Make Me A Nerd with Mandy Kaplan Transistor (https://transistor.fm) https://feeds.transistor.fm/mman Hey folks. Mandy Kaplan here. I’d like to share a bit about my intentions and mission for MMAN if you’ll indulge me. You will? Huzzah! Look, I am a lot of things. I’m a writer, actress, mother, and lover of musicals and cats, but NOT Cats, The Musical. Give me a little bit of credit, would ya? So...throughout my life, I’ve been surrounded (and intrigued) by all things nerd. A sister who plays D&D, a Star Wars-obsessed husband, friends who love anime, comic books, video games, and...well, you get the picture. Somehow, I have always held it all at arm's length. Not to get too deep, but maybe I never thought I was smart enough to follow it. Or maybe I have control issues and have never been able to embrace fantastical things like dragons and time travel. Until now! So, with an open mind and heart, I am ready to join this massive (and beautifully inclusive) club and GEEK THE #%$ OUT! It’s time for all my wonderfully strange friends to baptize me into NERD-DOM. Please join me on this journey. Who knows? Maybe you’ll discover or remember a side of yourself along the way. Or at least make fun of me as I try! © TruStory FM a7b62daf-71e1-515d-9699-ac4acf6fff3e no A Trailer... about all the things I don't understand yet. en Mon, 01 Jun 2026 03:00:17 -0700 Mon, 01 Jun 2026 03:02:56 -0700 https://trustory.fm/make-me-a-nerd https://img.transistorcdn.com/HAhMuLclh06b10Bjnj8e7t3xQlAqx_9IHIJjUs36oJg/rs:fill:0:0:1/w:1400/h:1400/q:60/mb:500000/aHR0cHM6Ly9pbWct/dXBsb2FkLXByb2R1/Y3Rpb24udHJhbnNp/c3Rvci5mbS9iMDli/ZDcxYjRmNmM5MzAw/NDM1MTg5ZTE2M2U5/ZTIyZC5qcGc.jpg Make Me A Nerd with Mandy Kaplan https://trustory.fm/make-me-a-nerd episodic TruStory FM Hey folks. Mandy Kaplan here. I’d like to share a bit about my intentions and mission for MMAN if you’ll indulge me. You will? Huzzah! Look, I am a lot of things. I’m a writer, actress, mother, and lover of musicals and cats, but NOT Cats, The Musical. Give me a little bit of credit, would ya? So...throughout my life, I’ve been surrounded (and intrigued) by all things nerd. A sister who plays D&D, a Star Wars-obsessed husband, friends who love anime, comic books, video games, and...well, you get the picture. Somehow, I have always held it all at arm's length. Not to get too deep, but maybe I never thought I was smart enough to follow it. Or maybe I have control issues and have never been able to embrace fantastical things like dragons and time travel. Until now! So, with an open mind and heart, I am ready to join this massive (and beautifully inclusive) club and GEEK THE #%$ OUT! It’s time for all my wonderfully strange friends to baptize me into NERD-DOM. Please join me on this journey. Who knows? Maybe you’ll discover or remember a side of yourself along the way. Or at least make fun of me as I try! Hey folks. D&D, Star Wars, Star Trek, Marvel, Gaming, Technology, Nerddom TruStory FM shows@trustory.fm No No Sensual Creatures: Vampires, Frilly Shirts, and Interview with a Vampire with Jonny Lee Jr. 99 99 Sensual Creatures: Vampires, Frilly Shirts, and Interview with a Vampire with Jonny Lee Jr. full 39bcc976-cfd9-4491-b9f2-2260acf43518 https://share.transistor.fm/s/4341550c Vampires, as a concept, should not work. They are dead. They are allergic to weather. Their entire dating strategy is "what if I bit you." And yet — somehow, Anne Rice took this nonsense, draped it in frilly eighteenth-century shirts (a look Jonny Lee Jr. has, to his eternal credit, brought to this very podcast), and produced one of the most genuinely seductive pieces of pulp fiction of the twentieth century. This week, Jonny returns to walk Mandy through the entire blood-soaked architecture of Interview with the Vampire — the 1994 film, the AMC series, and the lore that Anne Rice constructed to power both.

Along the way: Cher was almost cast as Louis (yes, that Cher; yes, in a corset; no, it would not have worked). Tom Cruise was, by Anne Rice's own admission, the wrong man for Lestat — right up until he opened his mouth on screen and became the only possible man for Lestat. Brad Pitt may have been miserable filming this and you can, if you squint, kind of tell. Kirsten Dunst, age eleven, delivered a performance so calibrated that they auditioned a thousand other children and quietly admitted defeat. And Anne Rice herself wrote Claudia — a five-year-old trapped in eternal childhood — because her own five-year-old daughter had died of leukemia, which recontextualizes the entire story so violently that you may need to sit down.

Also covered: why blood drinking, in the Anne Rice cosmology, is better than sex (the vampires are the most sex-positive characters in 1990s cinema); why the second half of the movie kind of falls apart the moment Antonio Banderas shows up to monologue at everyone; why the AMC series is gayer than the movie which is gayer than the books which are already pretty gay; and the fact that one of the most cinematic shots in nineties film involves a child vampire worrying about getting blood on her pink satin shoes. Welcome back to nerd-dom.

GUEST SPOTLIGHT
Jonny Lee Jr. is one of Make Me a Nerd's original guests and a self-described "very well-rounded nerd" — a designation he has now earned across episodes on Zelda, Sailor Moon, and the present descent into Anne Rice's vampire universe. He is an actor and singer with the rare ability to make you genuinely excited about a frilly eighteenth-century shirt, and he has read every single Vampire Chronicles novel, which is the kind of qualification you cannot fake.


Links & References

Past Make Me a Nerd Episodes Referenced


Film & Television


Discussed in depth


Referenced in passing


Books


Stage


People


Creators


1994 film cast


AMC series cast

]]> Vampires, as a concept, should not work. They are dead. They are allergic to weather. Their entire dating strategy is "what if I bit you." And yet — somehow, Anne Rice took this nonsense, draped it in frilly eighteenth-century shirts (a look Jonny Lee Jr. has, to his eternal credit, brought to this very podcast), and produced one of the most genuinely seductive pieces of pulp fiction of the twentieth century. This week, Jonny returns to walk Mandy through the entire blood-soaked architecture of Interview with the Vampire — the 1994 film, the AMC series, and the lore that Anne Rice constructed to power both.

Along the way: Cher was almost cast as Louis (yes, that Cher; yes, in a corset; no, it would not have worked). Tom Cruise was, by Anne Rice's own admission, the wrong man for Lestat — right up until he opened his mouth on screen and became the only possible man for Lestat. Brad Pitt may have been miserable filming this and you can, if you squint, kind of tell. Kirsten Dunst, age eleven, delivered a performance so calibrated that they auditioned a thousand other children and quietly admitted defeat. And Anne Rice herself wrote Claudia — a five-year-old trapped in eternal childhood — because her own five-year-old daughter had died of leukemia, which recontextualizes the entire story so violently that you may need to sit down.

Also covered: why blood drinking, in the Anne Rice cosmology, is better than sex (the vampires are the most sex-positive characters in 1990s cinema); why the second half of the movie kind of falls apart the moment Antonio Banderas shows up to monologue at everyone; why the AMC series is gayer than the movie which is gayer than the books which are already pretty gay; and the fact that one of the most cinematic shots in nineties film involves a child vampire worrying about getting blood on her pink satin shoes. Welcome back to nerd-dom.

GUEST SPOTLIGHT
Jonny Lee Jr. is one of Make Me a Nerd's original guests and a self-described "very well-rounded nerd" — a designation he has now earned across episodes on Zelda, Sailor Moon, and the present descent into Anne Rice's vampire universe. He is an actor and singer with the rare ability to make you genuinely excited about a frilly eighteenth-century shirt, and he has read every single Vampire Chronicles novel, which is the kind of qualification you cannot fake.


Links & References

Past Make Me a Nerd Episodes Referenced


Film & Television


Discussed in depth


Referenced in passing


Books


Stage


People


Creators


1994 film cast


AMC series cast

]]> Mon, 01 Jun 2026 03:00:00 -0700 TruStory FM TruStory FM 3433 Vampires, as a concept, should not work. They are dead. They are allergic to weather. Their entire dating strategy is "what if I bit you." And yet — somehow, Anne Rice took this nonsense, draped it in frilly eighteenth-century shirts (a look Jonny Lee Jr. has, to his eternal credit, brought to this very podcast), and produced one of the most genuinely seductive pieces of pulp fiction of the twentieth century. This week, Jonny returns to walk Mandy through the entire blood-soaked architecture of Interview with the Vampire — the 1994 film, the AMC series, and the lore that Anne Rice constructed to power both.

Along the way: Cher was almost cast as Louis (yes, that Cher; yes, in a corset; no, it would not have worked). Tom Cruise was, by Anne Rice's own admission, the wrong man for Lestat — right up until he opened his mouth on screen and became the only possible man for Lestat. Brad Pitt may have been miserable filming this and you can, if you squint, kind of tell. Kirsten Dunst, age eleven, delivered a performance so calibrated that they auditioned a thousand other children and quietly admitted defeat. And Anne Rice herself wrote Claudia — a five-year-old trapped in eternal childhood — because her own five-year-old daughter had died of leukemia, which recontextualizes the entire story so violently that you may need to sit down.

Also covered: why blood drinking, in the Anne Rice cosmology, is better than sex (the vampires are the most sex-positive characters in 1990s cinema); why the second half of the movie kind of falls apart the moment Antonio Banderas shows up to monologue at everyone; why the AMC series is gayer than the movie which is gayer than the books which are already pretty gay; and the fact that one of the most cinematic shots in nineties film involves a child vampire worrying about getting blood on her pink satin shoes. Welcome back to nerd-dom.

GUEST SPOTLIGHT
Jonny Lee Jr. is one of Make Me a Nerd's original guests and a self-described "very well-rounded nerd" — a designation he has now earned across episodes on Zelda, Sailor Moon, and the present descent into Anne Rice's vampire universe. He is an actor and singer with the rare ability to make you genuinely excited about a frilly eighteenth-century shirt, and he has read every single Vampire Chronicles novel, which is the kind of qualification you cannot fake.


Links & References

Past Make Me a Nerd Episodes Referenced


Film & Television


Discussed in depth


Referenced in passing


Books


Stage


People


Creators


1994 film cast


AMC series cast

]]> D&D, Star Wars, Star Trek, Marvel, Gaming, Technology, Nerddom No Shoot Again! Talking Pinball with Clark Hill 97 97 Shoot Again! Talking Pinball with Clark Hill full f8f7655e-6d3b-4c80-8e2f-e65088975442 https://share.transistor.fm/s/22340bc3 Pinball looks like two buttons and a ball. It is not two buttons and a ball. It is a 300-pound machine with layered rules, competitive leagues, wrist injuries, a flow state, and — this will surprise you — an expectation that you will physically grab the machine and move it while playing. That last part is legal. Encouraged, even. This week, Mandy's new neighbor Clark Hill, who carries quarters at all times in case he passes a machine in the wild, joins her to watch Shoot Again, a documentary that is essentially pinball propaganda, and to explain why none of this is as simple as it looks.

The conversation covers flow states, wizard modes, the Dolly Parton machine, a proposed cats-themed machine (the cats, not the musical), and at least one incident involving a toddler on the glass. Press play.

GUEST SPOTLIGHT
Clark Hill is a theater nerd, Magic: The Gathering player, pinball league competitor, and Mandy's new neighbor — a convergence of circumstances that the universe has clearly been building toward. He is currently active in a pinball league in Van Nuys, California, carries quarters on his person at all times, and has a deep personal relationship with the work of game designer Keith Elwin. He has also, on at least two occasions, had to ask a father to remove a toddler from the glass surface of a pinball machine.

Connect with the Show

Follow Mandy on Instagram: @mandy_kaplan_klavens

Make Me a Nerd runs on curious people. If that's you, the inner circle is at makemeanerd.com/join — it's where the show goes deeper between episodes, and where Mandy's most embarrassingly enthusiastic fans have found their people.


---
Learn more about supporting this podcast by becoming a member. It's just $5/month or $55/year. Visit our website to learn more.

]]> Pinball looks like two buttons and a ball. It is not two buttons and a ball. It is a 300-pound machine with layered rules, competitive leagues, wrist injuries, a flow state, and — this will surprise you — an expectation that you will physically grab the machine and move it while playing. That last part is legal. Encouraged, even. This week, Mandy's new neighbor Clark Hill, who carries quarters at all times in case he passes a machine in the wild, joins her to watch Shoot Again, a documentary that is essentially pinball propaganda, and to explain why none of this is as simple as it looks.

The conversation covers flow states, wizard modes, the Dolly Parton machine, a proposed cats-themed machine (the cats, not the musical), and at least one incident involving a toddler on the glass. Press play.

GUEST SPOTLIGHT
Clark Hill is a theater nerd, Magic: The Gathering player, pinball league competitor, and Mandy's new neighbor — a convergence of circumstances that the universe has clearly been building toward. He is currently active in a pinball league in Van Nuys, California, carries quarters on his person at all times, and has a deep personal relationship with the work of game designer Keith Elwin. He has also, on at least two occasions, had to ask a father to remove a toddler from the glass surface of a pinball machine.

Connect with the Show

Follow Mandy on Instagram: @mandy_kaplan_klavens

Make Me a Nerd runs on curious people. If that's you, the inner circle is at makemeanerd.com/join — it's where the show goes deeper between episodes, and where Mandy's most embarrassingly enthusiastic fans have found their people.


---
Learn more about supporting this podcast by becoming a member. It's just $5/month or $55/year. Visit our website to learn more.

]]> Mon, 25 May 2026 03:00:00 -0700 TruStory FM TruStory FM 2764 Pinball looks like two buttons and a ball. It is not two buttons and a ball. It is a 300-pound machine with layered rules, competitive leagues, wrist injuries, a flow state, and — this will surprise you — an expectation that you will physically grab the machine and move it while playing. That last part is legal. Encouraged, even. This week, Mandy's new neighbor Clark Hill, who carries quarters at all times in case he passes a machine in the wild, joins her to watch Shoot Again, a documentary that is essentially pinball propaganda, and to explain why none of this is as simple as it looks.

The conversation covers flow states, wizard modes, the Dolly Parton machine, a proposed cats-themed machine (the cats, not the musical), and at least one incident involving a toddler on the glass. Press play.

GUEST SPOTLIGHT
Clark Hill is a theater nerd, Magic: The Gathering player, pinball league competitor, and Mandy's new neighbor — a convergence of circumstances that the universe has clearly been building toward. He is currently active in a pinball league in Van Nuys, California, carries quarters on his person at all times, and has a deep personal relationship with the work of game designer Keith Elwin. He has also, on at least two occasions, had to ask a father to remove a toddler from the glass surface of a pinball machine.

Connect with the Show

Follow Mandy on Instagram: @mandy_kaplan_klavens

Make Me a Nerd runs on curious people. If that's you, the inner circle is at makemeanerd.com/join — it's where the show goes deeper between episodes, and where Mandy's most embarrassingly enthusiastic fans have found their people.


---
Learn more about supporting this podcast by becoming a member. It's just $5/month or $55/year. Visit our website to learn more.

]]> D&D, Star Wars, Star Trek, Marvel, Gaming, Technology, Nerddom No The Truth is RIGHT HERE: X-Files with Chelsea Stardust 98 98 The Truth is RIGHT HERE: X-Files with Chelsea Stardust full 35383761-8000-49eb-9087-506a5067c96d https://share.transistor.fm/s/674a7391 The X-Files is, technically, a show about two FBI agents investigating extraterrestrial activity, government conspiracy, and the unexplained — which is why it's mildly hilarious that filmmaker Chelsea Stardust's curated onramp for Mandy contains, by Mandy's own count, exactly zero alien episodes. What it does contain: a man who hibernates in a nest every thirty years and squeezes through air ducts; a parasitic humanoid Flukeman swimming around the sewer system (related, somehow, to Chernobyl); a gentle psychic played by Peter Boyle who can see exactly how everyone is going to die; an inbred Pennsylvania family hiding their quadruple-amputee mother under the bed; and Bryan Cranston's head, which will explode unless he keeps driving west. Mandy was, against every instinct she possesses, completely charmed.

What emerges across the conversation is a love letter to a show whose secret weapon turns out not to be the monsters at all. It's the writing (Vince Gilligan, pre-Breaking Bad, was already writing Vince Gilligan episodes). It's the sparing use of special effects, which means the few times you actually see the Flukeman, you really see him. It's a theme song Mark Snow created by smashing his forearm onto a keyboard in frustration, which is the most rock-and-roll origin story in television scoring. And it's the Mulder-Scully dynamic, which Chelsea makes a passionate case is the actual core of the entire enterprise — the relationships first, the body horror second, the Cigarette Smoking Man a distant third.

By the end, Mandy has watched five episodes, formed strong opinions about Scully's footwear ergonomics, identified Roseanne's Dan Conner's best friend Chuck in a guest spot decades later, and developed genuine sympathy for a sewer-dwelling parasite. Chelsea has confessed that she's never gotten to talk about The X-Files on a podcast before, which feels like a crime against nerd culture and is hereby corrected.

GUEST SPOTLIGHT

Chelsea Stardust is a writer, director, and producer with a deep bench of horror credentials. She made her directorial debut with the sci-fi thriller All That We Destroy (Hulu, part of Blumhouse's Into the Dark series); directed the horror-comedy Satanic Panic (written by novelist Grady Hendrix, available on VOD); and most recently co-directed Grind, a horror anthology about the gig economy that premiered at SXSW 2026. She co-hosts the horror movie podcast Sitting in the Dark with Tommy Metz III on TruStory FM, runs the Losers Book Club in Los Angeles, and is generally the kind of person who treats nerdiness as a vocation. Find her on Instagram at @chelseastardust and her book club at @losersbookclubla.

Chelsea’s Films

The X-Files Episodes Discussed

People Mentioned

Referenced Books

Referenced Films & Series

Past Make Me a Nerd Episodes

Make Me a Nerd


---
Learn more about supporting this podcast by becoming a member. It's just $5/month or $55/year. Visit our website to learn more.

]]> The X-Files is, technically, a show about two FBI agents investigating extraterrestrial activity, government conspiracy, and the unexplained — which is why it's mildly hilarious that filmmaker Chelsea Stardust's curated onramp for Mandy contains, by Mandy's own count, exactly zero alien episodes. What it does contain: a man who hibernates in a nest every thirty years and squeezes through air ducts; a parasitic humanoid Flukeman swimming around the sewer system (related, somehow, to Chernobyl); a gentle psychic played by Peter Boyle who can see exactly how everyone is going to die; an inbred Pennsylvania family hiding their quadruple-amputee mother under the bed; and Bryan Cranston's head, which will explode unless he keeps driving west. Mandy was, against every instinct she possesses, completely charmed.

What emerges across the conversation is a love letter to a show whose secret weapon turns out not to be the monsters at all. It's the writing (Vince Gilligan, pre-Breaking Bad, was already writing Vince Gilligan episodes). It's the sparing use of special effects, which means the few times you actually see the Flukeman, you really see him. It's a theme song Mark Snow created by smashing his forearm onto a keyboard in frustration, which is the most rock-and-roll origin story in television scoring. And it's the Mulder-Scully dynamic, which Chelsea makes a passionate case is the actual core of the entire enterprise — the relationships first, the body horror second, the Cigarette Smoking Man a distant third.

By the end, Mandy has watched five episodes, formed strong opinions about Scully's footwear ergonomics, identified Roseanne's Dan Conner's best friend Chuck in a guest spot decades later, and developed genuine sympathy for a sewer-dwelling parasite. Chelsea has confessed that she's never gotten to talk about The X-Files on a podcast before, which feels like a crime against nerd culture and is hereby corrected.

GUEST SPOTLIGHT

Chelsea Stardust is a writer, director, and producer with a deep bench of horror credentials. She made her directorial debut with the sci-fi thriller All That We Destroy (Hulu, part of Blumhouse's Into the Dark series); directed the horror-comedy Satanic Panic (written by novelist Grady Hendrix, available on VOD); and most recently co-directed Grind, a horror anthology about the gig economy that premiered at SXSW 2026. She co-hosts the horror movie podcast Sitting in the Dark with Tommy Metz III on TruStory FM, runs the Losers Book Club in Los Angeles, and is generally the kind of person who treats nerdiness as a vocation. Find her on Instagram at @chelseastardust and her book club at @losersbookclubla.

Chelsea’s Films

The X-Files Episodes Discussed

People Mentioned

Referenced Books

Referenced Films & Series

Past Make Me a Nerd Episodes

Make Me a Nerd


---
Learn more about supporting this podcast by becoming a member. It's just $5/month or $55/year. Visit our website to learn more.

]]> Mon, 18 May 2026 03:00:00 -0700 TruStory FM TruStory FM 4136 The X-Files is, technically, a show about two FBI agents investigating extraterrestrial activity, government conspiracy, and the unexplained — which is why it's mildly hilarious that filmmaker Chelsea Stardust's curated onramp for Mandy contains, by Mandy's own count, exactly zero alien episodes. What it does contain: a man who hibernates in a nest every thirty years and squeezes through air ducts; a parasitic humanoid Flukeman swimming around the sewer system (related, somehow, to Chernobyl); a gentle psychic played by Peter Boyle who can see exactly how everyone is going to die; an inbred Pennsylvania family hiding their quadruple-amputee mother under the bed; and Bryan Cranston's head, which will explode unless he keeps driving west. Mandy was, against every instinct she possesses, completely charmed.

What emerges across the conversation is a love letter to a show whose secret weapon turns out not to be the monsters at all. It's the writing (Vince Gilligan, pre-Breaking Bad, was already writing Vince Gilligan episodes). It's the sparing use of special effects, which means the few times you actually see the Flukeman, you really see him. It's a theme song Mark Snow created by smashing his forearm onto a keyboard in frustration, which is the most rock-and-roll origin story in television scoring. And it's the Mulder-Scully dynamic, which Chelsea makes a passionate case is the actual core of the entire enterprise — the relationships first, the body horror second, the Cigarette Smoking Man a distant third.

By the end, Mandy has watched five episodes, formed strong opinions about Scully's footwear ergonomics, identified Roseanne's Dan Conner's best friend Chuck in a guest spot decades later, and developed genuine sympathy for a sewer-dwelling parasite. Chelsea has confessed that she's never gotten to talk about The X-Files on a podcast before, which feels like a crime against nerd culture and is hereby corrected.

GUEST SPOTLIGHT

Chelsea Stardust is a writer, director, and producer with a deep bench of horror credentials. She made her directorial debut with the sci-fi thriller All That We Destroy (Hulu, part of Blumhouse's Into the Dark series); directed the horror-comedy Satanic Panic (written by novelist Grady Hendrix, available on VOD); and most recently co-directed Grind, a horror anthology about the gig economy that premiered at SXSW 2026. She co-hosts the horror movie podcast Sitting in the Dark with Tommy Metz III on TruStory FM, runs the Losers Book Club in Los Angeles, and is generally the kind of person who treats nerdiness as a vocation. Find her on Instagram at @chelseastardust and her book club at @losersbookclubla.

Chelsea’s Films

The X-Files Episodes Discussed

People Mentioned

Referenced Books

Referenced Films & Series

Past Make Me a Nerd Episodes

Make Me a Nerd


---
Learn more about supporting this podcast by becoming a member. It's just $5/month or $55/year. Visit our website to learn more.

]]> D&D, Star Wars, Star Trek, Marvel, Gaming, Technology, Nerddom No Watch Me Fly… Serenity with Krissy Lenz 96 96 Watch Me Fly… Serenity with Krissy Lenz full 3720c34d-b30d-434f-8fcb-cdf403cbd86c https://share.transistor.fm/s/51a87689 Here is a fact about Firefly, which is to say the beloved Joss Whedon space western that aired on Fox in 2002: the network, in its infinite wisdom, decided to air the two-hour pilot — the one designed to introduce you to the entire world, its characters, and the general vibe of a Western in space — not first, but somewhere in the middle. This is approximately like hosting a dinner party and opening with dessert, except the dessert is also on fire, and also you've invited the guests' most confused relatives. The show was cancelled. The fans — who call themselves Browncoats, because of course they do — responded not with acceptance but with a multi-year grassroots campaign that eventually produced a movie (Serenity, 2005), a documentary about the making of said movie (Done the Impossible), and a fan-organized party circuit called Shindigs that still runs today. This week, returning champion Krissy Lenz walks Mandy through all of it.

The movie itself, Mandy discovers, is tonally bewildering in the best way — part heist, part Star Wars homage, part horror film, part comedy, with Chiwetel Ejiofor showing up as the most civilized, polite, and unnervingly calm assassin in the 'Verse. ("He believes in this better world that even he's not welcome in," Krissy notes, which is, frankly, the kind of villain thesis statement most movies wish they could pull off.) Summer Glau is doing ballet-grade choreography in combat boots and a slip dress. Alan Tudyk is delightful, briefly, and then — for contractual reasons Krissy helpfully explains — permanently unavailable. And Nathan Fillion, the internet's favorite convention dad, spends the climax in a physical fight that looks suspiciously like the end of every Star Wars movie you've ever seen.

Along the way, the conversation takes its requisite detours: how to separate the art from the artist when the artist is Joss Whedon and the allegations are what they are; the rehabilitation economy around Louis CK; whether Mal is charmingly brusque or just, on closer 45-year-old inspection, kind of a dick; and the enduring question of whether Joel McHale should be allowed to play anyone other than Joel McHale. By the end, Mandy has agreed to watch the series, consider attending a Shindig, and do a future episode on Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog — which is, by any reasonable metric, a successful recruitment.

Find Krissy

Connect with the Show

Follow Mandy on Instagram: @mandy_kaplan_klavens

Make Me a Nerd runs on curious people. If that's you, the inner circle is at makemeanerd.com/join — it's where the show goes deeper between episodes, and where Mandy's most embarrassingly enthusiastic fans have found their people.


---
Learn more about supporting this podcast by becoming a member. It's just $5/month or $55/year. Visit our website to learn more.

]]> Here is a fact about Firefly, which is to say the beloved Joss Whedon space western that aired on Fox in 2002: the network, in its infinite wisdom, decided to air the two-hour pilot — the one designed to introduce you to the entire world, its characters, and the general vibe of a Western in space — not first, but somewhere in the middle. This is approximately like hosting a dinner party and opening with dessert, except the dessert is also on fire, and also you've invited the guests' most confused relatives. The show was cancelled. The fans — who call themselves Browncoats, because of course they do — responded not with acceptance but with a multi-year grassroots campaign that eventually produced a movie (Serenity, 2005), a documentary about the making of said movie (Done the Impossible), and a fan-organized party circuit called Shindigs that still runs today. This week, returning champion Krissy Lenz walks Mandy through all of it.

The movie itself, Mandy discovers, is tonally bewildering in the best way — part heist, part Star Wars homage, part horror film, part comedy, with Chiwetel Ejiofor showing up as the most civilized, polite, and unnervingly calm assassin in the 'Verse. ("He believes in this better world that even he's not welcome in," Krissy notes, which is, frankly, the kind of villain thesis statement most movies wish they could pull off.) Summer Glau is doing ballet-grade choreography in combat boots and a slip dress. Alan Tudyk is delightful, briefly, and then — for contractual reasons Krissy helpfully explains — permanently unavailable. And Nathan Fillion, the internet's favorite convention dad, spends the climax in a physical fight that looks suspiciously like the end of every Star Wars movie you've ever seen.

Along the way, the conversation takes its requisite detours: how to separate the art from the artist when the artist is Joss Whedon and the allegations are what they are; the rehabilitation economy around Louis CK; whether Mal is charmingly brusque or just, on closer 45-year-old inspection, kind of a dick; and the enduring question of whether Joel McHale should be allowed to play anyone other than Joel McHale. By the end, Mandy has agreed to watch the series, consider attending a Shindig, and do a future episode on Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog — which is, by any reasonable metric, a successful recruitment.

Find Krissy

Connect with the Show

Follow Mandy on Instagram: @mandy_kaplan_klavens

Make Me a Nerd runs on curious people. If that's you, the inner circle is at makemeanerd.com/join — it's where the show goes deeper between episodes, and where Mandy's most embarrassingly enthusiastic fans have found their people.


---
Learn more about supporting this podcast by becoming a member. It's just $5/month or $55/year. Visit our website to learn more.

]]> Mon, 11 May 2026 03:00:00 -0700 TruStory FM TruStory FM 3107 Here is a fact about Firefly, which is to say the beloved Joss Whedon space western that aired on Fox in 2002: the network, in its infinite wisdom, decided to air the two-hour pilot — the one designed to introduce you to the entire world, its characters, and the general vibe of a Western in space — not first, but somewhere in the middle. This is approximately like hosting a dinner party and opening with dessert, except the dessert is also on fire, and also you've invited the guests' most confused relatives. The show was cancelled. The fans — who call themselves Browncoats, because of course they do — responded not with acceptance but with a multi-year grassroots campaign that eventually produced a movie (Serenity, 2005), a documentary about the making of said movie (Done the Impossible), and a fan-organized party circuit called Shindigs that still runs today. This week, returning champion Krissy Lenz walks Mandy through all of it.

The movie itself, Mandy discovers, is tonally bewildering in the best way — part heist, part Star Wars homage, part horror film, part comedy, with Chiwetel Ejiofor showing up as the most civilized, polite, and unnervingly calm assassin in the 'Verse. ("He believes in this better world that even he's not welcome in," Krissy notes, which is, frankly, the kind of villain thesis statement most movies wish they could pull off.) Summer Glau is doing ballet-grade choreography in combat boots and a slip dress. Alan Tudyk is delightful, briefly, and then — for contractual reasons Krissy helpfully explains — permanently unavailable. And Nathan Fillion, the internet's favorite convention dad, spends the climax in a physical fight that looks suspiciously like the end of every Star Wars movie you've ever seen.

Along the way, the conversation takes its requisite detours: how to separate the art from the artist when the artist is Joss Whedon and the allegations are what they are; the rehabilitation economy around Louis CK; whether Mal is charmingly brusque or just, on closer 45-year-old inspection, kind of a dick; and the enduring question of whether Joel McHale should be allowed to play anyone other than Joel McHale. By the end, Mandy has agreed to watch the series, consider attending a Shindig, and do a future episode on Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog — which is, by any reasonable metric, a successful recruitment.

Find Krissy

Connect with the Show

Follow Mandy on Instagram: @mandy_kaplan_klavens

Make Me a Nerd runs on curious people. If that's you, the inner circle is at makemeanerd.com/join — it's where the show goes deeper between episodes, and where Mandy's most embarrassingly enthusiastic fans have found their people.


---
Learn more about supporting this podcast by becoming a member. It's just $5/month or $55/year. Visit our website to learn more.

]]> D&D, Star Wars, Star Trek, Marvel, Gaming, Technology, Nerddom No No Time To Play… Ender’s Game with Erica Cochran 95 95 No Time To Play… Ender’s Game with Erica Cochran full 9887767c-d778-4d68-923a-e4c8fd6c44af https://share.transistor.fm/s/1ea9ee05 Mandy Kaplan has been handed a Hugo-winning, Nebula-winning, Mormon-authored military sci-fi classic about a six-year-old being psychologically tortured into committing accidental alien genocide, and reader, she has THOUGHTS. This week, her son Casey's high school chemistry teacher — the proud Trojan, theater company founder, and science-and-theater double-nerd Erica Cochran — walks Mandy through Orson Scott Card's 1985 novel Ender's Game, a book that predicted the internet, iPads, online political discourse, and rogue AI with such unsettling accuracy that you kind of want to check if Card also has next week's lottery numbers.

Before they even open the book, there's The Orson Scott Card Problem to address — namely, that he is an anti-gay-rights activist who appears to have written a scene in which his six-year-old protagonist convinces a naked bully to also get naked before their fistfight. Mandy has some thoughts about this. Erica has some thoughts about this. Everyone has some thoughts about this. They proceed with their "art vs. artist" disclaimer firmly in place, with Mandy reserving the right to get in a few jabs. She gets in several.

What unfolds is a joyful, slightly unhinged, deeply thoughtful conversation about a book Mandy read every word of and still couldn't quite follow ("I got a lot of beeps and boops"), while Erica — who has reread the series multiple times and done "a lot of therapy" — sees the full emotional architecture underneath. They dig into why so many of these dystopias center on children (the innocence, the smallness, the inability to consent), why Ender is Valentine with the capacity to be Peter, why the government commissions a third child from a family whose parents are, diplomatically speaking, not geniuses, and whether the book's climactic religion-founding is a defense of the Book of Mormon or a sly admission that anyone can make up a religion. Also discussed: Scientology's youth promotion track, the 2013 movie (Erica: "two thumbs down"), the inexplicable prevalence of the insult "fart-eater," and the fact that Petra is doing her absolute best and does not deserve Mandy's Gen-X scolding.

By the end, Mandy is converted — not to loving the book, exactly, but to seeing what she missed in it. Which is, honestly, the whole point of this podcast.

Connect with the Show

Follow Mandy on Instagram: @mandy_kaplan_klavens

Make Me a Nerd runs on curious people. If that's you, the inner circle is at makemeanerd.com/join — it's where the show goes deeper between episodes, and where Mandy's most embarrassingly enthusiastic fans have found their people.


---
Learn more about supporting this podcast by becoming a member. It's just $5/month or $55/year. Visit our website to learn more.

]]> Mandy Kaplan has been handed a Hugo-winning, Nebula-winning, Mormon-authored military sci-fi classic about a six-year-old being psychologically tortured into committing accidental alien genocide, and reader, she has THOUGHTS. This week, her son Casey's high school chemistry teacher — the proud Trojan, theater company founder, and science-and-theater double-nerd Erica Cochran — walks Mandy through Orson Scott Card's 1985 novel Ender's Game, a book that predicted the internet, iPads, online political discourse, and rogue AI with such unsettling accuracy that you kind of want to check if Card also has next week's lottery numbers.

Before they even open the book, there's The Orson Scott Card Problem to address — namely, that he is an anti-gay-rights activist who appears to have written a scene in which his six-year-old protagonist convinces a naked bully to also get naked before their fistfight. Mandy has some thoughts about this. Erica has some thoughts about this. Everyone has some thoughts about this. They proceed with their "art vs. artist" disclaimer firmly in place, with Mandy reserving the right to get in a few jabs. She gets in several.

What unfolds is a joyful, slightly unhinged, deeply thoughtful conversation about a book Mandy read every word of and still couldn't quite follow ("I got a lot of beeps and boops"), while Erica — who has reread the series multiple times and done "a lot of therapy" — sees the full emotional architecture underneath. They dig into why so many of these dystopias center on children (the innocence, the smallness, the inability to consent), why Ender is Valentine with the capacity to be Peter, why the government commissions a third child from a family whose parents are, diplomatically speaking, not geniuses, and whether the book's climactic religion-founding is a defense of the Book of Mormon or a sly admission that anyone can make up a religion. Also discussed: Scientology's youth promotion track, the 2013 movie (Erica: "two thumbs down"), the inexplicable prevalence of the insult "fart-eater," and the fact that Petra is doing her absolute best and does not deserve Mandy's Gen-X scolding.

By the end, Mandy is converted — not to loving the book, exactly, but to seeing what she missed in it. Which is, honestly, the whole point of this podcast.

Connect with the Show

Follow Mandy on Instagram: @mandy_kaplan_klavens

Make Me a Nerd runs on curious people. If that's you, the inner circle is at makemeanerd.com/join — it's where the show goes deeper between episodes, and where Mandy's most embarrassingly enthusiastic fans have found their people.


---
Learn more about supporting this podcast by becoming a member. It's just $5/month or $55/year. Visit our website to learn more.

]]> Mon, 04 May 2026 03:00:00 -0700 TruStory FM TruStory FM 3671 Mandy Kaplan has been handed a Hugo-winning, Nebula-winning, Mormon-authored military sci-fi classic about a six-year-old being psychologically tortured into committing accidental alien genocide, and reader, she has THOUGHTS. This week, her son Casey's high school chemistry teacher — the proud Trojan, theater company founder, and science-and-theater double-nerd Erica Cochran — walks Mandy through Orson Scott Card's 1985 novel Ender's Game, a book that predicted the internet, iPads, online political discourse, and rogue AI with such unsettling accuracy that you kind of want to check if Card also has next week's lottery numbers.

Before they even open the book, there's The Orson Scott Card Problem to address — namely, that he is an anti-gay-rights activist who appears to have written a scene in which his six-year-old protagonist convinces a naked bully to also get naked before their fistfight. Mandy has some thoughts about this. Erica has some thoughts about this. Everyone has some thoughts about this. They proceed with their "art vs. artist" disclaimer firmly in place, with Mandy reserving the right to get in a few jabs. She gets in several.

