Lowbrow Lowdown
Lowbrow Lowdown explores the cultural moment in front of us right now by reviewing how it manifests in pop, trash and pulp culture. Season 1 is all about pandemic prose, the self-published literature of coronavirus. COVID-19 has been at the centre of our lives here in Australia and around the world, and with the continuing debates about vaccination (please get vaccinated if you can), masks, lockdowns and science, this has naturally found its way into self-published literature on Amazon. Yes, it's mostly erotica. Join us for Pandemic Prose: self-published literature of coronavirus. We're reading it so you don't have to. Who knows, you might be surprised by what we find! In the Lowbrow Lowdown, Natasha and Damien dial into what’s happening around us, drink a glass (or two) of something and wheeze-laugh their way through the fabulous and the dastardly of pop, trash and pulp culture. Music from the Youtube Audio Library: Book Bag by E's Jammy Jams Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Episodes
As part of a series of bonus episodes, Camp Scary and Squee is joining the Lowbrow Lowdown Universe, starting with Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1992).
"Admit it, Buffy. Aren't there times when you just feel... less than fresh?"
Were you ever obsessed by a movie when you were a teenager? We were. But is all that nostalgia clouding our vision of this camp-horror classic? And was it really as good as we remember?
Damien is joined by fa...
"Ok, I'm drawing a line in the fucking sand. Do NOT read the Latin!"
This is the horror fan's horror movie, because it's a love letter to and a critique of the genre. Does that make it good though? Well that's the question, because this is a genre ripe with people who say that if it doesn't follow the rules, then it's just not cricket... I mean horror.
Damien is joined by the always insightful Dave to talk all about The Cabin i...
"What's your favourite scary movie?"
You know that feeling when you love a movie, and you find out your friend has never seen it? The level of anxiety and anticipation as you get them to watch it for the first time, praying that they love it.
Well, Link has never seen Scream (1996)! And continuing our theme of love letters to the horror genre, it seemed like the perfect film to introduce him to the genre. Will he love it? Or will I ...
"What if we're not lucky?"
Damien O'Meara is joined by Horror Maven, Lisa Rufus to talk all about Host (2020). This is going to ruin Zoom meetings for work on Monday.
While 2020 has delivered its fair share of crappy times, Director, Rob Savage found a great opportunity, a 56 minute long horror movie, filmed over Zoom... Host (2020) is a beacon of innovation and terror that we needed to survive this bleak excuse for a year.
"He had the blackest eyes. The devil's eyes."
Halloween (1978) is a horror film that follows the rules with the unstoppable Michael Myers. Perhaps more accurately, this American classic starring Jamie Lee Curtis is a scary movie that sets the rules. And these unwritten rules of the horror genre are something filmmakers and audiences alike are still trying to shake more than 40 years later!
"It's true! Vagina dentata!"
Damien is joined by his friend Nyari to find out why she thinks the horror-comedy film, Teeth (2007) is a film everyone should see. Directed by Mitchell Lichtenstein and starring Jess Weixler, John Hensley and Lenny von Dohlen, this film poses the question: What if vagina's evolved to have teeth?
Think about how the world would change. How cultural ideas of power would change. But right at the end, ...
"Dad, you only care about yourself. That's why mommy left"
When it comes to zombie horror, I'm often a purist for the shuffle zombie over the sprinting zombie. But Sang-ho Yeong's Korean horror, Train to Busan (2016) might just be the exception to the rule. This film knows how to keep the pace going, engage with the human condition and keep the the walking dead as a consistent and frightening threat.
Damien O'Meara is joine...
"I'm a homicidal maniac, they look just like everyone else."
Anjelica Huston and Christina Ricci shine as camp icons in The Addams Family (1991), one of the great camp horrors.
Damien (@damoo_la) and his wonderful friend Ellen talk about appreciation of the affectation and exaggeration of high-camp in spooky movies.
Movies mentioned in this episode:
- T...
"Fred, what we want is, I think, what everyone wants, and what you and your viewers have: civilization."
Gremlins 2: Here they grow again (1990) might not be the comedy-horror sequel to break the mould, bit it certainly was the one to become a cult-classic. Where else can you see the high-camp of hundreds of gremlins singing New York, New York?
Damien (@damoo_la) and his mate Chris (@sumo_21) talk about the film that dared to parody ...
"If you don't turn that frown upside down, so help me God, I am going to drag you out by that stupid bow tie and watch them rip you apart."
