The Basement

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Bonus Stage 02: Halloween 1 and 2 Oct 27, 2018

Show notes

Just in time for Halloween, Albert and resident psychopath Mike look back on John Carpenter's Halloween 1 and 2, the sequels, the music, and much more! This Bonus Stage is brought to you by the gracious sponsorship of Silver Shamrock Novelties!

A Tale of Two Mikes

What They Have In Common

Halloween (1978)

The Cast and Crew
Experiences With the Films
Plot To Kill
Who the Halloween is Moustapha Akkad?
Death Toll
The Shape

Halloween 2 (1981)

Plot To Kill Again
Death Toll

Music

Main Theme
Soundtrack
Carpenter's Other Works

Legacy

Sequels and Zombie Reboot
Video Games
Comics
Novels
Michael vs. Jason vs. Freddy

John Carpenter's Films

Other Favorites
How Does Halloween Stack Up?

Final Thoughts

Support Us

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Episode 0006, Part 3: And Knowing Is Half The Battle! Oct 02, 2018

Show notes

This week Albert is joined by Joe Kane (EGM's Community Manager) as they cross the halfway mark of the pop culture references in Chapter 0006! We talk about the answer to everything, dodge what the other half of the battle is, and get into band name origins for some of the groups we've discussed on past episodes. We wrap it up on the dark side of a wormhole with the dark horse of the Star Trek franchise, Star Trek: Deep Space 9!

J.R.R. Tolkien (1892 – 1973)

The Hobbit (1937) and Lord of the Rings (1954 – 1955)
Which was the better series?
"Legolas" at the premiere of LOTR in San Marcos, TX (2001)

Orson Scott Card (1951)

Ender's Game (1985) and saga
Greatest scifi novel of (Albert's) all time

Douglas Adams (1952 – 2001)

The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (1979)
The answer to everything
Infocom game (1984)

Star Blazers (1979 – 1984)

Origins and production
The Star Force: Earth's last defense!
Anchor's aweigh
Live action film coming??

G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero (1983 – 1986)

Non television origins
Mini-series and syndication
The most violent non-violent cartoon ever!
Public safety lessons and half the battle
Favorite characters and toys

Peter Jackson (1961 - ?)

Favorite movie as a director and why?

Quentin Tarantino (1963 - ?)

Favorite movie as a director and why?

Revenge of the Nerds (1984)

The definitive nerd movie?
- Others: Weird Science, Real Genius, My Science Project, Zapped, and uh, Joy Sticks. Oof!
Favorite moments and quotes
One of the most famous musicians you've never heard of
- They're So Incredible video and audio
Legacy
- Sequels, King of the Nerds reality TV show

Wait, we forgot something...

Band name origins
- Bon Jovi
- The Police
- Journey
- Def Leppard
- Oingo Boingo
- Duran Duran
- The Beatles

R.E.M. (1980 – 2011)

Birth of alternative rock?
Band name origin
Favorite album and song

Pink Floyd (1965 – 2014)

Prog rock, art rock, and psychedelic rock
Band name origin
Favorite album and song
Dark Side of the Rainbow
- Another Brick in the Wall-E
- Other movie syncs

The A-Team (1983 – 1987)

Character quotes and favorite
The most violent non-violence TV show!
Introand montages
Boy George, Hulk Hogan, Rick James, The Refrigerator, Pat Sajak, and Vanna White, and Cylons
Legacy

Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (1993 - 1998)

Intro
A departure from the tried and true formula
Racial and social issues
The Visitor, Trials and Tribble-ations, Far Beyond the Stars
Favorite characters
JMS and B5

Hosts

Albert "Shipwreck" Padilla
G.I. Joe Kane

3-2-1 Contact!

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Episode 0006, Part 2: Make It So! Sep 03, 2018

Show notes

Episode 0006, Part 2: Make It So!

After a quick breather, we're back this week with Part 2 of Chapter 0006! Journey with Albert and Crowley as they gush over Steve Perry, talk about picking up trashy women with Better Off Dead, roll one with Sid and Marty Kroft, and then sober up with Star Trek: The Next Generation! No wolves or leppards were injured in the making of this podcast. Enjoy!

News

Now part of the Ear Glue Media network of podcasts!

Neal Stephenson (1959 - ?)

