Can I Take Your Order?

I've had this blog in my back pocket for a while now.  There was a social media challenge that went around several months ago encouraging people to place their fast food orders for a list of locations.  While I'm typically loath to recommend participating in these, as they can often be thinly veiled attempts to gain password or challenge question information, this one has less potential to do so and is a little fun.  So, should the mood ever strike you to order for me, these are my favorites.

SUBWAY: Footlong steak and cheese on Italian herbs and cheese, toasted, toasting the green peppers as well, with lettuce, tomato, olive, and mayo.


CHIK FIL- A: Original Chicken Sandwich, waffle fries, a large Dr. Pepper and Chick Fil-A sauce


STARBUCKS: Only if I’m forced to


CHICKEN EXPRESS: chicken tenders, fries, jalapeño poppers and a couple of rolls, large Dr. Pepper


WHATABURGER: Honey butter chicken biscuit on the jalapeño cheddar biscuit, large Dr. Pepper


DAIRY QUEEN (TX): 3 tacos, a regular nacho, and a Dr Pepper


SONIC: Mayonnaise hamburger no onions, tater tots, and a Dr. Pepper


PIZZA: Stuffed crust, pepperoni, with marinara sauce to dip it in

MCDONALDS: 10 piece chicken McNuggets, fries, hot mustard sauce and a large Dr. Pepper


TACO BELL: Crunchwrap Supreme, Cheesy Gordita Crunch, and a large Dr. Pepper



You'll notice the large Dr. Pepper as the constant among all the orders.  I'm currently off caffiene and most soda until our vacation, so I'm particularly missing that right now.  And I had to add the distinction of this being an order at a Texas Dairy Queen.  As we've discovered, Texas has a very different menu than the rest of the country.  Up here, it's not surprising for us to see a Dairy Queen that is just an ice cream stand.

Anyway, those are my favorites; what are yours? 🍕🍔🌮

Top 10 Favorite Disney Attractions

In the middle of vacation planning mode and that always gets me excited.  I'm the planner.  I look for all the things to do, all the best places to eat, the regional food that I really want to try, etc.  And when we're visiting theme parks, that means I'm researching all the rides and attractions and creating my priority list of can't miss, want to, and never rides.

With the Disney parks, I can practically create that list from memory.  I know the layout of the stateside parks by hand and know exactly what I have to ride and do.  There's always new food to try, but my favorite attractions are pretty set.

In that vein, I thought I would share today my top 10 favorite Disney attractions.  Most still operational (RIP Great Movie Ride), and most in the best version to experience them (looking at Everest sideways).  I've noted the best park to experience them at, as there are differences in the cloned rides.  Otherwise, this gives a pretty rounded experience of the variety of attractions that Disney offers.

So, without further ado, my list of my Top 10 Favorite Disney Attractions, in order of creation:

• Pirates of the Caribbean, Disneyland (1967) - Walt's masterpiece.  This contains everything he worked toward.  Extensive audio-animatronics.  Beautiful effects.  Fully transportive environments, especially in the siege of the fort - the simple effect leading to smoke and clouds on the night sky is so amazing.  The Disneyland location is the best stateside with the two drops to get under the train station and the collapsing building section.  
• The American Adventure, EPCOT (1982) - Disney's best audio-animatronic show.  Disney does Americana better than anyone and this is no exception.  Ben Franklin and Mark Twain telling the story of American history.  This may get bumped up a few notches just for the Voices of Liberty pre-show.
• Great Movie Ride, Disney Hollywood Studios (1989) - This one is here simply for my love of movies.  A ride through an audio-animatronic extravaganza filled with classic movies is right up my alley.  Yes, the live actors could be kind of hokey and yes, Disney did this ride no service by ignoring maintenance and broken effects.   The Wicked Witch animatronic remains one of the most impressive that Disney has ever created.  And the ride serving as a perfect thesis for the park has not been matched.  While the Mickey ride should be good, this one is missed.
• The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror, Disney Hollywood Studios (1994) - Perhaps the best all-around attraction that Disney has ever put together. Especially the Florida version with the 5th Dimension room.  The grounds and decor are so beautifully derelict.  The nods to Twilight Zone episodes are wonderful Easter eggs.  And the experience on the ride with greater than gravity freefall is a lot of fun.
• Indiana Jones Adventure: Temple of the Forbidden Eye, Disneyland (1995) - Another top notch attraction from Disney.  The enhanced motion jeep allowing a vehicle on a flat surface to seem like it's travelling over bumps and dips is incredible.  The effects with fire, projections, set pieces, and the boulder all make this a very thrilling ride.  The music from the films just elevates that experience.  Add in one amazing queue and you have probably the best ride at Disneyland.
• Kilimanjaro Safaris, Disney Animal Kingdom (1998) - For the signature ride at Animal Kingdom, Disney Imagineers took a different approach. They finally realized Walt Disney's dream for the Jungle Cruise, by creating a ride where the guests would encounter live animals.  And they were able to engineer some pretty close encounters.  Clever rockwork and perspective hides protection gaps between the guests and the animals so you truly feel like you are on a wild safari.
• Rock 'n' Roller Coaster Starring Aerosmith, Disney Hollywood Studios (1999) - A very simple concept.  A roller coaster timed to classic rock.  And it works so effectively.  My favorite combination is "Love in an Elevator."  That song plays such that when you get to the final stop, the last bars of the song just echo off the walls.  
• Soarin' Over California, Disney California Adventure (2001) - The functionality of the ride is so simple, it's amazing.  Designed from an erector set, the ride allows you to simulate the feeling of hang gliding over locations from across California, ending at Disneyland at night.  The ride is a gentle and beautiful experience with an incredible score.
• Expedition Everest - Legend of the Forbidden Mountain (Yeti - A Mode), Disney Animal Kingdom (2006) - When everything is working, this is the best roller coaster on Disney property.  I was fortunate in my first ride to see the Yeti in A mode.  The largest and most complicated audio-animatronic Disney ever created, the Yeti at 25 feet tall would lunge out at your car and try to grab it as you pass through the final section of the coaster.  It was a terrifying sight.  The Yeti in B Mode, or "Disco Yeti," where movement is simulated through a strobe light, not so much.  It's still a fun coaster, but is excellent when it's all functional.  Hopefully, they will finally crack how to fix the mountain before too long.
• Radiator Springs Racers, Disney California Adventure (2012) - This is where all of Disney's tricks come together to make one impressive new ride. Part dark ride with large scale impressive animatronics, part thrilling race through imagineered rockwork, the ride is all fun.  Beautiful attention to detail in recreating the Cars universe, combined with the simple thrill of driving with the top down and feeling the wind on your face.  One of Disney's best recent offerings.

That's my list.  For those of you that have visited, what are your favorite attractions?

The Twilight Zone

"You're travelling through another dimension, a dimension not only of sight and sound but of mind.  A journey into a wondrous land whose boundaries are that of imagination.  That's the signpost up ahead - your next stop, the Twilight Zone!"

Rod Serling

Tonight, we should finally get to watch the first few episodes of the new Twilight Zone.  High hopes, a little tempered from the false start, but still looking forward to it.

As I said before, in my humble opinion, The Twilight Zone is the greatest scripted television show to have ever aired.  Yes, there are episodes that are just good, but there are more episodes that are simply spectacular.

With that, I thought I would post another Top 10 List, this time focusing on my favorite 10 episodes of The Twilight Zone.  This was tougher than it should have been. A few were no-brainers, but the rest moved off and on the list.  I decided to focus on the ones that moved me the most.  In doing so, I noticed that seven of the ten are written by Rod Serling himself.  That should tell you something about my preferences in the best episodes.

So, without any further ado, my list of my top 10 favorite episodes of The Twilight Zone, in order of air date.