What unfolds is a joyful, slightly unhinged, deeply thoughtful conversation about a book Mandy read every word of and still couldn't quite follow ("I got a lot of beeps and boops"), while Erica — who has reread the series multiple times and done "a lot of therapy" — sees the full emotional architecture underneath. They dig into why so many of these dystopias center on children (the innocence, the smallness, the inability to consent), why Ender is Valentine with the capacity to be Peter, why the government commissions a third child from a family whose parents are, diplomatically speaking, not geniuses, and whether the book's climactic religion-founding is a defense of the Book of Mormon or a sly admission that anyone can make up a religion. Also discussed: Scientology's youth promotion track, the 2013 movie (Erica: "two thumbs down"), the inexplicable prevalence of the insult "fart-eater," and the fact that Petra is doing her absolute best and does not deserve Mandy's Gen-X scolding.

By the end, Mandy is converted — not to loving the book, exactly, but to seeing what she missed in it. Which is, honestly, the whole point of this podcast.

Connect with the Show

Follow Mandy on Instagram: @mandy_kaplan_klavens

Make Me a Nerd runs on curious people. If that's you, the inner circle is at makemeanerd.com/join — it's where the show goes deeper between episodes, and where Mandy's most embarrassingly enthusiastic fans have found their people.


---
Learn more about supporting this podcast by becoming a member. It's just $5/month or $55/year. Visit our website to learn more.

]]> D&D, Star Wars, Star Trek, Marvel, Gaming, Technology, Nerddom No One For The Kids: Battle Royale with Jimmy Aquino 94 94 One For The Kids: Battle Royale with Jimmy Aquino full 310d6f46-4ec4-4904-8894-61774a9d2c0c https://share.transistor.fm/s/a0427259 Mandy Kaplan has thoughts about 42 Japanese ninth-graders being forced to murder each other on a deserted island, and honestly, who among us doesn't? This week, Jimmy Aquino returns to Make Me a Nerd for his fourth-or-fifth appearance (he's lost count, we've lost count, the green jacket situation remains unresolved) to drag Mandy through 2000's Battle Royale — a film he insists inspired The Hunger Games, and which Suzanne Collins insists she has absolutely never heard of, nope, never, why do you ask.

What follows is a spirited investigation into whether a Japanese dystopian thriller about government-sanctioned child-on-child violence can be considered a cultural touchstone (yes), whether Mandy watching the English dub instead of the original Japanese constitutes a personal betrayal of Jimmy (also yes), and whether the evil teacher's Tony Soprano velour tracksuit is the single most baffling costume choice in cinema history (unclear, but a strong contender). Along the way: a five-year-old shoves her would-be molester down a stairwell, Chigusa stabs a guy in the junk, Mitsuko emerges as the Regina George of Murder Island, and Mandy discovers she would survive a battle royale by hiding in the bushes like she hovers near the kitchen door at a catered event — which is, frankly, a strategy.

Also discussed: Bram Stoker's Dracula (Jimmy loves it, the public apparently did not, Mandy is caught in the crossfire), Dane Cook's alleged joke-stealing from Louis C.K., the exact linguistic convention for Japanese first and last names (pending verification), and whether a dystopia needs to be in the future or just generally, you know, bad. Mandy concludes she would die begging and crying. Jimmy concludes he would "Mitsuko the crap out of it." Both are probably right.

Links & Mentions

  • Jimmy Aquino — Comic News Insider: comicnewsinsider.com | Instagram: @JimmyAquino | Bluesky
  • Mandy Kaplan — Instagram: @mandy_kaplan_klavens (both with K's)
  • Support the show — makemeanerd.com/join for ad-free episodes, early access, and Mandy's eternal gratitude

---
Learn more about supporting this podcast by becoming a member. It's just $5/month or $55/year. Visit our website to learn more.

]]> Mandy Kaplan has thoughts about 42 Japanese ninth-graders being forced to murder each other on a deserted island, and honestly, who among us doesn't? This week, Jimmy Aquino returns to Make Me a Nerd for his fourth-or-fifth appearance (he's lost count, we've lost count, the green jacket situation remains unresolved) to drag Mandy through 2000's Battle Royale — a film he insists inspired The Hunger Games, and which Suzanne Collins insists she has absolutely never heard of, nope, never, why do you ask.

What follows is a spirited investigation into whether a Japanese dystopian thriller about government-sanctioned child-on-child violence can be considered a cultural touchstone (yes), whether Mandy watching the English dub instead of the original Japanese constitutes a personal betrayal of Jimmy (also yes), and whether the evil teacher's Tony Soprano velour tracksuit is the single most baffling costume choice in cinema history (unclear, but a strong contender). Along the way: a five-year-old shoves her would-be molester down a stairwell, Chigusa stabs a guy in the junk, Mitsuko emerges as the Regina George of Murder Island, and Mandy discovers she would survive a battle royale by hiding in the bushes like she hovers near the kitchen door at a catered event — which is, frankly, a strategy.

Also discussed: Bram Stoker's Dracula (Jimmy loves it, the public apparently did not, Mandy is caught in the crossfire), Dane Cook's alleged joke-stealing from Louis C.K., the exact linguistic convention for Japanese first and last names (pending verification), and whether a dystopia needs to be in the future or just generally, you know, bad. Mandy concludes she would die begging and crying. Jimmy concludes he would "Mitsuko the crap out of it." Both are probably right.

Links & Mentions

  • Jimmy Aquino — Comic News Insider: comicnewsinsider.com | Instagram: @JimmyAquino | Bluesky
  • Mandy Kaplan — Instagram: @mandy_kaplan_klavens (both with K's)
  • Support the show — makemeanerd.com/join for ad-free episodes, early access, and Mandy's eternal gratitude

---
Learn more about supporting this podcast by becoming a member. It's just $5/month or $55/year. Visit our website to learn more.

]]> Mon, 27 Apr 2026 03:00:00 -0700 TruStory FM TruStory FM 3574 Mandy Kaplan has thoughts about 42 Japanese ninth-graders being forced to murder each other on a deserted island, and honestly, who among us doesn't? This week, Jimmy Aquino returns to Make Me a Nerd for his fourth-or-fifth appearance (he's lost count, we've lost count, the green jacket situation remains unresolved) to drag Mandy through 2000's Battle Royale — a film he insists inspired The Hunger Games, and which Suzanne Collins insists she has absolutely never heard of, nope, never, why do you ask.

What follows is a spirited investigation into whether a Japanese dystopian thriller about government-sanctioned child-on-child violence can be considered a cultural touchstone (yes), whether Mandy watching the English dub instead of the original Japanese constitutes a personal betrayal of Jimmy (also yes), and whether the evil teacher's Tony Soprano velour tracksuit is the single most baffling costume choice in cinema history (unclear, but a strong contender). Along the way: a five-year-old shoves her would-be molester down a stairwell, Chigusa stabs a guy in the junk, Mitsuko emerges as the Regina George of Murder Island, and Mandy discovers she would survive a battle royale by hiding in the bushes like she hovers near the kitchen door at a catered event — which is, frankly, a strategy.

Also discussed: Bram Stoker's Dracula (Jimmy loves it, the public apparently did not, Mandy is caught in the crossfire), Dane Cook's alleged joke-stealing from Louis C.K., the exact linguistic convention for Japanese first and last names (pending verification), and whether a dystopia needs to be in the future or just generally, you know, bad. Mandy concludes she would die begging and crying. Jimmy concludes he would "Mitsuko the crap out of it." Both are probably right.

Links & Mentions

  • Jimmy Aquino — Comic News Insider: comicnewsinsider.com | Instagram: @JimmyAquino | Bluesky
  • Mandy Kaplan — Instagram: @mandy_kaplan_klavens (both with K's)
  • Support the show — makemeanerd.com/join for ad-free episodes, early access, and Mandy's eternal gratitude

---
Learn more about supporting this podcast by becoming a member. It's just $5/month or $55/year. Visit our website to learn more.

]]> D&D, Star Wars, Star Trek, Marvel, Gaming, Technology, Nerddom No Moon Prism Power, Make Me a Gorgeous Podcaster: Sailor Moon with Jonny Lee Jr. 93 93 Moon Prism Power, Make Me a Gorgeous Podcaster: Sailor Moon with Jonny Lee Jr. full 6238c5d7-d12b-4f83-9014-e1cb36dc524c https://share.transistor.fm/s/6eaf1a51 Sailor Moon was a cartoon made for five-year-old Japanese girls. It aired in America at 6 AM, required an eight-year-old Jonny Lee Jr. to set his alarm for 5:30 every morning — before DVR, before streaming, before any child should be conscious — and quietly became one of the most important pieces of queer representation an entire generation had access to. So, naturally, Mandy had never seen it.

Jonny's back to fix that. Mandy was assigned 14 essential episodes and negotiated down to eight, but arrives with strong opinions anyway — about Tuxedo Mask ("He's so hot"), her talking-cat wish fulfillment, and the transformation sequences that feel like auditions for a Broadway musical. (There have been over 40 Sailor Moon musicals in Japan. Neither Mandy nor most of the listening audience will have been prepared for that sentence.) Along the way, they dig into why the American dub turned a gay male villain into a woman, how male directors wrote boy-craziness into the anime that didn't exist in the original manga, and the Snow White connection behind those enormous anime eyes.

And so we have a conversation about why gay men gravitate toward stories about powerful women, what it meant to find yourself in a kids' show when there was almost nowhere else to look, and how a series marketed to kindergartners smuggled in real themes about identity and transformation.

Guest Spotlight
Jonny Lee Jr. is a lifelong anime devotee and one of Make Me a Nerd's original guests, returning this time to make the case for the show he's loved since he was eight years old and jet-lagged in Taipei. His enthusiasm for Sailor Moon is the kind that reorganizes a kid's sleep schedule and never fully lets go.


---
Learn more about supporting this podcast by becoming a member. It's just $5/month or $55/year. Visit our website to learn more.

]]> Sailor Moon was a cartoon made for five-year-old Japanese girls. It aired in America at 6 AM, required an eight-year-old Jonny Lee Jr. to set his alarm for 5:30 every morning — before DVR, before streaming, before any child should be conscious — and quietly became one of the most important pieces of queer representation an entire generation had access to. So, naturally, Mandy had never seen it.

Jonny's back to fix that. Mandy was assigned 14 essential episodes and negotiated down to eight, but arrives with strong opinions anyway — about Tuxedo Mask ("He's so hot"), her talking-cat wish fulfillment, and the transformation sequences that feel like auditions for a Broadway musical. (There have been over 40 Sailor Moon musicals in Japan. Neither Mandy nor most of the listening audience will have been prepared for that sentence.) Along the way, they dig into why the American dub turned a gay male villain into a woman, how male directors wrote boy-craziness into the anime that didn't exist in the original manga, and the Snow White connection behind those enormous anime eyes.

And so we have a conversation about why gay men gravitate toward stories about powerful women, what it meant to find yourself in a kids' show when there was almost nowhere else to look, and how a series marketed to kindergartners smuggled in real themes about identity and transformation.

Guest Spotlight
Jonny Lee Jr. is a lifelong anime devotee and one of Make Me a Nerd's original guests, returning this time to make the case for the show he's loved since he was eight years old and jet-lagged in Taipei. His enthusiasm for Sailor Moon is the kind that reorganizes a kid's sleep schedule and never fully lets go.


---
Learn more about supporting this podcast by becoming a member. It's just $5/month or $55/year. Visit our website to learn more.

]]> Mon, 20 Apr 2026 03:00:00 -0700 TruStory FM TruStory FM 3240 Sailor Moon was a cartoon made for five-year-old Japanese girls. It aired in America at 6 AM, required an eight-year-old Jonny Lee Jr. to set his alarm for 5:30 every morning — before DVR, before streaming, before any child should be conscious — and quietly became one of the most important pieces of queer representation an entire generation had access to. So, naturally, Mandy had never seen it.

Jonny's back to fix that. Mandy was assigned 14 essential episodes and negotiated down to eight, but arrives with strong opinions anyway — about Tuxedo Mask ("He's so hot"), her talking-cat wish fulfillment, and the transformation sequences that feel like auditions for a Broadway musical. (There have been over 40 Sailor Moon musicals in Japan. Neither Mandy nor most of the listening audience will have been prepared for that sentence.) Along the way, they dig into why the American dub turned a gay male villain into a woman, how male directors wrote boy-craziness into the anime that didn't exist in the original manga, and the Snow White connection behind those enormous anime eyes.

And so we have a conversation about why gay men gravitate toward stories about powerful women, what it meant to find yourself in a kids' show when there was almost nowhere else to look, and how a series marketed to kindergartners smuggled in real themes about identity and transformation.

Guest Spotlight
Jonny Lee Jr. is a lifelong anime devotee and one of Make Me a Nerd's original guests, returning this time to make the case for the show he's loved since he was eight years old and jet-lagged in Taipei. His enthusiasm for Sailor Moon is the kind that reorganizes a kid's sleep schedule and never fully lets go.


---
Learn more about supporting this podcast by becoming a member. It's just $5/month or $55/year. Visit our website to learn more.

]]> D&D, Star Wars, Star Trek, Marvel, Gaming, Technology, Nerddom No From Basement Nerds to Amazon Prime: The Improbable (and Inevitable) Rise of Vox Machina with Hem Brewster 92 92 From Basement Nerds to Amazon Prime: The Improbable (and Inevitable) Rise of Vox Machina with Hem Brewster full b83ef4c5-6955-45da-bc2d-2eddc120a212 https://share.transistor.fm/s/84e4a8ca What do you get when you take eight adult friends — all professional voice actors — who've been playing a home D&D game for years and decide, on a lark, to put it on Twitch? You get Critical Role, a phenomenon now in its fourth campaign, spanning roughly a decade of streaming and somewhere between "a lot" and "an almost unhinged number" of hours of content. Hem Brewster, lead producer at Blighthouse Studio and a Critical Role early adopter, joins Mandy all the way from Iceland to break down The Legend of Vox Machina — the Amazon Prime animated series that took that basement game, ran a Kickstarter asking for a couple hundred thousand dollars, received millions in days, and then somehow turned it into a 100%/94% Rotten Tomatoes-rated show that works equally well for lifelong nerds and people who just showed up for the fart jokes. (Both are valid. The fart jokes are good.)

Hem walks Mandy through the full Critical Role ecosystem — campaigns, modules, homebrew, the difference between a GM who knows every rule and a GM who's right for your table — and explains why Vox Machina nails something most adaptations fumble: you never need to know what a spell is called to understand what it does, because the show just shows you the giant hand. They also dig into the three episodes Hem chose for Mandy: the pilot's shotgun-approach introduction (Lord of the Rings fake-out, musical number, immediate R-rating — all of it in episode one), the glorious chaos of episode seven's triceratops incident, and the season finale's earned emotional heaviness. Plus: Sam Riegel himself answers two questions, Mandy learns what a class is, and Grog is confirmed a beautiful being.

If you've been nerd-curious but felt like D&D was a door you couldn't open — well, Grog has thoughts on that. Specifically that not everything is a trap. Specifically that it very much was a trap. The point stands: this is the episode that makes the door feel a lot less locked.

GUEST SPOTLIGHT

Hem Brewster is the lead producer at Blighthouse Studio, a collective of creators from across the US and beyond making escapist audio and actual-play content. Their shows include:

  • The Lucky Die — a D&D actual play, with Hem as game master
  • The Sprouting — a Call of Cthulhu eldritch horror actual play
  • Plus additional fantasy shows and talk shows under the Blighthouse umbrella

Find everything at blighthouse.studio, including work from Blighthouse friends and collaborators outside the main umbrella.

Connect with the Show

Follow Mandy on Instagram: @mandy_kaplan_klavens

Make Me a Nerd runs on curious people. If that's you, the inner circle is at makemeanerd.com/join — it's where the show goes deeper between episodes, and where Mandy's most embarrassingly enthusiastic fans have found their people.


---
Learn more about supporting this podcast by becoming a member. It's just $5/month or $55/year. Visit our website to learn more.

]]> What do you get when you take eight adult friends — all professional voice actors — who've been playing a home D&D game for years and decide, on a lark, to put it on Twitch? You get Critical Role, a phenomenon now in its fourth campaign, spanning roughly a decade of streaming and somewhere between "a lot" and "an almost unhinged number" of hours of content. Hem Brewster, lead producer at Blighthouse Studio and a Critical Role early adopter, joins Mandy all the way from Iceland to break down The Legend of Vox Machina — the Amazon Prime animated series that took that basement game, ran a Kickstarter asking for a couple hundred thousand dollars, received millions in days, and then somehow turned it into a 100%/94% Rotten Tomatoes-rated show that works equally well for lifelong nerds and people who just showed up for the fart jokes. (Both are valid. The fart jokes are good.)

Hem walks Mandy through the full Critical Role ecosystem — campaigns, modules, homebrew, the difference between a GM who knows every rule and a GM who's right for your table — and explains why Vox Machina nails something most adaptations fumble: you never need to know what a spell is called to understand what it does, because the show just shows you the giant hand. They also dig into the three episodes Hem chose for Mandy: the pilot's shotgun-approach introduction (Lord of the Rings fake-out, musical number, immediate R-rating — all of it in episode one), the glorious chaos of episode seven's triceratops incident, and the season finale's earned emotional heaviness. Plus: Sam Riegel himself answers two questions, Mandy learns what a class is, and Grog is confirmed a beautiful being.

If you've been nerd-curious but felt like D&D was a door you couldn't open — well, Grog has thoughts on that. Specifically that not everything is a trap. Specifically that it very much was a trap. The point stands: this is the episode that makes the door feel a lot less locked.

GUEST SPOTLIGHT

Hem Brewster is the lead producer at Blighthouse Studio, a collective of creators from across the US and beyond making escapist audio and actual-play content. Their shows include:

  • The Lucky Die — a D&D actual play, with Hem as game master
  • The Sprouting — a Call of Cthulhu eldritch horror actual play
  • Plus additional fantasy shows and talk shows under the Blighthouse umbrella

Find everything at blighthouse.studio, including work from Blighthouse friends and collaborators outside the main umbrella.

Connect with the Show

Follow Mandy on Instagram: @mandy_kaplan_klavens

Make Me a Nerd runs on curious people. If that's you, the inner circle is at makemeanerd.com/join — it's where the show goes deeper between episodes, and where Mandy's most embarrassingly enthusiastic fans have found their people.


---
Learn more about supporting this podcast by becoming a member. It's just $5/month or $55/year. Visit our website to learn more.

]]> Mon, 13 Apr 2026 03:00:00 -0700 TruStory FM TruStory FM 3208 What do you get when you take eight adult friends — all professional voice actors — who've been playing a home D&D game for years and decide, on a lark, to put it on Twitch? You get Critical Role, a phenomenon now in its fourth campaign, spanning roughly a decade of streaming and somewhere between "a lot" and "an almost unhinged number" of hours of content. Hem Brewster, lead producer at Blighthouse Studio and a Critical Role early adopter, joins Mandy all the way from Iceland to break down The Legend of Vox Machina — the Amazon Prime animated series that took that basement game, ran a Kickstarter asking for a couple hundred thousand dollars, received millions in days, and then somehow turned it into a 100%/94% Rotten Tomatoes-rated show that works equally well for lifelong nerds and people who just showed up for the fart jokes. (Both are valid. The fart jokes are good.)

Hem walks Mandy through the full Critical Role ecosystem — campaigns, modules, homebrew, the difference between a GM who knows every rule and a GM who's right for your table — and explains why Vox Machina nails something most adaptations fumble: you never need to know what a spell is called to understand what it does, because the show just shows you the giant hand. They also dig into the three episodes Hem chose for Mandy: the pilot's shotgun-approach introduction (Lord of the Rings fake-out, musical number, immediate R-rating — all of it in episode one), the glorious chaos of episode seven's triceratops incident, and the season finale's earned emotional heaviness. Plus: Sam Riegel himself answers two questions, Mandy learns what a class is, and Grog is confirmed a beautiful being.

If you've been nerd-curious but felt like D&D was a door you couldn't open — well, Grog has thoughts on that. Specifically that not everything is a trap. Specifically that it very much was a trap. The point stands: this is the episode that makes the door feel a lot less locked.

GUEST SPOTLIGHT

Hem Brewster is the lead producer at Blighthouse Studio, a collective of creators from across the US and beyond making escapist audio and actual-play content. Their shows include:

  • The Lucky Die — a D&D actual play, with Hem as game master
  • The Sprouting — a Call of Cthulhu eldritch horror actual play
  • Plus additional fantasy shows and talk shows under the Blighthouse umbrella

Find everything at blighthouse.studio, including work from Blighthouse friends and collaborators outside the main umbrella.

Connect with the Show

Follow Mandy on Instagram: @mandy_kaplan_klavens

Make Me a Nerd runs on curious people. If that's you, the inner circle is at makemeanerd.com/join — it's where the show goes deeper between episodes, and where Mandy's most embarrassingly enthusiastic fans have found their people.


---
Learn more about supporting this podcast by becoming a member. It's just $5/month or $55/year. Visit our website to learn more.

]]> D&D, Star Wars, Star Trek, Marvel, Gaming, Technology, Nerddom No Movie Friends Michelle Rubinstein and Seth Vargas on the Strange Legacy of Ed Wood 91 91 Movie Friends Michelle Rubinstein and Seth Vargas on the Strange Legacy of Ed Wood full a0c6807b-a966-4ebb-b1ce-9208ce2d6ec4 https://share.transistor.fm/s/525697b8 Here is a fun fact about the worst movie ever made: it was declared the worst movie ever made by people who hadn’t seen it. In 1980, the Medved brothers published The Golden Turkey Awards, a book crowning Plan 9 from Outer Space as cinema’s all-time nadir — a designation selected, in part, by a 16-year-old. The book was a hit. The label stuck. And for decades, that’s how Ed Wood got remembered: not as someone who made movies, but as a cautionary tale about making them badly.

The thing is, when you actually sit down and watch Plan 9 — with its styrofoam UFOs, its shower-curtain cockpit, its graveyard that looks like a particularly ambitious mini golf course, and its dialogue (“Well he’s been murdered, and somebody’s responsible”) — something unexpected happens. You have a great time. You laugh. You get chills. You start asking questions. Which is, arguably, more than most movies manage.

Mandy watched Plan 9 from Outer Space for the first time, then immediately watched Tim Burton’s 1994 love letter Ed Wood back to back, and showed up to this conversation practically sparking. Her guides are Michelle Rubinstein and Seth Vargas of the Movie Friends podcast, and together they trace the whole improbable arc: from Ed Wood’s shoestring productions (shot in single takes, cast with whoever was around, funded by a landlord who did not make his money back) to the Medved book, to Tim Burton using his post-Batman cultural cachet to make one of the most gorgeous black-and-white films of the nineties.

Michelle derails the episode in the best possible way with a one-minute TED talk on Vampira — real name Maila Nurmi, Emmy nominee, friend of James Dean, and practitioner of a papaya-based waist-shrinking technique that Mandy immediately wants to try. Seth, who has been an Ed Wood evangelist since his teenage years working in a magic store, makes the argument that Ed Wood’s films aren’t bad so much as alive — confounding, curious, and genuinely impossible to ignore. Seventy-five years later, he’s right.

Guest Spotlight

Michelle Rubinstein and Seth Vargas are the hosts of Movie Friends, a podcast built on the idea that film discussion doesn’t have to be gatekeepy or exhausting — it can just be two people who genuinely love movies talking about them like friends. Together they’ve developed a three-tier rating system — schmoovie, movie, or film — that tells you everything you need to know about their sensibility. Find them anywhere you get your podcasts.

Links & Notes

Referenced in This Episode

Connect with the Show

Follow Mandy on Instagram: @mandy_kaplan_klavens

Make Me a Nerd runs on curious people. If that's you, the inner circle is at makemeanerd.com/join — it's where the show goes deeper between episodes, and where Mandy's most embarrassingly enthusiastic fans have found their people.


---
Learn more about supporting this podcast by becoming a member. It's just $5/month or $55/year. Visit our website to learn more.

]]> Here is a fun fact about the worst movie ever made: it was declared the worst movie ever made by people who hadn’t seen it. In 1980, the Medved brothers published The Golden Turkey Awards, a book crowning Plan 9 from Outer Space as cinema’s all-time nadir — a designation selected, in part, by a 16-year-old. The book was a hit. The label stuck. And for decades, that’s how Ed Wood got remembered: not as someone who made movies, but as a cautionary tale about making them badly.

The thing is, when you actually sit down and watch Plan 9 — with its styrofoam UFOs, its shower-curtain cockpit, its graveyard that looks like a particularly ambitious mini golf course, and its dialogue (“Well he’s been murdered, and somebody’s responsible”) — something unexpected happens. You have a great time. You laugh. You get chills. You start asking questions. Which is, arguably, more than most movies manage.

Mandy watched Plan 9 from Outer Space for the first time, then immediately watched Tim Burton’s 1994 love letter Ed Wood back to back, and showed up to this conversation practically sparking. Her guides are Michelle Rubinstein and Seth Vargas of the Movie Friends podcast, and together they trace the whole improbable arc: from Ed Wood’s shoestring productions (shot in single takes, cast with whoever was around, funded by a landlord who did not make his money back) to the Medved book, to Tim Burton using his post-Batman cultural cachet to make one of the most gorgeous black-and-white films of the nineties.

Michelle derails the episode in the best possible way with a one-minute TED talk on Vampira — real name Maila Nurmi, Emmy nominee, friend of James Dean, and practitioner of a papaya-based waist-shrinking technique that Mandy immediately wants to try. Seth, who has been an Ed Wood evangelist since his teenage years working in a magic store, makes the argument that Ed Wood’s films aren’t bad so much as alive — confounding, curious, and genuinely impossible to ignore. Seventy-five years later, he’s right.

Guest Spotlight

Michelle Rubinstein and Seth Vargas are the hosts of Movie Friends, a podcast built on the idea that film discussion doesn’t have to be gatekeepy or exhausting — it can just be two people who genuinely love movies talking about them like friends. Together they’ve developed a three-tier rating system — schmoovie, movie, or film — that tells you everything you need to know about their sensibility. Find them anywhere you get your podcasts.

Links & Notes

Referenced in This Episode

Connect with the Show

Follow Mandy on Instagram: @mandy_kaplan_klavens

Make Me a Nerd runs on curious people. If that's you, the inner circle is at makemeanerd.com/join — it's where the show goes deeper between episodes, and where Mandy's most embarrassingly enthusiastic fans have found their people.


---
Learn more about supporting this podcast by becoming a member. It's just $5/month or $55/year. Visit our website to learn more.

]]> Mon, 06 Apr 2026 03:00:00 -0700 TruStory FM TruStory FM 3366 Here is a fun fact about the worst movie ever made: it was declared the worst movie ever made by people who hadn’t seen it. In 1980, the Medved brothers published The Golden Turkey Awards, a book crowning Plan 9 from Outer Space as cinema’s all-time nadir — a designation selected, in part, by a 16-year-old. The book was a hit. The label stuck. And for decades, that’s how Ed Wood got remembered: not as someone who made movies, but as a cautionary tale about making them badly.

The thing is, when you actually sit down and watch Plan 9 — with its styrofoam UFOs, its shower-curtain cockpit, its graveyard that looks like a particularly ambitious mini golf course, and its dialogue (“Well he’s been murdered, and somebody’s responsible”) — something unexpected happens. You have a great time. You laugh. You get chills. You start asking questions. Which is, arguably, more than most movies manage.

Mandy watched Plan 9 from Outer Space for the first time, then immediately watched Tim Burton’s 1994 love letter Ed Wood back to back, and showed up to this conversation practically sparking. Her guides are Michelle Rubinstein and Seth Vargas of the Movie Friends podcast, and together they trace the whole improbable arc: from Ed Wood’s shoestring productions (shot in single takes, cast with whoever was around, funded by a landlord who did not make his money back) to the Medved book, to Tim Burton using his post-Batman cultural cachet to make one of the most gorgeous black-and-white films of the nineties.

Michelle derails the episode in the best possible way with a one-minute TED talk on Vampira — real name Maila Nurmi, Emmy nominee, friend of James Dean, and practitioner of a papaya-based waist-shrinking technique that Mandy immediately wants to try. Seth, who has been an Ed Wood evangelist since his teenage years working in a magic store, makes the argument that Ed Wood’s films aren’t bad so much as alive — confounding, curious, and genuinely impossible to ignore. Seventy-five years later, he’s right.

Guest Spotlight

Michelle Rubinstein and Seth Vargas are the hosts of Movie Friends, a podcast built on the idea that film discussion doesn’t have to be gatekeepy or exhausting — it can just be two people who genuinely love movies talking about them like friends. Together they’ve developed a three-tier rating system — schmoovie, movie, or film — that tells you everything you need to know about their sensibility. Find them anywhere you get your podcasts.

Links & Notes

Referenced in This Episode

Connect with the Show

Follow Mandy on Instagram: @mandy_kaplan_klavens

Make Me a Nerd runs on curious people. If that's you, the inner circle is at makemeanerd.com/join — it's where the show goes deeper between episodes, and where Mandy's most embarrassingly enthusiastic fans have found their people.


---
Learn more about supporting this podcast by becoming a member. It's just $5/month or $55/year. Visit our website to learn more.

]]> D&D, Star Wars, Star Trek, Marvel, Gaming, Technology, Nerddom No Nate McWhortor Makes Mandy a Future Folk Fan 90 90 Nate McWhortor Makes Mandy a Future Folk Fan full 2a16eaaa-98d9-4cdb-9517-52174d5dbc00 https://share.transistor.fm/s/fac37050 Somewhere between O Brother Where Art Thou and the Lumineers' stomp-and-clap era, a folk comedy duo from the East Village made a movie about two aliens who abandon a mission to destroy Earth because one of them heard music in a Costco and simply could not get over it. The film cost approximately nothing, shot on the streets of Brooklyn with real bystanders as involuntary extras, features Dee Snider of Twisted Sister as a bar owner for reasons no one can fully explain, and won Fantastic Fest in Austin. It is called The History of Future Folk, and it is delightful in a way that Mandy, who went in skeptical, was completely unprepared for.

This week, Nate McWhortor ... Phoenix improviser, minor league baseball veteran, hair metal radio devotee, and self-described "glue guy" ... brings the movie to Mandy's attention, and also brings a drinking game. They drink for every mention of the planet Hondo, every visible budget cut (there are many), and every Dee Snider scene (there are enough). What they find underneath all of that is a genuinely beautiful piece of folk music, a surprisingly unpredictable plot, and a love letter to New York that doesn't have enough extras to fill its own bar scenes. If you've never heard of Future Folk, you're about to understand why some people feel like this movie was made specifically for them.

Nate McWhortor is a Phoenix-based improviser at the Neighborhood Comedy Theater and co-host of Gank That Drank, the Supernatural rewatch podcast where every episode comes with a drinking game. A sports nerd turned theater kid turned 16-year improv veteran, Nate is exactly the kind of guest who shows up with a drinking game, an Arizona tourism angle, and a genuine passion for a 2012 cult film that the algorithm sent him and he never forgot. Gank That Drink is currently heading into its final season of Supernatural — which means now is the time to get in on it. Find Nate and Krissy Lenz at the Neighborhood Comedy Theater at nctphoenix.com.

Links & Notes



---
Learn more about supporting this podcast by becoming a member. It's just $5/month or $55/year. Visit our website to learn more.

]]> Somewhere between O Brother Where Art Thou and the Lumineers' stomp-and-clap era, a folk comedy duo from the East Village made a movie about two aliens who abandon a mission to destroy Earth because one of them heard music in a Costco and simply could not get over it. The film cost approximately nothing, shot on the streets of Brooklyn with real bystanders as involuntary extras, features Dee Snider of Twisted Sister as a bar owner for reasons no one can fully explain, and won Fantastic Fest in Austin. It is called The History of Future Folk, and it is delightful in a way that Mandy, who went in skeptical, was completely unprepared for.

This week, Nate McWhortor ... Phoenix improviser, minor league baseball veteran, hair metal radio devotee, and self-described "glue guy" ... brings the movie to Mandy's attention, and also brings a drinking game. They drink for every mention of the planet Hondo, every visible budget cut (there are many), and every Dee Snider scene (there are enough). What they find underneath all of that is a genuinely beautiful piece of folk music, a surprisingly unpredictable plot, and a love letter to New York that doesn't have enough extras to fill its own bar scenes. If you've never heard of Future Folk, you're about to understand why some people feel like this movie was made specifically for them.

Nate McWhortor is a Phoenix-based improviser at the Neighborhood Comedy Theater and co-host of Gank That Drank, the Supernatural rewatch podcast where every episode comes with a drinking game. A sports nerd turned theater kid turned 16-year improv veteran, Nate is exactly the kind of guest who shows up with a drinking game, an Arizona tourism angle, and a genuine passion for a 2012 cult film that the algorithm sent him and he never forgot. Gank That Drink is currently heading into its final season of Supernatural — which means now is the time to get in on it. Find Nate and Krissy Lenz at the Neighborhood Comedy Theater at nctphoenix.com.

Links & Notes



---
Learn more about supporting this podcast by becoming a member. It's just $5/month or $55/year. Visit our website to learn more.

]]> Mon, 30 Mar 2026 03:00:00 -0700 TruStory FM TruStory FM 3391 Somewhere between O Brother Where Art Thou and the Lumineers' stomp-and-clap era, a folk comedy duo from the East Village made a movie about two aliens who abandon a mission to destroy Earth because one of them heard music in a Costco and simply could not get over it. The film cost approximately nothing, shot on the streets of Brooklyn with real bystanders as involuntary extras, features Dee Snider of Twisted Sister as a bar owner for reasons no one can fully explain, and won Fantastic Fest in Austin. It is called The History of Future Folk, and it is delightful in a way that Mandy, who went in skeptical, was completely unprepared for.

This week, Nate McWhortor ... Phoenix improviser, minor league baseball veteran, hair metal radio devotee, and self-described "glue guy" ... brings the movie to Mandy's attention, and also brings a drinking game. They drink for every mention of the planet Hondo, every visible budget cut (there are many), and every Dee Snider scene (there are enough). What they find underneath all of that is a genuinely beautiful piece of folk music, a surprisingly unpredictable plot, and a love letter to New York that doesn't have enough extras to fill its own bar scenes. If you've never heard of Future Folk, you're about to understand why some people feel like this movie was made specifically for them.

Nate McWhortor is a Phoenix-based improviser at the Neighborhood Comedy Theater and co-host of Gank That Drank, the Supernatural rewatch podcast where every episode comes with a drinking game. A sports nerd turned theater kid turned 16-year improv veteran, Nate is exactly the kind of guest who shows up with a drinking game, an Arizona tourism angle, and a genuine passion for a 2012 cult film that the algorithm sent him and he never forgot. Gank That Drink is currently heading into its final season of Supernatural — which means now is the time to get in on it. Find Nate and Krissy Lenz at the Neighborhood Comedy Theater at nctphoenix.com.

Links & Notes



---
Learn more about supporting this podcast by becoming a member. It's just $5/month or $55/year. Visit our website to learn more.

]]> D&D, Star Wars, Star Trek, Marvel, Gaming, Technology, Nerddom No It’s Manga Madness with Helen McCarthy! 89 89 It’s Manga Madness with Helen McCarthy! full 44842850-81c5-4308-b271-f0f5579d86fc https://share.transistor.fm/s/09b597dc Manga has a first-impression problem. It's enormous, genre-defying, visually foreign, and comes wrapped in the kind of devoted fan energy that makes newcomers feel like they've wandered into the graduate seminar by mistake. Mandy Kaplan — who did her manga homework at the Department of Motor Vehicles while her son got his learner's permit — is here to represent everyone who's been lurking at the door. Her guide is Helen McCarthy: author of the very first English-language book on Japanese animation, the first English book on Hayao Miyazaki, and thirteen published works on the subject in total. Her fourteenth, The Manga Bible, drops March 24th. The woman does not stop.

They work through three titles Mandy actually read: One Piece, which turns out to be a sneaky piece of social conditioning about building friendships when the world is terrifying (Eiichiro Oda knew exactly what he was doing); Nana, which delivers all the drama of Sex and the City set in 1999 Tokyo — a friendship story Mandy almost completely missed because she was reading it between DMV announcements; and Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind, which she found deeply upsetting, and means that as a compliment. Helen contextualizes all of it: the cartoony violence, the naïve heroines, the Indonesian protesters waving a One Piece flag, and why manga that looks contemporary might actually be set in your mother's girlhood. By the end, Mandy may not be a manga nerd. But the door is open — and she can see the plushies from here.