MMO's and terrorists
Jeff Bezos and Blue Origin

Alfred Bester (December 18, 1913 – September 30, 1987)

The Demolished Man (1953)
First ever Hugo Award winner
Babylon 5 connection

Gibson (March 17, 1948)

Neuromancer (1984)
Nebula, Hugo, and the Phillip K. Dick awards
It's not Blade Runner…we swear!

Def Leppard

About as big as they come in the 80's
Rick Allen as a drummer
Favorite song and/or album

Journey

Steve Perry – God's gift to music?
Favorite song and/or album
Ever scene them in concert
Journey The Video Game: Part 2

Better Off Dead (1985)

Arguably Cusak's greatest work
Diane Franklin and The Last American Virgin (sorry, Mom, I lied)
Curtis Armstrong - better as Charles in Better Off Dead or as Booger in Revenge of the Nerds?
The 1967 Camaro and asian drag racers
"TWO DOLLARS!", "I'm really sorry your mom blew up", and so many more great moments and quotes

Terry Gilliam and Guillero Del Toro

Favorite movie from each?

H.R. Pufnstuf (1969)

Greatest anti-drug commercial ever?
Nothing funny about laugh tracks
Better on drugs or nah?
The Jack Wild and Bill Conti connection
Sid and Marty Kroft vs. Ronald McDonald and the people of McDonaldland

Land of the Lost (1974 - 1977)

Better use of the banjo in a TV Series: Land of the Lost or Dukes of Hazard?
Chaka or Sagwa
"The Stranger" by Checkov
The Marshall's go home in the biggest jerk move in television history

Airwolf (1984 – 1987)

"Sweet Britches"
Other prominent vehicles of the 80's
The theme song
Airwolf vs. Blue Thunder

Star Trek: The Next Generation (1987 – 1994)

Trekker vs. Trekkie
Best Star Trek series ever?
The technology of ST:TNG
The issues they tackled
Themes
Crowley's "Must See TV" for ST:TNG

Hosts

Albert "Enik" Padilla

"Sweet Britches" Crowley

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Episode 0006, Part 1: More Than Meets The Eye! Aug 14, 2018

Show notes

Episode 0006 starts NOW! Join Albert, SP, and Jeremy Dennis of the Transmissions Podcast in the first of six parts dedicated to toppling the monolith of pop culture references that is Chapter 0006! Each show will be a grab bag of authors, tv shows, cartoons, movies, directors, and music so you'll never know what you'll get...unless you read these notes of course. Anyway, join us as we try to answer a question steeped in controversy, "What the heck ever became of Hauler?"

Ready Player Jeremy

Jeremy's thoughts on the novel and movie

Terry Brooks

Shannara Series (1977 – present)
What happened with the show?

Jack Vance (1916 – 2013)

The Last Castle (1967)
"One of American literature's most distinctive and undervalued voices"

Kurt Vonnegut (1922 – 2007)

Slaughterhouse-Five (1969)
World War 2 Veteran
The Unopened Letter

The Police (1977 – 1986, 2007 – 2008)

Synchronicity and "The Biggest Band in the World"
Favorite songs
2010: The Year We Make Contact tie-in?

Bon Jovi (1983 – present)

Battle of the bands (hair)
Favorite songs
Favorite MTV video

Real Genius (1985)

Project: Crossbow - How close are we to this tech or are sharks with frickin' laser beams practical warfare solution?
Cereal Watch 2018!
World's first computer press conference
Can you destroy a house by filling it with popping popcorn?

James Cameron (1954 – ?)

Favorite movies
What franchise will Cameron be known for?

Steven Spielberg (1946 – ?)

Favorite movies
Is he the GOAT?

Greatest American Hero (ABC, 1981 – 1983)

Why did this capture our hearts and the hearts of America back then, or did it?
Which was bigger: Song or Show?
The Man Perm – What were we thinking??
The Greatest American Heroine and forthcoming reboot
The origin of the logo

Star Trek: The Original Series(1966 – 1969)

The final frontier
Star Trek technology check-in
Theme music and lyrics

Challenge of the Gobots (1984 – 1985)

Albert makes a mess of their origin
Guardians vs. Renegades or How the h3ll do you know the difference??
Favorite Gobot
They had a movie too
Legacy of the Gobots: what became of them?