Little Monsters (2019) is the hilarious zombie-romance starring Lupita Nyong'o, Alexander England and Josh Gad. This is absolutely a romantic comedy that features the walking dead, and not the other way around.
In the season finale of Camp, Scary and Squee, Damien O'Meara (@damoo_la) is joined by...
Lowbrow Lowdown explores the cultural moment in front of us right now by reviewing how it manifests in pop, trash and pulp culture. Natasha and Damien dial into what’s happening around us, drink a glass (or two) of something and wheeze-laugh their way through the fabulous and the dastardly of pop, trash and pulp culture.
Season 1 is all about pandemic prose, the self-published literature of coronavirus.
Music from the Yo...
Episode 1 of the Lowbrow Lowdown and Damien and Natasha tackle their first piece of pandemic prose: The COLDVIR-20 Killer. What happens when an anti-mask, anti-vaxxer, right wing conspiracy theorists writes a novel? Tune in to find out!
Here we are thinking this whole thing will be a slew of bad erotica, and the first title we pull out of the hat is an alt-right COVID thriller. Yes your eyes don't deceive you, we're about to see...
Imagine this, you're a sexy scientist tasked with finding a cure for the coronavirus, or is it a vaccine? Look the science isn't clear, but the steamy desires of Dr Alexa Ashingtonford are crystalline, she is in love with COVID.
We promised erotica and after a bumpy start, in Episode 2 Natasha and Damien break down Kissing the Coronavirus. Join us for waterslides, hotdogs and a cavalcade of fun park analogies as we find out how ...
MJ Edwards is back with a second instalment in her Kissing the Coronavirus chronicles. This book picks up a month after Dr Ashingtonford's vaccine discovery and the vaccination effort is well underway. This time we follow Dr Kelly Cauldron as she plays her part in the vaccination drive against the coronavirus, giving out thousands of vaccines each day. Are they using the Pfizer? AstraZeneca? Moderna (the Dolly Parton one)? Who know...
It's the final instalment of MJ Edwards' Kissing the Coronavirus series, the mutant strain *ominous music plays*. Honestly, the whole idea of a mutant strain is traumatic as Delta sees Natasha and Damien stuck in a never-ending Melbourne lockdown. Of course, that means there's no better time to record a podcast, because we literally have nothing else to do.
In Kissing the Coronavirus 3: The Mutant Strain, Dr Alexa Ashingtonford ...
The fever dream that is a handsome sentient face mask that protects you from COVID and pounds your butt. Welcome. Chuck Tingle brings together a just-different-enough-to-avoid-copyright world of Friday the 13th-style killers, anti-maskers, deep group and wild muppet sex.
Natasha and Damien move on from the wild science of Kissing the Coronavirus to the wild imagination of Chuck Tingle, the most prolific (in terms of volume) writ...
We're back in the realm of buxom women and giant green sex machines with Courting the Coronavirus. Not the most progressive view of women, this book has prompted the revelation that maybe sex scenes need more than heaving breasts and giant sausages.
Natasha and Damien are back in the world of questionable science, wild imaginations and protagonists that have very questionable approaches to the world.
Join Natasha and Damien ...
When you're not the target market for the vaccine, zombie, superhero, exploding people and sloths book, it does make it hard to enjoy. But here we are with Death Vaxxers the first book (and the only one we'll be reviewing) in John P Logsdon's 2021 Vaccine Zombies series).
Natasha and Damien despite leaving COVID-erotica, we're still in a world of questionable science and improbable love-interests. Although the world-building of ...
Well, a content warning for a super racist and somewhat sexist book, The COVID Killer was... well... you know what you need most in a genre that is built on suspense? That's right, suspense. I'd say The COVID Killer was missing an editor, but I don't even know if an editor could save this book. It was a lot like a Chip Driver mystery (a Good Place reference for those of you playing at home).
Join Natasha and Damien for bad motiv...
Natasha and Damien return to the unique and surprising MJ Edwards in, what turned out to be, an incredible collection of poetry. I F*cking Hate Zoom Quizzes charts the year that was 2020 in funny and heartfelt ways.
Join Natasha and Damien for a surprisingly heartfelt experience.
Rating out of five masks:
Natasha: 😷😷😷😷😷
Damien: 😷😷😷😷😷
Do you have questions, comments or want to share your thoughts on what we're readi...
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