Michael and Us

In a special, Patreon-exclusive two-part AMA episode, Luke answers listener questions. PATREON-EXCLUSIVE - https://www.patreon.com/posts/luke-unfiltered-142286283

"When a radio comedian's program is finally finished it slinks down Memory Lane into the limbo of yesterday's happy hours." So said the most brilliant comedian in old-time radio, Fred Allen, in his 1955 memoir. In this special solo documentary episode, Will considers the legacy of the pioneering comedian who is all but forgotten today, and considers how yesterday's cutting-edge can be invisible to contemporary eyes. Join us on Patreon for an extra episode every week - https://www.patreon.com/michaelandus Episodes of Fred Allen's show - https://archive.org/details/townhalltonight1938060871musicpublisherneedsatune A podcast featuring audio recording of a Jack Benny rehearsal - https://jackbennypodcast.libsyn.com/rehearsal-with-kids-bonus "FRED ALLEN CENSORED; Cut Off the Air for 25 Seconds in Dispute Over Script," a 1947 report in the New York Times - https://www.nytimes.com/1947/04/21/archives/fred-allen-censored-cut-off-the-air-for-25-seconds-in-dispute-over.html A collection of reportage about the censorship incident- https://tralfaz.blogspot.com/2012/10/fred-allen-1-nbc-0.html

The boys enjoy a nice, casual conversation like friends sometimes have - and invite you along to join! Topics discussed include Trump on the cover of Time Magazine, Bari Weiss at CBS, Justin Trudeau's love life, and films we've been watching. Join us on Patreon for an extra episode every week - https://www.patreon.com/michaelandus

On this very special episode, we share some of the most important individual paragraphs of writing in our lives - paragraphs that have planted acorns in our brains that have grown over time into mighty oaks. We revisit Thomas Mann, Christopher Hitchens, Jean-Luc Godard, and other luminaries. PLUS: Checking in on Bari Weiss at CBS. Join us on Patreon for an extra episode every week - https://www.patreon.com/michaelandus Our classic Leonard Cohen episode - https://www.patreon.com/posts/186-new-skin-for-44083560 Past Essential Paragraphs discussions: https://www.patreon.com/posts/bonus-essential-28574337 https://www.patreon.com/posts/bonus-essential-36315183 The tweet that Luke cites in the opening discussion - https://x.com/mattpolprof/status/1976069728541245770

We finally reach the end of Season Two of Aaron Sorkin's THE NEWSROOM. The two-parter finale ELECTION NIGHT PART I and II sends us on a nostalgic reverie back to the 2012 - the last election before everything changed. PLUS: Government shutdowns and Kamala Harris's memoir. PATREON-EXCLUSIVE EPISODE - https://www.patreon.com/posts/661-our-are-envy-140674442

Sitting in New York, not much happening. Sitting in Cleveland, not much happening. How about we go to Florida? We discuss Jim Jarmusch's breakout film STRANGER THAN PARADISE (1984), a film that heroically swan against the current of Reagan-era culture and politics. Join us on Patreon for an extra episode every week - https://www.patreon.com/michaelandus OTTAWA - See Luke take part in a live podcast recording at Press Forward's Future of Independent Media Summit on Friday, October 3 - https://press-forward.ca/introducing-the-2025-future-of-independent-media-summit-in-ottawa/ NEW YORK - See Will present Plan 9 from Outer Space and sign copies of his book Ed Wood: Made in Hollywood USA at Metrograph on Thursday, October 9 - https://metrograph.com/film/?vista_film_id=9999004527 " 'Protect Empathy at All Costs. And Live Groovy Lives.' An Interview with Jim Jarmusch" by Bilge Ebiri - https://www.vulture.com/article/jim-jarmusch-father-mother-sister-brother-interview.html

In light of recent revelations about legendary Tennessee sheriff Buford Pusser, we delved back into the Walking Tall cinematic universe with the final entry in the franchise to date, the Kevin Sorbo vehicle WALKING TALL: LONE JUSTICE (2007). In this entry, the stick-wielding sheriff moves from the rural south to big-city Dallas. PLUS: We investigate the National Review's list of the best conservative movies. PATREON-EXCLUSIVE EPISODE - https://www.patreon.com/posts/659-into-pusser-140245478