Helen McCarthy is the author of the first English-language books on Japanese animation and on Hayao Miyazaki — which is to say, she was there taking manga seriously before the rest of the English-speaking world had even formed an opinion about it. She's consulted on doctoral theses, spoken at universities from Akita International to the University of Maryland, and built a career out of a manga collection that started with Spanish-language comics her partner found on a graduation trip to Mallorca. Her latest book, The Manga Bible — an accessible, people-first entry into the world of manga and the artists behind it — is out March 24th from Prestel. Find her at HelenMcCarthy.net.

Referenced in This Episode

Past Episodes You Might Like

Connect with the Show

Follow Mandy on Instagram: @mandy_kaplan_klavens

Make Me a Nerd runs on curious people. If that's you, the inner circle is at makemeanerd.com/join — it's where the show goes deeper between episodes, and where Mandy's most embarrassingly enthusiastic fans have found their people.


---
Learn more about supporting this podcast by becoming a member. It's just $5/month or $55/year. Visit our website to learn more.

]]> Manga has a first-impression problem. It's enormous, genre-defying, visually foreign, and comes wrapped in the kind of devoted fan energy that makes newcomers feel like they've wandered into the graduate seminar by mistake. Mandy Kaplan — who did her manga homework at the Department of Motor Vehicles while her son got his learner's permit — is here to represent everyone who's been lurking at the door. Her guide is Helen McCarthy: author of the very first English-language book on Japanese animation, the first English book on Hayao Miyazaki, and thirteen published works on the subject in total. Her fourteenth, The Manga Bible, drops March 24th. The woman does not stop.

They work through three titles Mandy actually read: One Piece, which turns out to be a sneaky piece of social conditioning about building friendships when the world is terrifying (Eiichiro Oda knew exactly what he was doing); Nana, which delivers all the drama of Sex and the City set in 1999 Tokyo — a friendship story Mandy almost completely missed because she was reading it between DMV announcements; and Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind, which she found deeply upsetting, and means that as a compliment. Helen contextualizes all of it: the cartoony violence, the naïve heroines, the Indonesian protesters waving a One Piece flag, and why manga that looks contemporary might actually be set in your mother's girlhood. By the end, Mandy may not be a manga nerd. But the door is open — and she can see the plushies from here.

Helen McCarthy is the author of the first English-language books on Japanese animation and on Hayao Miyazaki — which is to say, she was there taking manga seriously before the rest of the English-speaking world had even formed an opinion about it. She's consulted on doctoral theses, spoken at universities from Akita International to the University of Maryland, and built a career out of a manga collection that started with Spanish-language comics her partner found on a graduation trip to Mallorca. Her latest book, The Manga Bible — an accessible, people-first entry into the world of manga and the artists behind it — is out March 24th from Prestel. Find her at HelenMcCarthy.net.

Referenced in This Episode

Past Episodes You Might Like

Connect with the Show

Follow Mandy on Instagram: @mandy_kaplan_klavens

Make Me a Nerd runs on curious people. If that's you, the inner circle is at makemeanerd.com/join — it's where the show goes deeper between episodes, and where Mandy's most embarrassingly enthusiastic fans have found their people.


---
Learn more about supporting this podcast by becoming a member. It's just $5/month or $55/year. Visit our website to learn more.

]]> Mon, 23 Mar 2026 03:00:00 -0700 TruStory FM TruStory FM 3277 Manga has a first-impression problem. It's enormous, genre-defying, visually foreign, and comes wrapped in the kind of devoted fan energy that makes newcomers feel like they've wandered into the graduate seminar by mistake. Mandy Kaplan — who did her manga homework at the Department of Motor Vehicles while her son got his learner's permit — is here to represent everyone who's been lurking at the door. Her guide is Helen McCarthy: author of the very first English-language book on Japanese animation, the first English book on Hayao Miyazaki, and thirteen published works on the subject in total. Her fourteenth, The Manga Bible, drops March 24th. The woman does not stop.

They work through three titles Mandy actually read: One Piece, which turns out to be a sneaky piece of social conditioning about building friendships when the world is terrifying (Eiichiro Oda knew exactly what he was doing); Nana, which delivers all the drama of Sex and the City set in 1999 Tokyo — a friendship story Mandy almost completely missed because she was reading it between DMV announcements; and Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind, which she found deeply upsetting, and means that as a compliment. Helen contextualizes all of it: the cartoony violence, the naïve heroines, the Indonesian protesters waving a One Piece flag, and why manga that looks contemporary might actually be set in your mother's girlhood. By the end, Mandy may not be a manga nerd. But the door is open — and she can see the plushies from here.

Helen McCarthy is the author of the first English-language books on Japanese animation and on Hayao Miyazaki — which is to say, she was there taking manga seriously before the rest of the English-speaking world had even formed an opinion about it. She's consulted on doctoral theses, spoken at universities from Akita International to the University of Maryland, and built a career out of a manga collection that started with Spanish-language comics her partner found on a graduation trip to Mallorca. Her latest book, The Manga Bible — an accessible, people-first entry into the world of manga and the artists behind it — is out March 24th from Prestel. Find her at HelenMcCarthy.net.

Referenced in This Episode

Past Episodes You Might Like

Connect with the Show

Follow Mandy on Instagram: @mandy_kaplan_klavens

Make Me a Nerd runs on curious people. If that's you, the inner circle is at makemeanerd.com/join — it's where the show goes deeper between episodes, and where Mandy's most embarrassingly enthusiastic fans have found their people.


---
Learn more about supporting this podcast by becoming a member. It's just $5/month or $55/year. Visit our website to learn more.

]]> D&D, Star Wars, Star Trek, Marvel, Gaming, Technology, Nerddom No Wonder Man: A Superhero Show About Not Being a Superhero 88 88 Wonder Man: A Superhero Show About Not Being a Superhero full b541c8d5-9b42-47e6-887a-f47436b67343 https://share.transistor.fm/s/d34da396 Wonder Man is, technically speaking, a Marvel show. It exists in the MCU. Captain America is out there somewhere. The Hulk is presumably smashing things. And none of that matters even a little bit, because this is a show about a guy who bombs auditions, self-sabotages every relationship he has, and quotes Pretty Woman during an improv because he's too afraid to access a genuine emotion. Simon Williams has a superpower, sure, but his actual problem is that he's every actor you've ever met who's three bad decisions away from selling real estate — which, by the way, Joey Pantoliano's character would enthusiastically recommend.

Matthew Fox returns to the show and admits they’re the noob this time. Because while Matthew can navigate the MCU lore — explaining Trevor Slattery's bonkers journey from fake terrorist in Iron Man 3 to mystical land adventurer in Shang-Chi to reluctant government informant — it's Mandy who actually understands the world in which this show lives. The auditions that feel like psychological warfare. The directors who demand you "take risks" and then get furious when you do. The friends who call casting offices pretending to be your manager. All of it is painfully, hilariously real, and the show treats it with a respect that certain podcasts hosted by extremely famous actors have never managed.

Matthew unpacks Wonder Man's superpower as a metaphor for passing — for anyone who's ever had to hide a fundamental part of themselves to get a job, keep a relationship, or just survive. It's the kind of reading that makes you realize why science fiction matters: not because the problems are unimaginable, but because they look exactly like the ones we can imagine. And if that doesn't get you, the show also features a black-and-white standalone episode about a guy called Damar the Doorman whose entire superpower is that people can walk through him, which is both the most absurd premise imaginable and a devastatingly accurate parable about how we consume and discard fame. Josh Gad plays himself as a monster. The episode description is literally just "Ding dong." It's perfect.

By the finale, Simon hasn't become a hero in any traditional sense. He breaks his best friend out of jail — not to save the world, just because Trevor took the fall for him and that's what you do. It's personal and small and exactly right. Mandy and Matthew agree: this is a character study wearing a superhero costume it never actually puts on, and it's better for it.

Links & Notes


If you like this episode ... 


Links & Notes


---
Learn more about supporting this podcast by becoming a member. It's just $5/month or $55/year. Visit our website to learn more.

]]> Wonder Man is, technically speaking, a Marvel show. It exists in the MCU. Captain America is out there somewhere. The Hulk is presumably smashing things. And none of that matters even a little bit, because this is a show about a guy who bombs auditions, self-sabotages every relationship he has, and quotes Pretty Woman during an improv because he's too afraid to access a genuine emotion. Simon Williams has a superpower, sure, but his actual problem is that he's every actor you've ever met who's three bad decisions away from selling real estate — which, by the way, Joey Pantoliano's character would enthusiastically recommend.

Matthew Fox returns to the show and admits they’re the noob this time. Because while Matthew can navigate the MCU lore — explaining Trevor Slattery's bonkers journey from fake terrorist in Iron Man 3 to mystical land adventurer in Shang-Chi to reluctant government informant — it's Mandy who actually understands the world in which this show lives. The auditions that feel like psychological warfare. The directors who demand you "take risks" and then get furious when you do. The friends who call casting offices pretending to be your manager. All of it is painfully, hilariously real, and the show treats it with a respect that certain podcasts hosted by extremely famous actors have never managed.

Matthew unpacks Wonder Man's superpower as a metaphor for passing — for anyone who's ever had to hide a fundamental part of themselves to get a job, keep a relationship, or just survive. It's the kind of reading that makes you realize why science fiction matters: not because the problems are unimaginable, but because they look exactly like the ones we can imagine. And if that doesn't get you, the show also features a black-and-white standalone episode about a guy called Damar the Doorman whose entire superpower is that people can walk through him, which is both the most absurd premise imaginable and a devastatingly accurate parable about how we consume and discard fame. Josh Gad plays himself as a monster. The episode description is literally just "Ding dong." It's perfect.

By the finale, Simon hasn't become a hero in any traditional sense. He breaks his best friend out of jail — not to save the world, just because Trevor took the fall for him and that's what you do. It's personal and small and exactly right. Mandy and Matthew agree: this is a character study wearing a superhero costume it never actually puts on, and it's better for it.

Links & Notes


If you like this episode ... 


Links & Notes


---
Learn more about supporting this podcast by becoming a member. It's just $5/month or $55/year. Visit our website to learn more.

]]> Mon, 16 Mar 2026 03:00:00 -0700 TruStory FM TruStory FM 3264 Wonder Man is, technically speaking, a Marvel show. It exists in the MCU. Captain America is out there somewhere. The Hulk is presumably smashing things. And none of that matters even a little bit, because this is a show about a guy who bombs auditions, self-sabotages every relationship he has, and quotes Pretty Woman during an improv because he's too afraid to access a genuine emotion. Simon Williams has a superpower, sure, but his actual problem is that he's every actor you've ever met who's three bad decisions away from selling real estate — which, by the way, Joey Pantoliano's character would enthusiastically recommend.

Matthew Fox returns to the show and admits they’re the noob this time. Because while Matthew can navigate the MCU lore — explaining Trevor Slattery's bonkers journey from fake terrorist in Iron Man 3 to mystical land adventurer in Shang-Chi to reluctant government informant — it's Mandy who actually understands the world in which this show lives. The auditions that feel like psychological warfare. The directors who demand you "take risks" and then get furious when you do. The friends who call casting offices pretending to be your manager. All of it is painfully, hilariously real, and the show treats it with a respect that certain podcasts hosted by extremely famous actors have never managed.

Matthew unpacks Wonder Man's superpower as a metaphor for passing — for anyone who's ever had to hide a fundamental part of themselves to get a job, keep a relationship, or just survive. It's the kind of reading that makes you realize why science fiction matters: not because the problems are unimaginable, but because they look exactly like the ones we can imagine. And if that doesn't get you, the show also features a black-and-white standalone episode about a guy called Damar the Doorman whose entire superpower is that people can walk through him, which is both the most absurd premise imaginable and a devastatingly accurate parable about how we consume and discard fame. Josh Gad plays himself as a monster. The episode description is literally just "Ding dong." It's perfect.

By the finale, Simon hasn't become a hero in any traditional sense. He breaks his best friend out of jail — not to save the world, just because Trevor took the fall for him and that's what you do. It's personal and small and exactly right. Mandy and Matthew agree: this is a character study wearing a superhero costume it never actually puts on, and it's better for it.

Links & Notes


If you like this episode ... 


Links & Notes


---
Learn more about supporting this podcast by becoming a member. It's just $5/month or $55/year. Visit our website to learn more.

]]> D&D, Star Wars, Star Trek, Marvel, Gaming, Technology, Nerddom No We Need to Talk About The Traitors (And Also Michael Rapaport) 87 87 We Need to Talk About The Traitors (And Also Michael Rapaport) full 4f398f58-62c3-47f2-a909-2454516b49fc https://share.transistor.fm/s/91a47d48 The Traitors is, at its core, a game you play at birthday parties when someone's kid really wants to be a detective. You sit in a circle. Some people are secret murderers. Everyone points fingers based on vibes alone. This should not be compelling television. And yet — here we are, with millions of people staying up past their bedtimes on a Tuesday because they cannot possibly let it get spoiled.

Patrick Gomez, editor-in-chief of Entertainment Weekly and a man who has watched competitive reality television with the devotion most people reserve for religion, joins Mandy to explain exactly how a glorified sleepover game became appointment TV.

They go deep on the Season 4 cast — a philosophical grab-bag of Olympic gold medalists, Real Housewives who showed up for the Scotland trip and got ambushed by actual gameplay, and Michael Rapaport, who sucked the air out of every room he entered and somehow made everyone root for his elimination regardless of their feelings about traitors. Patrick walks Mandy through the housewives-versus-gamers dynamic, the unspoken strategy the show deliberately buries to protect its own conceit, and why Rob may be playing the smartest game nobody's being allowed to fully see on screen.

And because this is Make Me a Nerd, the conversation goes exactly where it should: the nerd appeal of obsessive post-episode strategy analysis, the surprising parallels to LARPing and Dungeons and Dragons, the UK version filmed in the same castle with completely different results, and why Kristen Kish — Top Chef host, professional chef, person trapped in a Scottish castle with catering — spent three weeks desperately trying to melt candy bar ingredients into something edible.

Referenced Episodes


Make Me a Nerd:




---
Learn more about supporting this podcast by becoming a member. It's just $5/month or $55/year. Visit our website to learn more.

]]> The Traitors is, at its core, a game you play at birthday parties when someone's kid really wants to be a detective. You sit in a circle. Some people are secret murderers. Everyone points fingers based on vibes alone. This should not be compelling television. And yet — here we are, with millions of people staying up past their bedtimes on a Tuesday because they cannot possibly let it get spoiled.

Patrick Gomez, editor-in-chief of Entertainment Weekly and a man who has watched competitive reality television with the devotion most people reserve for religion, joins Mandy to explain exactly how a glorified sleepover game became appointment TV.

They go deep on the Season 4 cast — a philosophical grab-bag of Olympic gold medalists, Real Housewives who showed up for the Scotland trip and got ambushed by actual gameplay, and Michael Rapaport, who sucked the air out of every room he entered and somehow made everyone root for his elimination regardless of their feelings about traitors. Patrick walks Mandy through the housewives-versus-gamers dynamic, the unspoken strategy the show deliberately buries to protect its own conceit, and why Rob may be playing the smartest game nobody's being allowed to fully see on screen.

And because this is Make Me a Nerd, the conversation goes exactly where it should: the nerd appeal of obsessive post-episode strategy analysis, the surprising parallels to LARPing and Dungeons and Dragons, the UK version filmed in the same castle with completely different results, and why Kristen Kish — Top Chef host, professional chef, person trapped in a Scottish castle with catering — spent three weeks desperately trying to melt candy bar ingredients into something edible.

Referenced Episodes


Make Me a Nerd:




---
Learn more about supporting this podcast by becoming a member. It's just $5/month or $55/year. Visit our website to learn more.

]]> Mon, 09 Mar 2026 03:00:00 -0700 TruStory FM TruStory FM 3624 The Traitors is, at its core, a game you play at birthday parties when someone's kid really wants to be a detective. You sit in a circle. Some people are secret murderers. Everyone points fingers based on vibes alone. This should not be compelling television. And yet — here we are, with millions of people staying up past their bedtimes on a Tuesday because they cannot possibly let it get spoiled.

Patrick Gomez, editor-in-chief of Entertainment Weekly and a man who has watched competitive reality television with the devotion most people reserve for religion, joins Mandy to explain exactly how a glorified sleepover game became appointment TV.

They go deep on the Season 4 cast — a philosophical grab-bag of Olympic gold medalists, Real Housewives who showed up for the Scotland trip and got ambushed by actual gameplay, and Michael Rapaport, who sucked the air out of every room he entered and somehow made everyone root for his elimination regardless of their feelings about traitors. Patrick walks Mandy through the housewives-versus-gamers dynamic, the unspoken strategy the show deliberately buries to protect its own conceit, and why Rob may be playing the smartest game nobody's being allowed to fully see on screen.

And because this is Make Me a Nerd, the conversation goes exactly where it should: the nerd appeal of obsessive post-episode strategy analysis, the surprising parallels to LARPing and Dungeons and Dragons, the UK version filmed in the same castle with completely different results, and why Kristen Kish — Top Chef host, professional chef, person trapped in a Scottish castle with catering — spent three weeks desperately trying to melt candy bar ingredients into something edible.

Referenced Episodes


Make Me a Nerd:




---
Learn more about supporting this podcast by becoming a member. It's just $5/month or $55/year. Visit our website to learn more.

]]> D&D, Star Wars, Star Trek, Marvel, Gaming, Technology, Nerddom No The Stardom Burrito: Bo Burnham, Comedy Nerds, and Chipotle Metaphors with Tommy Metz III 86 86 The Stardom Burrito: Bo Burnham, Comedy Nerds, and Chipotle Metaphors with Tommy Metz III full eea400f3-c3cf-4ed7-90ce-96641417793d https://share.transistor.fm/s/c65d9f21 There are two kinds of people in the world: people who cross their arms and dare a comedian to make them laugh, and people who show up already giggling before the lights go down. Mandy is firmly in the first camp, which makes it all the more remarkable that Bo Burnham's Make Happy got her — really got her — starting with the moment the man wakes up in full clown makeup and ending with a gut-punch silence that reframes the entire hour you just watched. Tommy Metz III, Mandy's most recurring guest, self-identified comedy nerd, and a man who has memorized entire comedy albums without meaning to, is here to explain why.

The conversation covers an absurd amount of ground: the rise and fall of the eighties comedy boom (when every laundromat had a comedy club and every comedian got a sitcom deal they couldn't sustain past episode two), the alternative comedy movement that killed the piano-tie artifice, why Dane Cook was basically the MySpace version of Bo Burnham, and Tommy's deeply held conviction that musical comedy is like impressions — transcendent when it works, a hat on a much less impressive hat when it doesn't.

At the heart of it is what Tommy catches on his latest rewatch that he'd never noticed before: the Chipotle joke isn't just a Chipotle joke. When Burnham circles back to "I wouldn't have asked for all that if you'd told me it would be such a mess," he's not talking about a burrito you guys — he's talking about fame, perfectionism, and the loneliness of building something extraordinary entirely by yourself.

And then the special ends the way it has to: with silence, an empty room, and the quiet admission that people don't laugh when they're alone. They laugh in groups. Which, come to think of it, is a pretty good argument for listening to this episode with someone. Go ahead. Introduce Grandma to Burnham by way of this podcast. What could go wrong?

People & References Mentioned:

  • Bo Burnham — Make Happy (2016, Netflix), Inside (2021, Netflix), Zach Stone Is Gonna Be Famous (MTV)
  • Christopher Storer — Co-director of Make Happy, creator/director of The Bear
  • Stephen Lynch — Musical comedian, starred in The Wedding Singer on Broadway
  • Steve Martin — Comedian, actor, banjo enthusiast
  • Anthony Jeselnik — Comedian
  • Conan O'Brien — Late night host, former Simpsons and SNL writer
  • Andy Kindler — Comedian, comedy deconstructionist
  • Todd Glass — Comedian
  • Dave Attell — Comedian's comedian
  • Jeff Ross — Comedian
  • Dane Cook — MySpace-era comedy disruptor
  • Nate Bargatze — Comedian
  • Flight of the Conchords — Musical comedy duo
  • Tenacious D — Musical comedy duo
  • Matt Friend — Impressionist, TikTok
  • Rick Glassman — Comedian, host of Take Your Shoes Off podcast
  • Fred Armisen — SNL cast member, Nicholas Fehn character
  • Firesign Theatre — 1960s/70s counterculture comedy troupe
  • Mr. Show with Bob and David, Kids in the Hall, The State — Sketch comedy shows
  • Ben Folds — "Rockin' the Suburbs"
  • Zac Brown Band — "Chicken Fried"
  • Mortified — Live show and podcast where people read their childhood diaries
  • George Carlin — "Seven Words You Can Never Say on Television"


Tommy Metz III's Shows:


Make Me a Nerd:


---
Learn more about supporting this podcast by becoming a member. It's just $5/month or $55/year. Visit our website to learn more.

]]> There are two kinds of people in the world: people who cross their arms and dare a comedian to make them laugh, and people who show up already giggling before the lights go down. Mandy is firmly in the first camp, which makes it all the more remarkable that Bo Burnham's Make Happy got her — really got her — starting with the moment the man wakes up in full clown makeup and ending with a gut-punch silence that reframes the entire hour you just watched. Tommy Metz III, Mandy's most recurring guest, self-identified comedy nerd, and a man who has memorized entire comedy albums without meaning to, is here to explain why.

The conversation covers an absurd amount of ground: the rise and fall of the eighties comedy boom (when every laundromat had a comedy club and every comedian got a sitcom deal they couldn't sustain past episode two), the alternative comedy movement that killed the piano-tie artifice, why Dane Cook was basically the MySpace version of Bo Burnham, and Tommy's deeply held conviction that musical comedy is like impressions — transcendent when it works, a hat on a much less impressive hat when it doesn't.

At the heart of it is what Tommy catches on his latest rewatch that he'd never noticed before: the Chipotle joke isn't just a Chipotle joke. When Burnham circles back to "I wouldn't have asked for all that if you'd told me it would be such a mess," he's not talking about a burrito you guys — he's talking about fame, perfectionism, and the loneliness of building something extraordinary entirely by yourself.

And then the special ends the way it has to: with silence, an empty room, and the quiet admission that people don't laugh when they're alone. They laugh in groups. Which, come to think of it, is a pretty good argument for listening to this episode with someone. Go ahead. Introduce Grandma to Burnham by way of this podcast. What could go wrong?

People & References Mentioned:

  • Bo Burnham — Make Happy (2016, Netflix), Inside (2021, Netflix), Zach Stone Is Gonna Be Famous (MTV)
  • Christopher Storer — Co-director of Make Happy, creator/director of The Bear
  • Stephen Lynch — Musical comedian, starred in The Wedding Singer on Broadway
  • Steve Martin — Comedian, actor, banjo enthusiast
  • Anthony Jeselnik — Comedian
  • Conan O'Brien — Late night host, former Simpsons and SNL writer
  • Andy Kindler — Comedian, comedy deconstructionist
  • Todd Glass — Comedian
  • Dave Attell — Comedian's comedian
  • Jeff Ross — Comedian
  • Dane Cook — MySpace-era comedy disruptor
  • Nate Bargatze — Comedian
  • Flight of the Conchords — Musical comedy duo
  • Tenacious D — Musical comedy duo
  • Matt Friend — Impressionist, TikTok
  • Rick Glassman — Comedian, host of Take Your Shoes Off podcast
  • Fred Armisen — SNL cast member, Nicholas Fehn character
  • Firesign Theatre — 1960s/70s counterculture comedy troupe
  • Mr. Show with Bob and David, Kids in the Hall, The State — Sketch comedy shows
  • Ben Folds — "Rockin' the Suburbs"
  • Zac Brown Band — "Chicken Fried"
  • Mortified — Live show and podcast where people read their childhood diaries
  • George Carlin — "Seven Words You Can Never Say on Television"


Tommy Metz III's Shows:


Make Me a Nerd:


---
Learn more about supporting this podcast by becoming a member. It's just $5/month or $55/year. Visit our website to learn more.

]]> Mon, 02 Mar 2026 03:00:00 -0800 TruStory FM TruStory FM 3388 There are two kinds of people in the world: people who cross their arms and dare a comedian to make them laugh, and people who show up already giggling before the lights go down. Mandy is firmly in the first camp, which makes it all the more remarkable that Bo Burnham's Make Happy got her — really got her — starting with the moment the man wakes up in full clown makeup and ending with a gut-punch silence that reframes the entire hour you just watched. Tommy Metz III, Mandy's most recurring guest, self-identified comedy nerd, and a man who has memorized entire comedy albums without meaning to, is here to explain why.

The conversation covers an absurd amount of ground: the rise and fall of the eighties comedy boom (when every laundromat had a comedy club and every comedian got a sitcom deal they couldn't sustain past episode two), the alternative comedy movement that killed the piano-tie artifice, why Dane Cook was basically the MySpace version of Bo Burnham, and Tommy's deeply held conviction that musical comedy is like impressions — transcendent when it works, a hat on a much less impressive hat when it doesn't.

At the heart of it is what Tommy catches on his latest rewatch that he'd never noticed before: the Chipotle joke isn't just a Chipotle joke. When Burnham circles back to "I wouldn't have asked for all that if you'd told me it would be such a mess," he's not talking about a burrito you guys — he's talking about fame, perfectionism, and the loneliness of building something extraordinary entirely by yourself.

And then the special ends the way it has to: with silence, an empty room, and the quiet admission that people don't laugh when they're alone. They laugh in groups. Which, come to think of it, is a pretty good argument for listening to this episode with someone. Go ahead. Introduce Grandma to Burnham by way of this podcast. What could go wrong?

People & References Mentioned:

  • Bo Burnham — Make Happy (2016, Netflix), Inside (2021, Netflix), Zach Stone Is Gonna Be Famous (MTV)
  • Christopher Storer — Co-director of Make Happy, creator/director of The Bear
  • Stephen Lynch — Musical comedian, starred in The Wedding Singer on Broadway
  • Steve Martin — Comedian, actor, banjo enthusiast
  • Anthony Jeselnik — Comedian
  • Conan O'Brien — Late night host, former Simpsons and SNL writer
  • Andy Kindler — Comedian, comedy deconstructionist
  • Todd Glass — Comedian
  • Dave Attell — Comedian's comedian
  • Jeff Ross — Comedian
  • Dane Cook — MySpace-era comedy disruptor
  • Nate Bargatze — Comedian
  • Flight of the Conchords — Musical comedy duo
  • Tenacious D — Musical comedy duo
  • Matt Friend — Impressionist, TikTok
  • Rick Glassman — Comedian, host of Take Your Shoes Off podcast
  • Fred Armisen — SNL cast member, Nicholas Fehn character
  • Firesign Theatre — 1960s/70s counterculture comedy troupe
  • Mr. Show with Bob and David, Kids in the Hall, The State — Sketch comedy shows
  • Ben Folds — "Rockin' the Suburbs"
  • Zac Brown Band — "Chicken Fried"
  • Mortified — Live show and podcast where people read their childhood diaries
  • George Carlin — "Seven Words You Can Never Say on Television"


Tommy Metz III's Shows:


Make Me a Nerd:


---
Learn more about supporting this podcast by becoming a member. It's just $5/month or $55/year. Visit our website to learn more.

]]> D&D, Star Wars, Star Trek, Marvel, Gaming, Technology, Nerddom No Where's the Food? The Hunger Games Book-to-Movie Breakdown with Mona Chatterjee 85 85 Where's the Food? The Hunger Games Book-to-Movie Breakdown with Mona Chatterjee full 00839600-1b15-4258-a3dc-2937355186e8 https://share.transistor.fm/s/4c08922a Here's the thing about watching a movie one week after reading the book it's based on: you become the world's most insufferable viewing companion. And Mandy—who consumed Suzanne Collins's novel and then immediately sat down for the 2012 film like some kind of dystopian speed-run—has NOTES. Guest Mona Chatterjee is back for what is officially Make Me A Nerd's first-ever adaptation episode, and together they discover that reading the book first is both a gift and a curse, because now you know exactly what's missing and you will not shut up about it.

What's missing, weirdly, is food. In a story literally called The Hunger Games, the movie manages to skip almost every meal, every hunt, every lovingly described roast beef with peas and bread and butter. Mandy invokes Andy Cohen's legendary insistence that Real Housewives viewers need to hear what everyone ordered at dinner, which is either the most unhinged comparison in podcast history or the most correct one.

Beyond the missing meals, they devour the film's genuinely brilliant visual choices—the bleached-out gray of District 12 versus the candy-colored absurdity of Panem's Capitol residents (who look less Marie Antoinette and more "Andy Warhol meets Pablo Picasso"), the Apollo 11-style control room that gave Mandy exactly the behind-the-scenes Capitol view she begged for during the book episode, and Jennifer Lawrence's performance, which makes you forget you already know the ending.

They snack through casting what-ifs (Kristin Chenoweth as Effie would have been INCREDIBLE, John C. Reilly as Haymitch would have been a disaster), why Lenny Kravitz as Cinna was "too mellow and sexy" for a character they both pictured as a fierce little costume gremlin, and the eternal mystery of why Hollywood cast four interchangeable pasty white guys as the male tributes and expected audiences to tell them apart during fight scenes. The answer, as always, is that maybe they all shouldn't have been white.

Make Me a Nerd:


---
Learn more about supporting this podcast by becoming a member. It's just $5/month or $55/year. Visit our website to learn more.

]]> Here's the thing about watching a movie one week after reading the book it's based on: you become the world's most insufferable viewing companion. And Mandy—who consumed Suzanne Collins's novel and then immediately sat down for the 2012 film like some kind of dystopian speed-run—has NOTES. Guest Mona Chatterjee is back for what is officially Make Me A Nerd's first-ever adaptation episode, and together they discover that reading the book first is both a gift and a curse, because now you know exactly what's missing and you will not shut up about it.

What's missing, weirdly, is food. In a story literally called The Hunger Games, the movie manages to skip almost every meal, every hunt, every lovingly described roast beef with peas and bread and butter. Mandy invokes Andy Cohen's legendary insistence that Real Housewives viewers need to hear what everyone ordered at dinner, which is either the most unhinged comparison in podcast history or the most correct one.

Beyond the missing meals, they devour the film's genuinely brilliant visual choices—the bleached-out gray of District 12 versus the candy-colored absurdity of Panem's Capitol residents (who look less Marie Antoinette and more "Andy Warhol meets Pablo Picasso"), the Apollo 11-style control room that gave Mandy exactly the behind-the-scenes Capitol view she begged for during the book episode, and Jennifer Lawrence's performance, which makes you forget you already know the ending.

They snack through casting what-ifs (Kristin Chenoweth as Effie would have been INCREDIBLE, John C. Reilly as Haymitch would have been a disaster), why Lenny Kravitz as Cinna was "too mellow and sexy" for a character they both pictured as a fierce little costume gremlin, and the eternal mystery of why Hollywood cast four interchangeable pasty white guys as the male tributes and expected audiences to tell them apart during fight scenes. The answer, as always, is that maybe they all shouldn't have been white.

Make Me a Nerd:


---
Learn more about supporting this podcast by becoming a member. It's just $5/month or $55/year. Visit our website to learn more.

]]> Mon, 23 Feb 2026 03:00:00 -0800 TruStory FM TruStory FM 2775 Here's the thing about watching a movie one week after reading the book it's based on: you become the world's most insufferable viewing companion. And Mandy—who consumed Suzanne Collins's novel and then immediately sat down for the 2012 film like some kind of dystopian speed-run—has NOTES. Guest Mona Chatterjee is back for what is officially Make Me A Nerd's first-ever adaptation episode, and together they discover that reading the book first is both a gift and a curse, because now you know exactly what's missing and you will not shut up about it.

What's missing, weirdly, is food. In a story literally called The Hunger Games, the movie manages to skip almost every meal, every hunt, every lovingly described roast beef with peas and bread and butter. Mandy invokes Andy Cohen's legendary insistence that Real Housewives viewers need to hear what everyone ordered at dinner, which is either the most unhinged comparison in podcast history or the most correct one.

Beyond the missing meals, they devour the film's genuinely brilliant visual choices—the bleached-out gray of District 12 versus the candy-colored absurdity of Panem's Capitol residents (who look less Marie Antoinette and more "Andy Warhol meets Pablo Picasso"), the Apollo 11-style control room that gave Mandy exactly the behind-the-scenes Capitol view she begged for during the book episode, and Jennifer Lawrence's performance, which makes you forget you already know the ending.

They snack through casting what-ifs (Kristin Chenoweth as Effie would have been INCREDIBLE, John C. Reilly as Haymitch would have been a disaster), why Lenny Kravitz as Cinna was "too mellow and sexy" for a character they both pictured as a fierce little costume gremlin, and the eternal mystery of why Hollywood cast four interchangeable pasty white guys as the male tributes and expected audiences to tell them apart during fight scenes. The answer, as always, is that maybe they all shouldn't have been white.

Make Me a Nerd:


---
Learn more about supporting this podcast by becoming a member. It's just $5/month or $55/year. Visit our website to learn more.

]]> D&D, Star Wars, Star Trek, Marvel, Gaming, Technology, Nerddom No May the Odds Ever Smell of Sweat: A Hunger Games Deep Dive with Mona Chatterjee • The Novel 84 84 May the Odds Ever Smell of Sweat: A Hunger Games Deep Dive with Mona Chatterjee • The Novel full 3040a436-4589-4e07-bf35-8c94057dbcc9 https://share.transistor.fm/s/88acf54c Yes, I know—it's 2026, Hunger Games came out almost two decades ago, and we've all moved on now to whatever fresh dystopian nightmare is currently trending. But here's the thing: Suzanne Collins' story about state-sponsored child murder dressed up as entertainment has only gotten MORE relevant, and that should terrify us all.

Mandy welcomes back Mona Chatterjee (Miscast alum, Billboard chart artist, international beauty brand impresario) to explore why a book that opens with "the day of the reaping" manages to hook readers from age 12 to 52, and why its themes of inequality, complicity, and manufactured spectacle feel less like fiction and more like tomorrow's damned news.

The conversation goes deep fast. Both Mandy and Mona fixate on the people we DON'T see enough of—the peacekeepers who beat kids into submission then go home to dinner, the styling team who beautify tributes before sending them to die, Haymitch drinking himself unconscious because he relives his trauma every single year.

Mandy pitches "Below Deck: Panem Edition" to explore how normal people participate in monstrous systems, and honestly? That's the Hannah Arendt question applied to YA literature, and it's exactly what makes this book endure. They also tackle Katniss's backwards trust issues (she trusts Rue immediately but not Peeta, who literally saved her life), the Kaplan Curse (of course Prim's name would be drawn when it's only in there once), and Mandy's recurring obsessions: Why doesn't anyone mention how everything smells?

As Mona says, the Capitol's greatest fear isn't violence—it's hope. Hope is what sparks rebellion. Hope is what makes people believe things could be different. Collins wrote this in 2008, drawing on her father's Vietnam experiences and her concerns about reality TV desensitization. Every year since, it's become more prescient, more uncomfortably close to our actual world. So yes, we're still talking about The Hunger Games—because we're still living in the world that made it necessary.

Make Me a Nerd:


---
Learn more about supporting this podcast by becoming a member. It's just $5/month or $55/year. Visit our website to learn more.

]]> Yes, I know—it's 2026, Hunger Games came out almost two decades ago, and we've all moved on now to whatever fresh dystopian nightmare is currently trending. But here's the thing: Suzanne Collins' story about state-sponsored child murder dressed up as entertainment has only gotten MORE relevant, and that should terrify us all.

Mandy welcomes back Mona Chatterjee (Miscast alum, Billboard chart artist, international beauty brand impresario) to explore why a book that opens with "the day of the reaping" manages to hook readers from age 12 to 52, and why its themes of inequality, complicity, and manufactured spectacle feel less like fiction and more like tomorrow's damned news.

The conversation goes deep fast. Both Mandy and Mona fixate on the people we DON'T see enough of—the peacekeepers who beat kids into submission then go home to dinner, the styling team who beautify tributes before sending them to die, Haymitch drinking himself unconscious because he relives his trauma every single year.

Mandy pitches "Below Deck: Panem Edition" to explore how normal people participate in monstrous systems, and honestly? That's the Hannah Arendt question applied to YA literature, and it's exactly what makes this book endure. They also tackle Katniss's backwards trust issues (she trusts Rue immediately but not Peeta, who literally saved her life), the Kaplan Curse (of course Prim's name would be drawn when it's only in there once), and Mandy's recurring obsessions: Why doesn't anyone mention how everything smells?

