The Bicks Pod

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Episode 1 - The Bicks Do Shakespeare: An Overview Apr 23, 2019

Show notes

In our first episode Aidan and Lindsay discuss the life and times of William Shakespeare. From his birth in 1564, through his early years, and on into his career triumphs, eventual death, and legacy. Along the way we'll also be talking about English history, the political and social situation Shakespeare found himself in, and the state of the English language at the time. While today's episode includes only a minor amount of bickering, we want to set the groundwork for the discussions to come!

Notes:

A Groatsworth of Wit is popularly considered the first mention of Shakespeare as a writer in the London stage.
Shakespeare in Original Pronunciation
The Great Vowel Shift, in handy visual form (though you still need a linguistics minor [at least] to understand it):
James VI and I's Daemonologie, published in 1597 in Scotland and 1603 in England.
Sound clips:
- "Et tu, Brute?" from Community, Season 5 Episode 2, "Introduction to Teaching"
- "There are more things in heaven and earth..." from Hamlet (2000)
- "It is a tale told by an idiot..." from Macbeth (1983)
- "All the world's a stage..." from As You Like It (1978)
- "Double, double, toil and trouble..." from Macbeth (1983)
- "Once more unto the breach dear friends..." from Henry V (1989)
- "Parting is such sweet sorrow..." from Romeo and Juliet (1996)

Bickering Peaks - The Epilogue Apr 02, 2019

Show notes

After more than two years and almost 100 episodes covering the wonderful worlds of Twin Peaks, the films of David Lynch, and the writing prowess of Mark Frost, we're saying a not-so-tearful goodbye. Well, not so much goodbye as a "We'll see you again... in less than 25 years."

As we move on to our next shared love -- the complete works of William Shakespeare -- we are supremely thankful for all the wonderful people we've met doing our podcast, the insights we've received from other Peaks fans, and the fabulous experience of watching the show we loved come to life again after more than two decades of being away. Just like the show, we likely will be returning at some point to revisit the last works of Frost & Lynch we didn't quite get to -- Rabbits, Fantastic Four, and all the other late-career work that may still be coming -- so keep an eye here in case any new Lynch/Frost productions do come to light.

In the meantime, you're more than welcome to follow us on our updated social media accounts and contact us by email:

On Twitter - https://twitter.com/thebickspod
On Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/thebickspod/
Email - thebickspod@gmail.com

We hope you'll join us on April 23rd, as we start our new journey into something almost as arcane and impenetrable as Inland Empire itself -- Shakespeare's plays!

David Lynch - Inland Empire Dec 25, 2018

Show notes

We join up with Nick and Dylan of 119! A Twin Peaks Podcast to delve into the supremely challenging mysteries of David Lynch's 2006 film INLAND EMPIRE.

Tune in for three very different interpretations of the film, and sound off with your ideas about what it all means (or tell us why you think meaning doesn't matter!)

Starring: Laura Dern, Jeremy Irons, Justin Theroux
Directed by: David Lynch
Written by: David Lynch
Produced by: David Lynch

Notes:

You can check out 119! A Twin Peaks Podcast on Twitter (@119Podcast) and definitely go on and listen to their excellent analysis of Twin Peaks: The Return on their pod!

Mark Frost - The Greatest Game Ever Played Oct 09, 2018

Show notes

The Bicks dig deep to deliver on the promise of the surprising and inspirational true story of the 1913 US Open as told by Mark Frost in the 2005 film The Greatest Game Ever Played (which, in turn, was based on his book of the same name).

Starring Shia LaBoeuf as amateur golfer Francis Ouimet, the film takes us on a leisurely stroll along the links of history, with detours into the upper-crust world of the English and American class systems -- which aren't as different as you'd imagine -- before settling in on some of the most exciting and nerve-wracking sportsing action ever committed to film (and we're not being hyperbolic or ironic here!)

Starring: Shia LaBoeuf, Stephan Dillane, Elias Koteas
Directed by: Bill Paxton
Written by: Mark Frost
Produced by: David Steinberg

Notes:

The game of golf
To buy Mark Frost's book: https://www.amazon.com/Greatest-Game-Ever-Played-Francis/dp/0786888008

David Lynch - Mulholland Drive Sep 25, 2018

Show notes

Mulholland Drive. A modern classic, and arguably one of the high points of David Lynch's storied career. In this episode we do our very best to walk through the interpretations, the artistry, and the powerful messages woven throughout this 2001 masterpiece.

Warning: Our best really isn't good enough.

We also talk at length about the connections of this film to other David Lynch works, including Twin Peaks, as well as other cinematic landmarks, especially Alfred Hitchcock's Vertigo, which bears more than a few similarities to Mulholland Drive.