Lurking in the deep, dark depths of Tubi, we found an ultra-low-budget, gender-swapped rip-off of Get Out... with Eric Roberts in the Bradley Whitford role. You are not prepared for WOKE (2024). PLUS: The Jimmy Kimmel scandal gives us renewed reason to ask: is politics downstream from culture? Join us on Patreon for an extra episode every month - https://www.patreon.com/michaelandus

It's time to lose ourselves in the music, the moment. At the behest of our Superdelegate patron tier, we investigate the online phenomenon known as (deep, heavy sigh) EPIC RAP BATTLES OF HISTORY... and find ourselves meditating on the evolution of online humour. PLUS: Two legendary New York filmmakers weigh in on the mayoral race, and Armond White sticks up for Leni Riefenstahl! PATREON-EXCLUSIVE EPISODE - https://www.patreon.com/posts/657-epic-crap-139676354

By popular demand, we discuss John Boorman's notorious post-sexual-revolution fantasy freakout ZARDOZ (1974), in which Sean Connery in a red diaper reconnects a future dystopia with its loins. PLUS: We discuss the man of the hour, our modern Cicero, Mr. Jimmy Kimmel. Join us on Patreon for an extra episode every week - https://www.patreon.com/michaelandus "Rand Paul brings back antiwoke capitalism" by Carl Beijer - https://www.peoplesline.org/p/rand-paul-brings-back-antiwoke-capitalism

Sometimes we just want to watch a good movie. That's why we're taking a trip to the San Fernando Valley to discuss Paul Thomas Anderson's breakthrough film, BOOGIE NIGHTS (1997). Ever heard of it? PLUS: Jeffrey Epstein and the British government. PATREON-EXCLUSIVE EPISODE - https://www.patreon.com/posts/139157291

Leni Riefenstahl remains the most famous of all Nazi propagandists, but to what extent can films like Triumph of the Will be rescued from their fascist origins. The revelatory new documentary RIEFENSTAHL (2024) argues persuasively: not at all. Join us on Patreon for an extra episode every week - https://www.patreon.com/michaelandus "Fascinating Fascism" by Susan Sontag - https://www.nybooks.com/articles/1975/02/06/fascinating-fascism/

Kevin Sorbo wants you to know that having a gun and using it is perfectly compatible with Christianity. We discuss THE RELIANT (2019), a right-wing Christian movie in which the Second Amendment survives the fall of civilization. PLUS: Speaking of right-wing movies, it looks like ol' Sheriff Buford Pusser was hiding a secret. Join us on Patreon for an extra episode every week - https://www.patreon.com/michaelandus Our classic episode on the original Walking Tall - https://www.patreon.com/posts/503-suggested-by-99355800

Before they defined Canada's political landscape - and became adversaries on the question of Quebecois independence - Pierre Trudeau and René Lévesque were allies on the road to the Quiet Revolution. We discuss Donald Brittain's documentary THE CHAMPIONS, PART 1: UNLIKELY WARRIORS (1978) and the growing pains of Canada in its postwar era. PATREON-EXCLUSIVE EPISODE - https://www.patreon.com/posts/652-cite-libre-138171420

The same year that American Pie became a cultural phenomenon, BUT I'M A CHEERLEADER (1999) re-invented the teen comedy from a queer angle. We try to figure out why the mainstream reception was so hostile. PLUS: So, what exactly is going on with the Cracker Barrel?? Join us on Patreon for an extra episode every week - https://www.patreon.com/michaelandus

How far is one of America's most famous liberal creators willing to accommodate a critique of institutional power? We return to Aaron Sorkin's THE NEWSROOM with Season 2 Episode 7 ("Red Team III"), which brings the "Operation Genoa" story to a startling conclusion. PLUS: Checking in on Gavin Newsom's new Based rebrand. PATREON-EXCLUSIVE EPISODE - https://www.patreon.com/posts/650-i-love-lucy-137519725

