Duck Town

"If you know it in one podcast, it's legendary / What we thought was for all time was momentary"

Alex and John are back creating their individual playlists of Taylor Swift's latest album The Tortured Poets Department (2024). What are their favorite songs? What are the surprises? What are the cringiest lyrics? What do they choose and why? 

0:30 to 4:00 -- Minnesota Vikings talk
4:00 to 34:00...

Andrea and Emily discuss two albums of alternate rock band Death Cab for Cutie: Transatlanticism (2003) and Asphalt Meadows (2023). An episode 6 months in the making, they talk about these albums that are separated in time by 20 years but are connected by many themes. Topics include: our punk roots, the pandemic, the Beatles, glove compartments, and more!

Intro music: Bossa In My Heart by SergeQuadrado. Outro music: Life ...

Alex and Emily discuss two of the big movies released in 2023: The Killer (David Fincher) and Killers of the Flower Moon (Martin Scorsese). They start the conversation with a short discussion of the band The Killers, and Alex gives a top 5 of songs with the word "Killer" in the title. 

Music discussion at the start
"The Killer" discussion starts @ 11:00 
"Killers of the Flower Moon" di...

Vince Breunig and Bryan Bilse stop by the library to talk about the Lodi Pride Campaign, which aims to create a sense of unity around the wonderful things happening at the school and in the broader Lodi community. The theme this year is "Guardians of Lodi Pride" and it is the 10th anniversary of the pride campaign. 

Vince Breunig is the District Administrator of Lodi and Bryan Bilse is the Project Coordinator wit...

 Alex, Emily, and John discuss Iain Reid's psychological thriller I'M THINKING OF ENDING THINGS (2016). 

What did you think the book was about when you first saw the title? Is the book funny? Is it frightening? What was your reaction to the end of the story? Are dramatic twists just storytelling gimmicks or do they add complexity to a story?  

In addition to the book, Alex, Emily, and John chat about the...

Alex, Emily, and John discuss George Orwell's landmark fable ANIMAL FARM (1945). 

Is the satirical allegorical novella funny? Does it secretly loathe the animals on the farm? What truth does it capture about life inside a totalitarian system?  

In addition to the fable, Alex, Emily, and John chat about Louis Menand's character study essay about George Orwell that appeared in the New Yorker  in 2003, enti...

Not to be confused with Disney's Pinocchio (2022)! In this episode, Emily and Andrea discuss Guillermo del Toro's stop-motion masterpiece - a strong contender for Best Animated Film. You haven't seen Pinocchio quite like this, in a tale about free will, family, life, death, and hot chocolate.

Recommendations:
Uzumaki/Spiral into Horror by Junji Ito
Tomie by Junji Ito
Gyo/Fish by Junji Ito
No ...

Andrea and Emily talk about the 1977 psychedelic Japanese horror film, House, which has gained a cult following for its unique visuals. They also talk about the differences between Japanese and Western horror and horror archetypes.

Recommendations:
Emma by Jane Austen
Why I Wake Early: New Poems by Mary Oliver
Dracula by Bram Stoker
The Addams Family (1991)

Intro music: Bossa In My Heart by SergeQu...

Andrea and Emily talk about the animated mini-series Over the Garden Wall. It's a show full of autumn imagery and Americana that is sure to get you into the spooky spirit. We follow the adventures of the brothers Wirt and Greg and their friend Beatrice as they wander through the woods in The Unknown and encounter a town of pumpkin people, a riverboat frog band, a witch in the woods, and the beast of despair. 

Grab an ...

In light of the announced upcoming Super Mario movie, Andrea and Emily talk about the infamous 1993 film, Super Mario Bros! Critically and financially unsuccessful, this film has nonetheless gained a cult following. It's a wild, adventurous story about two brothers, plumbers, who fall into a gritty, alternate version of New York and have to save a princess.

Intro music: Kim Lightyear - Angel Eyes (Chiptune Edit) by Li...