It was my turn to choose topics so I decided that we’d talk about spirit animals, animal-human hybrids, animal-animal hybrids, guides through the spirit world, King Tut’s D in a jar, my dad’s music career, the ancient Egyptian practice of putting earring on Crocodiles and bringing them to parties, sexy cat girls with and without tails, the Muppets, Prince Rupert’s dog, Tigra, Manimal, Beastmaster, James Earl Jones’ character from Conan the Barbarian, Sobek, Horus & Felicia. We discuss some other things also but you’ll have to listen to find out what they are. If you listen but don’t comment, you’re in the doghouse.

I took the quality down a bit to get the file smaller, let me know how it sounds.

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At long last, A Very Serious Conversation addresses the important issue of how to bewitch your beau, to beguile your best guy, to gently entrance your gentleman escort.

Should you be like “one of the dudes”? Should you make him pay for everything? Should you “give it up” on the first date? What effects will Love Potion #9 have on him? Should you play jealousy games? Should you read books, or at least pretend to? What do the rapper Ludacris or Cosmopolitan magazine have to say on the matter? (more…)

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This episode of A Very Serious Conversation is kind of a hodgepodge of ideas thrown this way and that without much rhythm or rhyme to it. I’m not even sure what the original intended topic was. We start with a discussion of author Michael Pollan (I just read his book The Omnivore’s Dilemma), touching upon my vegetarianism and Phil’s non-TV-ownershipism. We talk about the rubber ducky that Phil wishes he had.

About halfway through the conversation, our friend and recurring guest Jason joins in, as we recall some of the things we used to see as kids that we don’t see anymore, and how we’re dumber than we used to be. I tell a story about when I held a baby white tiger while in Denver, and Phil tells the story of the time he got stranded in that same city. Jason outdoes both of us with his story of flying the Goodyear blimp. (more…)

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Nick has a giant stack of G.I. Joe File Cards that he cut from the backs of action figure packages when he was a kid in the Eighties. Jake thought it would be fun to read through the cards, talk about whatever comes up and record those conversations for a series of short-length podcasts. G.I. Joe provides the framework each episode, but a variety of topics spring forth.

In this episode Nick, Jake and Pete discuss Roadblock (Mark II).

If you want to read along, click on the File Card to see it bigger.

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In celebration of veryserious.org’s newest category– and to tickle Phil’s fancy– this episode of A Very Serious Conversation is about Beetle Bailey, Garfield, Doonesbury and the like. That’s right: newspaper comic strips.

We start by reviewing the origins of the comic strip, tracing its predecessors as far back at the ancient Egypt. On the voyage through the history of sequential art we makes stops at significant signposts like the Bayeux Tapestry and the works of William Hogarth (illustrator of– amongst other things– the inaugural Very Serious Picture). Our discussion of the early days of newspaper funnies includes the Katzenjammer Kids, Mutt & Jeff, Hogan’s Alley (the Yellow Kid’s home) and Little Nemo in Slumberland.* (more…)

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For this episode of A Very Serious Conversation, Phil hoped to talk mainly about the song “Air Force Ones” by Nelly. Before he can even bring up the subject, I insist we first address the term (and phenomenon) known as “pod-fading” and the Nineties sitcom Martin. He eventually manages to get the conversation moving in his preferred direction, but it’s not long before I’m digressing to such topics as Obama’s reference to Lil’ Wayne and the billboard ban in São Paulo. (more…)

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