What if a middle-aged Toronto-based businessman decided to become Robert De Niro? Friends, you don't have to wonder! We discuss the hilarious vanity project REAL GANGSTERS!™ (2013), by Canada's answer to Tommy Wiseau. Join us on Patreon for an extra episode every week - https://www.patreon.com/michaelandus "Ottawa’s Air Canada strike debacle shows it failed to learn from history" by Barry Eidlin - https://www.theglobeandmail.com/business/commentary/article-air-canada-strike-flight-attendants-union-cupe/ "The Air Canada strike wasn’t just a win for workers. It was also a wrench in Mark Carney’s plans" by Luke Savage - https://www.thestar.com/opinion/contributors/the-air-canada-strike-wasnt-just-a-win-for-workers-it-was-also-a-wrench/article_723e12c5-a225-4565-b044-206eeef18c49.html Will's classic interview with Tommy Wiseau - https://www.patreon.com/posts/bonus-will-tommy-22188229 "How Did an Oscar-Nominated Legend End Up in This Painfully Amateurish Horror Film?" by Vadim Rizov - https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2015/11/james-caan-sicilian-vampire

We make one last, final, terminal - we really mean it, this is the last one unless they make a second season! - visit to our favourite British institution, John Cleese's bizarre GB News chat show THE DINOSAUR HOUR. We discuss the show's final episode, "Religion," which doesn't deliver on quite the terms you might expect from the co-author of Life of Brian. PATREON-EXCLUSIVE EPISODE - https://www.patreon.com/posts/648-extinction-136964730

In 1994, Hong Kongers were counting down to the looming Mainland handover. But some of them were also counting down to the expiry date on a can of pineapples. We discuss Wong Kar-wai's CHUNGKING EXPRESS (1994), a quintessentially Hong Kong movie with universal resonance. PLUS: Checking in on Canada's Mark Carney government, and the unconscionable western media response to Israel's targeting of Palestinian journalists. * Join us on Patreon for an extra episode every week - https://www.patreon.com/michaelandus Luke's substack - https://www.lukewsavage.com/ Come see Will will at one of the stops on his book tour: LOS ANGELES - August 30, book signing and Q&A with Dana Gould at Artbook - https://www.eventbrite.com/e/ed-wood-made-in-hollywood-usa-la-book-launch-with-will-sloan-dana-gould-tickets-1560019523389 LOS ANGELES - August 30, "Ed Wood on VHS" at WHAMMY - https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/ed-wood-on-vhs-feat-the-sinister-urge-1960-presented-by-will-sloan-tickets-1568174324619 CHICAGO - August 31, "Trust Fall" at Davis Theater - https://davistheater.com/special_events/trust-fall/ TORONTO - September 12, Glen or Glenda screening at the Paradise Theatre - https://paradiseonbloor.com/movies/glen-or-glenda/ * "Mark Carney won on a promise of strong but fair Canada. This is how he is betraying that vision" by Luke Savage - https://www.thestar.com/opinion/contributors/mark-carney-won-on-a-promise-of-strong-but-fair-canada-this-is-how-he/article_4d53c228-bf60-411d-b6e3-be93669eba8e.html "Postmedia masquerading pro-Israel 'advocacy polemics' as news" by Jeremy Appel - https://www.readtheorchard.org/p/postmedia-masquerading-pro-israel "Chungking Express: Electric Youth" by Amy Taubin - https://www.criterion.com/current/posts/766-chungking-express-electric-youth "Poet of Time: Wong Kar-wai on Chungking Express" by Tony Rayns - https://www.bfi.org.uk/sight-and-sound/features/poet-time-wong-kar-wai-chungking-express

Released just months after the attack on Pearl Harbor, Ernst Lubitsch's TO BE OR NOT TO BE (1942) combined farce and thrills in Nazi-occupied Poland. A satire that was once considered "too soon" has aged into one of the great anti-fascists landmarks of cinema. PLUS: Remembering the golden age of "Twitter comedians." PATREON-EXCLUSIVE EPISODE - https://www.patreon.com/posts/136400200