As Mona says, the Capitol's greatest fear isn't violence—it's hope. Hope is what sparks rebellion. Hope is what makes people believe things could be different. Collins wrote this in 2008, drawing on her father's Vietnam experiences and her concerns about reality TV desensitization. Every year since, it's become more prescient, more uncomfortably close to our actual world. So yes, we're still talking about The Hunger Games—because we're still living in the world that made it necessary.

Make Me a Nerd:


---
Learn more about supporting this podcast by becoming a member. It's just $5/month or $55/year. Visit our website to learn more.

]]> Mon, 16 Feb 2026 03:00:00 -0800 TruStory FM TruStory FM 3037 Yes, I know—it's 2026, Hunger Games came out almost two decades ago, and we've all moved on now to whatever fresh dystopian nightmare is currently trending. But here's the thing: Suzanne Collins' story about state-sponsored child murder dressed up as entertainment has only gotten MORE relevant, and that should terrify us all.

Mandy welcomes back Mona Chatterjee (Miscast alum, Billboard chart artist, international beauty brand impresario) to explore why a book that opens with "the day of the reaping" manages to hook readers from age 12 to 52, and why its themes of inequality, complicity, and manufactured spectacle feel less like fiction and more like tomorrow's damned news.

The conversation goes deep fast. Both Mandy and Mona fixate on the people we DON'T see enough of—the peacekeepers who beat kids into submission then go home to dinner, the styling team who beautify tributes before sending them to die, Haymitch drinking himself unconscious because he relives his trauma every single year.

Mandy pitches "Below Deck: Panem Edition" to explore how normal people participate in monstrous systems, and honestly? That's the Hannah Arendt question applied to YA literature, and it's exactly what makes this book endure. They also tackle Katniss's backwards trust issues (she trusts Rue immediately but not Peeta, who literally saved her life), the Kaplan Curse (of course Prim's name would be drawn when it's only in there once), and Mandy's recurring obsessions: Why doesn't anyone mention how everything smells?

As Mona says, the Capitol's greatest fear isn't violence—it's hope. Hope is what sparks rebellion. Hope is what makes people believe things could be different. Collins wrote this in 2008, drawing on her father's Vietnam experiences and her concerns about reality TV desensitization. Every year since, it's become more prescient, more uncomfortably close to our actual world. So yes, we're still talking about The Hunger Games—because we're still living in the world that made it necessary.

Make Me a Nerd:


---
Learn more about supporting this podcast by becoming a member. It's just $5/month or $55/year. Visit our website to learn more.

]]> D&D, Star Wars, Star Trek, Marvel, Gaming, Technology, Nerddom No It’s Our Time Down Here: A Goonies Comfort Rewatch with Krissy Lenz 83 83 It’s Our Time Down Here: A Goonies Comfort Rewatch with Krissy Lenz full e72ff615-ecd4-4408-8225-860670dfdba7 https://share.transistor.fm/s/0dba4646 This week on Make Me a Nerd, Mandy Kaplan does the bravest thing a grown adult can do: she prescribes herself a medically unnecessary, emotionally essential dose of The Goonies—because sometimes “self-care” is a bubble bath, and sometimes it’s screaming “HEY YOU GUYS” into the void until the void screams back. Joined by recurring fan-favorite guest Krissy Lenz (of The Most Excellent 80s Movies), Mandy revisits Richard Donner’s chaotic, sweet, frequently-overlapping-yelling masterpiece and marvels at how it manages to be simultaneously a kids’ adventure film and a movie that opens with a fake suicide and drops the S-word roughly nineteen times like it’s being paid per syllable.

They dig into why the character introductions during the opening chase are basically a clinic in “how to meet an ensemble cast fast,” why Brand deserves a modern reappraisal as the patron saint of big-brother competence, and why pirates apparently had both scurvy and an interior designer on payroll. Along the way, the conversation detours into Corey Feldman lore (including the surreal fact of Corey Feldman calling Krissy directly because he couldn’t get into the recording app), the weirdly persistent “octopus scene” ghost that’s referenced even when cut, and the uncomfortable 80s habit of using fat-shaming as a punchline so routinely you can practically hear a studio executive chanting, “Yes, yes, keep punching down, it’s working.”

And because Mandy’s brain is both tender and mischievous, we also get: a brief masterclass in “planning crimes vs committing crimes” (involving a pizza smuggled into a movie theater), a quick Make Me a Nerd sidebar into the threat of scurvy in modern adulthood, and a round of Goonies trivia that ends exactly the way it should: with friendship intact and pride mildly wounded.

Make Me a Nerd:


---
Learn more about supporting this podcast by becoming a member. It's just $5/month or $55/year. Visit our website to learn more.

]]> This week on Make Me a Nerd, Mandy Kaplan does the bravest thing a grown adult can do: she prescribes herself a medically unnecessary, emotionally essential dose of The Goonies—because sometimes “self-care” is a bubble bath, and sometimes it’s screaming “HEY YOU GUYS” into the void until the void screams back. Joined by recurring fan-favorite guest Krissy Lenz (of The Most Excellent 80s Movies), Mandy revisits Richard Donner’s chaotic, sweet, frequently-overlapping-yelling masterpiece and marvels at how it manages to be simultaneously a kids’ adventure film and a movie that opens with a fake suicide and drops the S-word roughly nineteen times like it’s being paid per syllable.

They dig into why the character introductions during the opening chase are basically a clinic in “how to meet an ensemble cast fast,” why Brand deserves a modern reappraisal as the patron saint of big-brother competence, and why pirates apparently had both scurvy and an interior designer on payroll. Along the way, the conversation detours into Corey Feldman lore (including the surreal fact of Corey Feldman calling Krissy directly because he couldn’t get into the recording app), the weirdly persistent “octopus scene” ghost that’s referenced even when cut, and the uncomfortable 80s habit of using fat-shaming as a punchline so routinely you can practically hear a studio executive chanting, “Yes, yes, keep punching down, it’s working.”

And because Mandy’s brain is both tender and mischievous, we also get: a brief masterclass in “planning crimes vs committing crimes” (involving a pizza smuggled into a movie theater), a quick Make Me a Nerd sidebar into the threat of scurvy in modern adulthood, and a round of Goonies trivia that ends exactly the way it should: with friendship intact and pride mildly wounded.

Make Me a Nerd:


---
Learn more about supporting this podcast by becoming a member. It's just $5/month or $55/year. Visit our website to learn more.

]]> Mon, 09 Feb 2026 03:00:00 -0800 TruStory FM TruStory FM 3204 This week on Make Me a Nerd, Mandy Kaplan does the bravest thing a grown adult can do: she prescribes herself a medically unnecessary, emotionally essential dose of The Goonies—because sometimes “self-care” is a bubble bath, and sometimes it’s screaming “HEY YOU GUYS” into the void until the void screams back. Joined by recurring fan-favorite guest Krissy Lenz (of The Most Excellent 80s Movies), Mandy revisits Richard Donner’s chaotic, sweet, frequently-overlapping-yelling masterpiece and marvels at how it manages to be simultaneously a kids’ adventure film and a movie that opens with a fake suicide and drops the S-word roughly nineteen times like it’s being paid per syllable.

They dig into why the character introductions during the opening chase are basically a clinic in “how to meet an ensemble cast fast,” why Brand deserves a modern reappraisal as the patron saint of big-brother competence, and why pirates apparently had both scurvy and an interior designer on payroll. Along the way, the conversation detours into Corey Feldman lore (including the surreal fact of Corey Feldman calling Krissy directly because he couldn’t get into the recording app), the weirdly persistent “octopus scene” ghost that’s referenced even when cut, and the uncomfortable 80s habit of using fat-shaming as a punchline so routinely you can practically hear a studio executive chanting, “Yes, yes, keep punching down, it’s working.”

And because Mandy’s brain is both tender and mischievous, we also get: a brief masterclass in “planning crimes vs committing crimes” (involving a pizza smuggled into a movie theater), a quick Make Me a Nerd sidebar into the threat of scurvy in modern adulthood, and a round of Goonies trivia that ends exactly the way it should: with friendship intact and pride mildly wounded.

Make Me a Nerd:


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Learn more about supporting this podcast by becoming a member. It's just $5/month or $55/year. Visit our website to learn more.

]]> D&D, Star Wars, Star Trek, Marvel, Gaming, Technology, Nerddom No Superman... with Homework: Smallville with John Mundy 82 82 Superman... with Homework: Smallville with John Mundy full 687f2ca4-3f4a-44fd-8e81-d5987979d784 https://share.transistor.fm/s/38d0117f Mandy continues her noble quest to become the kind of nerd who can say “Smallville” without immediately being asked which season she started with, and she brings in returning guest John Mundy to guide her through this corn-fed, meteor-soaked origin story of Clark Kent. What starts as “Is this just Superman: The Homeschool Years?” turns into a surprisingly thoughtful tour of what the show is really selling: not invulnerability, but adolescence—awkwardness, secrecy, and the exhausting burden of being good while everyone around you is making being normal look like a competitive sport. Along the way, Mandy clocks the show’s high-school cruelty, its very committed primary-color costuming, and the deeply specific tonal overlap with the early-2000s “monster of the week” ecosystem.

John makes the case for Smallville as a long-form character experiment: what happens when Clark and Lex are allowed to be almost-friends for years, close enough to save each other, never close enough to trust each other. It’s basically an extended tragedy with great cheekbones, where the real villain is not kryptonite so much as the inability to just say the thing out loud. Mandy watches the show jump from pilot-era stiffness to later-season operatic intrigue (hello: Lana married to Lex), and the conversation gets into why “pre-Superman” is the point—because teenage Clark doesn’t always know the right thing, and that uncertainty is the actual engine.

Yes, they talk about Alison Mack—because you can’t not talk about Alison Mack—and it’s handled with the weird double-vision that comes from rewatching a performance that used to read as “spunky, driven friend” and now carries a much darker cultural footnote. There’s also a genuinely moving detour into Christopher Reeve’s appearance and what it meant to have him show up as the show’s mythic, anchoring presence. Plus: romance-novel rules, gay hockey smut, and the kind of warm nerd argument that makes you want to pull up a chair, even if you’ve never once been within five miles of Kansas.

Make Me a Nerd:


---
Learn more about supporting this podcast by becoming a member. It's just $5/month or $55/year. Visit our website to learn more.

]]> Mandy continues her noble quest to become the kind of nerd who can say “Smallville” without immediately being asked which season she started with, and she brings in returning guest John Mundy to guide her through this corn-fed, meteor-soaked origin story of Clark Kent. What starts as “Is this just Superman: The Homeschool Years?” turns into a surprisingly thoughtful tour of what the show is really selling: not invulnerability, but adolescence—awkwardness, secrecy, and the exhausting burden of being good while everyone around you is making being normal look like a competitive sport. Along the way, Mandy clocks the show’s high-school cruelty, its very committed primary-color costuming, and the deeply specific tonal overlap with the early-2000s “monster of the week” ecosystem.

John makes the case for Smallville as a long-form character experiment: what happens when Clark and Lex are allowed to be almost-friends for years, close enough to save each other, never close enough to trust each other. It’s basically an extended tragedy with great cheekbones, where the real villain is not kryptonite so much as the inability to just say the thing out loud. Mandy watches the show jump from pilot-era stiffness to later-season operatic intrigue (hello: Lana married to Lex), and the conversation gets into why “pre-Superman” is the point—because teenage Clark doesn’t always know the right thing, and that uncertainty is the actual engine.

Yes, they talk about Alison Mack—because you can’t not talk about Alison Mack—and it’s handled with the weird double-vision that comes from rewatching a performance that used to read as “spunky, driven friend” and now carries a much darker cultural footnote. There’s also a genuinely moving detour into Christopher Reeve’s appearance and what it meant to have him show up as the show’s mythic, anchoring presence. Plus: romance-novel rules, gay hockey smut, and the kind of warm nerd argument that makes you want to pull up a chair, even if you’ve never once been within five miles of Kansas.

Make Me a Nerd:


---
Learn more about supporting this podcast by becoming a member. It's just $5/month or $55/year. Visit our website to learn more.

]]> Mon, 02 Feb 2026 03:00:00 -0800 TruStory FM TruStory FM 3058 Mandy continues her noble quest to become the kind of nerd who can say “Smallville” without immediately being asked which season she started with, and she brings in returning guest John Mundy to guide her through this corn-fed, meteor-soaked origin story of Clark Kent. What starts as “Is this just Superman: The Homeschool Years?” turns into a surprisingly thoughtful tour of what the show is really selling: not invulnerability, but adolescence—awkwardness, secrecy, and the exhausting burden of being good while everyone around you is making being normal look like a competitive sport. Along the way, Mandy clocks the show’s high-school cruelty, its very committed primary-color costuming, and the deeply specific tonal overlap with the early-2000s “monster of the week” ecosystem.

John makes the case for Smallville as a long-form character experiment: what happens when Clark and Lex are allowed to be almost-friends for years, close enough to save each other, never close enough to trust each other. It’s basically an extended tragedy with great cheekbones, where the real villain is not kryptonite so much as the inability to just say the thing out loud. Mandy watches the show jump from pilot-era stiffness to later-season operatic intrigue (hello: Lana married to Lex), and the conversation gets into why “pre-Superman” is the point—because teenage Clark doesn’t always know the right thing, and that uncertainty is the actual engine.

Yes, they talk about Alison Mack—because you can’t not talk about Alison Mack—and it’s handled with the weird double-vision that comes from rewatching a performance that used to read as “spunky, driven friend” and now carries a much darker cultural footnote. There’s also a genuinely moving detour into Christopher Reeve’s appearance and what it meant to have him show up as the show’s mythic, anchoring presence. Plus: romance-novel rules, gay hockey smut, and the kind of warm nerd argument that makes you want to pull up a chair, even if you’ve never once been within five miles of Kansas.

Make Me a Nerd:


---
Learn more about supporting this podcast by becoming a member. It's just $5/month or $55/year. Visit our website to learn more.

]]> D&D, Star Wars, Star Trek, Marvel, Gaming, Technology, Nerddom No The Great Pottery Throw Down: British, Boring, & Bang-On Perfect with Jeremy Klavens 81 81 The Great Pottery Throw Down: British, Boring, & Bang-On Perfect with Jeremy Klavens full 964948ca-a561-4a1a-b5d3-e3e98660c6a8 https://share.transistor.fm/s/7417480e Mandy’s latest “please turn me into a nerd” assignment comes disguised as the most harmless thing imaginable: a British competition show about pottery. And yes, at first it feels like the TV equivalent of a warm cup of tea you forgot you made. But then Jeremy Klavens (return guest, television editor, and the father of Mandy’s child—pending) walks her into The Great Pottery Throw Down and suddenly everyone is emotionally invested in cheese sets, kiln drama, and whether it’s legally possible for one judge to cry at this many objects in one lifetime.

What follows is a cozy, gently chaotic tour of why this show hits different: the unusually kind contestant energy, the Bake Off DNA, the “we’re all trapped in a pandemic bubble so now we’re basically family” vibe, and the strange intimacy of watching hands work wet clay on a spinning wheel (this episode contains a brief detour into “is pottery… sexy?” and the answer is: it’s complicated, but also abso-potting-lutely). Along the way, Mandy and Jeremy size up the season’s personalities, judge quirks, and the occasional challenge that feels like the producers asked, “What if we simply made everyone fail at once?”

And underneath the jokes, there’s a real question humming: why are shows like this so comforting, and why do we crave “soft competition” where the prize is mostly pride, a tiny trophy, and the right to say “bang on” with authority? If you’ve ever wanted a reality show palate cleanser that still gives you something to argue about on the couch, this is your invitation to the pottery parade. Bring subtitles. Possibly cheese.

Make Me a Nerd:


---
Learn more about supporting this podcast by becoming a member. It's just $5/month or $55/year. Visit our website to learn more.

]]> Mandy’s latest “please turn me into a nerd” assignment comes disguised as the most harmless thing imaginable: a British competition show about pottery. And yes, at first it feels like the TV equivalent of a warm cup of tea you forgot you made. But then Jeremy Klavens (return guest, television editor, and the father of Mandy’s child—pending) walks her into The Great Pottery Throw Down and suddenly everyone is emotionally invested in cheese sets, kiln drama, and whether it’s legally possible for one judge to cry at this many objects in one lifetime.

What follows is a cozy, gently chaotic tour of why this show hits different: the unusually kind contestant energy, the Bake Off DNA, the “we’re all trapped in a pandemic bubble so now we’re basically family” vibe, and the strange intimacy of watching hands work wet clay on a spinning wheel (this episode contains a brief detour into “is pottery… sexy?” and the answer is: it’s complicated, but also abso-potting-lutely). Along the way, Mandy and Jeremy size up the season’s personalities, judge quirks, and the occasional challenge that feels like the producers asked, “What if we simply made everyone fail at once?”

And underneath the jokes, there’s a real question humming: why are shows like this so comforting, and why do we crave “soft competition” where the prize is mostly pride, a tiny trophy, and the right to say “bang on” with authority? If you’ve ever wanted a reality show palate cleanser that still gives you something to argue about on the couch, this is your invitation to the pottery parade. Bring subtitles. Possibly cheese.

Make Me a Nerd:


---
Learn more about supporting this podcast by becoming a member. It's just $5/month or $55/year. Visit our website to learn more.

]]> Mon, 26 Jan 2026 03:00:00 -0800 TruStory FM TruStory FM 4031 Mandy’s latest “please turn me into a nerd” assignment comes disguised as the most harmless thing imaginable: a British competition show about pottery. And yes, at first it feels like the TV equivalent of a warm cup of tea you forgot you made. But then Jeremy Klavens (return guest, television editor, and the father of Mandy’s child—pending) walks her into The Great Pottery Throw Down and suddenly everyone is emotionally invested in cheese sets, kiln drama, and whether it’s legally possible for one judge to cry at this many objects in one lifetime.

What follows is a cozy, gently chaotic tour of why this show hits different: the unusually kind contestant energy, the Bake Off DNA, the “we’re all trapped in a pandemic bubble so now we’re basically family” vibe, and the strange intimacy of watching hands work wet clay on a spinning wheel (this episode contains a brief detour into “is pottery… sexy?” and the answer is: it’s complicated, but also abso-potting-lutely). Along the way, Mandy and Jeremy size up the season’s personalities, judge quirks, and the occasional challenge that feels like the producers asked, “What if we simply made everyone fail at once?”

And underneath the jokes, there’s a real question humming: why are shows like this so comforting, and why do we crave “soft competition” where the prize is mostly pride, a tiny trophy, and the right to say “bang on” with authority? If you’ve ever wanted a reality show palate cleanser that still gives you something to argue about on the couch, this is your invitation to the pottery parade. Bring subtitles. Possibly cheese.

Make Me a Nerd:


---
Learn more about supporting this podcast by becoming a member. It's just $5/month or $55/year. Visit our website to learn more.

]]> D&D, Star Wars, Star Trek, Marvel, Gaming, Technology, Nerddom No "I Might Knock": Heated Rivalry... the Show We Can't Stop Watching 80 80 "I Might Knock": Heated Rivalry... the Show We Can't Stop Watching full 884eb84e-5fd2-4aa1-bf12-4ff06a816bd3 https://share.transistor.fm/s/1a06f5d4 Look, if you had told me six months ago that a Canadian hockey romance would become the most culturally significant television event since—actually, I don't have a comparison because NOTHING prepares you for Heated Rivalry. This is a movement. And based on Mandy's conversation with returning guest Jon Cassie (of MMAN Severance fame, but more importantly, of Heated Rivalry obsession fame), we might need to start building temples.

Here's what Jon makes clear: this show kicks down the door in the first twelve minutes with full nudity, graphic intimacy, AND a deeply moving love story—all at once. Created by Crave Media (a Canadian company that rejected HBO's ridiculous notes about "saving steaminess for season two"), the series follows rivals Shane Hollander and Ilya Rosanoff through a decade-spanning secret relationship. Mandy, who wanted "some conversation before all the effing," eventually gets her Hepburn-Tracy wit in exchanges like "I might knock" / "I might open." The show delivers both physical chemistry and intellectual connection, launching four legendary careers while giving audiences a complete, satisfying journey.

Jon hasn't been "swept away obsessively by a show in decades"—and he's watched this one multiple times. That's the power of Hudson Williams and Connor Finley's chemistry, the devastating beauty of feet touching under tables, and a show that respects its audience enough to be exactly what it set out to be. Heated Rivalry isn't just good queer television. It's exceptional television, period.


---
Learn more about supporting this podcast by becoming a member. It's just $5/month or $55/year. Visit our website to learn more.

]]> Look, if you had told me six months ago that a Canadian hockey romance would become the most culturally significant television event since—actually, I don't have a comparison because NOTHING prepares you for Heated Rivalry. This is a movement. And based on Mandy's conversation with returning guest Jon Cassie (of MMAN Severance fame, but more importantly, of Heated Rivalry obsession fame), we might need to start building temples.

Here's what Jon makes clear: this show kicks down the door in the first twelve minutes with full nudity, graphic intimacy, AND a deeply moving love story—all at once. Created by Crave Media (a Canadian company that rejected HBO's ridiculous notes about "saving steaminess for season two"), the series follows rivals Shane Hollander and Ilya Rosanoff through a decade-spanning secret relationship. Mandy, who wanted "some conversation before all the effing," eventually gets her Hepburn-Tracy wit in exchanges like "I might knock" / "I might open." The show delivers both physical chemistry and intellectual connection, launching four legendary careers while giving audiences a complete, satisfying journey.

Jon hasn't been "swept away obsessively by a show in decades"—and he's watched this one multiple times. That's the power of Hudson Williams and Connor Finley's chemistry, the devastating beauty of feet touching under tables, and a show that respects its audience enough to be exactly what it set out to be. Heated Rivalry isn't just good queer television. It's exceptional television, period.


---
Learn more about supporting this podcast by becoming a member. It's just $5/month or $55/year. Visit our website to learn more.

]]> Mon, 19 Jan 2026 03:00:00 -0800 TruStory FM TruStory FM 3767 Look, if you had told me six months ago that a Canadian hockey romance would become the most culturally significant television event since—actually, I don't have a comparison because NOTHING prepares you for Heated Rivalry. This is a movement. And based on Mandy's conversation with returning guest Jon Cassie (of MMAN Severance fame, but more importantly, of Heated Rivalry obsession fame), we might need to start building temples.

Here's what Jon makes clear: this show kicks down the door in the first twelve minutes with full nudity, graphic intimacy, AND a deeply moving love story—all at once. Created by Crave Media (a Canadian company that rejected HBO's ridiculous notes about "saving steaminess for season two"), the series follows rivals Shane Hollander and Ilya Rosanoff through a decade-spanning secret relationship. Mandy, who wanted "some conversation before all the effing," eventually gets her Hepburn-Tracy wit in exchanges like "I might knock" / "I might open." The show delivers both physical chemistry and intellectual connection, launching four legendary careers while giving audiences a complete, satisfying journey.

Jon hasn't been "swept away obsessively by a show in decades"—and he's watched this one multiple times. That's the power of Hudson Williams and Connor Finley's chemistry, the devastating beauty of feet touching under tables, and a show that respects its audience enough to be exactly what it set out to be. Heated Rivalry isn't just good queer television. It's exceptional television, period.


---
Learn more about supporting this podcast by becoming a member. It's just $5/month or $55/year. Visit our website to learn more.

]]> D&D, Star Wars, Star Trek, Marvel, Gaming, Technology, Nerddom No The Big Lebowski with David Isser 79 79 The Big Lebowski with David Isser full 1e8a35db-bd1d-4634-bac8-0fd470767312 https://share.transistor.fm/s/53268f82 Mandy Kaplan continues her slow, deliberate march into Nerd Territory by taking on one of the most sacred cows in cult-movie history: The Big Lebowski. Joining her is editor, bookstore owner, and self-described “hobbyist nerd” David Isser, who arrives armed with deep affection for the film, a working knowledge of Raymond Chandler, and a willingness to calmly explain why a movie that makes Mandy deeply uncomfortable has inspired conventions, philosophies, and a small but devoted bowling-industrial complex.

What follows is less a review and more a thoughtful standoff. Mandy interrogates the film’s aggressively masculine energy, its simmering threat of violence, and its unapologetic embrace of pointlessness. David counters with rewatchability, linguistic rhythm, cinematography, and the Coen brothers’ fondness for rich worlds that don’t care whether you understand them. Along the way, they detour through David Mamet dialogue patterns, noir tropes, Busby Berkeley hallucinations, and Mandy’s firm belief that unwrapping a Russian nesting doll should eventually reveal something.

This episode isn’t about convincing Mandy to love The Big Lebowski. It’s about understanding why some art invites obsessive devotion, why other art quietly asks you to leave, and why both reactions are completely valid—even if one of them involves licking a bowling ball.

Make Me a Nerd:


---
Learn more about supporting this podcast by becoming a member. It's just $5/month or $55/year. Visit our website to learn more.

]]> Mandy Kaplan continues her slow, deliberate march into Nerd Territory by taking on one of the most sacred cows in cult-movie history: The Big Lebowski. Joining her is editor, bookstore owner, and self-described “hobbyist nerd” David Isser, who arrives armed with deep affection for the film, a working knowledge of Raymond Chandler, and a willingness to calmly explain why a movie that makes Mandy deeply uncomfortable has inspired conventions, philosophies, and a small but devoted bowling-industrial complex.

What follows is less a review and more a thoughtful standoff. Mandy interrogates the film’s aggressively masculine energy, its simmering threat of violence, and its unapologetic embrace of pointlessness. David counters with rewatchability, linguistic rhythm, cinematography, and the Coen brothers’ fondness for rich worlds that don’t care whether you understand them. Along the way, they detour through David Mamet dialogue patterns, noir tropes, Busby Berkeley hallucinations, and Mandy’s firm belief that unwrapping a Russian nesting doll should eventually reveal something.

This episode isn’t about convincing Mandy to love The Big Lebowski. It’s about understanding why some art invites obsessive devotion, why other art quietly asks you to leave, and why both reactions are completely valid—even if one of them involves licking a bowling ball.

Make Me a Nerd:


---
Learn more about supporting this podcast by becoming a member. It's just $5/month or $55/year. Visit our website to learn more.

]]> Mon, 12 Jan 2026 03:00:00 -0800 TruStory FM TruStory FM 3495 Mandy Kaplan continues her slow, deliberate march into Nerd Territory by taking on one of the most sacred cows in cult-movie history: The Big Lebowski. Joining her is editor, bookstore owner, and self-described “hobbyist nerd” David Isser, who arrives armed with deep affection for the film, a working knowledge of Raymond Chandler, and a willingness to calmly explain why a movie that makes Mandy deeply uncomfortable has inspired conventions, philosophies, and a small but devoted bowling-industrial complex.

What follows is less a review and more a thoughtful standoff. Mandy interrogates the film’s aggressively masculine energy, its simmering threat of violence, and its unapologetic embrace of pointlessness. David counters with rewatchability, linguistic rhythm, cinematography, and the Coen brothers’ fondness for rich worlds that don’t care whether you understand them. Along the way, they detour through David Mamet dialogue patterns, noir tropes, Busby Berkeley hallucinations, and Mandy’s firm belief that unwrapping a Russian nesting doll should eventually reveal something.

This episode isn’t about convincing Mandy to love The Big Lebowski. It’s about understanding why some art invites obsessive devotion, why other art quietly asks you to leave, and why both reactions are completely valid—even if one of them involves licking a bowling ball.

Make Me a Nerd:


---
Learn more about supporting this podcast by becoming a member. It's just $5/month or $55/year. Visit our website to learn more.

]]> D&D, Star Wars, Star Trek, Marvel, Gaming, Technology, Nerddom No Xanadu with Jonas Vail 78 78 Xanadu with Jonas Vail full 213c50d6-ad57-4148-9b41-cbb76e736d0f https://share.transistor.fm/s/75c709da This week on Make Me A Nerd, Mandy Kaplan bravely roller-skates into the glittery fever dream that is Xanadu, joined by writer, brand strategist, and lifelong apologist for questionable cinema, Jonas Vail. Jonas has loved Xanadu since kindergarten.

What follows is a spirited interrogation of how a movie with no functional script, no clear protagonist goals, and no apparent understanding of what a musical is managed to spawn multiple chart-topping hits, a Broadway redemption arc, and the literal invention of the Razzies. Mandy presses the case against the film with surgical precision: Olivia Newton-John as a confused hostage, Michael Beck as a charisma vacuum in roller skates, and a plot that appears to have been assembled by shuffling index cards in a wind tunnel.

Jonas, to his credit, does not deny any of this. Instead, he offers nostalgia, vibes, and the radical proposition that Xanadu only works if you stop asking it to work. Together, they unpack the soundtrack’s undeniable greatness, Gene Kelly’s astonishing late-career charm, and the deeply suspicious decision to let Olivia sing entire numbers while not physically appearing anywhere near them.

Along the way, they stumble into bigger questions: Is Xanadu secretly a proto-MTV artifact? Is the animated sequence the movie’s only sex scene? And how did a roller-disco fantasy with zero internal logic influence everything from Back to the Future to Janet Jackson choreography? It’s messy, affectionate, occasionally unhinged—and somehow ends with a sincere defense of dreams, disco, and donuts-for-dinner cinema.

Make Me a Nerd:


---
Learn more about supporting this podcast by becoming a member. It's just $5/month or $55/year. Visit our website to learn more.

]]> This week on Make Me A Nerd, Mandy Kaplan bravely roller-skates into the glittery fever dream that is Xanadu, joined by writer, brand strategist, and lifelong apologist for questionable cinema, Jonas Vail. Jonas has loved Xanadu since kindergarten.

What follows is a spirited interrogation of how a movie with no functional script, no clear protagonist goals, and no apparent understanding of what a musical is managed to spawn multiple chart-topping hits, a Broadway redemption arc, and the literal invention of the Razzies. Mandy presses the case against the film with surgical precision: Olivia Newton-John as a confused hostage, Michael Beck as a charisma vacuum in roller skates, and a plot that appears to have been assembled by shuffling index cards in a wind tunnel.

Jonas, to his credit, does not deny any of this. Instead, he offers nostalgia, vibes, and the radical proposition that Xanadu only works if you stop asking it to work. Together, they unpack the soundtrack’s undeniable greatness, Gene Kelly’s astonishing late-career charm, and the deeply suspicious decision to let Olivia sing entire numbers while not physically appearing anywhere near them.

Along the way, they stumble into bigger questions: Is Xanadu secretly a proto-MTV artifact? Is the animated sequence the movie’s only sex scene? And how did a roller-disco fantasy with zero internal logic influence everything from Back to the Future to Janet Jackson choreography? It’s messy, affectionate, occasionally unhinged—and somehow ends with a sincere defense of dreams, disco, and donuts-for-dinner cinema.

Make Me a Nerd:


---
Learn more about supporting this podcast by becoming a member. It's just $5/month or $55/year. Visit our website to learn more.

]]> Mon, 05 Jan 2026 03:00:00 -0800 TruStory FM TruStory FM 3408 This week on Make Me A Nerd, Mandy Kaplan bravely roller-skates into the glittery fever dream that is Xanadu, joined by writer, brand strategist, and lifelong apologist for questionable cinema, Jonas Vail. Jonas has loved Xanadu since kindergarten.

What follows is a spirited interrogation of how a movie with no functional script, no clear protagonist goals, and no apparent understanding of what a musical is managed to spawn multiple chart-topping hits, a Broadway redemption arc, and the literal invention of the Razzies. Mandy presses the case against the film with surgical precision: Olivia Newton-John as a confused hostage, Michael Beck as a charisma vacuum in roller skates, and a plot that appears to have been assembled by shuffling index cards in a wind tunnel.

Jonas, to his credit, does not deny any of this. Instead, he offers nostalgia, vibes, and the radical proposition that Xanadu only works if you stop asking it to work. Together, they unpack the soundtrack’s undeniable greatness, Gene Kelly’s astonishing late-career charm, and the deeply suspicious decision to let Olivia sing entire numbers while not physically appearing anywhere near them.

Along the way, they stumble into bigger questions: Is Xanadu secretly a proto-MTV artifact? Is the animated sequence the movie’s only sex scene? And how did a roller-disco fantasy with zero internal logic influence everything from Back to the Future to Janet Jackson choreography? It’s messy, affectionate, occasionally unhinged—and somehow ends with a sincere defense of dreams, disco, and donuts-for-dinner cinema.

Make Me a Nerd:


---
Learn more about supporting this podcast by becoming a member. It's just $5/month or $55/year. Visit our website to learn more.

]]> D&D, Star Wars, Star Trek, Marvel, Gaming, Technology, Nerddom No Veronica Mars with Sloan Just 77 77 Veronica Mars with Sloan Just full 1b662dea-8131-4c26-b05d-ab973f1a9562 https://share.transistor.fm/s/6d06395f Mandy brings on longtime friend Sloan Just—former Broadway performer, professional quote-reciter, and unapologetic teen-drama connoisseur—to finally introduce her to Veronica Mars. Somehow, Mandy has made it through adulthood without seeing a single minute of the show, which feels as statistically likely as living in New York City and never seeing a pigeon.

They start with the pilot and immediately collide with the thing Veronica Mars does better than most shows: it looks light, talks fast, and then suddenly gets very serious without asking permission. One minute you’re watching a snarky teenager rescue a kid from a flagpole; the next, you’re dealing with sexual assault, class warfare, and a town that runs on cruelty. Mandy and Sloan talk about how the show uses voiceover not as a gimmick, but as a survival tool—and why Kristen Bell is doing far more work here than the genre usually demands.

From there, they hop around the series rather than marching through it, landing on episodes that show the show’s range: tight mystery-of-the-week plotting, long-game emotional damage, and a frankly impressive roster of guest stars who all seem to understand the assignment. Mandy struggles—loudly—with the Logan Eccles problem, while Sloan argues that the show’s greatest strength might be its refusal to make anyone simple or comfortable to root for.

They spend time with the darker turns too: the way trauma is revisited rather than solved, the messiness of memory, and how often Veronica is wrong, scared, or in over her head.

They wrap up with the movie, fan devotion, and the strange satisfaction of reunions—seeing who people became, who didn’t change, and who carried the same damage into adulthood. Along the way there are detours into noir tropes, aging brains, and the kind of pop-culture shorthand that only old friends can get away with. Mandy may not emerge a full marshmallow, but she absolutely gets why so many people still are.

Make Me a Nerd:


---
Learn more about supporting this podcast by becoming a member. It's just $5/month or $55/year. Visit our website to learn more.

]]> Mandy brings on longtime friend Sloan Just—former Broadway performer, professional quote-reciter, and unapologetic teen-drama connoisseur—to finally introduce her to Veronica Mars. Somehow, Mandy has made it through adulthood without seeing a single minute of the show, which feels as statistically likely as living in New York City and never seeing a pigeon.

They start with the pilot and immediately collide with the thing Veronica Mars does better than most shows: it looks light, talks fast, and then suddenly gets very serious without asking permission. One minute you’re watching a snarky teenager rescue a kid from a flagpole; the next, you’re dealing with sexual assault, class warfare, and a town that runs on cruelty. Mandy and Sloan talk about how the show uses voiceover not as a gimmick, but as a survival tool—and why Kristen Bell is doing far more work here than the genre usually demands.

From there, they hop around the series rather than marching through it, landing on episodes that show the show’s range: tight mystery-of-the-week plotting, long-game emotional damage, and a frankly impressive roster of guest stars who all seem to understand the assignment. Mandy struggles—loudly—with the Logan Eccles problem, while Sloan argues that the show’s greatest strength might be its refusal to make anyone simple or comfortable to root for.

They spend time with the darker turns too: the way trauma is revisited rather than solved, the messiness of memory, and how often Veronica is wrong, scared, or in over her head.

They wrap up with the movie, fan devotion, and the strange satisfaction of reunions—seeing who people became, who didn’t change, and who carried the same damage into adulthood. Along the way there are detours into noir tropes, aging brains, and the kind of pop-culture shorthand that only old friends can get away with. Mandy may not emerge a full marshmallow, but she absolutely gets why so many people still are.

Make Me a Nerd:


---
Learn more about supporting this podcast by becoming a member. It's just $5/month or $55/year. Visit our website to learn more.

]]> Mon, 22 Dec 2025 03:00:00 -0800 TruStory FM TruStory FM 3896 Mandy brings on longtime friend Sloan Just—former Broadway performer, professional quote-reciter, and unapologetic teen-drama connoisseur—to finally introduce her to Veronica Mars. Somehow, Mandy has made it through adulthood without seeing a single minute of the show, which feels as statistically likely as living in New York City and never seeing a pigeon.

