Podcast: The Department of Nerdly Affairs

DNA Podcast 141 – Martial Arts in Popular Culture (of the 20th Century)

The Department of Nerdly Affairs
The Department of Nerdly Affairs
DNA Podcast 141 - Martial Arts in Popular Culture (of the 20th Century)
/
Original Poster for The Five Fingers of Death (aka King Boxer)

In this episode, Don and Rob are back exploring how movies and television took martial arts from being weird and forbidden arts practiced by a select few to the McDojos of the 1990s. Along the way, they discuss how the Shaw Brothers changed everything, how Bruce Lee never dies, and why American Ninja ruled the 80s. All this, and Don and Rob’s “Martial Arts Top 10s!” are waiting for you in this action-packed episode of The Department of Nerdly Affairs.

Closing Music:
Ode to Joy performed by Oliver Eckelt

Show Notes:

These Fists Break Bricks
Get Tough! by Major Fairbairn
The Manchurian Candidate
The Shaw Brothers
The One-Armed Swordsman
Wuxia
Bonnie and Clyde
The Legend of Billy Jack
Kung Fu TV Series
The Five Fingers of Death (aka King Boxer)
Enter the Dragon
Golden Harvest
Mystics in Bali
Drunken Master
Encounters of the Spooky Kind
The Bodyguards
Sonny Chiba
The Many Clones of Bruce Lee
The Karate Kid
American Ninja
Black Belt Theatre TV Package
Pat Morita
Ralph Macchio
Chuck Norris
Kill Bill
The Street Fighter Theme Song

Our Top 10 Lists:

Rob
10) The Karate Kid
9) Zatoichi series
8) Once Upon a Time in China series
7) Master of the Flying Guillotine (1976)
6) Police Story (Jackie Chan)
5) The Street Fighter (Sonny Chiba)
4) Kung Fu Cult Master
3) The 36th Chamber of Shaolin
2) Iron Monkey
1) Five Fingers of Death + Enter the Dragon

Don
10) The Death Master (1972)
9) Hai Karate Aftershave
8) D&D Monk Character Class (original)
7) They Call Me Bruce
6) Gymkata
5) Street Fighter II (game)
4) Miami Connection (watch MST3K live version!)
3) Hokuto no Ken (Fist of the North Star)
2) Kung Fu Hustle
1) Count Dante and the Black Dragon Society


DNA Podcast 140 – Marvel Product Tie-In Comics

The Department of Nerdly Affairs
The Department of Nerdly Affairs
DNA Podcast 140 - Marvel Product Tie-In Comics
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Written by Bill Mantlo – of course!

In this episode, Rob, Don and Jack Ward take a trip back to the 1970s and 1980s, when a floundering Marvel Comics was saved by barbarians, vampires, giant robots and toys soldiers. It’s the story of product tie-ins brought life back to the dying comics company, and in the process reinvented the comics industry for the time. All that, and two of the greatest Marvel comics you’ve never read, is waiting for you in this episode of The Department of Nerdly Affairs.

Closing Music:
Ode to Joy performed by Oliver Eckelt

Things Discussed:

Roger Corman Fantastic Four
Oswald the Rabbit
The Reluctant Dragon
Willow: The Series
Dell Comics Disney Tie-Ins
Gold Key Star Trek
Marvel’s Conan
Roy Thomas
Kull the Conqueror Comic
Marvel Tomb of Dracula
Dracula Sovereign of the Damned Anime Movie
Doc Savage
Master of Kung Fu/Deadly Hands of Kung Fu
Planet of the Apes Comics
Logan’s Run
Wizard of Oz DC/Marvel
Superman vs. Muhammad Ali
Marvel Star Wars
Marvel Hanna Barbera Comics
Marvel Godzilla Comic
Battle Fever J
The Human Fly Comic 1977
Bill Mantlo
Herb Trimpe
KISS Marvel Comics
The Micronauts Comic
Peter B. Gillis
The Shogun Warriors Comic
Force Five
Voltron
Jimmy Woo
ROM: Space Knight
Dazzler
Dreadstar
GI JOE Marvel Comic
Starstruck
Amethyst: Princess of Gemworld
Crystar the Crystal Warrior Comic
Team America
U.S. ONE Comic
Transformers Marvel Comic
Simon Furman
Questprobe
Questprobe Afro
STAR Comics
Elfquest
The Congress (Movie, Robin Wright)