In WAR OF THE WORLDS (2025), Ice Cube stars as a Homeland Security analyst who uncovers a Deep State surveillance plot AND foils an alien invasion - all without ever leaving his Zoom window. We watched the certified Bad Movie that's sweeping the nation. Join us on Patreon for an extra episode every week - https://www.patreon.com/michaelandus Luke's substack - https://www.lukewsavage.com/ Come see Will will at one of the stops on his book tour: LOS ANGELES - August 30, book signing and Q&A with Dana Gould at Artbook - https://www.eventbrite.com/e/ed-wood-made-in-hollywood-usa-la-book-launch-with-will-sloan-dana-gould-tickets-1560019523389 LOS ANGELES - August 30, "Ed Wood on VHS" at WHAMMY - https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/ed-wood-on-vhs-feat-the-sinister-urge-1960-presented-by-will-sloan-tickets-1568174324619 CHICAGO - August 31, "Trust Fall" at Davis Theater - https://davistheater.com/special_events/trust-fall/ TORONTO - September 12, Glen or Glenda screening at the Paradise Theatre - https://paradiseonbloor.com/movies/glen-or-glenda/

Donald Trump has said repeatedly that Billy Wilder's SUNSET BOULEVARD (1950) is one of his favorite movies. We revisit one of Hollywood's enduring classics and try to figure out if the current president identifies more with Norma Desmond or Joe Gillis. PLUS: Are we entering the worst season for political memoirs of all time? "President Trump isn’t happy about the Oscar for ‘Parasite.’ What movies does he like?" by Josh Rottenberg - https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/movies/story/2020-02-21/president-trump-favorite-movies-parasite-oscar "The Worst Campaign Book Season of All Time Is Here" by Katherine Krueger - https://www.discourseblog.com/p/the-worst-campaign-book-season-of

Ari Aster's EDDINGTON (2025) takes us back to the lockdown year of 2020, satirizing the many archetypes and discourses - right, left, and centre - that flourished during the pandemic. We attempt to analyze what, if anything, Aster is saying, and dredge up a lot of unpleasant sense-memories in the process! PATREON-EXCLUSIVE EPISODE - https://www.patreon.com/posts/135554313

In the 2000s, there was one form of political iconoclasm that was guaranteed to never get you in any trouble, and it was called libertarianism. At the behest of our Superdelegate patron tier, we return to... (deep, heavy sigh)... PENN & TELLER: BULLSHIT!, with special attention to the episodes "College" and "Safety Hysteria," and remember a popular form of "skepticism" that sounds an awful lot like just being a Republican. PATREON-EXCLUSIVE EPISODE - https://www.patreon.com/posts/135327052

In Werner Herzog's INTO THE INFERNO (2016), a self-described cinematic poet teams with a Cambridge scientist for a documentary about volcanos that marries scientific inquiry with a healthy respect for myth and legend. And we also get to visit North Korea. PLUS: Who is the greatest podcaster of all time? Join us on Patreon for an extra episode every week - https://www.patreon.com/michaelandus

The timeline of Aaron Sorkin's THE NEWSROOM is getting further and further into the 2012 presidential election... so it only makes sense that Season 2 Episode 6 ("One Step Too Many") is the horniest episode yet! We catch up on some shocking developments in the "Genoa tip," and find out the true meaning of "discretionary time." PATREON-EXCLUSIVE EPISODE - https://www.patreon.com/posts/640-time-part-16-134860722

A superstar atheist has a near-death experience and becomes a born-again Christian in LET THERE BE LIGHT (2017), the directorial debut of Kevin Sorbo. We take a spiritual journey that leads us to the same destination as any other: to an ad for an app. Join us on Patreon for an extra episode every week - https://www.patreon.com/michaelandus

