above). We’ve never met in person but I consider you guys friends after these few, short years. I consider myself fortunate I started my podcast journey with the best one with the best hosts. Thanks for being my friends.
I can remember really being obsessed with watching “Moonlighting” in the late 80’s but I’m not really sure why. Maybe it was the humor mixed with all the Motown music integrated into the show or the newness of Bruce Willis. I can tell you that I never missed an episode and when I moved into the college dorm during the Fall of 1987, I made sure to run downstairs and secure the TV Room every Tuesday night. A cousin of mine was also hooked on the show. He lived outside San Diego at the time, so when I visited him, we went up to Hollywood in search of “Moonlighting” memorabilia, it was all we could talk about. I’ve watched the show since then and it really hasn’t aged well, “Moonlighting” was truly a product of its time. I had a great experience with it at the time and they really kind of ran it into the ground when it ended. Thinking of it brings to mind great memories of my cousin who we lost in 1996, we were very close and “Moonlighting” was something we were both obsessed with.
Oh heck, I wanted to comment on the last few episodes but I had some general distractions of life and I kept forgetting until Friday then swearing I’d wait until the new episode came out and answer everything at once. Now it would be a 10,000 word essay to say everything I wanted to, so I’ll do the speed version:
I was almost named Rhiannon because apparently my mother was determined to name me after a Stevie Nicks song at all costs; I’ve always liked the name Susan and I went by the shortened form of my middle name (Nikki/Nichole) for a while as my stage name, but I have come to appreciate and accept Sarah; I mourn the loss of the American Mars Bar, which was similar to but not exactly the same as an Almond Snickers; There was also more recently the Boffo Bar at Trader Joe’s, which had the double benefit of being yummily similar to old Mars Bars AND being named something similar to my favorite member of Chumbawamba (yes I have a favorite member of Chumbawamba – don’t get me started on how awesome they are), Boff Whaley, but as TJ’s is wont to do, they discontinued it; My New Years Resolutions were to comment on Sneaky Dragon posts more regularly (oops), work on the usual diet and exercise stuff, and learn to play trumpet and cello. Trumpet is certainly a challenge as it has essentially no relation to anything I already play, but it’s coming along okay so far, I guess. My new (and very cheap) cello gets delivered tomorrow (Thursday) so we’ll see how that goes, but I have played my Hofner bass with a bow to get cello-like sounds on a few recordings, so I’m hoping I have a bit of a head start on that one.
Now, for this week’s questions!
When House was on TV, I had that night of the week permanently blocked out for work or any other activities. I ended up getting so emotionally invested in it that I was a bit relieved when it ended. I think I used it as a form of catharsis, because there was some difficult stuff going on in my life that I didn’t really know how to process, so letting it all out via House was better than nothing, but at some point it didn’t feel healthy anymore. I have it all on DVD and/or BluRay and I still watch it from time to time, but there are certain episodes I skip because they’re too dark and they take me places I don’t want to go again.
I discovered Sneaky Dragon through Compleatly Beatles! One of you, I think it was Ian but I’m not sure, posted a plug for it on some Beatles-related forum or Facebook page I was on, and it sounded interesting, so I checked it out. I think you were at around Yellow Submarine or the White Album at the time, but I started from the beginning, because that’s what I do. I was working in an office and I listened to music, podcasts or baseball pretty much all day every day, so when I ran out of Beatles episodes, I figured what the hell, might as well check out the main show… I think I listened to one current episode and liked it, so then I started from the very beginning, because… well, that’s what I do!
Oops I hope I’m not late, was it Wednesday or Thursday night I can never remember?
Well I’ll answer Canaan’s questions anyway.
I discovered sneaky dragon through the oh-so-good Completely Beatles podcast. The thing with me is if I like something, I must know everything about it. So in the case of the Beatles, once I decided to really start listening to them, I wanted to find something or someone to help explain the songs, and their context (that’s where you come in).
Side tangent about Beatles:
I have probably had a very different experience with the Fab Four then most people who listen to this podcast, I am of course a little younger than you guys. This is all to say that I didn’t really hear Beatles music growing up, and didn’t know much of anything about 60s music. At age 17 I was really lost in my musical taste. When I was younger I just listened to whatever was on the top charts, or some indie pop my friends were listening too, but I wasn’t quite satisfied.Then YouTube recommended me some videos of Beatle interviews. Now I can’t quite describe the feeling of being a teenage girl and seeing the Beatles do literally anything, but I instantly feel in love. Not with anyone of them, (ok maybe George) but just the Beatles as a whole. They are hilarious in interviews, very charming, and I was blown away by it, no one told me the Beatles were so funny. After bing watching various “Beatle’s best moments” compilations, I had to listen to their music. I had heard the several of their songs before, but I wanted to hear everything they had, and I started right from the beginning. This of course sent me down a path of discovering music existed before the 2000s, but that’s a story for a different time.