• The Monsters Are Due on Maple Street (Season 1, Episode 22) - An excellent parable for Cold War paranoia.  I read this script in American literature in high school and the episode still holds up.  Even beyond the Cold War aesthetic, it plays to all forms of prejudice and suspicion.
• Eye of the Beholder (Season 2, Episode 6) - Such a beautifully shot episode.  The lighting and the camera composition structure this in such a good way, that the twist just works.  A great commentary on beauty.
• Nick of Time (Season 2, Episode 7) - How would you respond to vague predictions?  Probably one of Shatner's best performances.  A tense bottle episode playing on fear and superstition.
• The Silence (Season 2, Episode 25) - The ultimate bet, where the stakes were never higher.  The resolution of this episode is heartbreaking.
• The Obsolete Man (Season 2, Episode 29) - Perhaps the best episode of the whole series.  A frightful dystopia where that which is declared obsolete by the State is removed.  "The chancellor, the late chancellor, was only partly correct.  He was obsolete.  But so is the State, the entity he worshiped.  Any state, entity, or ideology becomes obsolete when it stockpiles the wrong weapons: when it captures territories, but not minds; when it enslaves millions, but convinces nobody.  When it is naked, yet puts on armor and calls it faith, while in the Eyes of God it has no faith at all. Any state, any entity, any ideology which fails to recognize the worth, the dignity, the rights of Man...that state is obsolete.  A case to be filed under 'M' for 'Mankind.'"
• The Shelter (Season 3, Episode 3) - Another parable on Cold War paranoia, now determining who will be saved in a bomb shelter.  Man's inhumanity to man and how to proceed.
• Deaths-Head Revisited (Season 3, Episode 9) - Serling's statement on the Holocaust, written in reaction to the ongoing trial of Adolf Eichmann.  Haunting and powerful.
• Kick the Can (Season 3, Episode 21) - The light and hopeful episode on this list.  A reminder that age is a state of mind.
• Number 12 Looks Just Like You (Season 5, Episode 17) - Another commentary on beauty and individuality.  Something frighteningly prescient.
• The Masks (Season 5, Episode 25) - The things we will do for wealth.  This episode is all about revealing the ugly truths we hold inside.  Directed by Ida Lupino, the only person to have acted in and directed a Twilight Zone episode and also the only woman to direct an episode.

To any other fans out there, what are your favorite episodes?

My #ComicBookDNA

There is a thread going around comic book fans on Twitter asking for the members comics DNA. The comic books that make up the vital points of the members fandom. There’s a list of four specific touchstones that they ask for.   Your first comic. The one that got you hooked. The one that brought you back. And the one that cemented your love for comic books. 

I want to take part but I’m going to have to modify the list.  Because I don’t have a book that brought me back.  I never left.  Instead I’m going to add the book that opened my eyes to what comics could be. 

With that modification, here’s my #ComicBookDNA. 

My first comic book - Amazing Spider-man #336.  The death of Aunt May’s boyfriend, Nathan Lubensky. The Return of the Sinister Six. Eric Larsen artwork.  David Michelene writing.  Just classic Spidey.

The one that got me hooked - Fantastic Four  v. 3, #1 - The first issue of Heroes Reborn. Jim Lee artwork. Written by Brandon Choi and Jim Lee. This is the point where I started my first pull box, over twenty years ago. A standing subscription box that marked continual readership.

The one that cemented my love for comic books - Sandman #19.  A Midsummer Night’s Dream.  Part of A Dream Country. Neil Gaiman, Charles Vess. The Sandman inspiring William Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream, with a performance before Lord Oberon and Lady Titania. One of my favorite Sandman issues, beautifully illustrated and so well written. Sandman was my gateway to the world beyond superhero comics.

The one that opened my eyes to what comics can be - The Fade Out #1. Hollywood noir by two masters, Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips. Seedy crime comic with a Golden Age of Hollywood backdrop. Each issue filled with back-matter on classic Hollywood scandals. Maybe it’s just my current fascination with noir, but this hits all the right buttons. 

For any other comic book fans, what composes your comics DNA?

Top 10 Disney Songs

In honor of the Grammy Awards tonight, I thought I would write on my favorite Disney songs.  I thought about just selecting my top ten favorite songs or favorite artists, but that is too hard.  So, I picked a limiting factor to make the list a little easier.  Plus the Disney list had been in the back of my brain for a little while.

Disney has a bit of a history with the Grammys.  Walt Disney won the Grammy Trustee award in 1989.  The Lion King and Aida have won Grammy Award for Best Musical Theater Album.  Aladdin, The Lion King, Woody's Roundup, and Monsters, Inc. have won Best Musical Album for Children.   Mary Poppins, Winnie the Pooh and Tigger Too, The Muppet Show and The Muppet Movie, The Little Mermaid, and Beauty and the Beast all won best Album for Children.  Disney has won twelve of the last 30 awards in Best Song Written for Visual Media.  The company has around six nominations this evening.

So, with no further ado, my list of my top 10 favorite Disney songs, in no particular order.