In a tumultuous year of American history, Frederick Wiseman's cinéma vérité classic HIGH SCHOOL (1968) depicts an ordinary Philadelphia school as a system of authority and repression. Some things never change! PLUS: Grok has been saying some unfortunate things lately. PATREON-EXCLUSIVE EPISODE - https://www.patreon.com/posts/134229948

Angel Studios, the company that gave you Sound of Freedom, has become a major player in the faith-based movie market... so we wanted to check out one of their movies that's NOT about child trafficking. So we watched Neal McDonough's THE LAST RODEO (2025), and found some interesting new developments in the Christian movie world. PLUS: Catching up on recent events - Zohran Mamdani! Jeffrey Epstein! And of course, that Big, Beautiful Bill! Join us on Patreon for an extra episode every week - https://www.patreon.com/michaelandus Our episode on Sound of Freedom - https://www.patreon.com/posts/448-sound-of-87093158 TORONTO: See Will introduce Detour on July 15 - https://www.foxtheatre.ca/movies/the-important-cinema-club-masterpiece-classics-detour-1945/ SEATTLE: See Will present an Ed Wood double feature on July 25 - https://thebeacon.film/calendar/movie/ed-wood-made-in-hollywood-usa-w-will-sloan

From war crimes overseas to revenge porn at home, it all comes back to social media. In Season 2 episode 5 of THE NEWSROOM ("News Night with Will McAvoy"), a dizzying number of Twitter- and Buzzfeed-related plots swirl around a single broadcast... and there's still a little time for a Trayvon Martin subplot, too. PATREON-EXCLUSIVE EPISODE - https://www.patreon.com/posts/636-righteous-of-133446350

In our last (for now) dive into John Cleese's bizarre centrist chat-show THE DINOSAUR HOUR, our host find himself flummoxed by the unabashedly right-wing politics of special guest Caitlyn Jenner. We saved the best for last! Follow long at home - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GnYS6TxmLmc&t=1642s&ab_channel=GBNews Join us on Patreon for an extra episode every week - https://www.patreon.com/michaelandus

We all know where Bill Maher stands on the issues nowadays... but where was the bleeding edge of the centre-left in the Iraq War era? We dug up his Bush-era special BILL MAHER: VICTORY BEGINS AT HOME (2003) to investigate. PLUS: Remember Bruce Lee? He's back - in A.I. form! PATREON-EXCLUSIVE EPISODE - https://www.patreon.com/posts/132304807

As Torontonians, we couldn't pass up the chance to watch Netflix's new documentary about our ex-mayor, the late Rob Ford. But while TRAINWRECK: MAYOR OF MAYHEM (2025) collects most of the classic Ford moments into one slick package, it leaves the real meaning of Ford on the margins. PLUS: Has the consent-manufacturing industry seemed a bit weak these days to you? Join us on Patreon for an extra episode every week - https://www.patreon.com/michaelandus "Farewell to Ford Nation?" by Luke Savage - https://jacobin.com/2016/03/rob-ford-toronto-canada-mayor-austerity "I Just Got Back From the Centrist Rally. It Was Weird as Hell" by Aída Chávez - https://www.thenation.com/article/politics/welcomefest-dispatch-centrism-abundance/

In Episode 14 of THE NEWSROOM ("Unintended Consequences"), we get to hear what Will McAvoy REALLY thinks about this whole Occupy Wall Street business, and it doesn't disappoint - unlike the rest of the episode. PLUS: George W. Bush's movie taste revealed! PATREON-EXCLUSIVE EPISODE - https://www.patreon.com/posts/131797776

We continue our informal retrospective of dirty-looking New York movies with the Safdie Brothers' GOOD TIME (2017), a rare modern NYC movie that shows what the city really looks like. PLUS: Checking in on the New York mayoral race, and a challenging question about a prominent Canadian celebrity. Join us on Patreon for an extra episode every week - https://www.patreon.com/michaelandus The David Cayley podcast archive - https://www.davidcayley.com/podcasts