They start with the pilot and immediately collide with the thing Veronica Mars does better than most shows: it looks light, talks fast, and then suddenly gets very serious without asking permission. One minute you’re watching a snarky teenager rescue a kid from a flagpole; the next, you’re dealing with sexual assault, class warfare, and a town that runs on cruelty. Mandy and Sloan talk about how the show uses voiceover not as a gimmick, but as a survival tool—and why Kristen Bell is doing far more work here than the genre usually demands.

From there, they hop around the series rather than marching through it, landing on episodes that show the show’s range: tight mystery-of-the-week plotting, long-game emotional damage, and a frankly impressive roster of guest stars who all seem to understand the assignment. Mandy struggles—loudly—with the Logan Eccles problem, while Sloan argues that the show’s greatest strength might be its refusal to make anyone simple or comfortable to root for.

They spend time with the darker turns too: the way trauma is revisited rather than solved, the messiness of memory, and how often Veronica is wrong, scared, or in over her head.

They wrap up with the movie, fan devotion, and the strange satisfaction of reunions—seeing who people became, who didn’t change, and who carried the same damage into adulthood. Along the way there are detours into noir tropes, aging brains, and the kind of pop-culture shorthand that only old friends can get away with. Mandy may not emerge a full marshmallow, but she absolutely gets why so many people still are.

Make Me a Nerd:


---
Learn more about supporting this podcast by becoming a member. It's just $5/month or $55/year. Visit our website to learn more.

]]> D&D, Star Wars, Star Trek, Marvel, Gaming, Technology, Nerddom No Hangman Adam Page with Kevin Ryan 76 76 Hangman Adam Page with Kevin Ryan full e07ee9f9-ea20-454c-bfbe-1aa8b391a409 https://share.transistor.fm/s/681b842d This week, Mandy dives into one of the most intimidating corners of nerd culture she’s ever faced: professional wrestling. Yes. Wrestling. AEW wrestling. The one with the hair flips, the pyrotechnics, the questionable fashion choices, the crowd chanting things you can’t say in front of your kids… that wrestling.

And she didn’t do it alone. Mandy is joined by Kevin Ryan, creator and host of the improv-comedy podcast Tyrant in Training, a show in which guests build and rule their own fictional country while Kevin shape-shifts into various advisors, bureaucrats, and chaos agents. (Mandy herself recently appeared as a Supermodel-Tyrant, which feels exactly correct.)

Kevin may live all the way in Ireland, but he arrives ready to induct Mandy into the lore-heavy, storyline-infested, deeply theatrical, occasionally violent world of AEW. He explains babyfaces and heels (good guys and bad guys, but with more spandex), demystifies why everyone has long hair (physics!), and unpacks the epic ongoing saga of Hangman Adam Page — the anxious, whiskey-swirling cowboy who somehow embodies the millennial hero’s journey.

Mandy, meanwhile, wrestles (pun intended) with a set of entirely reasonable questions:

• Why is everyone bleeding?

• Why does the “good guy” burn down someone’s childhood home?

• Why does the ref seem like a frantic unpaid intern who’s given up on life?

• And why on earth does everyone look like they’re auditioning for a shampoo commercial?


Not everything lands for Mandy — including one infamous Dark Order Christmas video that contains acting choices best described as “porn-adjacent.” But the surprising part? Mandy begins to understand the nerd appeal of wrestling: the world-building, the lore, the serialized storytelling, the soap-opera energy with a side of pyrotechnics. It turns out AEW is basically Days of Our Lives if everyone was constantly flipping off turnbuckles and crying in stylish leather boots.

Kevin brings the jokes, the enthusiasm, and the blanket — literally, the man owns a blanket featuring Hangman Page sitting calmly in front of a burning house. Mandy brings the questions, the honesty, and the allergy to sweat. Together, they bridge two nations through the universal language of niche fandom.

Make Me a Nerd:


---
Learn more about supporting this podcast by becoming a member. It's just $5/month or $55/year. Visit our website to learn more.

]]> This week, Mandy dives into one of the most intimidating corners of nerd culture she’s ever faced: professional wrestling. Yes. Wrestling. AEW wrestling. The one with the hair flips, the pyrotechnics, the questionable fashion choices, the crowd chanting things you can’t say in front of your kids… that wrestling.

And she didn’t do it alone. Mandy is joined by Kevin Ryan, creator and host of the improv-comedy podcast Tyrant in Training, a show in which guests build and rule their own fictional country while Kevin shape-shifts into various advisors, bureaucrats, and chaos agents. (Mandy herself recently appeared as a Supermodel-Tyrant, which feels exactly correct.)

Kevin may live all the way in Ireland, but he arrives ready to induct Mandy into the lore-heavy, storyline-infested, deeply theatrical, occasionally violent world of AEW. He explains babyfaces and heels (good guys and bad guys, but with more spandex), demystifies why everyone has long hair (physics!), and unpacks the epic ongoing saga of Hangman Adam Page — the anxious, whiskey-swirling cowboy who somehow embodies the millennial hero’s journey.

Mandy, meanwhile, wrestles (pun intended) with a set of entirely reasonable questions:

• Why is everyone bleeding?

• Why does the “good guy” burn down someone’s childhood home?

• Why does the ref seem like a frantic unpaid intern who’s given up on life?

• And why on earth does everyone look like they’re auditioning for a shampoo commercial?


Not everything lands for Mandy — including one infamous Dark Order Christmas video that contains acting choices best described as “porn-adjacent.” But the surprising part? Mandy begins to understand the nerd appeal of wrestling: the world-building, the lore, the serialized storytelling, the soap-opera energy with a side of pyrotechnics. It turns out AEW is basically Days of Our Lives if everyone was constantly flipping off turnbuckles and crying in stylish leather boots.

Kevin brings the jokes, the enthusiasm, and the blanket — literally, the man owns a blanket featuring Hangman Page sitting calmly in front of a burning house. Mandy brings the questions, the honesty, and the allergy to sweat. Together, they bridge two nations through the universal language of niche fandom.

Make Me a Nerd:


---
Learn more about supporting this podcast by becoming a member. It's just $5/month or $55/year. Visit our website to learn more.

]]> Mon, 15 Dec 2025 03:00:00 -0800 TruStory FM TruStory FM 3418 This week, Mandy dives into one of the most intimidating corners of nerd culture she’s ever faced: professional wrestling. Yes. Wrestling. AEW wrestling. The one with the hair flips, the pyrotechnics, the questionable fashion choices, the crowd chanting things you can’t say in front of your kids… that wrestling.

And she didn’t do it alone. Mandy is joined by Kevin Ryan, creator and host of the improv-comedy podcast Tyrant in Training, a show in which guests build and rule their own fictional country while Kevin shape-shifts into various advisors, bureaucrats, and chaos agents. (Mandy herself recently appeared as a Supermodel-Tyrant, which feels exactly correct.)

Kevin may live all the way in Ireland, but he arrives ready to induct Mandy into the lore-heavy, storyline-infested, deeply theatrical, occasionally violent world of AEW. He explains babyfaces and heels (good guys and bad guys, but with more spandex), demystifies why everyone has long hair (physics!), and unpacks the epic ongoing saga of Hangman Adam Page — the anxious, whiskey-swirling cowboy who somehow embodies the millennial hero’s journey.

Mandy, meanwhile, wrestles (pun intended) with a set of entirely reasonable questions:

• Why is everyone bleeding?

• Why does the “good guy” burn down someone’s childhood home?

• Why does the ref seem like a frantic unpaid intern who’s given up on life?

• And why on earth does everyone look like they’re auditioning for a shampoo commercial?


Not everything lands for Mandy — including one infamous Dark Order Christmas video that contains acting choices best described as “porn-adjacent.” But the surprising part? Mandy begins to understand the nerd appeal of wrestling: the world-building, the lore, the serialized storytelling, the soap-opera energy with a side of pyrotechnics. It turns out AEW is basically Days of Our Lives if everyone was constantly flipping off turnbuckles and crying in stylish leather boots.

Kevin brings the jokes, the enthusiasm, and the blanket — literally, the man owns a blanket featuring Hangman Page sitting calmly in front of a burning house. Mandy brings the questions, the honesty, and the allergy to sweat. Together, they bridge two nations through the universal language of niche fandom.

Make Me a Nerd:


---
Learn more about supporting this podcast by becoming a member. It's just $5/month or $55/year. Visit our website to learn more.

]]> D&D, Star Wars, Star Trek, Marvel, Gaming, Technology, Nerddom No Return to Oz with Jessica Jimenez 75 75 Return to Oz with Jessica Jimenez full b0e200ec-3cc5-4541-8539-7cd8b66d933a https://share.transistor.fm/s/18d8f185 There are childhood movies that sparkle like nostalgia-soaked comfort food… and then there’s Return to Oz, the 1985 fever dream that terrified an entire generation and somehow ended up beloved anyway. This week, Mandy reconnects with returning guest — and one of her favorite humans on planet Earth — Jessica Jimenez, a TV producer, musical-theater mischief-maker, and scholar of the pop-culture deep cut. Together, they dive into the gloriously weird, unexpectedly dark, and unmistakably cult-classic world of Oz’s most misunderstood sequel.

Jessica grew up watching Return to Oz on repeat in the Caribbean, where VHS tapes were the lifeline to American pop culture. Mandy, meanwhile, had never seen it — and approaches this movie armed only with her dog-breed expertise, her deep fear of tornado-adjacent bicycle women, and her ongoing emotional recovery from having watched Showgirls for Jessica’s last appearance. The two quickly tumble down the yellow-brick rabbit hole (well… rubble), unpacking everything from claymation rock-faces spying on Dorothy to the Wheelers and their nightmare Cirque du Soleil energy.

They marvel at Fairuza Balk, who somehow channels Judy Garland while delivering a performance that’s shockingly grounded for a nine-year-old navigating hallways full of severed heads. They explore why Disney made a sequel that feels more like a Tim Burton acid trip, why Piper Laurie should never be allowed near impressionable Kansan farm girls, and how TikTok (the character, not the app) remains one of the most charming robot sidekicks in 80s fantasy filmmaking.

Make Me a Nerd:


---
Learn more about supporting this podcast by becoming a member. It's just $5/month or $55/year. Visit our website to learn more.

]]> There are childhood movies that sparkle like nostalgia-soaked comfort food… and then there’s Return to Oz, the 1985 fever dream that terrified an entire generation and somehow ended up beloved anyway. This week, Mandy reconnects with returning guest — and one of her favorite humans on planet Earth — Jessica Jimenez, a TV producer, musical-theater mischief-maker, and scholar of the pop-culture deep cut. Together, they dive into the gloriously weird, unexpectedly dark, and unmistakably cult-classic world of Oz’s most misunderstood sequel.

Jessica grew up watching Return to Oz on repeat in the Caribbean, where VHS tapes were the lifeline to American pop culture. Mandy, meanwhile, had never seen it — and approaches this movie armed only with her dog-breed expertise, her deep fear of tornado-adjacent bicycle women, and her ongoing emotional recovery from having watched Showgirls for Jessica’s last appearance. The two quickly tumble down the yellow-brick rabbit hole (well… rubble), unpacking everything from claymation rock-faces spying on Dorothy to the Wheelers and their nightmare Cirque du Soleil energy.

They marvel at Fairuza Balk, who somehow channels Judy Garland while delivering a performance that’s shockingly grounded for a nine-year-old navigating hallways full of severed heads. They explore why Disney made a sequel that feels more like a Tim Burton acid trip, why Piper Laurie should never be allowed near impressionable Kansan farm girls, and how TikTok (the character, not the app) remains one of the most charming robot sidekicks in 80s fantasy filmmaking.

Make Me a Nerd:


---
Learn more about supporting this podcast by becoming a member. It's just $5/month or $55/year. Visit our website to learn more.

]]> Mon, 08 Dec 2025 03:00:00 -0800 TruStory FM TruStory FM 3217 There are childhood movies that sparkle like nostalgia-soaked comfort food… and then there’s Return to Oz, the 1985 fever dream that terrified an entire generation and somehow ended up beloved anyway. This week, Mandy reconnects with returning guest — and one of her favorite humans on planet Earth — Jessica Jimenez, a TV producer, musical-theater mischief-maker, and scholar of the pop-culture deep cut. Together, they dive into the gloriously weird, unexpectedly dark, and unmistakably cult-classic world of Oz’s most misunderstood sequel.

Jessica grew up watching Return to Oz on repeat in the Caribbean, where VHS tapes were the lifeline to American pop culture. Mandy, meanwhile, had never seen it — and approaches this movie armed only with her dog-breed expertise, her deep fear of tornado-adjacent bicycle women, and her ongoing emotional recovery from having watched Showgirls for Jessica’s last appearance. The two quickly tumble down the yellow-brick rabbit hole (well… rubble), unpacking everything from claymation rock-faces spying on Dorothy to the Wheelers and their nightmare Cirque du Soleil energy.

They marvel at Fairuza Balk, who somehow channels Judy Garland while delivering a performance that’s shockingly grounded for a nine-year-old navigating hallways full of severed heads. They explore why Disney made a sequel that feels more like a Tim Burton acid trip, why Piper Laurie should never be allowed near impressionable Kansan farm girls, and how TikTok (the character, not the app) remains one of the most charming robot sidekicks in 80s fantasy filmmaking.

Make Me a Nerd:


---
Learn more about supporting this podcast by becoming a member. It's just $5/month or $55/year. Visit our website to learn more.

]]> D&D, Star Wars, Star Trek, Marvel, Gaming, Technology, Nerddom No Close Encounters of the Third Kind with Steve Sarmento 74 74 Close Encounters of the Third Kind with Steve Sarmento full b35da796-bd43-4fd0-8293-13b07fb0730a https://share.transistor.fm/s/84f3dca9 If there was ever an episode that proves how deeply a movie can tattoo itself onto someone’s soul, it’s this one. Mandy is joined by beloved TruStory FM collaborator and film analyst Steve Sarmento, a man whose heart has apparently been shaped like Devil’s Tower since 1977. Together, they dive into Close Encounters of the Third Kind, Steven Spielberg’s symphonic ode to curiosity, obsession, government lies, blinking lights, and questionable parenting. It’s a conversation equal parts nerdy reverence and incredulous side-eye.

Steve opens by explaining why this film imprinted on him. He recalls watching space capsules dock overhead in the actual sky (because he is deeply old by his own admission) and feeling the first spark of fascination with what might be “out there.” From there, 7-year-old Steve was primed for Spielberg’s grounded sci-fi portrait of ordinary people caught in extraordinary encounters. For him, Barry had the same toys he did. Roy looked like every dad in the Midwest. The entire film felt possible in a way that forever marked his imagination. Mandy, meanwhile, approaches the movie as an adult for the first time and has… questions.

A lot of questions.

They unpack a lot... and of course, they talk aliens—spindly little dancers in silhouette, equal parts eerie and endearing—and what it meant to young Steve to finally see them emerge from that overwhelming light. For him, it was pure awe. For Mandy, it was: “Wait, did they just kidnap a kid and everyone’s cool with this?”

In the end, what emerges is a conversation about joy. How a film can be full of fear, family collapse, government conspiracies, and chaos, and still somehow leave you feeling hopeful. Steve calls Close Encounters one of his top five films of all time, and by the time the mothership lifts off, you can hear why. It’s a story not just about aliens, but about longing, wonder, and the hunger for connection in a chaotic world. Mandy may have arrived late to the party, but by the end, she understands exactly why this movie meant—and still means—so much.

Make Me a Nerd:


---
Learn more about supporting this podcast by becoming a member. It's just $5/month or $55/year. Visit our website to learn more.

]]> If there was ever an episode that proves how deeply a movie can tattoo itself onto someone’s soul, it’s this one. Mandy is joined by beloved TruStory FM collaborator and film analyst Steve Sarmento, a man whose heart has apparently been shaped like Devil’s Tower since 1977. Together, they dive into Close Encounters of the Third Kind, Steven Spielberg’s symphonic ode to curiosity, obsession, government lies, blinking lights, and questionable parenting. It’s a conversation equal parts nerdy reverence and incredulous side-eye.

Steve opens by explaining why this film imprinted on him. He recalls watching space capsules dock overhead in the actual sky (because he is deeply old by his own admission) and feeling the first spark of fascination with what might be “out there.” From there, 7-year-old Steve was primed for Spielberg’s grounded sci-fi portrait of ordinary people caught in extraordinary encounters. For him, Barry had the same toys he did. Roy looked like every dad in the Midwest. The entire film felt possible in a way that forever marked his imagination. Mandy, meanwhile, approaches the movie as an adult for the first time and has… questions.

A lot of questions.

They unpack a lot... and of course, they talk aliens—spindly little dancers in silhouette, equal parts eerie and endearing—and what it meant to young Steve to finally see them emerge from that overwhelming light. For him, it was pure awe. For Mandy, it was: “Wait, did they just kidnap a kid and everyone’s cool with this?”

In the end, what emerges is a conversation about joy. How a film can be full of fear, family collapse, government conspiracies, and chaos, and still somehow leave you feeling hopeful. Steve calls Close Encounters one of his top five films of all time, and by the time the mothership lifts off, you can hear why. It’s a story not just about aliens, but about longing, wonder, and the hunger for connection in a chaotic world. Mandy may have arrived late to the party, but by the end, she understands exactly why this movie meant—and still means—so much.

Make Me a Nerd:


---
Learn more about supporting this podcast by becoming a member. It's just $5/month or $55/year. Visit our website to learn more.

]]> Mon, 01 Dec 2025 03:00:00 -0800 TruStory FM TruStory FM 3338 If there was ever an episode that proves how deeply a movie can tattoo itself onto someone’s soul, it’s this one. Mandy is joined by beloved TruStory FM collaborator and film analyst Steve Sarmento, a man whose heart has apparently been shaped like Devil’s Tower since 1977. Together, they dive into Close Encounters of the Third Kind, Steven Spielberg’s symphonic ode to curiosity, obsession, government lies, blinking lights, and questionable parenting. It’s a conversation equal parts nerdy reverence and incredulous side-eye.

Steve opens by explaining why this film imprinted on him. He recalls watching space capsules dock overhead in the actual sky (because he is deeply old by his own admission) and feeling the first spark of fascination with what might be “out there.” From there, 7-year-old Steve was primed for Spielberg’s grounded sci-fi portrait of ordinary people caught in extraordinary encounters. For him, Barry had the same toys he did. Roy looked like every dad in the Midwest. The entire film felt possible in a way that forever marked his imagination. Mandy, meanwhile, approaches the movie as an adult for the first time and has… questions.

A lot of questions.

They unpack a lot... and of course, they talk aliens—spindly little dancers in silhouette, equal parts eerie and endearing—and what it meant to young Steve to finally see them emerge from that overwhelming light. For him, it was pure awe. For Mandy, it was: “Wait, did they just kidnap a kid and everyone’s cool with this?”

In the end, what emerges is a conversation about joy. How a film can be full of fear, family collapse, government conspiracies, and chaos, and still somehow leave you feeling hopeful. Steve calls Close Encounters one of his top five films of all time, and by the time the mothership lifts off, you can hear why. It’s a story not just about aliens, but about longing, wonder, and the hunger for connection in a chaotic world. Mandy may have arrived late to the party, but by the end, she understands exactly why this movie meant—and still means—so much.

Make Me a Nerd:


---
Learn more about supporting this podcast by becoming a member. It's just $5/month or $55/year. Visit our website to learn more.

]]> D&D, Star Wars, Star Trek, Marvel, Gaming, Technology, Nerddom No Game Changer with Kyle Olson 73 73 Game Changer with Kyle Olson full 31968677-2743-4fed-81bd-564434b0c6b9 https://share.transistor.fm/s/8be422b3 This week on Make Me a Nerd, Mandy Kaplan welcomes back certified nerd-whisperer Kyle Olson—creator of The Swashbuckling Ladies Debate Society and co-host of Craft and Chaos—to induct her into the gloriously absurd and deeply inventive world of Game Changer on Dropout TV. And if you’ve never heard of Game Changer, think of it as Whose Line Is It Anyway? if it were run by a slightly deranged Willy Wonka with a subscription model and a vendetta against YouTube algorithms. And also: there’s a lot of butthole jokes.

Kyle walks Mandy through the origin story of Dropout—the phoenix that rose from the ashes of CollegeHumor—and how Sam Reich, comedy’s least threatening puppet master, created a game show format where the rules change every single episode.¹ We start with Sam Says, where Mandy finds herself increasingly charmed by the players, increasingly unnerved by the absence of a studio audience, and deeply offended by a COVID gag that hits a little too close to home. But then we get to Original Cast Recording, where Mandy goes full musical nerd as Zach and Jess (of Off Book fame) improvise an entire musical that’s so good you’ll want to buy the cast recording and name your next child Mountport. And finally: we Beat the Buzzer in a full-blown improv escape room where contestants sprint through studios, flirt with witches, and try not to break into someone’s bedroom to slam a buzzer.

Along the way, we talk about pandemic-era creativity, low-budget brilliance, the science of contagious yawns, the economics of performer equity, and how Kyle’s daughter Zoe is singlehandedly enriching the family’s streaming diet. Kyle also reveals which Game Changer episode was his gateway drug (thanks, Zoe!), which one he’d totally fail at (spoiler: Sam Says), and which cast members he’d happily run from studio to sidewalk for. And Mandy? She makes a strong case for climbing into bed with two strangers in the name of game show victory. Naturally.

Whether you’re already deep in the Dropout fandom or just learning what a “game samer” is, this episode will make you laugh, cringe, and maybe—just maybe—subscribe. No cap. Low key. We have the riz.

Links & Notes

Make Me a Nerd:


¹ Yes, Sam Reich is the son of economist and former U.S. Labor Secretary Robert Reich. So while his father spent a career fighting corporate greed and income inequality, Sam opted to fight butthole jokes and buzzer-based chaos. Honestly? Same energy.


---
Learn more about supporting this podcast by becoming a member. It's just $5/month or $55/year. Visit our website to learn more.

]]> This week on Make Me a Nerd, Mandy Kaplan welcomes back certified nerd-whisperer Kyle Olson—creator of The Swashbuckling Ladies Debate Society and co-host of Craft and Chaos—to induct her into the gloriously absurd and deeply inventive world of Game Changer on Dropout TV. And if you’ve never heard of Game Changer, think of it as Whose Line Is It Anyway? if it were run by a slightly deranged Willy Wonka with a subscription model and a vendetta against YouTube algorithms. And also: there’s a lot of butthole jokes.

Kyle walks Mandy through the origin story of Dropout—the phoenix that rose from the ashes of CollegeHumor—and how Sam Reich, comedy’s least threatening puppet master, created a game show format where the rules change every single episode.¹ We start with Sam Says, where Mandy finds herself increasingly charmed by the players, increasingly unnerved by the absence of a studio audience, and deeply offended by a COVID gag that hits a little too close to home. But then we get to Original Cast Recording, where Mandy goes full musical nerd as Zach and Jess (of Off Book fame) improvise an entire musical that’s so good you’ll want to buy the cast recording and name your next child Mountport. And finally: we Beat the Buzzer in a full-blown improv escape room where contestants sprint through studios, flirt with witches, and try not to break into someone’s bedroom to slam a buzzer.

Along the way, we talk about pandemic-era creativity, low-budget brilliance, the science of contagious yawns, the economics of performer equity, and how Kyle’s daughter Zoe is singlehandedly enriching the family’s streaming diet. Kyle also reveals which Game Changer episode was his gateway drug (thanks, Zoe!), which one he’d totally fail at (spoiler: Sam Says), and which cast members he’d happily run from studio to sidewalk for. And Mandy? She makes a strong case for climbing into bed with two strangers in the name of game show victory. Naturally.

Whether you’re already deep in the Dropout fandom or just learning what a “game samer” is, this episode will make you laugh, cringe, and maybe—just maybe—subscribe. No cap. Low key. We have the riz.

Links & Notes

Make Me a Nerd:


¹ Yes, Sam Reich is the son of economist and former U.S. Labor Secretary Robert Reich. So while his father spent a career fighting corporate greed and income inequality, Sam opted to fight butthole jokes and buzzer-based chaos. Honestly? Same energy.


---
Learn more about supporting this podcast by becoming a member. It's just $5/month or $55/year. Visit our website to learn more.

]]> Mon, 24 Nov 2025 03:00:00 -0800 TruStory FM TruStory FM 3388 This week on Make Me a Nerd, Mandy Kaplan welcomes back certified nerd-whisperer Kyle Olson—creator of The Swashbuckling Ladies Debate Society and co-host of Craft and Chaos—to induct her into the gloriously absurd and deeply inventive world of Game Changer on Dropout TV. And if you’ve never heard of Game Changer, think of it as Whose Line Is It Anyway? if it were run by a slightly deranged Willy Wonka with a subscription model and a vendetta against YouTube algorithms. And also: there’s a lot of butthole jokes.

Kyle walks Mandy through the origin story of Dropout—the phoenix that rose from the ashes of CollegeHumor—and how Sam Reich, comedy’s least threatening puppet master, created a game show format where the rules change every single episode.¹ We start with Sam Says, where Mandy finds herself increasingly charmed by the players, increasingly unnerved by the absence of a studio audience, and deeply offended by a COVID gag that hits a little too close to home. But then we get to Original Cast Recording, where Mandy goes full musical nerd as Zach and Jess (of Off Book fame) improvise an entire musical that’s so good you’ll want to buy the cast recording and name your next child Mountport. And finally: we Beat the Buzzer in a full-blown improv escape room where contestants sprint through studios, flirt with witches, and try not to break into someone’s bedroom to slam a buzzer.

Along the way, we talk about pandemic-era creativity, low-budget brilliance, the science of contagious yawns, the economics of performer equity, and how Kyle’s daughter Zoe is singlehandedly enriching the family’s streaming diet. Kyle also reveals which Game Changer episode was his gateway drug (thanks, Zoe!), which one he’d totally fail at (spoiler: Sam Says), and which cast members he’d happily run from studio to sidewalk for. And Mandy? She makes a strong case for climbing into bed with two strangers in the name of game show victory. Naturally.

Whether you’re already deep in the Dropout fandom or just learning what a “game samer” is, this episode will make you laugh, cringe, and maybe—just maybe—subscribe. No cap. Low key. We have the riz.

Links & Notes

Make Me a Nerd:


¹ Yes, Sam Reich is the son of economist and former U.S. Labor Secretary Robert Reich. So while his father spent a career fighting corporate greed and income inequality, Sam opted to fight butthole jokes and buzzer-based chaos. Honestly? Same energy.


---
Learn more about supporting this podcast by becoming a member. It's just $5/month or $55/year. Visit our website to learn more.

]]> D&D, Star Wars, Star Trek, Marvel, Gaming, Technology, Nerddom No Yuri on Ice with Zehra Fazal 72 72 Yuri on Ice with Zehra Fazal full 5c9a820e-e751-4f4a-a807-e80577d5aaff https://share.transistor.fm/s/3f299945 You might think figure skating is all glitter, grace, and emotional piano music — but Yuri!!! on Ice says, “Oh no, my friend, this is a blood sport with sequins.” This week, Mandy Kaplan is joined by actor and voice powerhouse Zehra Fazal (Borderlands 3 & 4, Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man, The Chosen Adventures) to unpack the cult anime that somehow manages to combine Olympic-level athleticism, emotional breakdowns, and gay hot tub scenes.

Mandy, bless her open heart, has only recently dipped her toe — or skate — into anime. Zehra, meanwhile, is the kind of person who can tell you the real-life skater each character is based on, and yes, she knows the choreographer’s name. Together, they untangle Yuri!!! on Ice’s tangled triple-axel of meaning: Is it a sports anime? A love story? A metaphor for crushing self-doubt wrapped in butt shots and ice shavings?

They talk about everything from the meticulous realism — real skaters performed every routine for animators to trace — to the quietly radical queerness at its core. They also cover anime’s emotional shorthand (why everyone screams), its strange obsession with mid-scene “fake ads” for imaginary Hot Pockets, and how Yuri!!! on Ice makes body image, pressure, and perfectionism part of its storytelling language. By the end, Mandy admits she’s still a little confused, but also a little bit moved — and possibly a little bit hot for Victor.

This episode has everything: 80s training montages, screaming siblings, existential self-doubt, and the most loving debate about anime crotch shots ever recorded. So lace up your skates, pour yourself some sake, and prepare for a deeply emotional deep dive into nerd culture’s iciest corner.

Links & Notes


Make Me a Nerd


---
Learn more about supporting this podcast by becoming a member. It's just $5/month or $55/year. Visit our website to learn more.

]]> You might think figure skating is all glitter, grace, and emotional piano music — but Yuri!!! on Ice says, “Oh no, my friend, this is a blood sport with sequins.” This week, Mandy Kaplan is joined by actor and voice powerhouse Zehra Fazal (Borderlands 3 & 4, Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man, The Chosen Adventures) to unpack the cult anime that somehow manages to combine Olympic-level athleticism, emotional breakdowns, and gay hot tub scenes.

Mandy, bless her open heart, has only recently dipped her toe — or skate — into anime. Zehra, meanwhile, is the kind of person who can tell you the real-life skater each character is based on, and yes, she knows the choreographer’s name. Together, they untangle Yuri!!! on Ice’s tangled triple-axel of meaning: Is it a sports anime? A love story? A metaphor for crushing self-doubt wrapped in butt shots and ice shavings?

They talk about everything from the meticulous realism — real skaters performed every routine for animators to trace — to the quietly radical queerness at its core. They also cover anime’s emotional shorthand (why everyone screams), its strange obsession with mid-scene “fake ads” for imaginary Hot Pockets, and how Yuri!!! on Ice makes body image, pressure, and perfectionism part of its storytelling language. By the end, Mandy admits she’s still a little confused, but also a little bit moved — and possibly a little bit hot for Victor.

This episode has everything: 80s training montages, screaming siblings, existential self-doubt, and the most loving debate about anime crotch shots ever recorded. So lace up your skates, pour yourself some sake, and prepare for a deeply emotional deep dive into nerd culture’s iciest corner.

Links & Notes


Make Me a Nerd


---
Learn more about supporting this podcast by becoming a member. It's just $5/month or $55/year. Visit our website to learn more.

]]> Mon, 17 Nov 2025 03:00:00 -0800 TruStory FM TruStory FM 3734 You might think figure skating is all glitter, grace, and emotional piano music — but Yuri!!! on Ice says, “Oh no, my friend, this is a blood sport with sequins.” This week, Mandy Kaplan is joined by actor and voice powerhouse Zehra Fazal (Borderlands 3 & 4, Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man, The Chosen Adventures) to unpack the cult anime that somehow manages to combine Olympic-level athleticism, emotional breakdowns, and gay hot tub scenes.

Mandy, bless her open heart, has only recently dipped her toe — or skate — into anime. Zehra, meanwhile, is the kind of person who can tell you the real-life skater each character is based on, and yes, she knows the choreographer’s name. Together, they untangle Yuri!!! on Ice’s tangled triple-axel of meaning: Is it a sports anime? A love story? A metaphor for crushing self-doubt wrapped in butt shots and ice shavings?

They talk about everything from the meticulous realism — real skaters performed every routine for animators to trace — to the quietly radical queerness at its core. They also cover anime’s emotional shorthand (why everyone screams), its strange obsession with mid-scene “fake ads” for imaginary Hot Pockets, and how Yuri!!! on Ice makes body image, pressure, and perfectionism part of its storytelling language. By the end, Mandy admits she’s still a little confused, but also a little bit moved — and possibly a little bit hot for Victor.

This episode has everything: 80s training montages, screaming siblings, existential self-doubt, and the most loving debate about anime crotch shots ever recorded. So lace up your skates, pour yourself some sake, and prepare for a deeply emotional deep dive into nerd culture’s iciest corner.

Links & Notes


Make Me a Nerd


---
Learn more about supporting this podcast by becoming a member. It's just $5/month or $55/year. Visit our website to learn more.

]]> D&D, Star Wars, Star Trek, Marvel, Gaming, Technology, Nerddom No Truth or Dare with Abdi Nazemian 71 71 Truth or Dare with Abdi Nazemian full bd11f277-5ea9-428e-9fbe-49590f6753d0 https://share.transistor.fm/s/0eab91a1 You know how some documentaries just happen and others ignite a cultural revolution in a cone bra? This week, Mandy reunites with her former roommate, award-winning author, screenwriter, and Madonna scholar-in-chief Abdi Nazemian, to talk about the pop documentary that practically reinvented fame itself: Madonna: Truth or Dare.

Abdi literary résumé is already Hall of Fame (Only This Beautiful Moment, Like a Love Story, Exquisite Things)— and he returns to Make Me a Nerd to nerd out about the film that shaped him, inspired his art, and very nearly ruined his high-school Spanish play. (That’s right: the man skipped Madonna for drama club.)

Together, Mandy and Abdi dissect the film’s legacy with the obsessive joy of two grad students armed with eyeliner. They talk about Madonna’s audacity, the film’s accidental queerness that became very intentional, and the moment every gay teen of the early ’90s realized: “Oh, so this is what freedom looks like—with backup dancers.” Abdi recounts how the documentary cracked open his world, how its fearless visibility still echoes in his own banned-book-era storytelling, and why he’s still chasing that mixture of defiance and grace three decades later.

Along the way, they tackle everything from Warren Beatty’s “human raincloud” energy to Madonna’s evolving accent to the question that divides all fandoms: “Can you be both bratty and brave?” The answer, obviously, is yes—if you’re Madonna. Or Abdi Nazemian.

Links & Notes

Make Me a Nerd


---
Learn more about supporting this podcast by becoming a member. It's just $5/month or $55/year. Visit our website to learn more.

]]> You know how some documentaries just happen and others ignite a cultural revolution in a cone bra? This week, Mandy reunites with her former roommate, award-winning author, screenwriter, and Madonna scholar-in-chief Abdi Nazemian, to talk about the pop documentary that practically reinvented fame itself: Madonna: Truth or Dare.

Abdi literary résumé is already Hall of Fame (Only This Beautiful Moment, Like a Love Story, Exquisite Things)— and he returns to Make Me a Nerd to nerd out about the film that shaped him, inspired his art, and very nearly ruined his high-school Spanish play. (That’s right: the man skipped Madonna for drama club.)

Together, Mandy and Abdi dissect the film’s legacy with the obsessive joy of two grad students armed with eyeliner. They talk about Madonna’s audacity, the film’s accidental queerness that became very intentional, and the moment every gay teen of the early ’90s realized: “Oh, so this is what freedom looks like—with backup dancers.” Abdi recounts how the documentary cracked open his world, how its fearless visibility still echoes in his own banned-book-era storytelling, and why he’s still chasing that mixture of defiance and grace three decades later.

Along the way, they tackle everything from Warren Beatty’s “human raincloud” energy to Madonna’s evolving accent to the question that divides all fandoms: “Can you be both bratty and brave?” The answer, obviously, is yes—if you’re Madonna. Or Abdi Nazemian.

Links & Notes

Make Me a Nerd


---
Learn more about supporting this podcast by becoming a member. It's just $5/month or $55/year. Visit our website to learn more.

]]> Mon, 10 Nov 2025 03:00:00 -0800 TruStory FM TruStory FM 3647 You know how some documentaries just happen and others ignite a cultural revolution in a cone bra? This week, Mandy reunites with her former roommate, award-winning author, screenwriter, and Madonna scholar-in-chief Abdi Nazemian, to talk about the pop documentary that practically reinvented fame itself: Madonna: Truth or Dare.

Abdi literary résumé is already Hall of Fame (Only This Beautiful Moment, Like a Love Story, Exquisite Things)— and he returns to Make Me a Nerd to nerd out about the film that shaped him, inspired his art, and very nearly ruined his high-school Spanish play. (That’s right: the man skipped Madonna for drama club.)

Together, Mandy and Abdi dissect the film’s legacy with the obsessive joy of two grad students armed with eyeliner. They talk about Madonna’s audacity, the film’s accidental queerness that became very intentional, and the moment every gay teen of the early ’90s realized: “Oh, so this is what freedom looks like—with backup dancers.” Abdi recounts how the documentary cracked open his world, how its fearless visibility still echoes in his own banned-book-era storytelling, and why he’s still chasing that mixture of defiance and grace three decades later.

Along the way, they tackle everything from Warren Beatty’s “human raincloud” energy to Madonna’s evolving accent to the question that divides all fandoms: “Can you be both bratty and brave?” The answer, obviously, is yes—if you’re Madonna. Or Abdi Nazemian.