• I Wanna Be Like You, The Jungle Book - One of the Sherman Brothers best.  They are on this list a lot.  Walt's Boys wrote the best stretch of music for the Disney Company.  The combination of Louis Prima wild jazz and Phil Harris's style of scatting just works.  You can tell they had fun recording this.  It's just fun to hear and you cannot help but sing along.
• God Help the Outcasts, The Hunchback of Notre Dame - I've written about this before as an underrated song and will herald it again as one of Disney's best.  The transition of the bridge where the congregants are asking for fame, wealth, glory, etc. into the opening line of the last verse where Esmeralda says "I ask for nothing" has to be one of the best bridge/verse lyrical transitions ever.
• On the Front Porch, Summer Magic - An ode to the slow life.  Another Sherman Brothers classic, this one underrated.  Simple chords and Burl Ives at their finest.
• Our Town, Cars - James Taylor's ode to small town life and to how it is disappearing.  Haunting lyrics with a simple melody.  One of the better songs of the recent movies.
• So Close, Enchanted - What's amazing is how many levels this song works on.  The lyrics are wonderful using the so close/so far dichotomy to illustrate the relationship of the characters.  The style of the song works in how the progression of the movie has worked from old Disney songs that were integrated into the story compared to this modern song where it is sung by a pop artist over the action.  Well done.
• Feed the Birds, Mary Poppins - The thesis song of the film.  The story goes that once Walt heard this song he said, "That's it, that's the film."  Afterwards, he would then call The Boys to his office and they knew it was to play this song.  A song about charity for the sake of charity.  Beautiful and rare.
• Friend Like Me, Aladdin - This is the modern I Wanna Be Like You.  Endlessly singable.  And while Robin Williams performance in the movie is great, I love James Monroe Iglehart's version from the stage show.  Getting to see him do that was amazing.
• The Gods Love Nubia, Aida - This is a little bit of a cheat as it has only been part of Disney Theatrical so far, but it's a great song.  Elton John and Tim Rice reconnecting for a straightforward gospel number.  In my opinion, this is one of the greatest pre-intermission songs in all of musical theater.
• I Won't Say (I'm in Love), Hercules - My other favorite from the Renaissance period.  A do-wop number between Meg and the Muses regarding how she cannot admit to falling in love. Lyrically interesting and just a great melody. 
• A Dream is a Wish Your Heart Makes, Cinderella - The classic Disney song.  My favorite over When You Wish, especially as it is encouraging, to keep dreaming regardless of circumstance.  Plus a better vocal range than its more used cousin.

That covers the full range of Disney films, from Walt's classics, through the Renaissance and beyond.  From animated to live action.  Even including the stage.

For Disney fans, what's on your list?

My Top 10 Lost Austin Spots

With a family get together in Hutto, my thoughts are about Austin, my history with the location and my feelings about it now.  As much as I loved Austin and will always hold it in a special place in my heart, it's clear to me that the Austin I loved doesn't really exist anymore.  It's a vapor, relegated to memory.

In particular, this can be seen in the number of restaurants, stores, and other locations in Austin that played a big part in my time there, which no longer exist.    And from this time of reminiscing, I've derived my Top 10 Lost Austin locations.

As such, in no particular order, the places and things I miss most are:

• Threadgills on Riverside - I know the original is still there on North Lamar, but this was my location for Gospel and chicken fried steak.  It's where Jamie's folks brought the guys that helped her move out of her Austin apartment.
• Serranos in Symphony Square - Again, there are a few locations of Serranos still left, but the Symphony Square location was an integral one for my college years.  Working at the Symphony, I ate many a lunch at this location.  It just seemed synonymous with Austin and with downtown in particular.
• Frank and Angie's - A great pizza location behind Hut's, and the location of a couple of great dates with Jamie.
• Tower Records - This is more of a national item that is missed, but I definitely miss the location on the drag.  There was many an hour spent browsing through Tower records and their video section in particular between classes.
• Funny Papers at Dobie Mall - This was my comic shop during undergraduate.  It was so easy to walk to Dobie on Wednesdays, grab new books, and head upstairs to the food court to read and eat lunch. Austin Books may have grown into a favorite, but this was the first choice.
• EZs - On North Lamar.  This was a great location for a burger or pizza.  Expansive menu, but reasonably priced.  I'll have to go to San Antonio now to reminisce.  
• Texadelphia on Guadalupe - Again, multiple locations still left, but the original on the Drag seemed so iconic.  This was a great undergraduate lunch, when I was on the North part of campus.  It also holds a special place as one of my undergraduate Business School projects.
• Katz's Deli - Katz's finally klosed.  The iconic location on Sixth Street that was a staple of childhood trips to Austin and late night fare closed in 2016, after 31 years.
• A skyline no taller than the capitol - I miss the old capitol view corridor.  This one started changing shortly after I left, but it's no secret that I'm not a fan of all the towering skyscrapers that have popped up since I left.  People can argue their necessity, but the impact its had on the skyline is a negative to me.  
• Frank Erwin Center - I still cannot get over this is going away, to site to be replaced by an expansion of the Dell Medical School and a new basketball arena to be built near Memorial Stadium.   This was the place for concerts, for basketball (both UT and the state basketball championship), and for graduation.  This will be a significant change to the view on the I35 drive.