Transformers (1984 – 1987)

Hauler
G1 Series Overview: Seasons 1, 2, 3, 4, and the movie:
- Synopsis, Highs, and Lows
Who was your favorite:
- Autobot
- Decepticon
- Other
Skyfire, no Jetfire!
The movie soundtrack
The current and future state of The Transformers franchise

Hosts:

Albert "Skyfire or Jetfire" Padilla
Stargate "Prime" Pioneer
Jeremy "Yakko Warner" Dennis
- Transmissions Podcast

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Bonus Stage 01: The Films of Richard Donner Jul 31, 2018

Show notes

Here it is...The Basement's first BONUS STAGE episode: The Films of Richard Donner! Join Albert and Bill as they tackle Superman, Superman 2, Superman 2: The Richard Donner Cut, Ladyhawke, and The Goonies! From Super Pimp to Super Sloth, the guys have you covered in looking back on the Donner films of Ready Player One!

Superman (1978)

Early director picks
Starring Dustin Hoffman, Paul Newman, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Neil Diamond, and/or freakin' Kojak
Thoughts on the cast and voice dubbing
Memorable scenes: Bad Vibrations, Space Baby, and pre-end credits smiles, and more
"THAT'S A BAD OUT-FIT...WOOOO!"
Tag Line: "You'll believe a man can fly" - did you?
Superman for the Atari 2600 (1979)

Superman 2 (1981)

Salkind, Spengler, Donner, and the fallout from Superman
The super villains: Chancellor Vallorum, NON, and Pat Benatar/Zule
Man, John Ratzenberger has been in everything
What was the song playing in the diner?
Attack on the Whitehouse and Bazooka Joe
Battle for Metropolis...brought to you by Philip Morris!
Superman's fight with Rocky aka "Sea Bass" - was this in character?
Did the campiness undermine the integrity of the first movie?
Superman or Superman 2 - which was better?

Superman 2: The Richard Donner Cut (2006)

What were the differences and how much of the narrative was changed?

Ladyhawke (1985)

Who was Lauren Shuler?
How does this movie stack up against the other 80's fantasy movies around then?
A story about a wolf, a hawk, and a mouse
A story about two Americans lost in Europe
Starring Kurt Russell, Spicoli, Satipo, and more!
Music by, "the &%#@$ Alan Parson's Project
Favorite moments
Will there be a sequel or remake?
Why did Aech say this movie had "no balls" and, wow, what a romantic ending! <3

The Goonies (1985)

Where does this rank among the top 80's movies?
A powerhouse of creativity: Richard Donner, Steven Spielberg, and Chris Columbus
What is a "Goonie" anyway?
The cast and where are they now?
Favorite scenes, moments, and/or quotes
A movie for kids, with kids, and the believability that this could be YOU or ME.
Cyndi Lauper, Musical Director
"Eight Arms to Hold You" by the Goon Squad and song origins
The tragedy of Teena Marie
"Wherever You're Goin' (It's Alright)" by REO Speedwagon Meh, it's alright.
The Joseph Williams, Toto, and Jabba the Hutt connection
Cyndi Lauper, The Bangles, the cast of the Goonies, and the WWF Allstars!
The Goonies 2 for NES. Wait, what happened to part 1??
Which will come first? A Goonies sequel or hell freezing over?

Final thoughts on Richard Donner and his early impact on modern cinema. Oh, and the song playing in the diner. Promise.

Hosts

Albert "Bad Outfit" Padilla
Bill "Can You Read My Mind" Alewine

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Episode 0005: You Have Chosen...Wisely! Jul 17, 2018

Show notes

Recorded on June 12th, we celebrate James Halliday's birthday in the best we know how by covering chapter 0005! Join Albert, Billy, and Instagram's _readyplayerone_, Morgan Marshall!

News From the Front Lines!

Happy 46th Birthday, James Halliday!

Ready Player Morgan

Morgan shares her experience and testimony of the Ready Player One novel.

Indiana Jones and the Holy Grail (1989)

Memories of its release Favorite moments or quotes?
Where does Holy Grail rank among the other Indy films?
The Star Wars connection

Gary Gygax (1938 –2008), Richard Garriott (1961), and Bill Gates (1955)

Halliday's shared qualities and traits
Garriott and the Ultima series of games
Windows or Mac?
DOB: 06/12/1972

Dungeons and Dragons Players Handbook (Early to mid 80's)

Did you or do you play tabletop games?
What edition was Halliday likely playing?
Welcome to Chthonia!

Steve Jobs (1955 – 2011) and Steve Wozniak (1950)

Prototype for Halliday and Og

John Lennon (1940 – 1980) and Paul McCartney (1942)

Favorite song from either?
Favorite Beatles album?

