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The first and only podcast bringing you weekly case studies in the pop culture of a dying empire. Every Wednesday, co-hosts Josh, Brian, and A.J. dissect an artifact of popular culture, breaking down how its narrative choices reflect or subvert the reactionary political project. From video games to movies to theater to an apparently infinite supply of evangelical Christian radio drama, we expose the machinations of the worst of all possible worlds in order to figure out how to build a better one. Also, we have bits.
Episodes
Wednesday Dec 27, 2023
Wednesday Dec 27, 2023
THIS IS A PREVIEW. FOR THE FULL EPISODE, GO TO Patreon.com/worstofall
In what has now become an annual tradition, we took a couple dozen calls from our Patreon subscribers, reheated some bits from the past year in the microwave, and stitched it all together for your enjoyment. Thanks for being part of our 2023.
Want more TWOAPW? Get access to the rest of this episode, our full back catalogue of premium and bonus episodes, and add your name to the masthead of our website by subscribing for $5/month at Patreon.com/worstofall!
This episode features clips from:
- 68 - Left Behind The Movie 2000
- 70 - Company feat. Patrick Flynn
- 72 - John Whittaker: Tomb Raider feat. Trevor Strunk
- 73 - Slings & Arrows Season 1
- 77 - Who’s Afraid of Mr. Beast?
- 79 - Sunday in the Park with George
- 81 - Ease On Down Gilead Lane
- 84 - Everything’s Coming Up Meltsner! feat. Josiah Sutton
- 85 - The Worst of All Possible Worlds Presents: Brian is Back! The 85th Episode Live Spectacular feat. Michael Kupperman
- 88 - Shark Tank
- 94 - God’s Not Dead feat. Greg Foster
- 97 - Whit Fucking Dies (For Real This Time) feat. The Socialist Shelf
- 99 - Sorry/Not Sorry: Apology Videos and the Toxic Gossip Train
- 100 - Deus Ex
- 102 - We Didn’t Start the Fireproof feat. Radio Free Tote Bag
- GRUBESCAST
- 105 - Assassins
- 108 - DC Talk’s Jesus Freak feat. Tarence Ray
- 111 - Marble Hornets feat. Anne Huston
- 113 - NEOM: The Line feat. Riley Quinn
- 114 - The Grapes of Rathbone feat. Max Graves
- 116 - Tora! Tora! Tora!
- 117 - A Christmas Story
TWOAPW theme by Brendan Dalton: Patreon // brendan-dalton.com // brendandalton.bandcamp.com
![118 - A Whit In a Manger [Whit’s Endless Summer #31]](https://pbcdn1.podbean.com/imglogo/ep-logo/pbblog11885637/A_Whit_in_a_Manger_Poster6pwdv_300x300.jpg){kind=logo}
Wednesday Dec 20, 2023
Wednesday Dec 20, 2023
The lads celebrate the peak of the Arguing Season by returning once again to Odyssey for more adventures in being called to the ministry, making a radio drama, and visiting Bethlehem just so you can be harassed by Roman douchebags. Topics include the vanishing of the Barclays, the brilliance of Will Ryan, and what it means to celebrate the Nativity while Gaza turns to rubble.
Want more TWOAPW? Get access to our full back catalogue of premium/bonus episodes and add your name to the masthead of our website by subscribing for $5/month at Patreon.com/worstofall!
Media Referenced in this Episode:
Adventures in Odyssey
- #289 - “A Call for Reverend Jimmy”
- #294 - “Unto Us a Child is Born”
- #135 - “Back to Bethlehem Part 1”
- #136 - “Back to Bethlehem Part 2"
- #237 - “Back to Bethlehem Part 3”
TWOAPW theme by Brendan Dalton: Patreon // brendan-dalton.com // brendandalton.bandcamp.com
Commercial: “Lorne Lagorium’s Pipe Organ Emporium Christmas Sale!” feat. Brendan Dalton as “318”
Wednesday Dec 13, 2023
Wednesday Dec 13, 2023
THIS IS A PREVIEW. FOR THE FULL EPISODE, GO TO Patreon.com/worstofall
The lads finally get their Red Ryder Carbine Action 200-shot Range Model Air Rifles and promptly shoot their eyes out as they cover Bob Clark’s 1983 holiday classic: A Christmas Story. Topics include the japes of Jean Shepherd, the horrors of Scut Farkus, and the true meaning of Christmas.
Want more TWOAPW? Get access to the rest of this episode, our full back catalogue of premium and bonus episodes, and add your name to the masthead of our website by subscribing for $5/month at Patreon.com/worstofall!
Media Referenced in this Episode:
- A Christmas Story. Dir. Bob Clark. Available on Max.
- Ingraham, Christopher. “Why Our Christmas Music is Still Stuck in the ‘50s”. The Washington Post. December 23rd, 2014.
- Kashner, Sam. “How A Christmas Story Went from Low-Budget Fluke to an American Tradition” Variety, November 30th, 2016.