DNA Podcast 139 – Half-Hour Toy Commercials of the 80s

The Department of Nerdly Affairs
The Department of Nerdly Affairs
DNA Podcast 139 - Half-Hour Toy Commercials of the 80s
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In this episode, Rob and Don revisit their childhoods as they talk about the time when capitalism and animation joined together to create one of the greatest marketing forces known to mankind – the half-hour animated toy commercials of the 1980s! Strawberry Shortcake! HE-MAN and the Masters of the Universe! GI JOE! The Transformers! JEM! It was a brief and truly outrageous time in North American animation history. But what forces led to this rise of these marketing behemoths? And, why did they die out almost as quickly as they appeared? Find out this, and what shows had the best theme songs, in this episode of The Department of Nerdly Affairs!

Closing Music:
Ode to Joy performed by Oliver Eckelt

Things Discussed:

GoBots
Gobots: Challenge of the Rock Lords
Popeye
Action for Children’s Television
Romper Room
Mister Rogers
Polka Dot Door
Hot Wheels Cartoon
Planet of the Apes Cartoon
Miss Twitch
Bunnicula
ABC Weekend Special (Anthology)
The Micronauts
Micronauts Marvel Comic
Strawberry Shortcake
Those Characters From Cleveland
ROM Space Knight Comic
The REAL Ghostbusters
SUNBOW Entertainment
Secret Galaxy YouTube Chanel
Todd (McFarlane) Toys
Daigata Defenders
Egg-Fu (character)
Microman Toys
Gaiking
Combatter V
Blackstar
The Bionic Six
The Inhumanoids
Jace and the Wheeled Warriors
The Galaxy Rangers
C.O.P.S.


DNA Podcast 138 – Family in Popular Culture

The Department of Nerdly Affairs
The Department of Nerdly Affairs
DNA Podcast 138 - Family in Popular Culture
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Aka “Al” and “Peggy” Bundy

In this episode, Don and Rob do their best Vin Diesel impressions and spend the whole episode talking about family. They talk about what family really is, its place in society over time, and most importantly, its place in drama up until today. All this, and why “Punch and Judy” was the original socially destabilizing family comedy, is waiting for you in this episode of The Department of Nerdly Affairs.

Closing Music:
Ode to Joy performed by Oliver Eckelt

Things Discussed:

Dan Carlin: Suffer the Children
Aristotle’s “Poetics”
Punch and Judy
Bringing Up Father
The Gumps
Lil Abner
Blondie
I Love Lucy
Leave it to Beaver
Bewitched
I Dream of Jeannie
One Day at a Time
The Brady Bunch
Family Ties
The Cosby Show
Cousin Oliver
Married with Children
Roseanne or maybe….
Friends
Big Bang Theory


DNA Podcast 137 – AI in Popular Culture

The Department of Nerdly Affairs
The Department of Nerdly Affairs
DNA Podcast 137 - AI in Popular Culture
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In this episode, Rob and Don look back at the past of humanity’s relationship with Artificial Intelligence and ponder where it will be going in the future. The duo discuss recent innovations in AI, how people’s concept of what AI is has changed over the years, and why AI might not want to wipe us out after all. All this, and why sexbots may herald humanity’s doom, is waiting for you in this episode of The Department of Nerdly Affairs.