TRS-80 (Color Computer 2) (1983 – 1986) vs Commodore 64 (1982 – 1994) vs Atari 800XL (1983 – 1985) vs Apple IIe (1977 – 1994)

First computers
Did you ever do any program or nah?
Baggies, Jacuzzis, Frisbees, Band-Aids, Superglue, Kleenex, Hula Hoops, and Scotch Tape!

Gregarious Games

Timeline of events Halliday's profile and personality

Lamborghini Countach (1974 – 1990) vs DeLorean (1981 – 1983)

Lambo or DeLorean Pipe dreams or "what would you do with a billion dollars right now?"
Lambo's and their influence on pop culture DeLorean's and their influence on pop culture.
The Cline Brothers and Back to the Future

Star Wars Action Figures (1978)

Who collects or collected Star Wars action figures?
YUS! Barbies!
Other figures and collectibles

GG Rebranded as Gregarious Simulations Systems and the OASIS (2012)

MMO's and their limitations
Anyone can be anyone
The visor and haptic gloves
OASIS Reality Engine or "open source reality"
"The OASIS was an online utopia, a holodeck for the home."
Holodecks and variants in pop culture
Revenue Strategy (.25 one time setup fee, "surreal estate", virtual objects, and fuel costs)
Love, relationships, and the "reality" of it all

Hosts

Albert "Sergeant Pepper" Padilla
Billy "Junior" Alewine
Morgan "Catfish" Marshall
- https://www.instagram.com/_readyplayerone_/

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Episode 0004: Worlds Upon Worlds! Jul 02, 2018

Show notes

Get ready for the wildest, sexiest, and most scientific episode of The Basement to date! (NOTE: We had to cut out the wild and sexy so you're left with science) Albert is joined by Astronautical Engineer and host of the Legends of SHIELD and Starling Tribune podcasts, Stargate "SP" Pioneer!

Ready Player SP

SP share's his experience with the novel and the movie

Charles Dickens (1812 – 1870)

Favorite Dickens novel or story?

More on Holodecks (1974 – Present)

As a plot device and storytelling
Star Trek origins
Current state of technology

King Tut (1332 – 1323)

Curse of the Pharaohs: Fact or Fiction?
We talk victims – how many reallydied?
Future exploration of the great pyramids

Fantastic Voyage (1966)

Is this a fantastically "old" movie?
Special or practical effects
How much liquid do ears really have???
The CMDF: Combined Miniature Defense Force
You can never have enough sugar

Jupiter, Io, Europa, and the Great Red spot or A Reason To Talk About 2001 Series

Jupiter and the Great Red Spot
Gone in 631,152,000 Seconds!
Moons upon moons!
US lunar landings and origins
2001 and 2010 movies
The science of Clarke
HAL and IBM
Clarke and Kubrick movie cameos
Europa and the existence of life elsewhere

UFOs, TIE Fighters, NASA Space Shuttles, and Vipers

The Rebel Alliance of 1992
Lots of other vehicles that SHOULD be in the OASIS someday including:
- The Starship Enterpriseand The Thunderhawkfrom M.A.S.K.
The Challengerdisaster of 1986
- The Teacher in Space Project
- Christa McAuliffe and Barbara Radding Morgan

Ontologically Anthropocentric Sensory Immersive Simulation (OASIS)

Which came first: the name or the acronym?
The definition of an acronym:
- Ontologically - a branch of metaphysics concerned with the nature and relations of being
- Anthropocentric - considering human beings as the most significant entity of the universe
- Sensory - of or relating to sensation or senses
- Immersive - providing, involving, or characterized by deep absorption or immersion in something
- Simulation - the act or process of simulating
10.8 billion kilometers is a LOT! No, wait, it's not…
Zones upon zones!
- A Spelljammer reference!
- An Aladdin reference!

Virtual Worlds

Worlds upon Worlds!
World that stood out
Worlds we would add

Rubik's Cube

Best way to solve it: TAKE. IT. APART.
200 million cubes by 1983
2x2's, 3x3's, Pyraminx, and snakes, oh my!
Fastest 3x3 solvers and times
Rubik, The Amazing Cube!
What is or who was Menudo? Hint: They're not from Mexico!

The hardships of Wade (no money, no experience), the great recession, and final thoughts on Chapter 0004.

Hosts:

Albert "Menudo" Padilla
Prince SP! Fabulous he!

