Sunday, August 16, 2009

Robotardation without representation! OR: Talking not about my generation, but about what my generation's not talking about (and then getting them to)



This weekend I went to the library to look through newspapers from the butt end of the 1970s for old toy robots ads. Part of my pre-library preparation is finding podcasts to listen to that are related to the stuff I'm going to be researching but I knew in the back of my mind I wouldn't find much when I googled stuff like "Shogun Warriors podcast" and "Micronauts podcast" and "Microsexuals" hoping to find discussion about late 70s toys. The retro toy podcast conundrum is that the kids podcasting about toys today aren't old enough to be interested in talking about toys from before 1984, but the podcasters my age are mostly interested in talking about cooking or their babies or how movies today aren't as good as Star Wars was in 1977. To my surprise I did find one episode of a thirtysomethings-hosted podcast called TV Ate My Dinner where the topic included ROM and Shogun Warriors. It started out awesomely enough with the audio to ROM's commercial, but it didn't get very deep into the toys beyond talking about how "Spaceknight" would be a really cool thing to name a baby. Their toy episode may just be an aberration, though, because I've listened to some of their earlier podcasts and those have in-depth, well researched conversations on topics like surviving zombie attacks, the Smurf/communist conspiracy and how Harry Potter movies aren't as good as Star Wars was in 1977. It's kind of what I expected (and honestly kind of what I was hoping for).

COME WITH ME IF YOU WANT TO ROCK

I think if podcasts were around in the late 80s/early 90s then podcasters would have discussed Shogun Warriors, Micronauts and ROM the Spaceknight all the time (or at least as much as Transformers and Star Wars are podcasted about now). It's frustrating to me that nobody's done comprehensive, in depth podcasts about late seventies toy robots newspaper ads. This is the part where most people would transform their dissatisfaction into motivation to do their own super retro Shogun Warriors/Micronauts/ROM themed toy robots newspaper ads podcast. Not me, though. This is the part where I transform my dissatisfaction with podcasting into motivation to finish my time machine so I can send Adam Curry back to 1985 hoping he can invent podcasting twenty years earlier than he did. Displacing Adam Curry in time like a Terminator seems like a dangerous idea but I figure the worst case scenario is we end up living in an alternate reality where there's only one podcast ever-THE HEADBANGERS BALLCAST.

HI I'M STEVE AND THIS IS MY SON, GODZILLA MACROCRANIOS

There is another option if I want to make the podcast dimension I'm currently living in more Micronaughty with little to no effort on my part. I think I will search out podcasts run by people my age that are accepting topics suggestions and then I'm going to demand Shogun Warriors and Micronauts. I don't care if their podcasts are about cooking or naming babies. Worst case scenario is I end up getting a cooking podcast about making cakes shaped like Dire Wraiths or a show about which Shogun Warrior name is right for my baby. Pretty much the same situation I've got now, just more of it. It's kind of what I expected (and honestly kind of what I was hoping for).

6 comments:

Tv Ate My Dinner said...

Thanks for the mention. I'm Sean from TV Ate My Dinner. We pretty much babble on the show, but I think the toy talk on that episode was overshadowed by the overwhelming response the topic had already gotten on our forum. We have a Favorite Toys thread in the General Discussion section of www.forum.tvatemydinner.com (just to plug it completely). I was amazed at how many people had enjoyed some of the same toys we did growing up. Check that out for nostalgia's sake, if you get a chance. It's a lot more in-depth than the episode was.

Evil King Macrocranios said...

Your show is so great it almost makes me wish I would've learned how to make friends so I could have people to talk to and laugh about stuff.

Tv Ate My Dinner said...

Thanks. Maybe you should swing by the forum sometime. We're all friends there.

Evil King Macrocranios said...

Thanks for the invitation, but internet communicating isn't really the same. The chemistry you guys have together is something magical that can only come from being real life friends for years. I've always been kind of a loner when it comes to having friends based on my hobbies so I've wondered what it must be like to have relationships like what you guys have. It's fantastic to listen to and there's a genuine connection in your shows that comes through where I can tell you guys are all on the same page and have a lot in common. I've listened to a couple of podcasts with multiple hosts but that kind of connection is sometimes not there. It makes me wonder if in life I am the exception or the majority.

Thanks for getting back to me here. While we're at it, I can't get episode 1 or the spoilers episode to load. Am I doing something wrong?

deadbeat senna said...

yeah some podcasts leave me feeling like all MOMMY AND DADDY DONT LOVE EACH OTHER ANYMORE. And don't feel bad Steve, I have real freinds and there not that great. At least not as great as some of these podcasts you've turned me onto.

Tv Ate My Dinner said...

It's not always easy. Those guys are friends since college, but they live in Atlanta and I'm in Savannah, so doing the show over Skype is the only way we really get to hang out.

Try the direct links to those episodes. Sometimes the downloads from the main page get a little wonky.

http://media.libsyn.com/media/darkcrazy/TAMD_Episode_001.mp3

http://media.libsyn.com/media/darkcrazy/TV_Ate_My_Dinner_Episode_Spoiler.mp3

 

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Evil King Macrocranios was voted king by the evil peoples of the Kingdom of Macrocrania. They listen to Iron Maiden all day and try to take pictures of ghosts with their webcams.