TWOAPW theme by Brendan Dalton: Patreon // brendan-dalton.com // brendandalton.bandcamp.com
Commercial: “Franco Fragile’s Fuck Lamp Funhouse”
Wednesday Dec 06, 2023
Wednesday Dec 06, 2023
The lads make their annual pilgrimage to Pearl Harbor and watch a lot of people read documents as they plunge into the intense historical accuracy and coma-inducing pace of 1970s docudrama: Tora! Tora! Tora! Topics include the unique Japanese/American co-production, the difficulties in making a narrative about Pearl Harbor, and what it means to have the dubious honor of being the best piece of media ever made about the day that will live in infamy.
Want more TWOAPW? Get access to our full back catalogue of premium/bonus episodes and add your name to the masthead of our website by subscribing for $5/month at Patreon.com/worstofall!
Media Referenced in this Episode:
- Tora! Tora! Tora! Dir. Richard Fleischer, Toshio Masuda, Kinji Fukasaku. 20th Century Fox. 1970. Available on Amazon // AppleTV
TWOAPW theme by Brendan Dalton: Patreon // brendan-dalton.com // brendandalton.bandcamp.com
Commercial: “A Settling Sound”
Wednesday Nov 29, 2023
Wednesday Nov 29, 2023
THIS IS A PREVIEW. FOR THE FULL EPISODE, GO TO Patreon.com/worstofall
The lads strap on their netrunner suits and sharpen their katanas as they venture beyond the Blackwall to tackle one of the most infamous triple-AAA releases of all time: CD Projekt Red’s Cyberpunk 2077. Topics include the decade-long development cycle, the breathtaking Keanu Reeves, and what it means to find authenticity in a world that’s constantly trying to make you flatline.
Want more TWOAPW? Get access to the rest of this episode, our full back catalogue of premium and bonus episodes, and add your name to the masthead of our website by subscribing for $5/month at Patreon.com/worstofall!
Media Referenced in this Episode:
- Cyberpunk 2077 by CD Projekt Red Available on Steam // PS5 // XBOX
- “GOG: Preserving Gaming’s Past & Future” by NoClip
- “The Story of CD Projekt” by NoClip
TWOAPW theme by Brendan Dalton: Patreon // brendan-dalton.com // brendandalton.bandcamp.com
Commercial: “A Message from the Night City Tourism Board” ft. Donovan Eyre as “Norman Normalhand”
![114 - The Grapes of Rathbone (feat. Max Graves) [Whit’s Endless Summer #30]](https://pbcdn1.podbean.com/imglogo/ep-logo/pbblog11885637/Grapes_of_Rathbone_Poster8h8mp_300x300.jpg){kind=logo}
Wednesday Nov 22, 2023
Wednesday Nov 22, 2023
Webcomic artist Max Graves (what happens next) helps the lads burn down a house as they return to Odyssey for adventures in gang initiations, wheelchairs, and arson. Topics include the lore of Marshall Younger, the panopticon of homeschooling moms, and how to reform someone whom society has deemed to be bad to the Rathbone.
Max Graves: Tumblr // Twitter // Bluesky // Instagram // Patreon
Want more TWOAPW? Get access to our full back catalogue of premium/bonus episodes and add your name to the masthead of our website by subscribing for $5/month at Patreon.com/worstofall!
what happens next - at age 15, milo was convicted for his involvement in the murder of haylie gorski. the internet never forgets.
Media Referenced in this Episode:
- “Adventures in Odyssey and Ableism with Randall Chrisman”. Veterans of Culture Wars, Episode 5.
- Adventures in Odyssey
- #300 - “Preacher’s Kid”
- #301 - “The Good, The Bad, & Butch”
- #299 - “The Truth About Zachary”
- #263 - “When Bad Isn’t So Good”
TWOAPW theme by Brendan Dalton: Patreon // brendan-dalton.com // brendandalton.bandcamp.com
Commercial: “The Bones of Rath”
Wednesday Nov 15, 2023
Wednesday Nov 15, 2023
THIS IS A PREVIEW. FOR THE FULL EPISODE, GO TO Patreon.com/worstofall
Riley Quinn (Trashfuture) and the lads bear witness to the highs of TROJENA and the lows of OXAGON as they dive deep into the theoretical quackery and architectural absurdity that is the Saudi Arabian “city of the future” project known as NEOM. Topics include the inspirations for NEOM, the logistics of constructing Venice II, and the horrifying reality of building a toaster prison in the middle of the desert.
Want more TWOAPW? Get access to the rest of this episode, our full back catalogue of premium and bonus episodes, and add your name to the masthead of our website by subscribing for $5/month at Patreon.com/worstofall!
Riley Quinn - Twitter
Trashfuture is a podcast about business success and making yourself smarter with the continued psychic trauma of capitalism.