For those of you that are former Austinites, what's your lost Austin?

Top 10 Favorite Monsters

In the spirit of this spooky season, a top 10 list of my favorite creeps, spooks, ghouls, ghosts, spectres, haunts, haints, bogeys, and monsters.  Be fair warned.  These are the things that go bump in the night.

• The Phantom of the Opera (Weber) - I have always had a soft spot for this musical and I love the role of the Phantom.  Music of the Night is a great signature tenor solo and Past the Point of No Return is one of the most menacing and sensual songs in musical theater.  That iconic mask has always fascinated me.
• Dracula (Christopher Lee) - While Bela Lugosi will always be associated with the role, my favorite has to be Christopher Lee in the Hammer film series. Lee brought a gravitas and menace to the role that became so much more visceral in color.  
• Werewolf by Night - Marvel perfected the werewolf curse with its character Werewolf by Night.  Jacob Russoff, aka Jack Russell, carried a family curse of lyncanthropy, started from the Darkhold, the Book of Sin.  Sometimes a hero, always an interesting protagonist, my favorite Marvel Comic monster.  Plus a werewolf named Jack Russell is just one of the coolest comic book names.
• Frankenstein's Monster (Karloff) - No one tapped into the character of the Frankenstein Monster better than Karloff.  Karloff tapped into all facets of the character including the broken and damaged soul longing for the love of his maker, human connection, and friendship.  A master at work.
• The Ghost Host (The Haunted Mansion) - This all comes down to that signature voice.  Paul Frees was a master voice actor and the Ghost Host is a prime example.  Equally menacing and humorous, our Host provides the perfect narration for the mixed tones of the attraction.
• Xenomorph Queen (Alien) - One of the best creature designs ever.  H.R. Gieger created such a horrific creature that preyed on our natural fear of parasites and insects.  One of the most terrifying creatures ever created for the screen.
• The Headless Horseman (The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad) - Such a great, simple design.  The use of negative black to create the form and the laugh by Billy Bletcher help make this segment of the movie a truly suspenseful cartoon.
• Oogie Boogie (Ken Page) - A delightfully creepy creature of burlap and insects, this boogie man provides such a great contrast to the Pumpkin King.  A Cab Calloway type song and a great vocalist in Ken Page. 
• Audrey II (Michael-Leon Wooley) - This is a specific voice.  While others may have a specific affection for Ron Taylor or Levi Stubbs, my Audrey II will always be Michael-Leon Wooley.  There's a specific timber to his voice that I have a great affinity for.  To here him sing Feed Me (Get It) is just excellent.  A great bass voice.
• The Sanderson Sisters (Hocus Pocus) - My favorite witches.  The humor that Bette Midler, Kathy Najimy, and Sarah Jessica Parker bring to the roles is so enjoyable.  The Sanderson Sisters have been brought back as entertainment at the Magic Kingdom for Halloween to great affect.  Plus, they perform one of my favorite versions of I Put A Spell On You. 

And a special Honorable Mention:

• Fin Fang Foom - had to include a great giant monster and to do so I turn to one of my favorite classic 1950s Marvel Monsters.  Besides a great alliterative name, Fing Fang Foom has a great look as a giant green dragon in purple pants and a great presence.  Plus, I'l never forget "Fing Fang Foom put you in his pants" from Nextwave.

Top 10 Horror Comedies

So, with yesterday's post, it's clear my Halloween tastes likely run a little lighter than most in terms of favorite films for Halloween.  So I thought I would start with a narrower list: my favorite horror comedies.  The films on this list mostly have minimal gore and scares, but instead rely on humor within typical scary movie settings.  These films run the gamut from classic to cult, from the 1940s to the 2010s, and range from slapstick to satire. Just a few favorite not-so-scary classics.