Links & Notes

Make Me a Nerd


---
Learn more about supporting this podcast by becoming a member. It's just $5/month or $55/year. Visit our website to learn more.

]]> D&D, Star Wars, Star Trek, Marvel, Gaming, Technology, Nerddom No The Last Kingdom with Matt Boren 70 70 The Last Kingdom with Matt Boren full f3c4f1c4-74ba-4242-be54-77471da53b45 https://share.transistor.fm/s/59cfdd8f This week on Make Me a Nerd, Mandy Kaplan straps on her metaphorical codpiece and dives headfirst into the sword-swinging, land-grabbing, god-invoking world of The Last Kingdom with guest Matt Boren¹—actor, author, screenwriter, and senior prom date emeritus. And if you’re wondering how the man who wrote Folded Notes from High School and Minister of Loneliness became obsessed with decapitations, Danish warlords, and subtitles thick with blood and Old English vowels—well, Mandy is too. But it turns out: it’s all just General Hospital with furs and beards.

Matt lays out the appeal of The Last Kingdom not as a history lesson (God no), but as an ongoing saga of trauma, identity, and—most crucially—soap-operatic betrayal. We learn that he came to the show late, post-Game of Thrones awakening, and stayed for the storylines that feel pulled directly from daytime TV: surprise siblings, secret lineages, and more brooding than a Shakespeare festival in the rain. Mandy, meanwhile, is just trying to keep track of who’s who, why everyone is named Uhtred, and whether “Sieges are for Turds” is historically accurate or just someone’s idea of a bumper sticker.

Together, they cover three episodes: the brutal pilot, the climactic battle of season three, and the series finale disguised as a prequel to a disappointing movie. Along the way, they debate teenage kings, historical trauma, and whether The Last Kingdom is actually just The Princess Bride with more fire and fewer laughs. Mandy confronts her own aversion to violence (there’s so much head stuff), and Matt admits he watches most of the beheadings out of the corner of his eye—because, like most writers, he’s here for the emotional subtext, not the arterial spray.

Plus: the quiet horror of teenage monarchs, the eternal trauma of land disputes, and why Mandy wants everyone to just share the damn land already. Also: Matt confesses he may in fact be a “quotationist,” and Mandy delivers her thesis on why all television—yes, even this—is basically Friends with fewer coffee mugs and more impalings.

Links & Notes

Make Me a Nerd

¹ Matt Boren may not identify as a “nerd,” but any man who quotes General Hospital while explaining 9th-century Anglo-Saxon land disputes is at least a Level 12 Soap Mage. That’s canon.




---
Learn more about supporting this podcast by becoming a member. It's just $5/month or $55/year. Visit our website to learn more.

]]> This week on Make Me a Nerd, Mandy Kaplan straps on her metaphorical codpiece and dives headfirst into the sword-swinging, land-grabbing, god-invoking world of The Last Kingdom with guest Matt Boren¹—actor, author, screenwriter, and senior prom date emeritus. And if you’re wondering how the man who wrote Folded Notes from High School and Minister of Loneliness became obsessed with decapitations, Danish warlords, and subtitles thick with blood and Old English vowels—well, Mandy is too. But it turns out: it’s all just General Hospital with furs and beards.

Matt lays out the appeal of The Last Kingdom not as a history lesson (God no), but as an ongoing saga of trauma, identity, and—most crucially—soap-operatic betrayal. We learn that he came to the show late, post-Game of Thrones awakening, and stayed for the storylines that feel pulled directly from daytime TV: surprise siblings, secret lineages, and more brooding than a Shakespeare festival in the rain. Mandy, meanwhile, is just trying to keep track of who’s who, why everyone is named Uhtred, and whether “Sieges are for Turds” is historically accurate or just someone’s idea of a bumper sticker.

Together, they cover three episodes: the brutal pilot, the climactic battle of season three, and the series finale disguised as a prequel to a disappointing movie. Along the way, they debate teenage kings, historical trauma, and whether The Last Kingdom is actually just The Princess Bride with more fire and fewer laughs. Mandy confronts her own aversion to violence (there’s so much head stuff), and Matt admits he watches most of the beheadings out of the corner of his eye—because, like most writers, he’s here for the emotional subtext, not the arterial spray.

Plus: the quiet horror of teenage monarchs, the eternal trauma of land disputes, and why Mandy wants everyone to just share the damn land already. Also: Matt confesses he may in fact be a “quotationist,” and Mandy delivers her thesis on why all television—yes, even this—is basically Friends with fewer coffee mugs and more impalings.

Links & Notes

Make Me a Nerd

¹ Matt Boren may not identify as a “nerd,” but any man who quotes General Hospital while explaining 9th-century Anglo-Saxon land disputes is at least a Level 12 Soap Mage. That’s canon.




---
Learn more about supporting this podcast by becoming a member. It's just $5/month or $55/year. Visit our website to learn more.

]]> Mon, 03 Nov 2025 03:00:00 -0800 TruStory FM TruStory FM 3675 This week on Make Me a Nerd, Mandy Kaplan straps on her metaphorical codpiece and dives headfirst into the sword-swinging, land-grabbing, god-invoking world of The Last Kingdom with guest Matt Boren¹—actor, author, screenwriter, and senior prom date emeritus. And if you’re wondering how the man who wrote Folded Notes from High School and Minister of Loneliness became obsessed with decapitations, Danish warlords, and subtitles thick with blood and Old English vowels—well, Mandy is too. But it turns out: it’s all just General Hospital with furs and beards.

Matt lays out the appeal of The Last Kingdom not as a history lesson (God no), but as an ongoing saga of trauma, identity, and—most crucially—soap-operatic betrayal. We learn that he came to the show late, post-Game of Thrones awakening, and stayed for the storylines that feel pulled directly from daytime TV: surprise siblings, secret lineages, and more brooding than a Shakespeare festival in the rain. Mandy, meanwhile, is just trying to keep track of who’s who, why everyone is named Uhtred, and whether “Sieges are for Turds” is historically accurate or just someone’s idea of a bumper sticker.

Together, they cover three episodes: the brutal pilot, the climactic battle of season three, and the series finale disguised as a prequel to a disappointing movie. Along the way, they debate teenage kings, historical trauma, and whether The Last Kingdom is actually just The Princess Bride with more fire and fewer laughs. Mandy confronts her own aversion to violence (there’s so much head stuff), and Matt admits he watches most of the beheadings out of the corner of his eye—because, like most writers, he’s here for the emotional subtext, not the arterial spray.

Plus: the quiet horror of teenage monarchs, the eternal trauma of land disputes, and why Mandy wants everyone to just share the damn land already. Also: Matt confesses he may in fact be a “quotationist,” and Mandy delivers her thesis on why all television—yes, even this—is basically Friends with fewer coffee mugs and more impalings.

Links & Notes

Make Me a Nerd

¹ Matt Boren may not identify as a “nerd,” but any man who quotes General Hospital while explaining 9th-century Anglo-Saxon land disputes is at least a Level 12 Soap Mage. That’s canon.




---
Learn more about supporting this podcast by becoming a member. It's just $5/month or $55/year. Visit our website to learn more.

]]> D&D, Star Wars, Star Trek, Marvel, Gaming, Technology, Nerddom No Dracula with Lester Ryan Clark 69 69 Dracula with Lester Ryan Clark full a8fdb3ea-b6b2-48f9-8e44-015af6ba36b6 https://share.transistor.fm/s/5c513166 Dracula is a book where the title character shows up for roughly four chapters and then just... leaves. It's like if "Jaws" spent most of its runtime following insurance adjusters filing claims about boat damage. And yet, somehow, this 1897 novel created pop culture's most enduring monster. That's the central mystery Mandy and guest Lester Ryan Clark tackle in this Halloween extravaganza.

Lester teaches Dracula to high schoolers every year (and gradually transforms into Gary Oldman's Dracula throughout Halloween week because he's clearly the best kind of teacher). He confirms what Mandy discovered reading the novel for the first time: Bram Stoker committed the bizarre act of writing a vampire book and then immediately getting bored with his vampire. After a genuinely creepy opening with Jonathan Harker trapped in a Transylvanian castle with a mustached count who climbs walls like a lizard and definitely doesn't eat dinner, the book pivots to diary entries, newspaper clippings, and an excessive amount of Victorian-era day drinking. It's an epistolary novel where characters somehow recall four pages of precise dialogue from memory for their journal entries, which—and stay with me here—doesn't really track.

But here's where it gets interesting: Stoker's failure might have been his greatest success. By giving us almost nothing, he forced everyone else to fill in the blanks. We got Bella Lugosi's suave count without a mustache (sorry, Bram), Christopher Lee's menacing aristocrat, the Lost Boys' leather-jacketed vampires, and yes, even Twilight's sparkling immortals. Dracula survives by adapting to whatever each generation finds sexy, which is apparently the most vampire thing possible. The conversation explores why there are so many characters named John/Jonathan/Harker/Hawkins (looking at you, Stoker), why Mina is the book's actual hero despite Victorian men having feelings about her man-brain, what's going on with Renfield eating progressively larger animals, and why the climactic battle happens from a distance through binoculars.

They also discuss how Dracula represented Victorian anxieties about foreigners, disease, and women with agency (witches used to be scary because they were "women with power and their own transportation system"), and why the novel works as proto-found-footage horror. Plus: the drinking. So much drinking. Brandy as medicine, brandy to stay awake, brandy to celebrate, brandy to mourn. It's a wonder anyone in Victorian England remained vertical.

The episode ends with both agreeing that every film adaptation correctly identified the problem and added more Dracula scenes, because giving people what they want is occasionally good business. Who knew?

Links & Notes

Lester Ryan Clark's Podcasts:

Find Lester on Social Media:

  • All platforms: @LesterRyanClark

Make Me a Nerd:

Mentioned in the Episode:




---
Learn more about supporting this podcast by becoming a member. It's just $5/month or $55/year. Visit our website to learn more.

]]> Dracula is a book where the title character shows up for roughly four chapters and then just... leaves. It's like if "Jaws" spent most of its runtime following insurance adjusters filing claims about boat damage. And yet, somehow, this 1897 novel created pop culture's most enduring monster. That's the central mystery Mandy and guest Lester Ryan Clark tackle in this Halloween extravaganza.

Lester teaches Dracula to high schoolers every year (and gradually transforms into Gary Oldman's Dracula throughout Halloween week because he's clearly the best kind of teacher). He confirms what Mandy discovered reading the novel for the first time: Bram Stoker committed the bizarre act of writing a vampire book and then immediately getting bored with his vampire. After a genuinely creepy opening with Jonathan Harker trapped in a Transylvanian castle with a mustached count who climbs walls like a lizard and definitely doesn't eat dinner, the book pivots to diary entries, newspaper clippings, and an excessive amount of Victorian-era day drinking. It's an epistolary novel where characters somehow recall four pages of precise dialogue from memory for their journal entries, which—and stay with me here—doesn't really track.

But here's where it gets interesting: Stoker's failure might have been his greatest success. By giving us almost nothing, he forced everyone else to fill in the blanks. We got Bella Lugosi's suave count without a mustache (sorry, Bram), Christopher Lee's menacing aristocrat, the Lost Boys' leather-jacketed vampires, and yes, even Twilight's sparkling immortals. Dracula survives by adapting to whatever each generation finds sexy, which is apparently the most vampire thing possible. The conversation explores why there are so many characters named John/Jonathan/Harker/Hawkins (looking at you, Stoker), why Mina is the book's actual hero despite Victorian men having feelings about her man-brain, what's going on with Renfield eating progressively larger animals, and why the climactic battle happens from a distance through binoculars.

They also discuss how Dracula represented Victorian anxieties about foreigners, disease, and women with agency (witches used to be scary because they were "women with power and their own transportation system"), and why the novel works as proto-found-footage horror. Plus: the drinking. So much drinking. Brandy as medicine, brandy to stay awake, brandy to celebrate, brandy to mourn. It's a wonder anyone in Victorian England remained vertical.

The episode ends with both agreeing that every film adaptation correctly identified the problem and added more Dracula scenes, because giving people what they want is occasionally good business. Who knew?

Links & Notes

Lester Ryan Clark's Podcasts:

Find Lester on Social Media:

  • All platforms: @LesterRyanClark

Make Me a Nerd:

Mentioned in the Episode:




---
Learn more about supporting this podcast by becoming a member. It's just $5/month or $55/year. Visit our website to learn more.

]]> Mon, 27 Oct 2025 03:00:00 -0700 TruStory FM TruStory FM 3510 Dracula is a book where the title character shows up for roughly four chapters and then just... leaves. It's like if "Jaws" spent most of its runtime following insurance adjusters filing claims about boat damage. And yet, somehow, this 1897 novel created pop culture's most enduring monster. That's the central mystery Mandy and guest Lester Ryan Clark tackle in this Halloween extravaganza.

Lester teaches Dracula to high schoolers every year (and gradually transforms into Gary Oldman's Dracula throughout Halloween week because he's clearly the best kind of teacher). He confirms what Mandy discovered reading the novel for the first time: Bram Stoker committed the bizarre act of writing a vampire book and then immediately getting bored with his vampire. After a genuinely creepy opening with Jonathan Harker trapped in a Transylvanian castle with a mustached count who climbs walls like a lizard and definitely doesn't eat dinner, the book pivots to diary entries, newspaper clippings, and an excessive amount of Victorian-era day drinking. It's an epistolary novel where characters somehow recall four pages of precise dialogue from memory for their journal entries, which—and stay with me here—doesn't really track.

But here's where it gets interesting: Stoker's failure might have been his greatest success. By giving us almost nothing, he forced everyone else to fill in the blanks. We got Bella Lugosi's suave count without a mustache (sorry, Bram), Christopher Lee's menacing aristocrat, the Lost Boys' leather-jacketed vampires, and yes, even Twilight's sparkling immortals. Dracula survives by adapting to whatever each generation finds sexy, which is apparently the most vampire thing possible. The conversation explores why there are so many characters named John/Jonathan/Harker/Hawkins (looking at you, Stoker), why Mina is the book's actual hero despite Victorian men having feelings about her man-brain, what's going on with Renfield eating progressively larger animals, and why the climactic battle happens from a distance through binoculars.

They also discuss how Dracula represented Victorian anxieties about foreigners, disease, and women with agency (witches used to be scary because they were "women with power and their own transportation system"), and why the novel works as proto-found-footage horror. Plus: the drinking. So much drinking. Brandy as medicine, brandy to stay awake, brandy to celebrate, brandy to mourn. It's a wonder anyone in Victorian England remained vertical.

The episode ends with both agreeing that every film adaptation correctly identified the problem and added more Dracula scenes, because giving people what they want is occasionally good business. Who knew?

Links & Notes

Lester Ryan Clark's Podcasts:

Find Lester on Social Media:

  • All platforms: @LesterRyanClark

Make Me a Nerd:

Mentioned in the Episode:




---
Learn more about supporting this podcast by becoming a member. It's just $5/month or $55/year. Visit our website to learn more.

]]> D&D, Star Wars, Star Trek, Marvel, Gaming, Technology, Nerddom No Masters of The Universe with Krissy Lenz and Nathan Blackwell 68 68 Masters of The Universe with Krissy Lenz and Nathan Blackwell full 33d1c97b-bb94-4de2-9f7e-316b4e585b22 https://share.transistor.fm/s/30365555 What happens when you take the most toyetic franchise of the 1980s, hand it to the kings of schlock at Cannon Films, and tell them to make the next Star Wars? You get Masters of the Universe—a movie so gloriously confused that it can’t decide if it’s fantasy, sci-fi, or just an over-extended toy commercial. Mandy Kaplan is joined by returning guest Krissy Lenz and first-time guest Nathan Blackwell to revisit Dolph Lundgren’s He-Man, Frank Langella’s unexpectedly Shakespearean Skeletor, and Courtney Cox’s denim-skirted grief arc.

Krissy admits she was more of a She-Ra kid than a He-Man fan, Nathan reveals how his early nerd DNA was written by toy catalogues and VHS rentals, and Mandy discovers that her new haircut may have made her look more Eternia than she ever bargained for. Together, they marvel at Billy Barty’s sweaty “space gnome” Gwildor, dissect the bizarre mashup of swords and laser guns, and debate whether Dolph Lundgren’s dubbed dialogue or Evil-Lyn’s parenting-by-imitation scam is the bigger cinematic crime.

And of course, Frank Langella steals the show as Skeletor—chewing scenery, rewriting dialogue, and turning what should’ve been a paycheck gig into one of the greatest villain performances of the decade. It’s camp, it’s chaos, it’s nostalgia, and it’s a reminder that sometimes the best way to watch a movie is with tacos, two beers, and friends who know how to laugh at laser-pew-pews projected from a rainbow mist.

Links & Notes


---
Learn more about supporting this podcast by becoming a member. It's just $5/month or $55/year. Visit our website to learn more.

]]> What happens when you take the most toyetic franchise of the 1980s, hand it to the kings of schlock at Cannon Films, and tell them to make the next Star Wars? You get Masters of the Universe—a movie so gloriously confused that it can’t decide if it’s fantasy, sci-fi, or just an over-extended toy commercial. Mandy Kaplan is joined by returning guest Krissy Lenz and first-time guest Nathan Blackwell to revisit Dolph Lundgren’s He-Man, Frank Langella’s unexpectedly Shakespearean Skeletor, and Courtney Cox’s denim-skirted grief arc.

Krissy admits she was more of a She-Ra kid than a He-Man fan, Nathan reveals how his early nerd DNA was written by toy catalogues and VHS rentals, and Mandy discovers that her new haircut may have made her look more Eternia than she ever bargained for. Together, they marvel at Billy Barty’s sweaty “space gnome” Gwildor, dissect the bizarre mashup of swords and laser guns, and debate whether Dolph Lundgren’s dubbed dialogue or Evil-Lyn’s parenting-by-imitation scam is the bigger cinematic crime.

And of course, Frank Langella steals the show as Skeletor—chewing scenery, rewriting dialogue, and turning what should’ve been a paycheck gig into one of the greatest villain performances of the decade. It’s camp, it’s chaos, it’s nostalgia, and it’s a reminder that sometimes the best way to watch a movie is with tacos, two beers, and friends who know how to laugh at laser-pew-pews projected from a rainbow mist.

Links & Notes


---
Learn more about supporting this podcast by becoming a member. It's just $5/month or $55/year. Visit our website to learn more.

]]> Mon, 20 Oct 2025 03:00:00 -0700 TruStory FM TruStory FM 3410 What happens when you take the most toyetic franchise of the 1980s, hand it to the kings of schlock at Cannon Films, and tell them to make the next Star Wars? You get Masters of the Universe—a movie so gloriously confused that it can’t decide if it’s fantasy, sci-fi, or just an over-extended toy commercial. Mandy Kaplan is joined by returning guest Krissy Lenz and first-time guest Nathan Blackwell to revisit Dolph Lundgren’s He-Man, Frank Langella’s unexpectedly Shakespearean Skeletor, and Courtney Cox’s denim-skirted grief arc.

Krissy admits she was more of a She-Ra kid than a He-Man fan, Nathan reveals how his early nerd DNA was written by toy catalogues and VHS rentals, and Mandy discovers that her new haircut may have made her look more Eternia than she ever bargained for. Together, they marvel at Billy Barty’s sweaty “space gnome” Gwildor, dissect the bizarre mashup of swords and laser guns, and debate whether Dolph Lundgren’s dubbed dialogue or Evil-Lyn’s parenting-by-imitation scam is the bigger cinematic crime.

And of course, Frank Langella steals the show as Skeletor—chewing scenery, rewriting dialogue, and turning what should’ve been a paycheck gig into one of the greatest villain performances of the decade. It’s camp, it’s chaos, it’s nostalgia, and it’s a reminder that sometimes the best way to watch a movie is with tacos, two beers, and friends who know how to laugh at laser-pew-pews projected from a rainbow mist.

Links & Notes


---
Learn more about supporting this podcast by becoming a member. It's just $5/month or $55/year. Visit our website to learn more.

]]> D&D, Star Wars, Star Trek, Marvel, Gaming, Technology, Nerddom No Bluey with Kelly Vrooman 67 67 Bluey with Kelly Vrooman full e49d94cc-5270-46a5-b10f-a6aae3e09bc6 https://share.transistor.fm/s/a99640d0 Look, I need to tell you something about a children's television program featuring animated dogs, and I need you to stay with me here because this is going to sound absolutely bananas. There exists—right now, in this timeline, on this increasingly nightmare-inducing planet—a show called Bluey that has achieved what can only be described as "weaponized wholesomeness," and somehow, somehow, it's making grown adults weep into their throw pillows while their children ask them why they're crying about a cartoon dog going camping.

This week, Mandy sits down with actress, writer, and content creator Kelly Vrooman—a woman whose professional credentials include talking to a chicken puppet on morning television, which is either the most or least qualified you can be to discuss children's media, I genuinely cannot tell—to explore why this Australian import has become a global phenomenon. Kelly, who has actual human children (her own, she specifies, which is a concerning clarification but we'll let it slide), walks Mandy through three episodes of this seven-minute existential comfort food. They watch "Magic Xylophone" (teaching sharing through possibly-real magic and parental commitment to the bit), "Camping" (featuring Jean-Luc, a French dog who GHOSTS Bluey without saying goodbye and makes you feel feelings you didn't consent to about animated dogs), and an episode about dad desperately trying to watch sports while his daughter stress-cleans her pretend house using beer koozies as babies.

And here's where it gets weird. Because Bluey isn't just good—it's disturbingly, almost suspiciously good. Created by one man, Joe Brum, who writes every single episode himself (which should be a red flag for quality but somehow isn't), the show manages to be both an accurate documentary of parenting's soul-crushing exhaustion AND a joyful celebration of childhood imagination. It's animated "on the ones"—meaning twice as many frames as normal animation, which costs twice as much money—and the child voice actors are kept completely anonymous to protect them from fame, which, AMERICA, ARE YOU LISTENING? Kelly reveals the show has actually made her a better parent, not because it sets impossible standards, but because it reminds adults that play doesn't have to be perfect, it just has to be present. Even Joe Brum responded to complaints about unrealistic parenting by essentially saying, "They're dogs. Dogs love to play. Calm down."

But what makes Bluey genuinely fascinating is how it operates on multiple levels without condescending to anyone. Kids get silly games and talking dogs. Parents get jokes about hangovers and wanting to watch the game. Everyone gets emotional moments that hit like a truck carrying feelings. The show depicts single parents, same-sex parents, and families of all configurations without ever stopping to collect applause for being inclusive—it just is inclusive while telling stories about magic xylophones and camping trips. Mandy describes it as "being coated in caramel that is sugar-free and cannot make you gain weight," which is either perfect or evidence that Bluey has broken her brain. In a world that feels increasingly designed to make us miserable, Bluey offers consistent, high-quality comfort—not escapism, but a reminder that goodness and creativity and family connection still exist, even when everything else is on fire.

The conversation takes delightful detours (Kelly admits to crushing on the animated dog dad, they debate whether Jean-Luc is a dick for leaving, they're briefly joined by Kelly's three-year-old who wants to talk about monster trucks), but ultimately lands on something important: this is a show where the main characters are all female and nobody cares because they're just kids having adventures. It's medicinal. It's necessary. And if you don't feel moved by it, well, Kelly insists you might not have a soul—which Mandy clarifies is just her being a dick and not the official position of TruStory FM, though they both stand by the sentiment. Now if you'll excuse me, I need to go question why a podcast about cartoon dogs has made me feel more hopeful about humanity than any news broadcast in the last five years.

Links & Notes


---
Learn more about supporting this podcast by becoming a member. It's just $5/month or $55/year. Visit our website to learn more.

]]> Look, I need to tell you something about a children's television program featuring animated dogs, and I need you to stay with me here because this is going to sound absolutely bananas. There exists—right now, in this timeline, on this increasingly nightmare-inducing planet—a show called Bluey that has achieved what can only be described as "weaponized wholesomeness," and somehow, somehow, it's making grown adults weep into their throw pillows while their children ask them why they're crying about a cartoon dog going camping.

This week, Mandy sits down with actress, writer, and content creator Kelly Vrooman—a woman whose professional credentials include talking to a chicken puppet on morning television, which is either the most or least qualified you can be to discuss children's media, I genuinely cannot tell—to explore why this Australian import has become a global phenomenon. Kelly, who has actual human children (her own, she specifies, which is a concerning clarification but we'll let it slide), walks Mandy through three episodes of this seven-minute existential comfort food. They watch "Magic Xylophone" (teaching sharing through possibly-real magic and parental commitment to the bit), "Camping" (featuring Jean-Luc, a French dog who GHOSTS Bluey without saying goodbye and makes you feel feelings you didn't consent to about animated dogs), and an episode about dad desperately trying to watch sports while his daughter stress-cleans her pretend house using beer koozies as babies.

And here's where it gets weird. Because Bluey isn't just good—it's disturbingly, almost suspiciously good. Created by one man, Joe Brum, who writes every single episode himself (which should be a red flag for quality but somehow isn't), the show manages to be both an accurate documentary of parenting's soul-crushing exhaustion AND a joyful celebration of childhood imagination. It's animated "on the ones"—meaning twice as many frames as normal animation, which costs twice as much money—and the child voice actors are kept completely anonymous to protect them from fame, which, AMERICA, ARE YOU LISTENING? Kelly reveals the show has actually made her a better parent, not because it sets impossible standards, but because it reminds adults that play doesn't have to be perfect, it just has to be present. Even Joe Brum responded to complaints about unrealistic parenting by essentially saying, "They're dogs. Dogs love to play. Calm down."

But what makes Bluey genuinely fascinating is how it operates on multiple levels without condescending to anyone. Kids get silly games and talking dogs. Parents get jokes about hangovers and wanting to watch the game. Everyone gets emotional moments that hit like a truck carrying feelings. The show depicts single parents, same-sex parents, and families of all configurations without ever stopping to collect applause for being inclusive—it just is inclusive while telling stories about magic xylophones and camping trips. Mandy describes it as "being coated in caramel that is sugar-free and cannot make you gain weight," which is either perfect or evidence that Bluey has broken her brain. In a world that feels increasingly designed to make us miserable, Bluey offers consistent, high-quality comfort—not escapism, but a reminder that goodness and creativity and family connection still exist, even when everything else is on fire.

The conversation takes delightful detours (Kelly admits to crushing on the animated dog dad, they debate whether Jean-Luc is a dick for leaving, they're briefly joined by Kelly's three-year-old who wants to talk about monster trucks), but ultimately lands on something important: this is a show where the main characters are all female and nobody cares because they're just kids having adventures. It's medicinal. It's necessary. And if you don't feel moved by it, well, Kelly insists you might not have a soul—which Mandy clarifies is just her being a dick and not the official position of TruStory FM, though they both stand by the sentiment. Now if you'll excuse me, I need to go question why a podcast about cartoon dogs has made me feel more hopeful about humanity than any news broadcast in the last five years.

Links & Notes


---
Learn more about supporting this podcast by becoming a member. It's just $5/month or $55/year. Visit our website to learn more.

]]> Mon, 13 Oct 2025 03:00:00 -0700 TruStory FM TruStory FM 2686 Look, I need to tell you something about a children's television program featuring animated dogs, and I need you to stay with me here because this is going to sound absolutely bananas. There exists—right now, in this timeline, on this increasingly nightmare-inducing planet—a show called Bluey that has achieved what can only be described as "weaponized wholesomeness," and somehow, somehow, it's making grown adults weep into their throw pillows while their children ask them why they're crying about a cartoon dog going camping.

This week, Mandy sits down with actress, writer, and content creator Kelly Vrooman—a woman whose professional credentials include talking to a chicken puppet on morning television, which is either the most or least qualified you can be to discuss children's media, I genuinely cannot tell—to explore why this Australian import has become a global phenomenon. Kelly, who has actual human children (her own, she specifies, which is a concerning clarification but we'll let it slide), walks Mandy through three episodes of this seven-minute existential comfort food. They watch "Magic Xylophone" (teaching sharing through possibly-real magic and parental commitment to the bit), "Camping" (featuring Jean-Luc, a French dog who GHOSTS Bluey without saying goodbye and makes you feel feelings you didn't consent to about animated dogs), and an episode about dad desperately trying to watch sports while his daughter stress-cleans her pretend house using beer koozies as babies.

And here's where it gets weird. Because Bluey isn't just good—it's disturbingly, almost suspiciously good. Created by one man, Joe Brum, who writes every single episode himself (which should be a red flag for quality but somehow isn't), the show manages to be both an accurate documentary of parenting's soul-crushing exhaustion AND a joyful celebration of childhood imagination. It's animated "on the ones"—meaning twice as many frames as normal animation, which costs twice as much money—and the child voice actors are kept completely anonymous to protect them from fame, which, AMERICA, ARE YOU LISTENING? Kelly reveals the show has actually made her a better parent, not because it sets impossible standards, but because it reminds adults that play doesn't have to be perfect, it just has to be present. Even Joe Brum responded to complaints about unrealistic parenting by essentially saying, "They're dogs. Dogs love to play. Calm down."

But what makes Bluey genuinely fascinating is how it operates on multiple levels without condescending to anyone. Kids get silly games and talking dogs. Parents get jokes about hangovers and wanting to watch the game. Everyone gets emotional moments that hit like a truck carrying feelings. The show depicts single parents, same-sex parents, and families of all configurations without ever stopping to collect applause for being inclusive—it just is inclusive while telling stories about magic xylophones and camping trips. Mandy describes it as "being coated in caramel that is sugar-free and cannot make you gain weight," which is either perfect or evidence that Bluey has broken her brain. In a world that feels increasingly designed to make us miserable, Bluey offers consistent, high-quality comfort—not escapism, but a reminder that goodness and creativity and family connection still exist, even when everything else is on fire.

The conversation takes delightful detours (Kelly admits to crushing on the animated dog dad, they debate whether Jean-Luc is a dick for leaving, they're briefly joined by Kelly's three-year-old who wants to talk about monster trucks), but ultimately lands on something important: this is a show where the main characters are all female and nobody cares because they're just kids having adventures. It's medicinal. It's necessary. And if you don't feel moved by it, well, Kelly insists you might not have a soul—which Mandy clarifies is just her being a dick and not the official position of TruStory FM, though they both stand by the sentiment. Now if you'll excuse me, I need to go question why a podcast about cartoon dogs has made me feel more hopeful about humanity than any news broadcast in the last five years.

Links & Notes


---
Learn more about supporting this podcast by becoming a member. It's just $5/month or $55/year. Visit our website to learn more.

]]> D&D, Star Wars, Star Trek, Marvel, Gaming, Technology, Nerddom No Twilight with Ben Raffle 66 66 Twilight with Ben Raffle full 6a0b2b6a-e181-48d7-b484-9d6ee6ace8d7 https://share.transistor.fm/s/4f1c06b8 This week on Make Me a Nerd, Mandy Kaplan asks the big, baffling question: how does a grown man in his forties, with a child, a career, and a functioning brain, become obsessed with Twilight? Enter Ben Raffle—software executive by day, nerd savant by night, and unapologetic devotee of sparkly vampires. What follows is a gloriously chaotic conversation about Stephanie Meyer’s cultural juggernaut, the film that launched a thousand “Team Edward vs. Team Jacob” T-shirts, and the angsty blue-filtered fever dream that made Forks, Washington, a tourist destination.

Mandy and Ben cover it all: Robert Pattinson’s “did he just poop his pants?” acting choices, Kristen Stewart’s mayonnaise-adjacent performance as Bella, and why Jasper—yes, Jasper!—is the true hero of the saga. They dissect why teenage girls everywhere believed they could “fix” the bad boy who wants to murder them, how Catherine Hardwicke’s low-budget direction gave the film its signature mood, and why vampire baseball is somehow the franchise’s high point. Along the way, they veer into bison make-outs in Port Angeles, Grease 2 supremacy, and the existential question of whether anyone, anywhere, would actually choose Forks as a vacation spot.

It’s silly, it’s biting, it’s surprisingly affectionate—and by the end, you may find yourself agreeing with Ben that Twilight is the Sour Patch Kids of cinema: nutritionally worthless, wildly addictive, and impossible not to binge.


---
Learn more about supporting this podcast by becoming a member. It's just $5/month or $55/year. Visit our website to learn more.

]]> This week on Make Me a Nerd, Mandy Kaplan asks the big, baffling question: how does a grown man in his forties, with a child, a career, and a functioning brain, become obsessed with Twilight? Enter Ben Raffle—software executive by day, nerd savant by night, and unapologetic devotee of sparkly vampires. What follows is a gloriously chaotic conversation about Stephanie Meyer’s cultural juggernaut, the film that launched a thousand “Team Edward vs. Team Jacob” T-shirts, and the angsty blue-filtered fever dream that made Forks, Washington, a tourist destination.

Mandy and Ben cover it all: Robert Pattinson’s “did he just poop his pants?” acting choices, Kristen Stewart’s mayonnaise-adjacent performance as Bella, and why Jasper—yes, Jasper!—is the true hero of the saga. They dissect why teenage girls everywhere believed they could “fix” the bad boy who wants to murder them, how Catherine Hardwicke’s low-budget direction gave the film its signature mood, and why vampire baseball is somehow the franchise’s high point. Along the way, they veer into bison make-outs in Port Angeles, Grease 2 supremacy, and the existential question of whether anyone, anywhere, would actually choose Forks as a vacation spot.

It’s silly, it’s biting, it’s surprisingly affectionate—and by the end, you may find yourself agreeing with Ben that Twilight is the Sour Patch Kids of cinema: nutritionally worthless, wildly addictive, and impossible not to binge.


---
Learn more about supporting this podcast by becoming a member. It's just $5/month or $55/year. Visit our website to learn more.

]]> Mon, 06 Oct 2025 03:00:00 -0700 TruStory FM TruStory FM 3409 This week on Make Me a Nerd, Mandy Kaplan asks the big, baffling question: how does a grown man in his forties, with a child, a career, and a functioning brain, become obsessed with Twilight? Enter Ben Raffle—software executive by day, nerd savant by night, and unapologetic devotee of sparkly vampires. What follows is a gloriously chaotic conversation about Stephanie Meyer’s cultural juggernaut, the film that launched a thousand “Team Edward vs. Team Jacob” T-shirts, and the angsty blue-filtered fever dream that made Forks, Washington, a tourist destination.

Mandy and Ben cover it all: Robert Pattinson’s “did he just poop his pants?” acting choices, Kristen Stewart’s mayonnaise-adjacent performance as Bella, and why Jasper—yes, Jasper!—is the true hero of the saga. They dissect why teenage girls everywhere believed they could “fix” the bad boy who wants to murder them, how Catherine Hardwicke’s low-budget direction gave the film its signature mood, and why vampire baseball is somehow the franchise’s high point. Along the way, they veer into bison make-outs in Port Angeles, Grease 2 supremacy, and the existential question of whether anyone, anywhere, would actually choose Forks as a vacation spot.

It’s silly, it’s biting, it’s surprisingly affectionate—and by the end, you may find yourself agreeing with Ben that Twilight is the Sour Patch Kids of cinema: nutritionally worthless, wildly addictive, and impossible not to binge.


---
Learn more about supporting this podcast by becoming a member. It's just $5/month or $55/year. Visit our website to learn more.

]]> D&D, Star Wars, Star Trek, Marvel, Gaming, Technology, Nerddom No Spirited Away with Kynan Dias 65 65 Spirited Away with Kynan Dias full d8d19f52-d505-4d87-a81b-59ceaf5da8d9 https://share.transistor.fm/s/3eb640e1 This week, Mandy Kaplan discovers that “family road trip” in Japan doesn’t mean stopping at a rest area for gas and Funyuns. No, it means your parents turn into pigs and you’re suddenly employed at a haunted bathhouse run by a chain-smoking witch with the voice of Suzanne Pleshette. And who better to guide Mandy through the bewildering fever dream of Spirited Away than returning guest, film professor, and actual delight, Kynan Dias?

Together they unpack everything: how Disney’s doe-eyed Snow White accidentally inspired anime’s giant eyes, why a sludge monster is secretly about environmentalism, how “No-Face” manages to be both terrifying and adorable, and why Miyazaki’s entire vibe can be summed up as “life is fleeting, please cry into your ramen now.” Mandy, of course, raises the obvious questions: is this secretly a cult film, why does it feel like a divorce metaphor, and how is any of this for children? Kynan, patient as ever, explains concepts like mono no aware while Mandy wonders if this movie is just better enjoyed while high.

It’s chaotic, hilarious, and unexpectedly moving—basically the cinematic equivalent of a fever dream where origami tries to kill you. And honestly? You’ll come away realizing that maybe being “spirited away” isn’t such a bad thing… provided you survive the pigs.