As part of that discussion, we also discuss an essay collection edited by Douglas Cunningham. The San Francisco Of Alfred Hitchcock's Vertigo: Place, Pilgrimage, and Commemoration.

Starring: Naomi Watts, Laura Haring, Justin Theroux
Directed by: David Lynch
Written by: David Lynch
Produced by: Pierre Edelman

Mark Frost - The Deadly Look Of Love Sep 11, 2018

Show notes

The Lifetime network holds a special place in the hearts of half of this podcast team, and this episode we're taking a look at the most Frostian of Lifetime made-for-TV movies: The Deadly Look of Love.

Join us for a discussion of early-noughties feminism, the appeal and joys of Lifetime's particular romantic/life-affirming formula, and the elements of Mark Frost's work we are finally seeing as the most vital contributions to the vaunted Lynch/Frost collaboration.

Starring: Jordan Ladd, Vincent Spano
Directed by: Solace Mitchell
Written by: Mark Frost & Solace Mitchell
Produced by: Mark Frost and Lois Luger

David Lynch - The Straight Story Aug 28, 2018

Show notes

Take a slow-as-molasses journey with us across the wide open prairie as we visit David Lynch's 1999 film The Straight Story and delve into a warm dreamscape of a different kind than we're normally used to from the master of surreal dreamscapes.

Based on a true story, The Straight Story follows Alvin Straight as he attempts to make it across the Iowa/Wisconsin border to visit his ailing brother. Though he's not a well man himself, along the way Alvin makes friends and comes to a deeper understanding about his life and helps other to see the beauty in the world around them.

Starring: Richard Farnsworth, Sissy Spacek
Directed by: David Lynch
Written by: John Roach & Mary Sweeney
Produced by: Pierre Edelman, Michael Polaire

Notes: Eighteen Bridges article, "A High and Lonesome Sound" by Robbie Jeffrey: http://eighteenbridges.com/story/high-and-lonesome-sound-canada-rural-crisis/

Mark Frost - Buddy Faro Aug 14, 2018

Show notes

It might not have been here for a long time, but it was a good time! Buddy Faro was Mark Frost's 90s-noir lovechild that brought a pair of private eyes from different generations together into a colour-saturated, quirky, and delightful private eye comedy.

Quick and witty dialogue, interesting characters, and fun abound in this great meetup between 90s and 30s-through-70s culture. Featuring a number of Mark Frost's core group of collaborators, it's a unique show that deserved a better fate than to quietly fade away after the fall season of 1998. Join us as we chat about this great series, as well as its connections to Twin Peaks and The Return.

Starring: Dennis Farina, Frank Whaley
Directed by: Charles Haid, Lesli Linka Glatter, John Patterson
Written by: Mark Frost
Produced by: Mark Frost, Aaron Spelling, E. Duke Vincent

David Lynch - Lost Highway Jul 17, 2018

Show notes

We're talking the big three this episode: sex, lies, and videotapes. Lost Highway has them all in spades, wrapped up in the usual Lynchian elements of mystery, violence, and doubles galore.

We discuss the film's confounding interplay of memory, reality, desire, and jealousy, to try and see if there is a single, understandable plot somewhere in that mix, or if the film's best understood as a loose series of scenes, feelings, and meditations.

We also discuss some of the important production notes, and of course tie it back to Twin Peaks, as well as the other parts of Lynch's California Trilogy. So join us for a dive into transmorphing jazz players and bad wigs, as we head down the Lost Highway.

Starring: Bill Pullman, Patricia Arquette, Balthazar Getty
Directed by: David Lynch
Written by: David Lynch & Barry Gifford
Produced by: Deepak Nayar, Tom Sternberg, Mary Sweeney

Notes:

Lost Highway Analysis by Melmrose Projects
What's So Great About That? - Lost Highway

David Lynch - Hotel Room Jul 03, 2018

Show notes

"For a millennium, the space for the hotel room existed undefined. Mankind captured it, gave it shape and passed through. And sometimes in passing through, they found themselves brushing up against the secret names of truth."

Thus we enter the world of David Lynch's Hotel Room, a series that jumps between times but remains always behind the door of Room 603 of the Railroad Hotel in New York City.

Lynch's first foray into the then-fledgling world of cable television is fascinating and strange, pushing the boundaries of the medium in its exploration of love, loss, and possibly even more...

Starring: Crispin Glover, Glenn Headley, Alicia Witt
Directed by: David Lynch & James Signorelli
Written by: David Lynch, Monty Montgomery, Barry Gifford, Ian McInerney
Produced by: David Lynch and Monty Montgomery

Notes:

Watch the original series here
If These Walls Could Talk
Auteur Theory's look at the series: https://www.highdefdigest.com/blog/hotel-room-david-lynch/

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