This week, Aaron is over the moon about Italian electronic music pioneer Giovanni Giorgio Moroder! Dubbed “the Father of Disco”, Moroder was hugely influential in the 70s, when his work with synthesizers attracted the attention of big deals like David Bowie and Donna Summer, who he later worked with in the super cool song “I Feel Love”.

His discography is wild, including big names like Blondie, Lady Gaga, and Kylie Minogue, lesser-known but important artists like Philip Oakey, and lots of film soundtracks like “Midnight Express”, “American Gigolo”, and “Top Gun”(!!!!).

NOTES / DON’T @ US:
- The fantastic background music that sounds like a funky Mega-Man soundtrack is "Disco Con Tutti" by Kevin MacLeod. You can find it here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5vnD9r0Ef34

Like-O-Rama 20 - Giorgio Moroder

We are talking about indie comics, aka underground comix, aka alternative comics! In part 1 we start with their scandalous origins and get up to the 80s. Along the way we talk about R Crumb, The Fabulous Furry Freak Brothers, Harvey Pekar, Wimmen’s Comix, Bill Griffith, Lynda Barry, Life in Hell, Love and Rockets, Elfquest, and Cerebus.

For real, there are sooooo many other types of comics out there besides Muscle Man fighting Beefcake Boy. From the silly to the somber, autobiographical to fantastical, wholesome to obscene, there's something for everyone. Not liking comics is like not liking music or not liking movies. There's something for you.

Part 2 in two weeks!

NOTES / DON'T @ US:
- Not a note, but a shout out to us for setting a new record in edit marks due to Allergies™️, the miracle product from Mother Nature, Inc.! When you want to sniffle for three hours while recording for public consumption, trust Allergies™️!
- We gave credits whenever possible. I think we covered everybody. If not, sorry!
- If you're interested in any of these, try to get them from your Local Comic Shop and not a big conglom-o place. LCSs were hurt by Covid just like all retail and that certain online site saw its profits soar, so they're doing fine.

Like-O-Rama 22a - Indie Comics, Pt 1

This week, we discuss FT Marinetti and Fillia's Futurist Cookbook. This very strange book from 1932 combines the Manifesto of Futurist Cooking, various contemporary newspaper and magazine responses to the futurists' culinary experiments, and many, many recipes and futurist-inspired scenes of possible meals.

As we say at the front, the futurists were giant, enthusiastic fascists with terrible ideas, and we're not saying that's ok. This weird little book, however, is a bizarre delight. Ignoring the underlying desire to keep Italy as strong as possible so they could conquer the world, the food and presentation are so unpleasant and nonsensical that many debate whether Marinetti and Fillia were serious or kidding.

NOTES / DON'T @ US:
- The version we have is the 2014 edition from the "On the Table" series from Sternberg Press in Berlin. Charlotte Birnbaum is the series editor and Barbara McGilvray is the translator.  
- Just in case you didn't read the previous paragraph: Hey, don't be a fascist! They're not cool or clever. Stupid internet turning kids into fascists. Grumble, grumble.

Like-O-Rama 26 - The Futurist Cookbook

This week, Aaron is to the moon and back over Syd Mead. Mead was a concept artist for US Steel whose futuristic designs inspired many science fiction movies, including some he worked on himself. This is another in our series of concept artists who are fantastic.

NOTES / DON'T @ US:
- The 64bit video game console from Apple in the early 90s might have been the Pippin.

- For tons of Mead's brilliant art, go to http://www.sydmead.com

Like-O-Rama 30 - Syd Mead

This week we're talking about the Swiss artist HR Giger. Giger is most well-known for his artwork that became the basis for the xenomorphs in the "Alien" franchise. He also created album art for various bands, had significant success as an exhibiting artist, and published an art book, "Necronomicon", that made a big impact in the worlds of art and Hollywood.

Giger is known for his mixtures of the body and technology. His work often blurs the line between humans and machines, as well as often incorporating designs inspired by insects, mollusks, genitals, and other less-than-wholesome items.