So anyway, I started listening to your podcast with Please Please Me. Formatted perfectly for someone who didn’t know that much about the Beatles. And plus, I started to like the hosts a lot! On that podcast you guys mentioned this one, and after I finished Completely Beatles I came straight here! I think that was at start of 2016, which feels so very long ago. I must admit there was about a year and a half period where I dropped off, but since 2019 I’ve been listening consistently. To be fair to me I was in college, and I stopped listening to podcasts altogether, not just yours.
I think what’s truly amazing is how consistently great this podcast is, and I suspected it’s because you two are really as great as you come off during each episode. Thanks for always brightening my week, and please, keep on sneaking!
Hello Ian and David!
In answer to Canaan’s question, I came to Sneaky Dragon via Compleatly Beatles, about 7 years ago! I actually had to look up my review of CB on ITunes to get an idea of when that was: April 2014! Compleatly Beatles was my gateway podcast! Haven’t missed an episode since!
To answer the sub-question, which is NOT Canaan’s, I have had several shows I was obsessed with. As kid, living in Brazil in the 60’s, we only could see a very few American TV shows, all in Portuguese: “Man from Uncle”, “Bonanza”, and “Lost in Space” (with the robot waving its arms around crying “Perigo! Perigo!”). We came back for a visit mid-60’s for 2 months and my sister and I were wild to see “Girl from Uncle” and “the Monkees” as many times as possible. We loved those so much!
Later when we moved back to the US to stay in 1969, my very favorite program was “The Mod Squad”! Does anyone know that one? I was totally obsessed with that one, and still love it, when I take a few minutes to look at an episode on Youtube. But I also loved any of the variety shows with comedians such as Marty Feldman’s and George Carlin’s short lived shows… and Sonny and Cher’s. American TV was so much fun! Later, like you, David, I wouldn’t miss “Monty Python” either.
Since that era, there have been a few sitcoms that I really adored: “WKRP”, “Welcome Back, Cotter” and others. And in more recent times, “Seinfeld”, “30 Rock” and “The Mentalist’. Mostly, I like the shows that have some pathos, with a whole lot of great hearty laughs… like Sneaky Dragon!
Speaking of… Happy Days are here again in the States!
Take care all, and have a great week!
Sarah, I have the same problem: often Friday comes along and I haven’t had a chance to answer the Sneaky Dragon questions! It’s nice you took the time to go back and answer so many! 🙂
Oh good, I’m not the only one! It’s so frustrating. As I’m listening, usually at work, I’m thinking of all the answers and comments I want to post… then I get home and all is forgotten. *sigh*
Like several of us here, I also came in through the bathroom window of Compleatly Beatles, back in the summer of 2016. I think I read about the show in a roundup of podcasts recommended by The Guardian. As well as my love for the subject matter, I thought the ‘a’ in ‘Compleatly’ was such a great touch.
My first Sneaky Dragon was around episode 240 or so. I really had no idea what to expect, apart from the sheer fun and pleasure of hanging out with the two of you some more. But my memory is that, within 20 minutes or so, you’d referenced Jack Kirby, Steve Ditko and Buster Keaton, and I knew I’d be sticking around. Like Sarah, I scuttled back to the very start and have listened to every episode, some more than once (though not always on purpose!).
Early TV obsessions are much like Dave’s – Python and the Monkees were the shows it really pained me to miss as a teen. I also loved the Goodies, Morecambe and Wise, the Prisoner and the Old Grey Whistle Test. That last one wasn’t always great, but it was pretty much the only decent music show we had back then. Spaced came later and, more recently, I loved Utopia (the UK version) which I thought was brilliantly original.
Keep on sneaking’, dragsters!
I came upon you both through my love of Brent butt, in a backward way. Back in 2012 I accidentally came across “Dan for mayor.” That last episode of season 1 where the lead candidate gets hit by a bus, making Dan the winning candidate, was hilarious. That then led me to “hiccups,” that show should have had way more than 2 seasons, which, eventually after watching both of those series, I found “corner gas,” one of the best shows ever. None of these shows were formally available in Atlanta, Georgia. Canadian TV is hard to find here, unless you used know where to look. These days I rewatch them on youtube.
Fast forward to 2018, as I was rewatching these shows, I started looking for more Brent. I found he had a youtube channel, that led me to seeing a teaser episode for the “Buttpod” with Ian. That led me to Sneaky Dragon…so while I haven’t been here as long as some (only 3-4 years) I am here to stay. You guys are both so entertaining and funny, you remind me a lot of a friend of mine, Thomas and me. He is the Ian, getting very angry over things once in a while and me, play the Dave character, trying unsuccessfully to bring him back from the brink. Were only about 4 years younger than you guys, so we share lots of similar memories with you both.
Keep sneakin’ you guys,
Adi