- Website / Twitter / Patreon
- Listen on Apple Podcasts / Spotify / Google Podcasts
- TF episode about the Discovery UK NEOM documentary: We’re All Gonna Move To Bergh-Line feat. Hesse
Media Referenced in this Episode:
- The Playlist:
- This is NEOM
- What is OXAGON
- #TROJENA, the first ski destination in the mountains of Saudi Arabia
- This is Sindalah - The Islands of NEOM
- What is THE LINE?
- THE LINE: Saudi Arabia’s City of the Future in NEOM.
- THE LINE | The City of the Future
- NEOM in progress - October 2023
- NEOM Is a Parody of the Future
- This city concept breaks architecture (THE LINE)
TWOAPW theme by Brendan Dalton: Patreon // brendan-dalton.com // brendandalton.bandcamp.com
Commercial: HEPTAGON feat. Eleanor Philips as “The Voice of the Future”
Thursday Nov 09, 2023
Thursday Nov 09, 2023
The lads interrupt their incessant flippy-floppy making with slippery people as they get a job trying to make sense of Jonathan Demme and Talking Heads’ landmark concert film: Stop Making Sense. Topics include the contentious history of Talking Heads, the empathetic filmmaking of Jonathan Demme, and the enduring power of this once in a lifetime Gen X party that ain’t no party and sure as hell ain’t no disco.
Want more TWOAPW? Get access to our full back catalogue of premium/bonus episodes and add your name to the masthead of our website by subscribing for $5/month at Patreon.com/worstofall!
Media Referenced in this Episode:
- Stop Making Sense. Dir. Jonathan Demme. 1984.
- Burning down the house by David Bowman. Salon, December 3rd, 2003.
TWOAPW theme by Brendan Dalton: Patreon // brendan-dalton.com // brendandalton.bandcamp.com
Commercial: “Building a Lifeline (To My Ancient Spider God)”
Wednesday Nov 01, 2023
Wednesday Nov 01, 2023
THIS IS A PREVIEW. FOR THE FULL EPISODE, GO TO Patreon.com/worstofall
Anne Huston (Caveat NYC) joins Brian and Josh to do battle with the Slender Man and other monsters from 2009’s viral YouTube horror series Marble Hornets. Their journey takes them from semi-incoherent college memories to the content cornucopia of the Something Awful Forums, Reddit, and early YouTube: reminders of an internet where people could create freely without extreme commercial pressure. They also talk a lot about something called Ong’s Hat. Hope you had a happy Halloween!
Anne Huston is the General Manager at Caveat, a cabaret comedy theatre located on the Lower East Side of Manhattan.
Want more TWOAPW? Get access to the rest of this episode, our full back catalogue of premium and bonus episodes, and add your name to the masthead of our website by subscribing for $5/month at Patreon.com/worstofall!
Media Referenced in this Episode:
- Marble Hornets Season 1 dir. Troy Wagner and Joseph DeLage (independent, 2009). Full playlist on YouTube
- The Blair Witch Project dir. Daniel Myrick and Eduardo Sánchez (Artisan Entertainment, 1999). BoxOfficeMojo // Letterboxd // TMDB
- Ted’s Caving Page on angelfire.com
- “Ong’s Hat: The Early Internet Conspiracy Game That Got Too Real” by Jed Oelbaum. Gizmodo, February 21, 2019.
- The Wyoming Incident Original Upload on YouTube
- The "Wyoming Incident" discussion thread on the Something Awful Forums
- Max Headroom 1987 Broadcast Signal Intrusion Incident on YouTube
- Create Paranormal Images thread on the Something Awful Forums
Wednesday Oct 25, 2023
Wednesday Oct 25, 2023
Hacktivist/irl tiny kitten maia arson crimew (maia.crimew.gay) returns to discuss Neuromancer, the 1984 sci-fi novel that coined the term “cyberspace” and inspired a generation of hackers. Topics include breasting boobily up and down stairs, the parallels with 1995's Hackers, and how impressively William Gibson manages to capture the feeling of being perpetually on the run.
maia arson crimew (it/she): i am gay, mostly for girls, and i’m a tiny kitten :3. i know lot’s of things about cyber security, programming and far too little about music but i still try to do all those things at once. Twitter // Instagram // Tumblr // Bluesky
Want more TWOAPW? Get access to our full back catalogue of premium/bonus episodes and add your name to the masthead of our website by subscribing for $5/month at Patreon.com/worstofall!
Media Referenced in this Episode:
- Neuromancer by William Gibson (Ace; First Edition, 1984). Goodreads // Bookshop.org
- Hackers dir. Iain Softley (MGM/United Artists, 1995). Letterboxd // TMDB
- “Europe’s Richest Royal Family Builds $300 Billion Finance Empire” by Benjamin Stupples. Bloomberg, September 29, 2023.
- “’Trina’s Dorm” by icedCelery. Ao3.org
Commercial: “Case’s Dream” featuring Greg Foster as Case