NOTES / DON'T @ US:
- We incorrectly said he was German, but corrected ourselves about halfway in, so it's a draw.
- Debbie Harry was in the original version of "Hairspray", not the remake.
- We found clips of Jello Biafra, Tipper Gore, and others debating obscenity from a couple of episodes of Oprah, but not the clip Aaron mentioned where the comparison is made between dirty words, depictions of violence, and the crucifix imagery in churches. We're sure it's out there, but don't care enough to track it down. It could also very well be Gwar, since they're into that topic too. Ice-T made good points as well.

Like-O-Rama 31 - HR Giger

This week, Dan and Aaron, fresh from seeing Spider-Man, gab about a few of their favorite comic book arcs. Spidey doesn't make an appearance, but Batman, the X-Men, and the entire Marvel Universe do. So, yeah, I guess Spidey would be off to the side, probably being sad about whatever states his love life and career are currently in. Also, plenty of comical book-type tangents. Part 2 in two weeks, yaaaaaay! [insert kermit "yay" gif]

Like-O-Rama 34a - Favorite Comic Book Arcs, part 1

This week, Dan is a huge fan of the 1941 insane comedy "Hellzapoppin'"! Ole Olsen and Chic Johnson star in this beyond screwball comedy based on their stage show of the same name. Besides breaking the fourth wall and never going more than 7 or 8 seconds between jokes, they also feature terrific singing and absolutely jaw-dropping dancing (care of Whitey's Lindy Hoppers), all while demolishing the movie as they make it. It's a stunning comedic achievement. It's also all on YouTube, so you have no excuse to not watch it. We also go on a digression about the phenomenal Cass Daley, who costarred in Olsen and Johnson’s next movie, “Crazy House”

LINKS 
— Hellzapoppin’: https://youtu.be/c2TOriWWSLE 

— Whitey’s Lindy Hoppers: https://youtu.be/trsX4GWdc94 and https://youtu.be/_262uUGwzgk 

— Cass Daley, “Mama Eu Quero” (Dan’s favorite): https://youtu.be/duBV2JN1j_4 

— Cass Daley, “You Can’t Blame a Girl for Trying”: https://youtu.be/X9HWrip2oRo 

— Cass Daley on Bob Hope: https://youtu.be/aX35kG8CNdw 

— The Four Yorkshiremen: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VKHFZBUTA4k

Like-O-Rama 36: Hellzapoppin'

This week, Aaron loves OSHA! Yes, that OSHA, the one that oversees workplace safety. We even spent maybe seven minutes of the episode talking about it! It's maybe our favorite episode so far, albeit our least informative.

Like-O-Rama 37: OSHA

This week, we are buzzing with hopefully cool stuff and not just nostalgia as we discuss video game cover bands and their original soundtracks! We love bands that cover music from 80s and 90s video games, and Aaron has some recommendations for music from games that aren't old enough to have kids in college! Plus the usual idiocy, naturally.

NOTES / DON'T @ US:
-- Here’s the site Aaron talked about with a gazillion video game covers and remixes: ocremix.org
-- Game Over, “Little Mac’s Confession”: https://youtu.be/uSFGppy7EUE
-- The Advantage, boss theme from Contra: https://youtu.be/yVYRZoWXM7M
-- The Minibosses, transition music from Megaman 2: https://youtu.be/I0XVAs2Srsc
-- Training music from Punch-Out!: https://youtu.be/RW6U_wQOGtM
-- Main theme from Paperboy: https://youtu.be/anJiAYz9PKE
-- Vomitron, “Bloody Tears” from Castlevania II: https://youtu.be/RwGyFuE-XW0
-- Main theme from Bigfoot: https://youtu.be/U9Owt2F2Lek
-- Main theme from Bionic Commando: https://youtu.be/2hl5UCCBCXI
-- Entertainment System, Dr. Wily stage from Megaman 2: https://youtu.be/rdcKxpTwGko
-- Unfortunately, we could not find “Crashed Band”, the bluegrass cover of Crash Man :(
-- “Epicenter” from SimCity 4: https://youtu.be/Q8HW5agFwUY
-- “Dragonborn” from Skyrim: https://youtu.be/6fILxnBH1Tg
-- “Triggernometry” from Red Dead Redemption: https://youtu.be/tg-yC0xcI9s