Closing Music:
Ode to Joy performed by Oliver Eckelt

Things Discussed:

Artificial Intelligence
Google Engineer Claims Google AI is Sentient
BF Skinner
ChatbotGPT
Dr. Susan Calvin (Robopsychologist from Issas Asimov stories)
Queensryche- The Warning (Album)
GREY (manga)
The Turing Test
Understanding Comics
Cognitive Dissonance
The Singularity
The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy
Is the Internet Conscious? If It Were, How Would We Know?
Colossus: The Forbin Project
Electric Dreams (movie)
Lawnmower Man (movie)
Cyberpunk
Max Headroom
Gamma World
Tay Microsoft Chatbot
Korean Mukbang Videos


DNA Podcast 136 – Classic Doctor Who

The Department of Nerdly Affairs
The Department of Nerdly Affairs
DNA Podcast 136 - Classic Doctor Who
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LONDON, ENGLAND – JANUARY 01: English actor Tom Baker in his role as the fourth incarnation of Doctor Who in the British science fiction television series of the same name, circa 1975. With him are two of his arch-enemies the Daleks. (Photo by Anwar Hussein/Hulton Archive/Getty Images)

In this episode, Rob and Don are joined by Jack Ward to discuss the 20th century versions of the iconic staple of U.K. science fiction – Doctor Who. The trio discuss how they first met The Doctor, the various incarnations and evolutions of the series, and how it affected their lives. All this, and which Doctor is Don’s favorite, is waiting for you in this episode of The Department of Nerdly Affairs.

Closing Music:
Ode to Joy performed by Oliver Eckelt

Things Discussed:

Doctor Who
The Sonic Society
Magic Shadows Documentary
“Couch Jumping”
Professor Quatermass
ITV
Space: 1999
Professor Kitzel
Trickster God
Sixties Spy Craze
The Master
FASA DR.WHO RPG
Abslom Daak: Dalek Killer
Interview with Tom Baker from 1981
Hammer Horror
X-Men: Days of Future Past
Genesis of the Daleks


DNA Podcast 135 – Breaking Up With Fandom Is Hard To Do

The Department of Nerdly Affairs
The Department of Nerdly Affairs
DNA Podcast 135 - Breaking Up With Fandom Is Hard To Do
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In this episode, Don and Rob discuss the thorny issue of why people break up with their media darlings. The two delve into the reasons why people and the properties they love might go their separate ways, and explore whether that’s a good or bad thing. Along the way, the duo discuss heavy metal, isekai, and manga, but everything they talk about can be applied to anything that brings joy to peoples’ hearts. All this, and a healthy dose of nerd rage, is coming to you in this episode of The Department of Nerdly Affairs.

Closing Music:
Ode to Joy performed by Oliver Eckelt

Things Discussed:

Marie Kondo
The Phantom
Ghostbusters- Afterlife
A Headbanger’s Journey
The KISS Army
Venom (Band)
Kylie Jenner Diet Pepsi Commercial
Isekai
Truck-kun
Hikkomori
Being an Influencer is Soul Crushing
Sentai
Samurai TV DNA Episode
SLAM DUNK!
MASHLE
SPRIGGAN
MAZINGER
DEVILMAN
All-Star Squadron
The Desert Peach
The Streisand Effect

Don’s Four Ways Fans Break up with a Property
-(fans) Age Out
-(fans) Reach Saturation (with a property)
-Style Drift (of the media property)
-Hardcore Nerd Rage (because fans don’t get what they want from it anymore)

Rob’s Fifth:
-Fans are driven away by toxic fandom even though they still like the property.


DNA Podcast 134 – Brainstorming a Caravan Guards Story Setting

The Department of Nerdly Affairs
The Department of Nerdly Affairs
DNA Podcast 134 - Brainstorming a Caravan Guards Story Setting
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In this episode, Rob asks for Don’s help in brainstorming the setting for a story about caravan guards – the unspoken heroes of the fantasy world whose job it is to keep the goods flowing despite attacks by monster, bandits, and rats. Lots of rats. Along the way, the duo discuss real caravan guards in history, the importance of trade, and the tactics caravan guards would use to get their cargo to where it’s going. All this, and the importance of ox poop, is waiting for you in this episode of The Department of Nerdly Affairs.