In order of release:

• Arsenic & Old Lace (1944) - a classic comedy with light horror touches and a Halloween backdrop.  Truly one of the funniest premises ever written.  Raymond Massey doing a great Karloff.  Peter Lorre.  And Cary Grant at his best one of my favorite comedies.
• Abbott & Costello Meet Frankenstein (1948) - Peanut butter and chocolate.  The horror icons Bela Lugosi, Glenn Strange, and Lon Chaney, Jr. combined with the excellent comedy Bud Abbott and Lou Costello.  The slapstick you expect, but with some great quick lines as well.  Always a favorite.
• Young Frankenstein (1974) - There is such a loving devotion to the classic Frankenstein films present in this satire that is amazing.  These are the best comedians at the top of their game.  And Peter Boyle has to be the second greatest Frankentsein's monster behind Karloff.  My second favorite Mel Brooks film.  I loved seeing this with Mel Brooks introducing it at the TCM Film Festival.
• The Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975) - The cult classic that is just as much fun to interact with.  This is THE Tim Curry performance.  The music is put together better than the film itself, but its still so much fun to watch.  Let's do the time warp, indeed. One year - the goal is to see this at a midnight show, in costume.
• Ghostbusters (1984) - Another group of amazingly talented comedians at the top of their game.  Such an iconic song, such a great movie.  
• Little Shop of Horrors (1986) - The music makes this.  Levi Stubbs as Audrey II.  That's classic.  A great cast and another great premise.
• Beetlejuice (1988) - One of the best Tim Burton films.  From the Handbook for the Recently Deceased to The Banana Boat Song at the dinner table.  Delightfully whimsical and such great performances.
• Bubba Ho-tep (2002) - I never knew I needed an elderly Elvis fighting a reanimated mummy.  Add the fact that Elvis is played by the always great Bruce Campbell.  And then add Ossie Davis as someone convinced he is JFK. A great B-movie with several fun quotes.
• Shaun of the Dead (2004) - I adore the Cornetto Trilogy and while I might have a slight preference for Hot Fuzz, Shaun of the Dead is just as excellent.  I love that it spells out the plot in the first few minutes.  I love the way Edgar Wright works and this is such a great ensemble.  
• Tucker & Dale vs. Evil (2010) - This is the most violent and gory film on the list, but it is so hilarious.  I love Alan Tudyk and Tyler Levine in general and they are on in this film.  Two good natured hillbillies who are mistaken for crazy killers.  This premise is mined for such comedy gold.

What are your favorite genre mixtures?

What I'm Listening To

I spend a lot of time in the car.  And I've found there are two types of people regarding their time in cars.  Those who prefer music and those who prefer conversations.  Growing up, I would never have imagined myself a talk radio person, but for me, the best way to break up the long drive is with long-form interview conversations.  Generally in the form of podcasts.  Thankfully the car has an option to connect to my iPod, so I can select the podcasts and go.  (This also enables me to switch to my music should I be in the mood).  When my iPod is not available, the go to is NPR - KERA 90.1.  But when I'm all connected as I like to be, these are my favorite things to listen to:

Wait Wait ... Don't Tell Me! -  The NPR news quiz.  I love this show.  It helps me keep up to date on current events, with a wonderfully sarcastic streak which I love.  I always apprecite Peter Sagal and Bill Curtis (rest in peace Carl Kasell) and am a fan of so many of the panelists.  I wish I would have known about this in preparing for UIL Current Events (and it does surprise me that it is twenty years old this year).

Word Balloon with John Siuntres - The comics conversation show.  John Siuntres is a former sports radio guy from Chicago who engages in in-depth interviews with comic creators and other geek culture related people.  I love that John is interested in the conversation, not looking for sound bites but truly looking to capture the creative stories.  And I appreciate his development of a great catalog of older creator interviews.

The Q&A With Jeff Goldsmith - I came to this podcast in a little different way.  Goldsmith recorded conversations from the TCM Film Festivals and I first noticed those.  I've since listened to some of his conversations on more recent films with the creatives involved and appreciate his style.

ID10T with Chris Hardwick - I listened to a lot of podcast interviews by Chris Hardwick from the Nerdist and through ID10T.  I appreciated his style of interview, again preferring the longer conversation style and letting the guest cover the topics they desired to explore, not just a series of soundbites.  Further, I genuinely appreciated his outlook on life (as I remembered him from the Singled Out days and noticed the turn around).  The variety of guests that he has been able to interview is amazing.  I'm a little conflicted on this one due to his own #metoo allegations from his ex and he has not posted any new interviews since that time.  Still working through my own feelings on listening any further or to old podcasts, but wanted to include for completeness.

All of these have a long enough runtime to be enjoyable on my drive.  And I generally learn a lot about the creative process from people I admire and respect (plus make some new discoveries and learn to appreciate a few things I had written off before).

If you listen to podcasts, what are you listening to?  What are your go to genres?