Like-O-Rama 38: Video Game Cover Bands and Soundtracks

Well, we thought about it good and hard and we've decided that the dark lord of evil is NOT a dude we like! It's our first ever Dan and Aaron DISlike-O-Rama! Take that, Satan! We talk about literary and media depictions of the devil, half-remembered biblical stuff, me getting Job's name wrong until I remember like 10 minutes later, crossroadses, going down to Georgia, and about 1000 other things. It was a fun time! Hooray! HAIL DAN AND AARON!!

DISlike-O-Rama 39: Satan

This week, Aaron really likes scale, specifically the scales of the models his builds! We talk about models, scale, suburban dads' psychotic obsessions aka hobbies, a pretty spoiler-heavy review of "The Batman" for some reason, and of course the fog of mediocrity that hung over most 90s comedy. All of which has a lot to do with scale! You're welcome.

Like-O-Rama 40 - Model Scale

This week, Dan and Aaron are immense fans of the DC indie band The Dismemberment Plan! They were rock, post-punk, angular, math rock, electro-pop, and whatever other circa-1999 genres you want to call them. We were in late high school and college when we found out about them and became huge fans, as did everyone we knew. They rule. If you don't know them, check out "Emergency & I" since that's the album most people love the best, but all 5 records are great. We talk about how the band's journey mirrored our own as young people figuring out how to be a person and how they were a beautiful, almost magical part of an otherwise often dishwater gray period of life: angst-ridden young adulthood. But fun! We had a wonderful time reminiscing and gushing and hopefully you'll like it and listen to some fantastic records because of it.

NOTES / DON’T @ US:
— We messed up some lyrics, especially when Dan jumbled two sections of “The Ice of Boston”. We know and are pummeling ourselves appropriately.
— “Crush” was by Jennifer Paige.
— The years 1998-2004 were basically one long year for us, so ignore any dates we assign to anything.

Like-O-Rama 41 - The Dismemberment Plan

It's time for our second annual anniversary episode where we brainstorm the equivalent of a mix CD like it's 2002. There’s some stuff we’ve all heard, some new to us, and because it’s us, a couple of oddball goofy ones. We've been looking forward to this episode for a while and had a ball recording it. And you can listen along to the playlist on YouTube right here: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLPW4Do1NagpFAOg_73-QMwyS_aDzqmbAA

Like-O-Rama 42 - 2022 Mix CD

This week, Aaron is all about fan fic. Specifically, he's talking about slash fic, that fan fiction where one character gets romantic (or just sexy sexy) with another character out of canon. We focus on Star Trek slash fic and its influence on that universe's fans and future series. I'm not 100% sure we rounded out the conclusion, but we meant well! We also get into in-canon representation, nerd culture in general, and the X-Men as a metaphor for LGBT folks, and hopefully did it all as well as two straight, cis guys can. We recorded this episode in June because it's Pride, so Happy Pride Month, everybody! Woo hoo! Star Trek is for everybody!

Like-O-Rama 43 - Star Trek Slash Fic

This week, Dan is into Absurdism, the philosophical cousin of existentialism where you go a step further and actually do something instead of crying into your clove cigarettes. About 2/3 of it is about that; the rest is random gibberish, cool movies, and goofing off. Hooray!

NOTES / DON'T @ US: 
--- We talked about Kafka for a minute. Some say he's existentialist, some say more modernist, and some say neither. So whatever you think, good news! You're right! 
--- Also, if you're a philosophy expert, we're not! Please leave us alone and don't correct us. We tried. I’m gonna say we were 80% accurate. If you'd like to get better information about it, try the internet or a book!