It's time to unload on one of our favourite guys. It's time for the long-awaited deep-dive into the comedy albums of the King of the K-Hive, Greg Proops. PATREON-EXCLUSIVE EPISODE - https://www.patreon.com/posts/131273255

With a high-profile mayoral election on the horizon in Da Big Apple, we're in a New York frame of mind on this episode. We were also in the mood for a good-ass movie, so we watched THE TAKING OF PELHAM ONE TWO THREE (1974), the subway-set New York heist classic where everyone is ugly and annoyed. PLUS: We check in on everyone's favourite disgraced Manhattan politician. Join us on Patreon for an extra episode every week - https://www.patreon.com/michaelandus "The Paucity of Abundance" by Luke Savage - https://www.lukewsavage.com/p/the-paucity-of-abundance "The Parable of a Communally-Bought Lot" by Freddie deBoer - https://freddiedeboer.substack.com/p/the-parable-of-a-communally-bought

Will and Luke hash out their differences w/r/t appreciating Aaron Sorkin as they tackle Season 2 Episode 3 of THE NEWSROOM ("Willie Pete"), which offers a surprisingly cogent critique of "the boys on the bus" as well as a lot more of Sorkin's peculiar gender politics. PLUS: We check in on our favourite Who's Line is it Anyway cast member. PATREON-EXCLUSIVE EPISODE - https://www.patreon.com/posts/628-ballad-of-13-130688755

A little over a decade ago, Spike Jonze's HER (2013) imagined a world where artificial intelligence had progressed to the point where a man might strike up a plausible romance with Siri. We check in on its dystopian (?) vision to see what about it has come true, and in what way. PLUS: Doing a vibe check on "the 51st state," and an upsetting update about our favourite band. Join us on Patreon for an extra episode every week - https://www.patreon.com/michaelandus DALLAS - See Will (virtually) introduce Glen or Glenda at the Spacy Microcinema on June 19 - https://www.spacydtx.com/list/evan-gordon-presents-glen-or-glenda SEATTLE - See Will present an Ed Wood double feature at the Beacon Theater on July 25 - https://thebeacon.film/calendar/movie/ed-wood-made-in-hollywood-usa-w-will-sloan Subscribe to Luke's Substack - https://www.lukewsavage.com/

At some point in the 15 years since its release, THE SOCIAL NETWORK (2010) became a historical document. We're joined by our official Silicon Valley correspondent Wendy Liu to discuss why its complicated perspective on startup culture resonated so strongly, and what the passage of time has revealed about people like Zuckerberg. And of course, we get into the Aaron Sorkin of it all. PATREON-EXCLUSIVE EPISODE - https://www.patreon.com/posts/130141170

When the Twin Towers fell on that September day, who was there to comfort us? In Season 2, Episode 2 of THE NEWSROOM ("The Genoa Tip"), we learn that it was - of course - Will McAvoy. We also learn a little more about his Republican politics in this complicated episode. PLUS: We pay tribute to a fallen superstar of the podcast, and Will explains to Luke what THE ROCK (Michael Bay, 1996) is. JOIN US ON PATREON FOR AN EXTRA EPISODE EVERY WEEK - https://www.patreon.com/michaelandus Catch up on our coverage of Season 1 of The Newsroom with this handy playlist - https://www.patreon.com/collection/1429433

We return to one of our favourite topics: John Cleese's baffling GB News chat show THE DINOSAUR HOUR. In this episode, John and a panel of cranks and reactionaries try to define "woke," and we find that we've entered exactly the right room for an argument. PATREON-EXCLUSIVE EPISODE - https://www.patreon.com/posts/624-twilight-of-129612151

After a healthy break, we finally return to Aaron Sorkin's THE NEWSROOM. In the first episode of season two ("First Thing We Do, Let's Kill All the Lawyers"), we find Will McAvoy and his team learning of a movement to Occupy Wall Street and debating the ethics of predator drones. PLUS: A roundup of American politics news, including David Hogg, Joe Biden, and a Woodstock for centrists. Join us on Patreon for an extra episode every week - https://www.patreon.com/michaelandus Catch up on our coverage of The Newsroom's first season - https://www.patreon.com/collection/1429433 See Luke interview Grace Blakeley at the 2025 Ellen Meiksins Wood Lecture on May 20 - https://broadbentinstitute.ca/events/2025-ellen-meiksins-wood-lecture/ Subscribe to Luke's Substack - https://www.lukewsavage.com/ Will's book Ed Wood: Made in Hollywood USA - https://orbooks.com/catalog/ed-wood/