Closing Music:
Ode to Joy performed by Oliver Eckelt

Things Discussed:

Caravans
Where There’s a Whip There’s a Way (from the Rankin Bass Return of the King)
Chinese Armed Escort Agencies
High Arctic Haulers
Vampire Hunter D
Merchant Marines
Azumi Manga
Hideyoshi’s Invasion of Korea
Alexander the Great and the Logistics of the Macedonian Army, 1978, Donald W. Engels
The Dragon, the Hero and the Courier Manga
Discworld
Sutler – definition
Earthshaker! D&D Module
Murder Hobos DNA Episode
Aubrey-Maturin Novels (Master and Commander)
Paid GMs
Empire of the Petal Throne
Talislanta
Prof. M.A.R. Barker


DNA Podcast 133 – Malls in Popular Culture

The Department of Nerdly Affairs
The Department of Nerdly Affairs
DNA Podcast 133 - Malls in Popular Culture
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In this episode, Don and Rob head to the mall to discuss capitalism and the place of malls in popular culture for the past hundred years. Along the way, the duo discuss the history of shopping, the origins of malls, and how malls reshaped capitalism. All this, and why the 80s were the peak of mall culture, is waiting for you in this episode of The Department of Nerdly Affairs.

Closing Music:
Ode to Joy performed by Oliver Eckelt

Things Discussed:

Jesus and the Moneylenders
Shopping Centers Wikipedia
A History of Malls
The Medicis
Yoshiwara [“Prostitute Island”]
Shopping District
Sears
80s Mall TV Commercials
Arcology
Post WWII American Prosperity
The Golden Mile
White Flight
Dawn of the Dead (1978)
Tiffany (singer)
7 Totally Radical 1980s Mall Events
Fast Times in Ridgemont High
Masonville Mall, London ON
Chopping Mall movie
American FLAGG


DNA Podcast 132 – The Psychology of Comics

The Department of Nerdly Affairs
The Department of Nerdly Affairs
DNA Podcast 132 - The Psychology of Comics
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In this episode, Don and Rob discuss the psychology of comic books. The two delve deep into the unconscious desires of comic book readers, discuss why Manga failed to find an audience in 1980s America, and probe how comics are linked to human needs. All this, and why British girls comics are the anti-manga, is waiting for you in this episode of The Department of Nerdly Affairs.

Closing Music:
Ode to Joy performed by Oliver Eckelt

Things Discussed:

Martin Scorsese on Marvel Movies
Seduction of the Innocent
Cap’s Kooky Quartet
Eagle Comics
Golgo 13
Fist of the North Star
Albedo
Omaha the Cat Dancer
Condorito
Cypher (X-men character)
The Man With No Name Trilogy
Maslow’s Hierarchy of Human Needs
DNA History of Manga Podcast (Part 1 / Part 2)
Highlights Magazine
City Hunter
Super Doctor K Manga (Scalpel of the North Star!)
Slam Dunk! Manga
Prince of Tennis
Shonen Jump Online
The Japanese Bubble Economy
Blacksad
Rock Lee (Naruto Character)
Stupid Comics – British Girls Comics
Welcome to Webcomics (YouTube Video)

Japanese manga fulfils 12 basics human needs:
1. Sexuality (Physiological)
2. To feel safe or secure? (Safety)
3. To belong group to a group (Love and Belonging)
4. Being loved (Love and Belonging)
5. Being picked/needed (Esteem)
6. Being admired/respected (Esteem)
7. Being praised (Esteem)
8. Being useful (Esteem)
9. To be praised for effort (Esteem)
10. To feel clever or smart (Self-Actualization)
11. To feel special/powerful (Self-Actualization)
12. To be a hero or at least the leader (Self- Actualization)