Like-O-Rama 44 - Absurdism

This week, Dan and Aaron are super into making stuff in general. Whether it's for yourself or others, creative or practical, making a thing feels great and is great for you! Even if no one ever sees it.

Like-O-Rama 45 - Creating

This week, Aaron is wild about Umbrella Academy! He loves the series and the comic books it was based on. We talk about other cool comics and shows based on them, Elliot Page, LGBT activism and representation, as well as the usual dumb jokes. Hooray for Umbrella Academy! Oh, and Dan is again recording in the rain under a tin roof, so there's background AMSR type sprinkling noise. Hope you like it!

Like-O-Rama 46 - Umbrella Academy

This week, Dan is bananas for two 10-minute comedies that have insane worldbuilding. It's Eagleheart, starring Chris Elliott, and On Cinema, starring Tim Heidecker and Gregg Turkington! We stay on topic and kind of go back to the book report format (sorry), but Dan is so enthusiastic that it's hard to explain how huge these shows are without doing so. They're very silly, very odd, and star deeply unlikeable and incompetent lunatics. You should dedicate the next two months of your life to watching them. Quit your job, abandon your kids, and take a TV into the woods and watch them. Have fun, and Social Services will be in touch.

Like-O-Rama 47 - Eagleheart And On Cinema

This week, Aaron is a fan of electrostatic discharge or ESD. He's worked in labs where ESD is handled as a safety issue and a "don't break all the stuff" issue, so he had to learn a lot about it and it's pretty dang neat! We also talk about sandwiches, coworkers, dads, and whatever other random crap fell into our heads. Yay, science!

Like-O-Rama 48 - Electrostatic Discharge

This week, we talk about ninja weapons! Katanas, sais, bos, throwing stars, and of course about 40% of 80s culture.

Like-O-Rama 49 - Ninja Weapons

This week, Aaron suggests we think of what movies would make horrible musicals. We find out just how far the quality can get between a great movie and a hack musical treatment. We also find out that Dan and Aaron can only think of like three melodies. Hooraaaaay!

DYSlike-O-Rama 50 - Terrible Musical Ideas

This week, Dan loves 100-year-old jazz! King Oliver, Jelly Roll Morton, Fletcher Henderson, Bix Beiderbecke, and a bunch more. We love the manic energy, the fun melodies, and the burgeoning complexity that would evolve into a zillion subgenres in just a few years. ALSO! One band we neglected to mention that’s been active since the 60s is New Orleans’ own Preservation Hall Jazz Band. They are amazing. Dan got to see them around 2004 and fell in love with them! If you get the chance, go see them!!! (Dan found out they played by him 2 hours AFTER they finished - boo hoo cry waaaaaaaa). Finally, we tried to avoid the word "Dixieland" since it evokes white nostalgia for the Jim Crow South, which is gross, but we still said it a couple times because we either had brain farts or were talking about a band with that word in their name. New Orleans jazz or hot jazz are good substitutes.

Like-O-Rama 51 - 1910s and 20s Jazz

Imagine one of the most celebrated, evocative, studied paintings in history, one that straddles the cusp between the flat religious metaphors of the Middle Ages and the experiments in dimension, light, and subject matter of the Renaissance. Now imagine two idiots talking about it. Yes, this week, Aaron and Dan are going figure by figure through Heironymous Bosch's immortal triptych, "The Garden of Earthly Delights", the notorious-slash-amazing painting and its bizarre depiction of animal-men, torture, surrealism, and butts. So many butts. We focus on the Hell panel because it's the craziest and we recommend that you follow along with your own copy and a magnifying glass or, if you don't have a full copy handy, that you download one of the enormous images online such as the biggest one from Wikimedia Commons here: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:The_Garden_of_Earthly_Delights_by_Bosch_High_Resolution_2.jpg

Like-O-Rama 52 - The Garden Of Earthly Delights

This week, Dan is elated and overjoyed to get to talk about French comedy director Jacques Tati! Tati was active mostly in the 50s and 60s and is best known for M. Hulot's Holiday, Mon Oncle, and PlayTime. His character M. Hulot was also a direct inspiration for Mr. Bean. Besides being a gifted pantomime, Tati was a brilliant director, crafting scenes that are gorgeous, expertly choreographed, and oh yeah funny.