It's time to go dumpster diving in the wreckage of 2010s internet culture! Will is joined by Alex Ross to discuss THE CINEMA SNOB MOVIE (2012), a vehicle for infamous Channel Awesome contributor Brand Jones that takes a stand against highbrow cinephilia. We remember its unique strain of anti-intellectual faux-populism so you don't have to! PATREON-EXCLUSIVE EPISODE - https://www.patreon.com/posts/128722242

In the suburbs of Toronto in the 1960s, a group home for emotionally troubled youth specialized in a wildly experimental form to treatment. We discuss Allan King's cinéma vérité classic WARRENDALE (1967), in which the camera is nearly as intimate as the therapy. PLUS: Louis Theroux visits Israeli settlers, and why can't Pink Floyd just get along? PATREON-EXCLUSIVE EPISODE - https://www.patreon.com/posts/128199756

In last year's Oscar contender CONCLAVE (2024), the election of a new pope at Vatican City becomes a centrist parable for navigating an era of political extremes. PLUS: We recap the strangest Canadian election of the century so far. Join us on Patreon for an extra episode every week - https://www.patreon.com/michaelandus Check out Will's book Ed Wood: Made in Hollywood USA - https://orbooks.com/catalog/ed-wood/ Subscribe to Luke's Substack - https://www.lukewsavage.com/ "Conclave, and the liberal abyss," by Reuben of Haringey - https://fromthisbrokenhill.substack.com/p/conclave-and-the-liberal-abyss

In the delightful TRUE STORIES (1986), David Byrne offered a whimsical view of the late Reagan era through the lens of a fictional Texas town. We consider the politics - or lack thereof - of Byrne's Warholian gaze on America and Her Problems. PLUS: Checking in Thomas Friedman. Join us on Patreon for an extra episode every week - https://www.patreon.com/michaelandus "David Byrne on True Stories" by Kory Grow - https://www.rollingstone.com/tv-movies/tv-movie-features/david-byrne-true-stories-interview-754919/ "David Byrne’s History Of Avoiding Unions Dates Back To The 1980s" by Daniel Marans - https://www.huffpost.com/entry/david-byrne-history-of-union-avoidance_n_647e6c0fe4b0047ed782e1ad

A socially-conscious East Coast playwright gets a taste of Hollywood in BARTON FINK (1991). We discuss Barton, Madman Mundt, and "the common man." PLUS: One last check-in on the Canadian election. PATREON-EXCLUSIVE EPISODE - https://www.patreon.com/posts/127528125

In this solo documentary episode, Will considers the events that led to Charlie Chaplin's political exile from the United States in 1952, and the lessons he offers for the current era of neo-McCarthyism. PATREON-EXCLUSIVE EPISODE - https://www.patreon.com/posts/127261077

Sure, he's incredibly annoying now, but how funny was Ricky Gervais in his prime? We return to our old mandate of interrogating things we liked when we were teenagers by revisiting his acclaimed sitcom EXTRAS and its Christmas Special. PLUS: Did you know that Will wrote a book? Join us on Patreon for an extra episode every week - https://www.patreon.com/michaelandus Pre-order Will's book ED WOOD: MADE IN HOLLYWOOD USA - https://orbooks.com/catalog/ed-wood/ While you're there, why not also order Luke's book THE DEAD CENTER? - https://orbooks.com/catalog/the-dead-center/ "The British Monarchy Will Not Survive Late Capitalism — And Harry and Meghan Are Proof" by Luke Savage - https://jacobin.com/2021/03/british-monarchy-neoliberal-age-prince-harry-meghan-markle