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Episode 0003, Part 3: Highlander 2 Lame! Jun 19, 2018

Show notes

We wrap up Chapter 3 in this episode and use Highlander 2 as a lameness measuring stick. Join us as we jump into the worlds of Krull, Highlander 2, and Legend and stop to talk about music contributions of The Alan Parsons Project and Tangerine Dream. We get into the nuts and bolts of the Swordquest contest and the public shaming I-r0k receives as well as questioning why Spaced!was ever mentioned in this chapter to begin with…enjoy!

Krull (1983)Highs and lows

Science Fiction or Science Fantasy?
Worthy of Cult status?

Alan Parsons Project (1975 - 1990)

"Eye in the Sky", "Sirius", and "The Raven"
Ricky "the Dragon" Steamboat vs. The Chicago Bulls

Highlander 2 (1991)

Highlander 1 recap
Highlander 2...so what went wrong?
Theatrical release vs recent home release

Steven Spielberg

Our favorite Spielberg movie is…

Legend (1985)

As a love story
Practical effects and Tim Curry's performance
Tangerine Dream
"Is Your Love Strong Enough" music video.

Revenge of the Jedi (1982)

Why the name change?

Greyhawk

Gary Gygax's home away from home
Other campaign settings

Swordquest Series (1979 - 1984)

Earthworld, Fireworld, Waterworld, and Airworld
The contest and influence on The Hunt
Results, prizes, and what never was

Spaced! (1999 - 2001)

Any good?
Influence on Ready Player One…or was there?

Hosts

Albert "The Glaive" Padilla
Bad Gamer Crowley, President of APP Fan Club
- Bad Gamers Anonymous

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Episode 0003, Part 2: Surely, you must be joking! Jun 05, 2018

Show notes

The Endorians are back! Albert, Mike, and Bad Gamer Crowley return like rabid Ewoks (just go with it) to bring you Part 2 of Chapter 0003 of Ready Player One. We pick up right where we left off with a brief touch and go on Starlog magazine, and then rip the Star Wars bandage off exposing the double trouble duo of Caravan of Suck and The Battle for Endor.

No punches are pulled an no Ewok is sparred as we attempt to find the "great moments" Aech spoke of…full show notes below:

News from the front lines!

Ready Player is coming home!
Warner Bros' Facebook Easter Egg Contest via Facebook

Starlog Magazine (1976 - 2009)

What was it?
What happened to this magazine and others after the 80's?
Do we still have any copies?

Ewoks: Caravan of Courage (1984) and The Battle for Endor (1985)

Wow, these suck!
Worse than the Star Wars Holiday Special?
What went wrong? (it's a long list)
What went right? (it's a short list)
What does "Canon" mean?

Astrosmash (1981)

How popular was this game on the Intellivision?
Astrosmash Shootoff contest of 1982 and Trans Ams

Airplane (1980)

One of the greatest comedies ever?
What some of our more memorable scenes?
What are some memorable quotes?
Do you like movies about gladiators?

Howard the Duck (1986)

Great movie, or just great at the time?
Does George Lucas get too much "credit" for this one?
Duck Boobs, Playduck, and "bestiality"…did we really need to see any of these?
Memorable scenes and quotes
The Thomas Dolby connection…"Science!"
Howard the Duck video game happened
Final thoughts or, "WHO WAS THE AUDIENCE FOR THIS FREAKIN' MOVIE"?!

BONUS DRINKING GAME

Take a shot whenever you hear Mike complain about:
The Last Jedi
Kathleen Kennedy
Rian Johnson
Challenge: Can you stay sober past the 30 min mark?

Hosts:

Albert "The Endorian" Padilla
Mike "Ducky: Rondeau
Bad Gamer "SCIENCE!" Crowley

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Be kind, rewind!

Episode 0003, Part 1: What Up, Humperdinck? May 23, 2018

Show notes

The "Wild Boys" (Albert, Mike, and the main host of Bad Gamers Anonymous, Bad Gamer Crowley) start the first of THREE episodes dedicated to Chapter 0003 of Ready Player One! Join us for a fun trip down memory lane where we talk about really weird things like videophiles, Vulcans, and Duran Duran! We then hit the classic coin ops like Contra, Ikari Warriors, Golden Axe, and the "Zeppo Marx" of the bunch, Heavy Barrel. We kind of end on Tron but see the show notes below for the full list damage done:

News from the front lines!