Like-O-Rama 53 - Jacques Tati

It's the Like-O-Rama Holiday Special! We talk about holidays I guess and presents and stuff, but mostly Star Wars for some reason. I guess because of Life Day. Also monster trucks and Wade the Duck and making t-shirts and Stephen King and all kinds of stuff. I'm pretty sure we decided to do a holiday special about 12 seconds before we hit record. Oh well, who cares? Hahaha.

Like-O-Rama 54 - Holiday Special

Happy New Year! We got together on New Year's Day 2023 and discussed the events of 2023 and what they meant to us. Not just the big ones like the alien invasion ending the war in Ukraine or humanity's first moon prison, but also the entertainment and cultural developments that gave us all something to talk about over the virtual water coolers in our bunkers. And isn't that the slogan of 2023?

Like-O-Rama 55 - 2023 Year In Review

This week, Aaron is fascinated by abandoned stores and malls and other liminal spaces that transport you to bygone eras! And Dan is not very helpful. We also talk about comics and horses and prisons that get hit by cosmic rays and turn into art galleries.

Like-O-Rama 56 - Liminal Spaces

Dan and Aaron open the podcast with something we can both gush about for hours: "The Young Ones"! A 12-episode comedy from the early 80s, it exploded the possibilities of television and helped a generation of British comic actors get deservedly famous. There's a great DVD set that includes both seasons as well as episodes of "Bottom" and "Filthy, Rich, and Catflap" and a making-of documentary.

NOTES / DON'T @ US:
- We didn't know until after recording this that Mayall is pronounced "Mail" and not "May-all". Rest assured, we know now and are flagellating ourselves appropriately.
- We mention Ade and Nigel's play, "Vulcan-7" and hope we can see it, but they did it in 2018 and it's not likely to be available.
- Jennifer Saunders' character on "Absolutely Fabulous" (which you love, right?) is Edina, not Edna, Monsoon. Dan's mouth was going faster than his brain.

"The Young Ones" stars Ade Edmondson, Rik Mayall, Nigel Planer, Christopher Ryan, and Alexei Sayle. It was written by Ben Elton, Rik Mayall, and Lise Mayer, with additional material by Alexei Sayle. Clips are copyright of the BBC, used for critical purposes under fair use.

Like-O-Rama 1: The Young Ones

Dan and Aaron gush about the brilliantly stupid, trendsetting weirdo shows that Cartoon Network had starring Space Ghost, Zorak, Brak, and Moltar. From "Space Ghost Coast to Coast" to "Cartoon Planet" to "The Brak Show", it's a love letter to strange little cartoons in the middle of the night that helped pioneer Adult Swim and make the comedic landscape a little more bizarre.

NOTES / DON'T @ US:
Dear Aaron,
Sorry for leaving my laptop 11-12 minutes into this episode to do something else so it sounds like I ghosted you.
Love,
Dan

At one point, Dan confused Mr. Thundercleese’s voice with the grumbling static of Metallus, so he sounds pretty confused near the end. Idiot.

We also misremembered that the “rapping space goblin” was on with Ice-T, but it was actually Chuck D. Wrong deadly serious rapper. Sorry. It’s been like 20 years since we’ve seen these shows.

The shows discussed starred George Lowe, C. Martin Croker, Andy Merrill, and Don Kennedy and were created by Mike Lazzo (SGC2C, Cartoon Planet),Keith Crofford (Cartoon Planet), Jim Fortier (Brak Show), Andy Merrill (Brak Show), and Pete Smith (Brak Show).