Links & Notes


---
Learn more about supporting this podcast by becoming a member. It's just $5/month or $55/year. Visit our website to learn more.

]]> This week, Mandy Kaplan discovers that “family road trip” in Japan doesn’t mean stopping at a rest area for gas and Funyuns. No, it means your parents turn into pigs and you’re suddenly employed at a haunted bathhouse run by a chain-smoking witch with the voice of Suzanne Pleshette. And who better to guide Mandy through the bewildering fever dream of Spirited Away than returning guest, film professor, and actual delight, Kynan Dias?

Together they unpack everything: how Disney’s doe-eyed Snow White accidentally inspired anime’s giant eyes, why a sludge monster is secretly about environmentalism, how “No-Face” manages to be both terrifying and adorable, and why Miyazaki’s entire vibe can be summed up as “life is fleeting, please cry into your ramen now.” Mandy, of course, raises the obvious questions: is this secretly a cult film, why does it feel like a divorce metaphor, and how is any of this for children? Kynan, patient as ever, explains concepts like mono no aware while Mandy wonders if this movie is just better enjoyed while high.

It’s chaotic, hilarious, and unexpectedly moving—basically the cinematic equivalent of a fever dream where origami tries to kill you. And honestly? You’ll come away realizing that maybe being “spirited away” isn’t such a bad thing… provided you survive the pigs.

Links & Notes


---
Learn more about supporting this podcast by becoming a member. It's just $5/month or $55/year. Visit our website to learn more.

]]> Mon, 29 Sep 2025 03:00:00 -0700 TruStory FM TruStory FM 3563 This week, Mandy Kaplan discovers that “family road trip” in Japan doesn’t mean stopping at a rest area for gas and Funyuns. No, it means your parents turn into pigs and you’re suddenly employed at a haunted bathhouse run by a chain-smoking witch with the voice of Suzanne Pleshette. And who better to guide Mandy through the bewildering fever dream of Spirited Away than returning guest, film professor, and actual delight, Kynan Dias?

Together they unpack everything: how Disney’s doe-eyed Snow White accidentally inspired anime’s giant eyes, why a sludge monster is secretly about environmentalism, how “No-Face” manages to be both terrifying and adorable, and why Miyazaki’s entire vibe can be summed up as “life is fleeting, please cry into your ramen now.” Mandy, of course, raises the obvious questions: is this secretly a cult film, why does it feel like a divorce metaphor, and how is any of this for children? Kynan, patient as ever, explains concepts like mono no aware while Mandy wonders if this movie is just better enjoyed while high.

It’s chaotic, hilarious, and unexpectedly moving—basically the cinematic equivalent of a fever dream where origami tries to kill you. And honestly? You’ll come away realizing that maybe being “spirited away” isn’t such a bad thing… provided you survive the pigs.

Links & Notes


---
Learn more about supporting this podcast by becoming a member. It's just $5/month or $55/year. Visit our website to learn more.

]]> D&D, Star Wars, Star Trek, Marvel, Gaming, Technology, Nerddom No Charmed with Patrick Gomez 64 64 Charmed with Patrick Gomez full 73a2cb23-b33f-46d7-8687-d525cceeab96 https://share.transistor.fm/s/a6b69e8b This week on Make Me a Nerd, Mandy is joined by the magnificent, the glamorous, the slightly crop-top-obsessed Patrick Gomez—yes, that Patrick Gomez, the Editor-in-Chief of Entertainment Weekly. Together they dust off the spell book, step into a suspiciously San Francisco-looking Paramount backlot, and dive headlong into the world of Charmed.

Patrick confesses his original entry into the fandom was less about WB primetime devotion and more about syndicated reruns sandwiched between USA High and “some other show whose title he swears is real.” What followed was a lifelong affection for the Halliwell sisters, midriff tops, and the idea that maybe, just maybe, witchcraft was a safe place for a Texas teen trying to figure out who he was.

From Lori Rom’s mysterious disappearance from the unaired pilot to Aaron Spelling’s tyrannical hair rules (no updos for six episodes, thank you very much), Mandy and Patrick relive the highs, the spell-casting lows, and the “why is there suddenly so much blood” shocks of the series. Along the way, they geek out over soap opera casting crossovers, Julian McMahon smoldering in the underworld, Rose McGowan’s fierce arrival, and that whole “season seven was secretly the finale, season eight is just a glamour we all politely ignore” situation.

It’s nostalgia, it’s camp, it’s actual tears at Shannon Doherty’s swan song. Plus: paparazzi tangents, Britney theories, and the eternal truth that if you’re not hot for Alyssa Milano, you probably don’t have a pulse.

So light a candle, chant “The Power of Three Will Set Us Free” approximately 9 billion times, and join Mandy and Patrick as they prove that sometimes being a nerd means admitting you cried at Charmed.


---
Learn more about supporting this podcast by becoming a member. It's just $5/month or $55/year. Visit our website to learn more.

]]> This week on Make Me a Nerd, Mandy is joined by the magnificent, the glamorous, the slightly crop-top-obsessed Patrick Gomez—yes, that Patrick Gomez, the Editor-in-Chief of Entertainment Weekly. Together they dust off the spell book, step into a suspiciously San Francisco-looking Paramount backlot, and dive headlong into the world of Charmed.

Patrick confesses his original entry into the fandom was less about WB primetime devotion and more about syndicated reruns sandwiched between USA High and “some other show whose title he swears is real.” What followed was a lifelong affection for the Halliwell sisters, midriff tops, and the idea that maybe, just maybe, witchcraft was a safe place for a Texas teen trying to figure out who he was.

From Lori Rom’s mysterious disappearance from the unaired pilot to Aaron Spelling’s tyrannical hair rules (no updos for six episodes, thank you very much), Mandy and Patrick relive the highs, the spell-casting lows, and the “why is there suddenly so much blood” shocks of the series. Along the way, they geek out over soap opera casting crossovers, Julian McMahon smoldering in the underworld, Rose McGowan’s fierce arrival, and that whole “season seven was secretly the finale, season eight is just a glamour we all politely ignore” situation.

It’s nostalgia, it’s camp, it’s actual tears at Shannon Doherty’s swan song. Plus: paparazzi tangents, Britney theories, and the eternal truth that if you’re not hot for Alyssa Milano, you probably don’t have a pulse.

So light a candle, chant “The Power of Three Will Set Us Free” approximately 9 billion times, and join Mandy and Patrick as they prove that sometimes being a nerd means admitting you cried at Charmed.


---
Learn more about supporting this podcast by becoming a member. It's just $5/month or $55/year. Visit our website to learn more.

]]> Mon, 22 Sep 2025 03:00:00 -0700 TruStory FM TruStory FM 3773 This week on Make Me a Nerd, Mandy is joined by the magnificent, the glamorous, the slightly crop-top-obsessed Patrick Gomez—yes, that Patrick Gomez, the Editor-in-Chief of Entertainment Weekly. Together they dust off the spell book, step into a suspiciously San Francisco-looking Paramount backlot, and dive headlong into the world of Charmed.

Patrick confesses his original entry into the fandom was less about WB primetime devotion and more about syndicated reruns sandwiched between USA High and “some other show whose title he swears is real.” What followed was a lifelong affection for the Halliwell sisters, midriff tops, and the idea that maybe, just maybe, witchcraft was a safe place for a Texas teen trying to figure out who he was.

From Lori Rom’s mysterious disappearance from the unaired pilot to Aaron Spelling’s tyrannical hair rules (no updos for six episodes, thank you very much), Mandy and Patrick relive the highs, the spell-casting lows, and the “why is there suddenly so much blood” shocks of the series. Along the way, they geek out over soap opera casting crossovers, Julian McMahon smoldering in the underworld, Rose McGowan’s fierce arrival, and that whole “season seven was secretly the finale, season eight is just a glamour we all politely ignore” situation.

It’s nostalgia, it’s camp, it’s actual tears at Shannon Doherty’s swan song. Plus: paparazzi tangents, Britney theories, and the eternal truth that if you’re not hot for Alyssa Milano, you probably don’t have a pulse.

So light a candle, chant “The Power of Three Will Set Us Free” approximately 9 billion times, and join Mandy and Patrick as they prove that sometimes being a nerd means admitting you cried at Charmed.


---
Learn more about supporting this podcast by becoming a member. It's just $5/month or $55/year. Visit our website to learn more.

]]> D&D, Star Wars, Star Trek, Marvel, Gaming, Technology, Nerddom No Black Mirror with Tara Sands 63 63 Black Mirror with Tara Sands full c941407d-c830-49e8-b528-1a3dd7a34aa9 https://share.transistor.fm/s/4b1864a3 This week on Make Me a Nerd, Mandy is joined by someone who has been part of her life nearly forever—voiceover legend and dear friend Tara Sands. You might know Tara from her work bringing Pokémon, Yu-Gi-Oh!, and countless anime characters to life, but today she’s here to get properly nerdy about Black Mirror. Yes, the series that makes you both fascinated and slightly horrified about the future of technology, also known as “Tuesday” in Silicon Valley.

Together, Mandy and Tara dive into some of Black Mirror’s most unforgettable episodes: the pastel-colored nightmare of “Nosedive,” the darkly hilarious “USS Callister,” and its follow-up “Into Infinity.” Along the way, they debate whether fake niceness is better than no niceness, confess to cyberstalking sins (don’t pretend you haven’t done it), and admit that VR gaming makes them feel like toddlers lost in a Best Buy. It’s a conversation about friendship, fandom, and how being a nerd isn’t about what you love—it’s about how much you love it. Also: Tara may or may not call Mandy perfect. Several times. We’re still fact-checking.

By the end, Mandy has officially made Tara a nerd… or at least made her watch Black Mirror without hiding under the blanket. And if that isn’t cultural progress, I don’t know what is.

Links & Notes


---
Learn more about supporting this podcast by becoming a member. It's just $5/month or $55/year. Visit our website to learn more.

]]> This week on Make Me a Nerd, Mandy is joined by someone who has been part of her life nearly forever—voiceover legend and dear friend Tara Sands. You might know Tara from her work bringing Pokémon, Yu-Gi-Oh!, and countless anime characters to life, but today she’s here to get properly nerdy about Black Mirror. Yes, the series that makes you both fascinated and slightly horrified about the future of technology, also known as “Tuesday” in Silicon Valley.

Together, Mandy and Tara dive into some of Black Mirror’s most unforgettable episodes: the pastel-colored nightmare of “Nosedive,” the darkly hilarious “USS Callister,” and its follow-up “Into Infinity.” Along the way, they debate whether fake niceness is better than no niceness, confess to cyberstalking sins (don’t pretend you haven’t done it), and admit that VR gaming makes them feel like toddlers lost in a Best Buy. It’s a conversation about friendship, fandom, and how being a nerd isn’t about what you love—it’s about how much you love it. Also: Tara may or may not call Mandy perfect. Several times. We’re still fact-checking.

By the end, Mandy has officially made Tara a nerd… or at least made her watch Black Mirror without hiding under the blanket. And if that isn’t cultural progress, I don’t know what is.

Links & Notes


---
Learn more about supporting this podcast by becoming a member. It's just $5/month or $55/year. Visit our website to learn more.

]]> Mon, 15 Sep 2025 03:00:00 -0700 TruStory FM TruStory FM 3714 This week on Make Me a Nerd, Mandy is joined by someone who has been part of her life nearly forever—voiceover legend and dear friend Tara Sands. You might know Tara from her work bringing Pokémon, Yu-Gi-Oh!, and countless anime characters to life, but today she’s here to get properly nerdy about Black Mirror. Yes, the series that makes you both fascinated and slightly horrified about the future of technology, also known as “Tuesday” in Silicon Valley.

Together, Mandy and Tara dive into some of Black Mirror’s most unforgettable episodes: the pastel-colored nightmare of “Nosedive,” the darkly hilarious “USS Callister,” and its follow-up “Into Infinity.” Along the way, they debate whether fake niceness is better than no niceness, confess to cyberstalking sins (don’t pretend you haven’t done it), and admit that VR gaming makes them feel like toddlers lost in a Best Buy. It’s a conversation about friendship, fandom, and how being a nerd isn’t about what you love—it’s about how much you love it. Also: Tara may or may not call Mandy perfect. Several times. We’re still fact-checking.

By the end, Mandy has officially made Tara a nerd… or at least made her watch Black Mirror without hiding under the blanket. And if that isn’t cultural progress, I don’t know what is.

Links & Notes


---
Learn more about supporting this podcast by becoming a member. It's just $5/month or $55/year. Visit our website to learn more.

]]> D&D, Star Wars, Star Trek, Marvel, Gaming, Technology, Nerddom No Freaks and Geeks with Jeffrey Nicholas Brown 62 62 Freaks and Geeks with Jeffrey Nicholas Brown full c2e4a101-c73b-4af6-92ad-96cf4ce948c6 https://share.transistor.fm/s/3853b539 This week on Make Me a Nerd, Mandy Kaplan welcomes actor, drummer, writer, and all-time Blue Man Grouper Jeffrey Nicholas Brown—yes, an actual Blue Man.

The two dive headfirst into Freaks and Geeks, the show that lasted only one season but somehow altered the DNA of television comedy forever. Jeffrey confesses he was both a freak and a geek in high school—which is really just a polite way of saying “I was constantly confused and occasionally sticky”—while Mandy proudly claims her kinship with Millie, the choir-loving buzzkill who warns that French kissing too soon will send you straight to hell. Together they relive dodgeball terror, disastrous crushes, and the eternal question: how much would you need to be paid to do the “blender challenge” now? (Spoiler: more than scale.)

They don’t shy away from calling out the show’s one-note characters or its lack of diversity, but they also revel in Martin Starr’s deadpan, Linda Cardellini’s flawless sincerity, and Jason Segel’s gloriously mediocre drumming. Along the way you’ll get behind-the-scenes tidbits about Busy Philipps’ billing, Franco’s inexplicable accent, and why Freaks and Geeks is still considered to have filmed the most accurate Dungeons & Dragons scene in television history. It’s nostalgia, it’s critique, it’s two grown-ups confessing their teenage traumas on mic—and it’s glorious.


Links & Notes


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Learn more about supporting this podcast by becoming a member. It's just $5/month or $55/year. Visit our website to learn more.

]]> This week on Make Me a Nerd, Mandy Kaplan welcomes actor, drummer, writer, and all-time Blue Man Grouper Jeffrey Nicholas Brown—yes, an actual Blue Man.

The two dive headfirst into Freaks and Geeks, the show that lasted only one season but somehow altered the DNA of television comedy forever. Jeffrey confesses he was both a freak and a geek in high school—which is really just a polite way of saying “I was constantly confused and occasionally sticky”—while Mandy proudly claims her kinship with Millie, the choir-loving buzzkill who warns that French kissing too soon will send you straight to hell. Together they relive dodgeball terror, disastrous crushes, and the eternal question: how much would you need to be paid to do the “blender challenge” now? (Spoiler: more than scale.)

They don’t shy away from calling out the show’s one-note characters or its lack of diversity, but they also revel in Martin Starr’s deadpan, Linda Cardellini’s flawless sincerity, and Jason Segel’s gloriously mediocre drumming. Along the way you’ll get behind-the-scenes tidbits about Busy Philipps’ billing, Franco’s inexplicable accent, and why Freaks and Geeks is still considered to have filmed the most accurate Dungeons & Dragons scene in television history. It’s nostalgia, it’s critique, it’s two grown-ups confessing their teenage traumas on mic—and it’s glorious.


Links & Notes


---
Learn more about supporting this podcast by becoming a member. It's just $5/month or $55/year. Visit our website to learn more.

]]> Mon, 08 Sep 2025 03:00:00 -0700 TruStory FM TruStory FM 3722 This week on Make Me a Nerd, Mandy Kaplan welcomes actor, drummer, writer, and all-time Blue Man Grouper Jeffrey Nicholas Brown—yes, an actual Blue Man.

The two dive headfirst into Freaks and Geeks, the show that lasted only one season but somehow altered the DNA of television comedy forever. Jeffrey confesses he was both a freak and a geek in high school—which is really just a polite way of saying “I was constantly confused and occasionally sticky”—while Mandy proudly claims her kinship with Millie, the choir-loving buzzkill who warns that French kissing too soon will send you straight to hell. Together they relive dodgeball terror, disastrous crushes, and the eternal question: how much would you need to be paid to do the “blender challenge” now? (Spoiler: more than scale.)

They don’t shy away from calling out the show’s one-note characters or its lack of diversity, but they also revel in Martin Starr’s deadpan, Linda Cardellini’s flawless sincerity, and Jason Segel’s gloriously mediocre drumming. Along the way you’ll get behind-the-scenes tidbits about Busy Philipps’ billing, Franco’s inexplicable accent, and why Freaks and Geeks is still considered to have filmed the most accurate Dungeons & Dragons scene in television history. It’s nostalgia, it’s critique, it’s two grown-ups confessing their teenage traumas on mic—and it’s glorious.


Links & Notes


---
Learn more about supporting this podcast by becoming a member. It's just $5/month or $55/year. Visit our website to learn more.

]]> D&D, Star Wars, Star Trek, Marvel, Gaming, Technology, Nerddom No Godzilla Minus One with Riki Hayashi 61 61 Godzilla Minus One with Riki Hayashi full 7bdfa0e3-2d89-4afb-a7b4-d99cb5d015fe https://share.transistor.fm/s/b8a770e1 This week on Make Me a Nerd, Mandy welcomes fellow TruStory podcaster and kaiju enthusiast Riki Hayashi for a dive into one of the most critically acclaimed monster movies in decades: Godzilla Minus One. If you’ve ever thought Godzilla was just a big lizard with anger issues, think again.

Riki brings his lifelong passion for Japanese nerd culture to the table, from his days as a Magic: The Gathering judge to his Twitch battles in Pokémon Go. But it’s his love for Godzilla that takes center stage here. Together, he and Mandy break down how Godzilla Minus One is not only a triumph of visual storytelling and emotional depth, but also a sharp departure from the campy traditions of kaiju past. Mandy, entering the Godzilla-verse for the first time, is floored—not just by the monster’s expressive eyes or bejeweled back spikes—but by the profound humanity at the movie’s core.

The conversation covers everything from the history of the Godzilla franchise and its shifting eras, to the film’s subtle criticism of wartime nationalism and kamikaze legacy. Mandy and Riki explore how Minus One balances terrifying spectacle with unexpected tenderness, including a found-family storyline and a main character who’s more haunted than heroic. They celebrate the film’s quieter moments—the Spielbergian tension on the open sea, the war-torn melancholy of post-1945 Tokyo, the critique of institutional cruelty—and gasp together at that final chilling neck bruise (yes, they talk theories).

It’s a rich discussion full of history, heartbreak, and atomic breath, peppered with rom-com ethics and a pitch-perfect Rock impression. And if Riki has his way, Mandy’s next nerdy adventure might involve tear-jerking anime and body-swapping teenagers.

Links & Notes


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Learn more about supporting this podcast by becoming a member. It's just $5/month or $55/year. Visit our website to learn more.

]]> This week on Make Me a Nerd, Mandy welcomes fellow TruStory podcaster and kaiju enthusiast Riki Hayashi for a dive into one of the most critically acclaimed monster movies in decades: Godzilla Minus One. If you’ve ever thought Godzilla was just a big lizard with anger issues, think again.

Riki brings his lifelong passion for Japanese nerd culture to the table, from his days as a Magic: The Gathering judge to his Twitch battles in Pokémon Go. But it’s his love for Godzilla that takes center stage here. Together, he and Mandy break down how Godzilla Minus One is not only a triumph of visual storytelling and emotional depth, but also a sharp departure from the campy traditions of kaiju past. Mandy, entering the Godzilla-verse for the first time, is floored—not just by the monster’s expressive eyes or bejeweled back spikes—but by the profound humanity at the movie’s core.

The conversation covers everything from the history of the Godzilla franchise and its shifting eras, to the film’s subtle criticism of wartime nationalism and kamikaze legacy. Mandy and Riki explore how Minus One balances terrifying spectacle with unexpected tenderness, including a found-family storyline and a main character who’s more haunted than heroic. They celebrate the film’s quieter moments—the Spielbergian tension on the open sea, the war-torn melancholy of post-1945 Tokyo, the critique of institutional cruelty—and gasp together at that final chilling neck bruise (yes, they talk theories).

It’s a rich discussion full of history, heartbreak, and atomic breath, peppered with rom-com ethics and a pitch-perfect Rock impression. And if Riki has his way, Mandy’s next nerdy adventure might involve tear-jerking anime and body-swapping teenagers.

Links & Notes


---
Learn more about supporting this podcast by becoming a member. It's just $5/month or $55/year. Visit our website to learn more.

]]> Mon, 01 Sep 2025 03:00:00 -0700 TruStory FM TruStory FM 3566 This week on Make Me a Nerd, Mandy welcomes fellow TruStory podcaster and kaiju enthusiast Riki Hayashi for a dive into one of the most critically acclaimed monster movies in decades: Godzilla Minus One. If you’ve ever thought Godzilla was just a big lizard with anger issues, think again.

Riki brings his lifelong passion for Japanese nerd culture to the table, from his days as a Magic: The Gathering judge to his Twitch battles in Pokémon Go. But it’s his love for Godzilla that takes center stage here. Together, he and Mandy break down how Godzilla Minus One is not only a triumph of visual storytelling and emotional depth, but also a sharp departure from the campy traditions of kaiju past. Mandy, entering the Godzilla-verse for the first time, is floored—not just by the monster’s expressive eyes or bejeweled back spikes—but by the profound humanity at the movie’s core.

The conversation covers everything from the history of the Godzilla franchise and its shifting eras, to the film’s subtle criticism of wartime nationalism and kamikaze legacy. Mandy and Riki explore how Minus One balances terrifying spectacle with unexpected tenderness, including a found-family storyline and a main character who’s more haunted than heroic. They celebrate the film’s quieter moments—the Spielbergian tension on the open sea, the war-torn melancholy of post-1945 Tokyo, the critique of institutional cruelty—and gasp together at that final chilling neck bruise (yes, they talk theories).

It’s a rich discussion full of history, heartbreak, and atomic breath, peppered with rom-com ethics and a pitch-perfect Rock impression. And if Riki has his way, Mandy’s next nerdy adventure might involve tear-jerking anime and body-swapping teenagers.

Links & Notes


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Learn more about supporting this podcast by becoming a member. It's just $5/month or $55/year. Visit our website to learn more.

]]> D&D, Star Wars, Star Trek, Marvel, Gaming, Technology, Nerddom No The Rehearsal with Megan Parlen 60 60 The Rehearsal with Megan Parlen full f3fa29d9-a2e2-4be4-8d82-49cc5c9efd88 https://share.transistor.fm/s/f46af793 What happens when comedy meets ethics, performance art meets aviation safety, and a TV host decides to build an airport just to see what happens? This week, Mandy is joined by her brilliant and ever-curious friend Megan Parlen to dig deep into The Rehearsal — Nathan Fielder’s surreal and provocative HBO series that defies easy categorization. Is it satire? Is it social commentary? Is it trauma with a laugh track? Mandy isn’t sure, but Megan has some thoughts, and the two wrestle through their opposing reactions in a wildly entertaining exploration of cringe, consent, creative license, and the cost of curiosity.

From $60 million airplane sets to uncomfortable experiments on unsuspecting hopefuls, the conversation pulls back the curtain on what Fielder’s strange vision might really be saying about humanity, neurodivergence, and our need to feel in control. Bonus: Mandy coins the term “disgustipating,” and Megan wins a metaphorical mic drop with a Game of Thrones budget comparison. This is not a rehearsal — it’s a must-listen.

Links & Notes


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Learn more about supporting this podcast by becoming a member. It's just $5/month or $55/year. Visit our website to learn more.

]]> What happens when comedy meets ethics, performance art meets aviation safety, and a TV host decides to build an airport just to see what happens? This week, Mandy is joined by her brilliant and ever-curious friend Megan Parlen to dig deep into The Rehearsal — Nathan Fielder’s surreal and provocative HBO series that defies easy categorization. Is it satire? Is it social commentary? Is it trauma with a laugh track? Mandy isn’t sure, but Megan has some thoughts, and the two wrestle through their opposing reactions in a wildly entertaining exploration of cringe, consent, creative license, and the cost of curiosity.

From $60 million airplane sets to uncomfortable experiments on unsuspecting hopefuls, the conversation pulls back the curtain on what Fielder’s strange vision might really be saying about humanity, neurodivergence, and our need to feel in control. Bonus: Mandy coins the term “disgustipating,” and Megan wins a metaphorical mic drop with a Game of Thrones budget comparison. This is not a rehearsal — it’s a must-listen.

Links & Notes


---
Learn more about supporting this podcast by becoming a member. It's just $5/month or $55/year. Visit our website to learn more.

]]> Mon, 25 Aug 2025 03:00:00 -0700 TruStory FM TruStory FM 3279 What happens when comedy meets ethics, performance art meets aviation safety, and a TV host decides to build an airport just to see what happens? This week, Mandy is joined by her brilliant and ever-curious friend Megan Parlen to dig deep into The Rehearsal — Nathan Fielder’s surreal and provocative HBO series that defies easy categorization. Is it satire? Is it social commentary? Is it trauma with a laugh track? Mandy isn’t sure, but Megan has some thoughts, and the two wrestle through their opposing reactions in a wildly entertaining exploration of cringe, consent, creative license, and the cost of curiosity.

From $60 million airplane sets to uncomfortable experiments on unsuspecting hopefuls, the conversation pulls back the curtain on what Fielder’s strange vision might really be saying about humanity, neurodivergence, and our need to feel in control. Bonus: Mandy coins the term “disgustipating,” and Megan wins a metaphorical mic drop with a Game of Thrones budget comparison. This is not a rehearsal — it’s a must-listen.

Links & Notes


---
Learn more about supporting this podcast by becoming a member. It's just $5/month or $55/year. Visit our website to learn more.

]]> D&D, Star Wars, Star Trek, Marvel, Gaming, Technology, Nerddom No Jurassic Park with Tommy Metz III, Andy Nelson, & Pete Wright 59 59 Jurassic Park with Tommy Metz III, Andy Nelson, & Pete Wright full 3f57e87a-9997-496d-a36d-1f294f8a11f0 https://share.transistor.fm/s/6adc65b2 Mandy Kaplan has never seen Jurassic Park. We know. Breathe. She’s finally corrected this cinematic sin, and to walk her through the prehistoric magic, she’s joined by Pete Wright, Andy Nelson, and Tommy Metz III—three full-grown nerds whose love for Spielberg’s dinosaur masterpiece borders on religious. This is the movie that changed blockbuster filmmaking forever, and the guys are here to help Mandy understand the science, the spectacle, and the T. Rex-sized cultural impact.

They dive into Stan Winston’s groundbreaking effects, John Williams’s unforgettable score, and the tightrope Spielberg walks between horror and adventure. Mandy confesses what really scared her (spoiler: it was the car), learns what the deal is with Sam Neill’s accent, and discovers a whole new appreciation for Jell-O quivering in fear. Whether you’re team Velociraptor or ride-or-die for the Triceratops, this episode is your guided tour through the park. And yes—hold on to your butts.

Find the Guests!


Links & Notes


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Learn more about supporting this podcast by becoming a member. It's just $5/month or $55/year. Visit our website to learn more.

]]> Mandy Kaplan has never seen Jurassic Park. We know. Breathe. She’s finally corrected this cinematic sin, and to walk her through the prehistoric magic, she’s joined by Pete Wright, Andy Nelson, and Tommy Metz III—three full-grown nerds whose love for Spielberg’s dinosaur masterpiece borders on religious. This is the movie that changed blockbuster filmmaking forever, and the guys are here to help Mandy understand the science, the spectacle, and the T. Rex-sized cultural impact.

They dive into Stan Winston’s groundbreaking effects, John Williams’s unforgettable score, and the tightrope Spielberg walks between horror and adventure. Mandy confesses what really scared her (spoiler: it was the car), learns what the deal is with Sam Neill’s accent, and discovers a whole new appreciation for Jell-O quivering in fear. Whether you’re team Velociraptor or ride-or-die for the Triceratops, this episode is your guided tour through the park. And yes—hold on to your butts.

Find the Guests!


Links & Notes


---
Learn more about supporting this podcast by becoming a member. It's just $5/month or $55/year. Visit our website to learn more.

]]> Mon, 18 Aug 2025 03:00:00 -0700 TruStory FM TruStory FM 3864 Mandy Kaplan has never seen Jurassic Park. We know. Breathe. She’s finally corrected this cinematic sin, and to walk her through the prehistoric magic, she’s joined by Pete Wright, Andy Nelson, and Tommy Metz III—three full-grown nerds whose love for Spielberg’s dinosaur masterpiece borders on religious. This is the movie that changed blockbuster filmmaking forever, and the guys are here to help Mandy understand the science, the spectacle, and the T. Rex-sized cultural impact.

They dive into Stan Winston’s groundbreaking effects, John Williams’s unforgettable score, and the tightrope Spielberg walks between horror and adventure. Mandy confesses what really scared her (spoiler: it was the car), learns what the deal is with Sam Neill’s accent, and discovers a whole new appreciation for Jell-O quivering in fear. Whether you’re team Velociraptor or ride-or-die for the Triceratops, this episode is your guided tour through the park. And yes—hold on to your butts.

Find the Guests!


Links & Notes


---
Learn more about supporting this podcast by becoming a member. It's just $5/month or $55/year. Visit our website to learn more.

]]> D&D, Star Wars, Star Trek, Marvel, Gaming, Technology, Nerddom No Showgirls with Jessica Jimenez 61 61 Showgirls with Jessica Jimenez full b88866b3-c442-4d41-8c89-6e1e9cdb7a99 https://share.transistor.fm/s/b9c1c482 What do you get when you cross Elizabeth Berkley, a pile of glitter, and the worst pool sex scene ever committed to film? Showgirls, of course — and this week, Mandy dives headfirst into the chaotic, cringe-glittery mess with TV producer and camp connoisseur Jessica Jimenez. Jess has seen the cult classic more times than she can count (or admit), while Mandy might have lost a small piece of her soul watching it for the first time. What follows is a cocktail-fueled breakdown of the film’s misguided ambition, baffling dialogue, and bizarre legacy as both a Razzie-sweeping disaster and beloved queer cult staple.

The two unpack every absurd plot twist, every sequined meltdown, and yes — even Penny’s from Heaven. Is it empowering? Is it exploitative? Is it secretly genius? (No.) Is it fun to yell “Versayce” in public? (Yes.) Whether you’re a die-hard fan or a horrified first-timer, this episode is a campy celebration of a movie so bad, it’s iconic.

Links & Notes


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Learn more about supporting this podcast by becoming a member. It's just $5/month or $55/year. Visit our website to learn more.

]]> What do you get when you cross Elizabeth Berkley, a pile of glitter, and the worst pool sex scene ever committed to film? Showgirls, of course — and this week, Mandy dives headfirst into the chaotic, cringe-glittery mess with TV producer and camp connoisseur Jessica Jimenez. Jess has seen the cult classic more times than she can count (or admit), while Mandy might have lost a small piece of her soul watching it for the first time. What follows is a cocktail-fueled breakdown of the film’s misguided ambition, baffling dialogue, and bizarre legacy as both a Razzie-sweeping disaster and beloved queer cult staple.

The two unpack every absurd plot twist, every sequined meltdown, and yes — even Penny’s from Heaven. Is it empowering? Is it exploitative? Is it secretly genius? (No.) Is it fun to yell “Versayce” in public? (Yes.) Whether you’re a die-hard fan or a horrified first-timer, this episode is a campy celebration of a movie so bad, it’s iconic.

Links & Notes


---
Learn more about supporting this podcast by becoming a member. It's just $5/month or $55/year. Visit our website to learn more.

]]> Mon, 11 Aug 2025 03:00:00 -0700 TruStory FM TruStory FM 3193 What do you get when you cross Elizabeth Berkley, a pile of glitter, and the worst pool sex scene ever committed to film? Showgirls, of course — and this week, Mandy dives headfirst into the chaotic, cringe-glittery mess with TV producer and camp connoisseur Jessica Jimenez. Jess has seen the cult classic more times than she can count (or admit), while Mandy might have lost a small piece of her soul watching it for the first time. What follows is a cocktail-fueled breakdown of the film’s misguided ambition, baffling dialogue, and bizarre legacy as both a Razzie-sweeping disaster and beloved queer cult staple.

The two unpack every absurd plot twist, every sequined meltdown, and yes — even Penny’s from Heaven. Is it empowering? Is it exploitative? Is it secretly genius? (No.) Is it fun to yell “Versayce” in public? (Yes.) Whether you’re a die-hard fan or a horrified first-timer, this episode is a campy celebration of a movie so bad, it’s iconic.

Links & Notes


---
Learn more about supporting this podcast by becoming a member. It's just $5/month or $55/year. Visit our website to learn more.

]]> D&D, Star Wars, Star Trek, Marvel, Gaming, Technology, Nerddom No K-Pop Demon Hunters with Jimmy Aquino 57 57 K-Pop Demon Hunters with Jimmy Aquino full b83583c2-7fb7-486d-88c6-4ec735238e21 https://share.transistor.fm/s/fef1c0cd Jimmy Aquino is back and brings K-Pop Demon Hunters, the surprise Netflix hit that blends idol culture with demon-fighting destiny and music bangers that have conquered the Billboard charts. Mandy and Jimmy break down the film’s animation style, Buffy-meets-BTS premise, Korean cultural foundations, and the epic vocal range of EJAE (seriously, a D3 to an A5 in one breath?).

Jimmy dives deep into the 10-year journey to production, the real K-pop industry legends behind the soundtrack, and how the film’s creators brought sincerity, slapstick, and subversion to every glitter-drenched frame. The two gush about Derpy the tiger, decode the chibi-inspired gags, and debate the film’s third-act shift into emotional territory. Is it an instant classic? According to Rotten Tomatoes (96%) and Jimmy’s soul (100%), yes. And Mandy may or may not be working on a cover of “Golden” as Derpy. You’ve been warned.

Links & Notes


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Learn more about supporting this podcast by becoming a member. It's just $5/month or $55/year. Visit our website to learn more.

]]> Jimmy Aquino is back and brings K-Pop Demon Hunters, the surprise Netflix hit that blends idol culture with demon-fighting destiny and music bangers that have conquered the Billboard charts. Mandy and Jimmy break down the film’s animation style, Buffy-meets-BTS premise, Korean cultural foundations, and the epic vocal range of EJAE (seriously, a D3 to an A5 in one breath?).

Jimmy dives deep into the 10-year journey to production, the real K-pop industry legends behind the soundtrack, and how the film’s creators brought sincerity, slapstick, and subversion to every glitter-drenched frame. The two gush about Derpy the tiger, decode the chibi-inspired gags, and debate the film’s third-act shift into emotional territory. Is it an instant classic? According to Rotten Tomatoes (96%) and Jimmy’s soul (100%), yes. And Mandy may or may not be working on a cover of “Golden” as Derpy. You’ve been warned.

Links & Notes


---
Learn more about supporting this podcast by becoming a member. It's just $5/month or $55/year. Visit our website to learn more.

]]> Mon, 04 Aug 2025 03:00:00 -0700 TruStory FM TruStory FM 3407 Jimmy Aquino is back and brings K-Pop Demon Hunters, the surprise Netflix hit that blends idol culture with demon-fighting destiny and music bangers that have conquered the Billboard charts. Mandy and Jimmy break down the film’s animation style, Buffy-meets-BTS premise, Korean cultural foundations, and the epic vocal range of EJAE (seriously, a D3 to an A5 in one breath?).

Jimmy dives deep into the 10-year journey to production, the real K-pop industry legends behind the soundtrack, and how the film’s creators brought sincerity, slapstick, and subversion to every glitter-drenched frame. The two gush about Derpy the tiger, decode the chibi-inspired gags, and debate the film’s third-act shift into emotional territory. Is it an instant classic? According to Rotten Tomatoes (96%) and Jimmy’s soul (100%), yes. And Mandy may or may not be working on a cover of “Golden” as Derpy. You’ve been warned.

Links & Notes


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Learn more about supporting this podcast by becoming a member. It's just $5/month or $55/year. Visit our website to learn more.

]]> D&D, Star Wars, Star Trek, Marvel, Gaming, Technology, Nerddom No X-Men with JP Karliak 56 56 X-Men with JP Karliak full fa4cecc3-918c-4823-ae75-47774468924e https://share.transistor.fm/s/803e5467 He’s back and nerdier than ever! Mandy welcomes voice actor, activist, and self-proclaimed snappy dresser JP Karliak to discuss X-Men (2000)—the film that helped launch the modern superhero era and still sparks passionate debate among comic fans, queer viewers, and nerdy newcomers alike. JP, who now voices Morph in X-Men ’97, breaks down the emotional legacy of the franchise, its deep ties to marginalized identities, and what makes a mutant story resonate decades later.