Copyright Cartoon Network. Clips used under Fair Use for critical purposes. “Space Ghost Coast to Coast” and “The Brak Show” are available on HBO Max. Or you can get the DVDs and albums. Seriously, do it and give these hilarious people some money.

Like-O-Rama 6: Space Ghost

Oh man. Dan and Aaron talk about the best thing ever made. Probably the greatest bringer of joy to our lives (sorry, our kids!), Mr. T's 1984 motivational video for kids, "Be Somebody...or Be Somebody's Fool!"!!! It's the best. It's your favorite.

A classic of "passing around videotapes to your friends" culture, this 51-minute tape is hilarious and corny, goofy and inspiring, but most of all it's 80s as hell. We talk about how Mr. T and this tape have improved our lives and brought us hours and hours of happiness over the decades. Mr. T is the best and if you haven't seen this video, watch it on YouTube right now.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zv0m1YzRu4M

NOTES / DON'T @ US:
Dan said it was made in 1982, but it's 1984.

We couldn't remember the breakdancer with a "Popsicle" shirt's name. It's Popsicle. Popsicle Delfin. We're dumb.

Aaron said “Milkshake” was by Fergie instead of Kelis. Yay! He messed up instead of Dan for once! Woo hoo! In your face, Aaron!

"Be Somebody...or Be Somebody's Fool!" was written by Peter Elbling, Paul Raley, and Paul Wilson and directed by Jeff Margolis. It stars Mr. T, New Edition, The Dimples, and some surprising kids who would become big stars that we get bug eyes about in the beginning of the episode.

Copyright MCA Home Video. All clips used under Fair Use for critical purposes. If you can find a copy of this, buy it and have a great life.

Like-O-Rama 7: Mr T's Be Somebody...or Be Somebody's Fool!

Today Dan is gushing about comics writer Kelly Sue DeConnick. Most well-known for reimagining Captain Marvel as well as for her creator-owned comics Pretty Deadly and Bitch Planet, Kelly Sue is a feminist pusher of boundaries in a field long dominated by men. And even if you ignore all that, she's also just a darn good writer! She's currently wrapping up her work on Aquaman, which has garnered critical and commercial acclaim.

NOTES / DON'T @ US
I think we actually didn't screw up too badly this time!

We tried to eliminate background noise but it was raining and we have dogs and families and stuff, so long story short sorry for the background noise. Hopefully it’s atmospheric and not annoying.

At one point early on, Dan says Matt Fraction wrote the Iron Man arc that a big chunk of the movies are based on, but that was wrong. His second guess was right, that it was a certain gross dude who wrote good comics but is also gross and did gross things and we're not going to talk about him when there are way better people to talk about.

All of Kelly Sue DeConnick's comics are (obviously) written by her. Her Avengers and Captain Marvel work (art by a zillion people) is through Marvel Comics. Bitch Planet (art by Valentine De Landro) and Pretty Deadly (art by Emma Ríos) are through Image Comics. Aquaman (art by Miguel Mendonça) is through DC Comics.

Like-O-Rama 8 - Kelly Sue DeConnick

This week Dan overflows with joy about the charming faux-sport of Jelle's Marble Runs, a YouTube account with many, many videos where marbles compete in races and Olympic events. It is seriously the best.

Their channel is here: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCYJdpnjuSWVOLgGT9fIzL0g

NOTES / DON'T @ US:
- The theme music is "Light Utopia" by FormantX, which they provide free of copyright and can be found here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Iu2mXESoiN0

- Jelle's Marble Runs is the brainchild and production of Jelle and Dion Bakker and you should support it by buying lots of shirts and hoodies and stuff.

- They also have a Patreon here: https://www.patreon.com/Jelles

Like-O-Rama 16 - Jelle's Marble Runs

Dan and Aaron are old friends from high school. Now they're graying dads with real life problems, so they call each other and talk about awesome stuff. You'll probably like that stuff, too.

Dan and Aaron Like-O-Rama

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