The conversation bounces from childhood toys (Floam and Gak, anyone?) to ASMR triggers, to how comic book metaphors land differently for trans and queer communities in 2025. They unpack Rogue’s controversial casting, Mystique’s unapologetic nudity, and why every fight scene feels a bit like a prelude to kissing. Oh, and they definitely play a round of “F-Marry-Kill: Wolverine vs. Cyclops Edition.”


Links and Mentions:


---
Learn more about supporting this podcast by becoming a member. It's just $5/month or $55/year. Visit our website to learn more.

]]> He’s back and nerdier than ever! Mandy welcomes voice actor, activist, and self-proclaimed snappy dresser JP Karliak to discuss X-Men (2000)—the film that helped launch the modern superhero era and still sparks passionate debate among comic fans, queer viewers, and nerdy newcomers alike. JP, who now voices Morph in X-Men ’97, breaks down the emotional legacy of the franchise, its deep ties to marginalized identities, and what makes a mutant story resonate decades later.

The conversation bounces from childhood toys (Floam and Gak, anyone?) to ASMR triggers, to how comic book metaphors land differently for trans and queer communities in 2025. They unpack Rogue’s controversial casting, Mystique’s unapologetic nudity, and why every fight scene feels a bit like a prelude to kissing. Oh, and they definitely play a round of “F-Marry-Kill: Wolverine vs. Cyclops Edition.”


Links and Mentions:


---
Learn more about supporting this podcast by becoming a member. It's just $5/month or $55/year. Visit our website to learn more.

]]> Mon, 28 Jul 2025 03:00:00 -0700 TruStory FM TruStory FM 3017 He’s back and nerdier than ever! Mandy welcomes voice actor, activist, and self-proclaimed snappy dresser JP Karliak to discuss X-Men (2000)—the film that helped launch the modern superhero era and still sparks passionate debate among comic fans, queer viewers, and nerdy newcomers alike. JP, who now voices Morph in X-Men ’97, breaks down the emotional legacy of the franchise, its deep ties to marginalized identities, and what makes a mutant story resonate decades later.

The conversation bounces from childhood toys (Floam and Gak, anyone?) to ASMR triggers, to how comic book metaphors land differently for trans and queer communities in 2025. They unpack Rogue’s controversial casting, Mystique’s unapologetic nudity, and why every fight scene feels a bit like a prelude to kissing. Oh, and they definitely play a round of “F-Marry-Kill: Wolverine vs. Cyclops Edition.”


Links and Mentions:


---
Learn more about supporting this podcast by becoming a member. It's just $5/month or $55/year. Visit our website to learn more.

]]> D&D, Star Wars, Star Trek, Marvel, Gaming, Technology, Nerddom No The Big Bang Theory with Lisa Arch 55 55 The Big Bang Theory with Lisa Arch full 4561941e-1bc2-49e1-a115-6a901aebf131 https://share.transistor.fm/s/77fb60c6 In this delightfully nerdy episode, Mandy Kaplan welcomes actor and host Lisa Arch to discuss The Big Bang Theory, the show that launched Mandy’s “nerdification” and hooked Lisa over time with its layered friendships, character arcs, and perfect comedic timing. From dissecting the show’s legendary pilot to marveling at Sheldon’s emotional growth in “The Bath Item Gift Hypothesis,” Lisa and Mandy revel in how a sitcom about theoretical physicists managed to become deeply human—and deeply hilarious.

They tackle the show’s depiction of neurodivergence, its cautious navigation of LGBTQ+ tropes, and the impressive way it integrated new characters like Amy Farrah Fowler and Bernadette into an already thriving ensemble. Lisa brings emotional insight to Amy’s evolution and drops expert-level takes on sitcom chemistry, all while fielding urgent commentary about Trader Joe’s discontinued items and her mom’s housecoat game.

Stay tuned until the end for a tribute to the show’s genius writing, an ode to Zach the lovable himbo, and a bonus members-only segment where Lisa and Mandy recreate that scene from Legally Blonde. Spoiler: coitus is mentioned.

Links & Notes


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Learn more about supporting this podcast by becoming a member. It's just $5/month or $55/year. Visit our website to learn more.

]]> In this delightfully nerdy episode, Mandy Kaplan welcomes actor and host Lisa Arch to discuss The Big Bang Theory, the show that launched Mandy’s “nerdification” and hooked Lisa over time with its layered friendships, character arcs, and perfect comedic timing. From dissecting the show’s legendary pilot to marveling at Sheldon’s emotional growth in “The Bath Item Gift Hypothesis,” Lisa and Mandy revel in how a sitcom about theoretical physicists managed to become deeply human—and deeply hilarious.

They tackle the show’s depiction of neurodivergence, its cautious navigation of LGBTQ+ tropes, and the impressive way it integrated new characters like Amy Farrah Fowler and Bernadette into an already thriving ensemble. Lisa brings emotional insight to Amy’s evolution and drops expert-level takes on sitcom chemistry, all while fielding urgent commentary about Trader Joe’s discontinued items and her mom’s housecoat game.

Stay tuned until the end for a tribute to the show’s genius writing, an ode to Zach the lovable himbo, and a bonus members-only segment where Lisa and Mandy recreate that scene from Legally Blonde. Spoiler: coitus is mentioned.

Links & Notes


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Learn more about supporting this podcast by becoming a member. It's just $5/month or $55/year. Visit our website to learn more.

]]> Mon, 21 Jul 2025 03:00:00 -0700 TruStory FM TruStory FM 3314 In this delightfully nerdy episode, Mandy Kaplan welcomes actor and host Lisa Arch to discuss The Big Bang Theory, the show that launched Mandy’s “nerdification” and hooked Lisa over time with its layered friendships, character arcs, and perfect comedic timing. From dissecting the show’s legendary pilot to marveling at Sheldon’s emotional growth in “The Bath Item Gift Hypothesis,” Lisa and Mandy revel in how a sitcom about theoretical physicists managed to become deeply human—and deeply hilarious.

They tackle the show’s depiction of neurodivergence, its cautious navigation of LGBTQ+ tropes, and the impressive way it integrated new characters like Amy Farrah Fowler and Bernadette into an already thriving ensemble. Lisa brings emotional insight to Amy’s evolution and drops expert-level takes on sitcom chemistry, all while fielding urgent commentary about Trader Joe’s discontinued items and her mom’s housecoat game.

Stay tuned until the end for a tribute to the show’s genius writing, an ode to Zach the lovable himbo, and a bonus members-only segment where Lisa and Mandy recreate that scene from Legally Blonde. Spoiler: coitus is mentioned.

Links & Notes


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Learn more about supporting this podcast by becoming a member. It's just $5/month or $55/year. Visit our website to learn more.

]]> D&D, Star Wars, Star Trek, Marvel, Gaming, Technology, Nerddom No Suit up for Squad 20 D&D with Justine Huxley 54 54 Suit up for Squad 20 D&D with Justine Huxley full 39986521-c5c6-41a8-91b2-4b091d7bd4bb https://share.transistor.fm/s/1b51ab87 Let’s say you’re a respected voice actor. You’ve brought beloved characters to life in video games, animation, and probably at least one fan convention that smelled vaguely of beef jerky and dry-erase markers. Then one day, someone says: “Would you like to improvise a high-stakes fantasy quest in front of a live audience of howling D&D nerds… and also do it in costume… on stage… with dice… on YouTube?” What do you say?

If you’re Justine Huxley, the answer is “yes”—and then you glue leaves to your body and become a gnome druid named Finia.

This week on Make Me a Nerd, Mandy Kaplan welcomes back Justine for her third (yes, third!) appearance, this time to unravel the improbably nerdy tale of how a casual convention invite led to a starring role on Squad 20, a full-fledged Dungeons & Dragons series featuring voice actors, cosplay, and the occasional improvised musical number. It’s a story involving suspiciously attractive bards, aggressively vegetarian gnomes, and the kind of collaborative nerdery that only works when the DM knows exactly how many hit points are in your armor class. Mandy dives headfirst into this world—confused, delighted, and possibly a little drunk (not really, but let’s not rule anything out).

If you’ve ever wondered what happens when trained professionals take their theater degrees and aim them at a gelatinous cube, this is your episode.

Links & Notes


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Learn more about supporting this podcast by becoming a member. It's just $5/month or $55/year. Visit our website to learn more.

]]> Let’s say you’re a respected voice actor. You’ve brought beloved characters to life in video games, animation, and probably at least one fan convention that smelled vaguely of beef jerky and dry-erase markers. Then one day, someone says: “Would you like to improvise a high-stakes fantasy quest in front of a live audience of howling D&D nerds… and also do it in costume… on stage… with dice… on YouTube?” What do you say?

If you’re Justine Huxley, the answer is “yes”—and then you glue leaves to your body and become a gnome druid named Finia.

This week on Make Me a Nerd, Mandy Kaplan welcomes back Justine for her third (yes, third!) appearance, this time to unravel the improbably nerdy tale of how a casual convention invite led to a starring role on Squad 20, a full-fledged Dungeons & Dragons series featuring voice actors, cosplay, and the occasional improvised musical number. It’s a story involving suspiciously attractive bards, aggressively vegetarian gnomes, and the kind of collaborative nerdery that only works when the DM knows exactly how many hit points are in your armor class. Mandy dives headfirst into this world—confused, delighted, and possibly a little drunk (not really, but let’s not rule anything out).

If you’ve ever wondered what happens when trained professionals take their theater degrees and aim them at a gelatinous cube, this is your episode.

Links & Notes


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Learn more about supporting this podcast by becoming a member. It's just $5/month or $55/year. Visit our website to learn more.

]]> Mon, 14 Jul 2025 03:00:00 -0700 TruStory FM TruStory FM 2163 Let’s say you’re a respected voice actor. You’ve brought beloved characters to life in video games, animation, and probably at least one fan convention that smelled vaguely of beef jerky and dry-erase markers. Then one day, someone says: “Would you like to improvise a high-stakes fantasy quest in front of a live audience of howling D&D nerds… and also do it in costume… on stage… with dice… on YouTube?” What do you say?

If you’re Justine Huxley, the answer is “yes”—and then you glue leaves to your body and become a gnome druid named Finia.

This week on Make Me a Nerd, Mandy Kaplan welcomes back Justine for her third (yes, third!) appearance, this time to unravel the improbably nerdy tale of how a casual convention invite led to a starring role on Squad 20, a full-fledged Dungeons & Dragons series featuring voice actors, cosplay, and the occasional improvised musical number. It’s a story involving suspiciously attractive bards, aggressively vegetarian gnomes, and the kind of collaborative nerdery that only works when the DM knows exactly how many hit points are in your armor class. Mandy dives headfirst into this world—confused, delighted, and possibly a little drunk (not really, but let’s not rule anything out).

If you’ve ever wondered what happens when trained professionals take their theater degrees and aim them at a gelatinous cube, this is your episode.

Links & Notes


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Learn more about supporting this podcast by becoming a member. It's just $5/month or $55/year. Visit our website to learn more.

]]> D&D, Star Wars, Star Trek, Marvel, Gaming, Technology, Nerddom No SEGA v Nintendo with Danny Brown 53 53 SEGA v Nintendo with Danny Brown full a03d161a-763c-49f8-a37d-1ac88cd773e5 https://share.transistor.fm/s/2592c9cb In 1991, a small blue hedgehog in red sneakers launched a cultural revolution. But the story of Sonic—and the rise and fall of Sega—isn’t just about pixels and processors. It’s about loyalty, rebellion, and the strange way that consumer technology becomes a reflection of who we are.

This week on Make Me a Nerd, Mandy Kaplan sits down with Danny Brown—host of Five Random Questions and Head of Podcast Support and Experience at Captivate—to talk about the Great Console War: Sega versus Nintendo. It’s a conversation that ricochets between nostalgia and insight, from Michael Jackson-inspired character design to why Mortal Kombat forced the U.S. Senate to care about pixelated spleens. Along the way, they explore how companies adapt to extinction-level threats (1940s slot machines, anyone?), the absence of queer and diverse representation in early games, and the weird social currency of being the kid with the good console. Danny isn’t just a Sega loyalist—he’s a walking reminder that the fight for market dominance is always a proxy battle for identity.

And here’s the twist: Mandy, a self-professed non-gamer, brings just enough outsider perspective to make us question why we play at all. What do we escape when we mash buttons? What do we reveal? What do we remember?

Sometimes the nerdiest things turn out to be the most human.

Links to Add to Show Notes:


---
Learn more about supporting this podcast by becoming a member. It's just $5/month or $55/year. Visit our website to learn more.

]]> In 1991, a small blue hedgehog in red sneakers launched a cultural revolution. But the story of Sonic—and the rise and fall of Sega—isn’t just about pixels and processors. It’s about loyalty, rebellion, and the strange way that consumer technology becomes a reflection of who we are.

This week on Make Me a Nerd, Mandy Kaplan sits down with Danny Brown—host of Five Random Questions and Head of Podcast Support and Experience at Captivate—to talk about the Great Console War: Sega versus Nintendo. It’s a conversation that ricochets between nostalgia and insight, from Michael Jackson-inspired character design to why Mortal Kombat forced the U.S. Senate to care about pixelated spleens. Along the way, they explore how companies adapt to extinction-level threats (1940s slot machines, anyone?), the absence of queer and diverse representation in early games, and the weird social currency of being the kid with the good console. Danny isn’t just a Sega loyalist—he’s a walking reminder that the fight for market dominance is always a proxy battle for identity.

And here’s the twist: Mandy, a self-professed non-gamer, brings just enough outsider perspective to make us question why we play at all. What do we escape when we mash buttons? What do we reveal? What do we remember?

Sometimes the nerdiest things turn out to be the most human.

Links to Add to Show Notes:


---
Learn more about supporting this podcast by becoming a member. It's just $5/month or $55/year. Visit our website to learn more.

]]> Mon, 07 Jul 2025 03:00:00 -0700 TruStory FM TruStory FM 3062 In 1991, a small blue hedgehog in red sneakers launched a cultural revolution. But the story of Sonic—and the rise and fall of Sega—isn’t just about pixels and processors. It’s about loyalty, rebellion, and the strange way that consumer technology becomes a reflection of who we are.

This week on Make Me a Nerd, Mandy Kaplan sits down with Danny Brown—host of Five Random Questions and Head of Podcast Support and Experience at Captivate—to talk about the Great Console War: Sega versus Nintendo. It’s a conversation that ricochets between nostalgia and insight, from Michael Jackson-inspired character design to why Mortal Kombat forced the U.S. Senate to care about pixelated spleens. Along the way, they explore how companies adapt to extinction-level threats (1940s slot machines, anyone?), the absence of queer and diverse representation in early games, and the weird social currency of being the kid with the good console. Danny isn’t just a Sega loyalist—he’s a walking reminder that the fight for market dominance is always a proxy battle for identity.

And here’s the twist: Mandy, a self-professed non-gamer, brings just enough outsider perspective to make us question why we play at all. What do we escape when we mash buttons? What do we reveal? What do we remember?

Sometimes the nerdiest things turn out to be the most human.

Links to Add to Show Notes:


---
Learn more about supporting this podcast by becoming a member. It's just $5/month or $55/year. Visit our website to learn more.

]]> D&D, Star Wars, Star Trek, Marvel, Gaming, Technology, Nerddom No Thunderbolts* & Trauma: Marvel Gets Mental 52 52 Thunderbolts* & Trauma: Marvel Gets Mental full ddd0b57d-d10f-4fac-bff5-1468b18a8de1 https://share.transistor.fm/s/a3a99a82 Who knew anti-heroes could teach us about healing?

This week, Mandy sits down with Justin Jaeger—True Story film board favorite, book reviewer, and passionate MCU buff—to break down Thunderbolts. If you’re expecting a by-the-numbers action flick, think again. This Marvel installment has trauma, therapy metaphors, moral ambiguity, and exactly zero romantic subplots (finally). They talk about how the film blends superhero spectacle with emotional weight, highlighting characters who wrestle with their past instead of simply punching through it. Justin brings his deep knowledge of the MCU to explain how Thunderbolts fits into the Marvel mythos, while Mandy brings the perfect blend of fresh perspective and wide-eyed honesty. They also touch on representation, logic holes (hello, Red Guardian’s limousine), and the rare joy of female characters who are badass without being objectified.

You’ll hear what makes Florence Pugh a comedic ninja, why David Harbour may need to dial it down, and how Marvel is sneaking profound mental health commentary into popcorn cinema. And in a moment of genuine vulnerability, Mandy confesses her deepest nerd shame: she didn’t stay through all the end credits.

Links & Notes

Support The Show!

Love this episode? There’s more! Join us at makemeanerd.com to become a member and unlock bonus content—like Misty giving a behind-the-scenes look at producing Go Help Yourself, what it’s like reviewing 325+ self-help books, and how to navigate the chaotic sea of personal development content with humor and heart. Members enjoy early episodes, ad-free listening, and the bonus segment!


---
Learn more about supporting this podcast by becoming a member. It's just $5/month or $55/year. Visit our website to learn more.

]]> Who knew anti-heroes could teach us about healing?

This week, Mandy sits down with Justin Jaeger—True Story film board favorite, book reviewer, and passionate MCU buff—to break down Thunderbolts. If you’re expecting a by-the-numbers action flick, think again. This Marvel installment has trauma, therapy metaphors, moral ambiguity, and exactly zero romantic subplots (finally). They talk about how the film blends superhero spectacle with emotional weight, highlighting characters who wrestle with their past instead of simply punching through it. Justin brings his deep knowledge of the MCU to explain how Thunderbolts fits into the Marvel mythos, while Mandy brings the perfect blend of fresh perspective and wide-eyed honesty. They also touch on representation, logic holes (hello, Red Guardian’s limousine), and the rare joy of female characters who are badass without being objectified.

You’ll hear what makes Florence Pugh a comedic ninja, why David Harbour may need to dial it down, and how Marvel is sneaking profound mental health commentary into popcorn cinema. And in a moment of genuine vulnerability, Mandy confesses her deepest nerd shame: she didn’t stay through all the end credits.

Links & Notes

Support The Show!

Love this episode? There’s more! Join us at makemeanerd.com to become a member and unlock bonus content—like Misty giving a behind-the-scenes look at producing Go Help Yourself, what it’s like reviewing 325+ self-help books, and how to navigate the chaotic sea of personal development content with humor and heart. Members enjoy early episodes, ad-free listening, and the bonus segment!


---
Learn more about supporting this podcast by becoming a member. It's just $5/month or $55/year. Visit our website to learn more.

]]> Mon, 30 Jun 2025 03:00:00 -0700 TruStory FM TruStory FM 2912 Who knew anti-heroes could teach us about healing?

This week, Mandy sits down with Justin Jaeger—True Story film board favorite, book reviewer, and passionate MCU buff—to break down Thunderbolts. If you’re expecting a by-the-numbers action flick, think again. This Marvel installment has trauma, therapy metaphors, moral ambiguity, and exactly zero romantic subplots (finally). They talk about how the film blends superhero spectacle with emotional weight, highlighting characters who wrestle with their past instead of simply punching through it. Justin brings his deep knowledge of the MCU to explain how Thunderbolts fits into the Marvel mythos, while Mandy brings the perfect blend of fresh perspective and wide-eyed honesty. They also touch on representation, logic holes (hello, Red Guardian’s limousine), and the rare joy of female characters who are badass without being objectified.

You’ll hear what makes Florence Pugh a comedic ninja, why David Harbour may need to dial it down, and how Marvel is sneaking profound mental health commentary into popcorn cinema. And in a moment of genuine vulnerability, Mandy confesses her deepest nerd shame: she didn’t stay through all the end credits.

Links & Notes

Support The Show!

Love this episode? There’s more! Join us at makemeanerd.com to become a member and unlock bonus content—like Misty giving a behind-the-scenes look at producing Go Help Yourself, what it’s like reviewing 325+ self-help books, and how to navigate the chaotic sea of personal development content with humor and heart. Members enjoy early episodes, ad-free listening, and the bonus segment!


---
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]]> D&D, Star Wars, Star Trek, Marvel, Gaming, Technology, Nerddom No And now... a word from our host And now... a word from our host bonus 3867644a-1e15-40b8-bf4d-488188f1d006 https://share.transistor.fm/s/81a3cbc4 Hey! We're taking a short break to regroup, recharge, and do a little of the summer stuff that we're told grown-up nerds do. So you should do the same! We'll catch you in about a month... stay tuned! 

]]> Hey! We're taking a short break to regroup, recharge, and do a little of the summer stuff that we're told grown-up nerds do. So you should do the same! We'll catch you in about a month... stay tuned! 

]]> Mon, 09 Jun 2025 03:00:00 -0700 TruStory FM TruStory FM 41 Hey! We're taking a short break to regroup, recharge, and do a little of the summer stuff that we're told grown-up nerds do. So you should do the same! We'll catch you in about a month... stay tuned! 

]]> D&D, Star Wars, Star Trek, Marvel, Gaming, Technology, Nerddom No Dragon Smut & Lightning Kisses: Fourth Wing with Misty Stinnett 51 51 Dragon Smut & Lightning Kisses: Fourth Wing with Misty Stinnett full dce9475f-dde9-4a77-ab3c-1df35caef815 https://share.transistor.fm/s/b4bc0263 What happens when a self-help comedy podcaster and a self-proclaimed mainstream mom dive headfirst into the high-stakes world of dragon-based erotica? Fire. Literally.

That’s right, this week Mandy welcomes Misty Stinnett to Make Me a Nerd for a full-on nerd-out over Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros, the romantasy sensation that has TikTok, book clubs, and reluctant fantasy readers in a collective swoon. Misty—who’s spent the last 15 years producing content for Netflix, MasterClass, political campaigns, and more—is best known as the creator and host of Go Help Yourself, a podcast that makes self-help accessible, skeptical, and laugh-out-loud funny. But today, she trades the wellness aisle for war colleges, dragons, and extremely hot enemies-to-lovers situations.

Together, Mandy and Misty break down everything from the book’s death-defying obstacles and magical bonding rules to the overuse of the word “smirk” and the ethical dilemma of mental telepathy during sexy times. There are spoilers (fair warning), major laughs, and even a sidebar about cheese. It’s a lovefest, a critique, and a very funny ode to the joys of falling into a good fantasy book—even if it involves dragon lust.

🐲 Links & References:

🎉 Bonus Content Reminder!

Love this episode? There’s more! Join us at makemeanerd.com to become a member and unlock bonus content—like Misty giving a behind-the-scenes look at producing Go Help Yourself, what it’s like reviewing 325+ self-help books, and how to navigate the chaotic sea of personal development content with humor and heart. Members enjoy early episodes, ad-free listening, and the bonus segment!


---
Learn more about supporting this podcast by becoming a member. It's just $5/month or $55/year. Visit our website to learn more.

]]> What happens when a self-help comedy podcaster and a self-proclaimed mainstream mom dive headfirst into the high-stakes world of dragon-based erotica? Fire. Literally.

That’s right, this week Mandy welcomes Misty Stinnett to Make Me a Nerd for a full-on nerd-out over Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros, the romantasy sensation that has TikTok, book clubs, and reluctant fantasy readers in a collective swoon. Misty—who’s spent the last 15 years producing content for Netflix, MasterClass, political campaigns, and more—is best known as the creator and host of Go Help Yourself, a podcast that makes self-help accessible, skeptical, and laugh-out-loud funny. But today, she trades the wellness aisle for war colleges, dragons, and extremely hot enemies-to-lovers situations.

Together, Mandy and Misty break down everything from the book’s death-defying obstacles and magical bonding rules to the overuse of the word “smirk” and the ethical dilemma of mental telepathy during sexy times. There are spoilers (fair warning), major laughs, and even a sidebar about cheese. It’s a lovefest, a critique, and a very funny ode to the joys of falling into a good fantasy book—even if it involves dragon lust.

🐲 Links & References:

🎉 Bonus Content Reminder!

Love this episode? There’s more! Join us at makemeanerd.com to become a member and unlock bonus content—like Misty giving a behind-the-scenes look at producing Go Help Yourself, what it’s like reviewing 325+ self-help books, and how to navigate the chaotic sea of personal development content with humor and heart. Members enjoy early episodes, ad-free listening, and the bonus segment!


---
Learn more about supporting this podcast by becoming a member. It's just $5/month or $55/year. Visit our website to learn more.

]]> Mon, 02 Jun 2025 03:00:00 -0700 TruStory FM TruStory FM 3192 What happens when a self-help comedy podcaster and a self-proclaimed mainstream mom dive headfirst into the high-stakes world of dragon-based erotica? Fire. Literally.

That’s right, this week Mandy welcomes Misty Stinnett to Make Me a Nerd for a full-on nerd-out over Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros, the romantasy sensation that has TikTok, book clubs, and reluctant fantasy readers in a collective swoon. Misty—who’s spent the last 15 years producing content for Netflix, MasterClass, political campaigns, and more—is best known as the creator and host of Go Help Yourself, a podcast that makes self-help accessible, skeptical, and laugh-out-loud funny. But today, she trades the wellness aisle for war colleges, dragons, and extremely hot enemies-to-lovers situations.

Together, Mandy and Misty break down everything from the book’s death-defying obstacles and magical bonding rules to the overuse of the word “smirk” and the ethical dilemma of mental telepathy during sexy times. There are spoilers (fair warning), major laughs, and even a sidebar about cheese. It’s a lovefest, a critique, and a very funny ode to the joys of falling into a good fantasy book—even if it involves dragon lust.

🐲 Links & References:

🎉 Bonus Content Reminder!

Love this episode? There’s more! Join us at makemeanerd.com to become a member and unlock bonus content—like Misty giving a behind-the-scenes look at producing Go Help Yourself, what it’s like reviewing 325+ self-help books, and how to navigate the chaotic sea of personal development content with humor and heart. Members enjoy early episodes, ad-free listening, and the bonus segment!


---
Learn more about supporting this podcast by becoming a member. It's just $5/month or $55/year. Visit our website to learn more.

]]> D&D, Star Wars, Star Trek, Marvel, Gaming, Technology, Nerddom No Captain America: The First Avenger with John Mundy 50 50 Captain America: The First Avenger with John Mundy full 0ce0a4d4-8cea-43ea-9b94-e24e606b7aaa https://share.transistor.fm/s/61b08e66 Let’s talk about America. No—not that America ... Captain America, who—despite being a science experiment in high-waisted pants—somehow manages to be the most grounded Avenger in a sea of flying metal suits and literal gods with hammer fetishes.

This week, Mandy invites longtime friend and deep-level comic nerd John Mundy to hold her hand as she dives headfirst into Captain America: The First Avenger. And, it’s an episode that is more packed than Chris Evans’ post-serum pecs.

Together, Mandy and John embark on a cinematic journey that includes the ethics of weaponized patriotism, or as we like to call it, “Red, White, and Whoop-Ass.” There’s a deep dive into Marvel tropes: why all skinny underdogs are secret geniuses and why throwing a garbage can lid can get you drafted into heroism. There’s a detour into CGI that makes you say, “Wait, is that a bobblehead with abs? Of course the show addresses the sex appeal of moral fortitude. Yes, really.

But that’s not all! Mandy also gets misty-eyed over soldier rescues, super-serums, and a surprisingly moving romance between a supersoldier and a woman who can shoot a Nazi from 40 paces without smudging her lipstick. Honestly, it’s all quite wholesome until the face-peeling starts.

If you’ve ever wondered what it’s like to become a nerd in real time—with only vague recollections of Spider-Verse, a stubborn commitment to romantic fantasy novels, and a heart full of justice—this episode is for you. Plus, there’s an actual moment when a teenager discovers their sexuality thanks to Chris Evans emerging from a transformation chamber glistening like a Christmas ham. Iconic.

Links & Notes


---
Learn more about supporting this podcast by becoming a member. It's just $5/month or $55/year. Visit our website to learn more.

]]> Let’s talk about America. No—not that America ... Captain America, who—despite being a science experiment in high-waisted pants—somehow manages to be the most grounded Avenger in a sea of flying metal suits and literal gods with hammer fetishes.

This week, Mandy invites longtime friend and deep-level comic nerd John Mundy to hold her hand as she dives headfirst into Captain America: The First Avenger. And, it’s an episode that is more packed than Chris Evans’ post-serum pecs.

Together, Mandy and John embark on a cinematic journey that includes the ethics of weaponized patriotism, or as we like to call it, “Red, White, and Whoop-Ass.” There’s a deep dive into Marvel tropes: why all skinny underdogs are secret geniuses and why throwing a garbage can lid can get you drafted into heroism. There’s a detour into CGI that makes you say, “Wait, is that a bobblehead with abs? Of course the show addresses the sex appeal of moral fortitude. Yes, really.

But that’s not all! Mandy also gets misty-eyed over soldier rescues, super-serums, and a surprisingly moving romance between a supersoldier and a woman who can shoot a Nazi from 40 paces without smudging her lipstick. Honestly, it’s all quite wholesome until the face-peeling starts.

If you’ve ever wondered what it’s like to become a nerd in real time—with only vague recollections of Spider-Verse, a stubborn commitment to romantic fantasy novels, and a heart full of justice—this episode is for you. Plus, there’s an actual moment when a teenager discovers their sexuality thanks to Chris Evans emerging from a transformation chamber glistening like a Christmas ham. Iconic.

Links & Notes


---
Learn more about supporting this podcast by becoming a member. It's just $5/month or $55/year. Visit our website to learn more.

]]> Mon, 26 May 2025 03:00:00 -0700 TruStory FM TruStory FM 2970 Let’s talk about America. No—not that America ... Captain America, who—despite being a science experiment in high-waisted pants—somehow manages to be the most grounded Avenger in a sea of flying metal suits and literal gods with hammer fetishes.

This week, Mandy invites longtime friend and deep-level comic nerd John Mundy to hold her hand as she dives headfirst into Captain America: The First Avenger. And, it’s an episode that is more packed than Chris Evans’ post-serum pecs.

Together, Mandy and John embark on a cinematic journey that includes the ethics of weaponized patriotism, or as we like to call it, “Red, White, and Whoop-Ass.” There’s a deep dive into Marvel tropes: why all skinny underdogs are secret geniuses and why throwing a garbage can lid can get you drafted into heroism. There’s a detour into CGI that makes you say, “Wait, is that a bobblehead with abs? Of course the show addresses the sex appeal of moral fortitude. Yes, really.

But that’s not all! Mandy also gets misty-eyed over soldier rescues, super-serums, and a surprisingly moving romance between a supersoldier and a woman who can shoot a Nazi from 40 paces without smudging her lipstick. Honestly, it’s all quite wholesome until the face-peeling starts.

If you’ve ever wondered what it’s like to become a nerd in real time—with only vague recollections of Spider-Verse, a stubborn commitment to romantic fantasy novels, and a heart full of justice—this episode is for you. Plus, there’s an actual moment when a teenager discovers their sexuality thanks to Chris Evans emerging from a transformation chamber glistening like a Christmas ham. Iconic.

Links & Notes


---
Learn more about supporting this podcast by becoming a member. It's just $5/month or $55/year. Visit our website to learn more.

]]> D&D, Star Wars, Star Trek, Marvel, Gaming, Technology, Nerddom No The Nerd Who Wrote Everything: A Conversation with Bruce Vilanch 49 49 The Nerd Who Wrote Everything: A Conversation with Bruce Vilanch full 3a5bc949-eb87-4458-8633-2dac739ce29f https://share.transistor.fm/s/5fe439c5 Welcome to the show, everybody! In this very special episode of Make Me a Nerd, Mandy Kaplan sits down with Bruce Vilanch—Emmy-winning writer, cultural historian of kitsch, and the man behind some of the strangest, most infamous moments in television history. You may know him as the guy who put Bea Arthur in a space cantina or paired Paul Lynde with KISS on national TV, but there’s so much more to Bruce’s story.

Together, they dive headfirst into the murky glitter of The Star Wars Holiday Special, exploring its Wookiee problem (they don’t talk, dance, or sing), its sultry Diane Carroll fever dream, and the fact that Life Day was somehow born from this madness. Bruce offers behind-the-scenes stories of writing for characters who don’t speak, persuading Art Carney into a deep V-neck, and navigating George Lucas’s peculiar brand of control. And yes, there’s a lot of love for Bea Arthur.

But it doesn’t stop at Star Wars. Bruce reflects on his Broadway turn as Edna Turnblad in Hairspray, his doomed but delightful musical Platinum, and the strange power of camp television to unify audiences in an era before narrowcasting. He’s candid about working with legends (and some disasters), about walking the line between comedy and cruelty on awards shows, and about why he finally wrote a book about all of it: It Seemed Like a Bad Idea at the Time.

This episode is a love letter to nerds of all stripes—musical theater nerds, comedy nerds, pop culture archivists—and an essential listen for anyone who ever found beauty in a bad idea done well (or at least weird). Bruce Vilanch doesn’t just tell stories—he is a story.


🛒 Links & References:


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Love this episode? There’s more! Join us at makemeanerd.com/join to become a member and unlock bonus content—like Bruce playing rapid-fire word association about his legendary collaborators. Plus, members get early, ad-free access to every episode.


---
Learn more about supporting this podcast by becoming a member. It's just $5/month or $55/year. Visit our website to learn more.

]]> Welcome to the show, everybody! In this very special episode of Make Me a Nerd, Mandy Kaplan sits down with Bruce Vilanch—Emmy-winning writer, cultural historian of kitsch, and the man behind some of the strangest, most infamous moments in television history. You may know him as the guy who put Bea Arthur in a space cantina or paired Paul Lynde with KISS on national TV, but there’s so much more to Bruce’s story.

Together, they dive headfirst into the murky glitter of The Star Wars Holiday Special, exploring its Wookiee problem (they don’t talk, dance, or sing), its sultry Diane Carroll fever dream, and the fact that Life Day was somehow born from this madness. Bruce offers behind-the-scenes stories of writing for characters who don’t speak, persuading Art Carney into a deep V-neck, and navigating George Lucas’s peculiar brand of control. And yes, there’s a lot of love for Bea Arthur.

But it doesn’t stop at Star Wars. Bruce reflects on his Broadway turn as Edna Turnblad in Hairspray, his doomed but delightful musical Platinum, and the strange power of camp television to unify audiences in an era before narrowcasting. He’s candid about working with legends (and some disasters), about walking the line between comedy and cruelty on awards shows, and about why he finally wrote a book about all of it: It Seemed Like a Bad Idea at the Time.

This episode is a love letter to nerds of all stripes—musical theater nerds, comedy nerds, pop culture archivists—and an essential listen for anyone who ever found beauty in a bad idea done well (or at least weird). Bruce Vilanch doesn’t just tell stories—he is a story.


🛒 Links & References:


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Love this episode? There’s more! Join us at makemeanerd.com/join to become a member and unlock bonus content—like Bruce playing rapid-fire word association about his legendary collaborators. Plus, members get early, ad-free access to every episode.


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Learn more about supporting this podcast by becoming a member. It's just $5/month or $55/year. Visit our website to learn more.

]]> Mon, 19 May 2025 03:00:00 -0700 TruStory FM TruStory FM 2819 Welcome to the show, everybody! In this very special episode of Make Me a Nerd, Mandy Kaplan sits down with Bruce Vilanch—Emmy-winning writer, cultural historian of kitsch, and the man behind some of the strangest, most infamous moments in television history. You may know him as the guy who put Bea Arthur in a space cantina or paired Paul Lynde with KISS on national TV, but there’s so much more to Bruce’s story.

Together, they dive headfirst into the murky glitter of The Star Wars Holiday Special, exploring its Wookiee problem (they don’t talk, dance, or sing), its sultry Diane Carroll fever dream, and the fact that Life Day was somehow born from this madness. Bruce offers behind-the-scenes stories of writing for characters who don’t speak, persuading Art Carney into a deep V-neck, and navigating George Lucas’s peculiar brand of control. And yes, there’s a lot of love for Bea Arthur.

But it doesn’t stop at Star Wars. Bruce reflects on his Broadway turn as Edna Turnblad in Hairspray, his doomed but delightful musical Platinum, and the strange power of camp television to unify audiences in an era before narrowcasting. He’s candid about working with legends (and some disasters), about walking the line between comedy and cruelty on awards shows, and about why he finally wrote a book about all of it: It Seemed Like a Bad Idea at the Time.

This episode is a love letter to nerds of all stripes—musical theater nerds, comedy nerds, pop culture archivists—and an essential listen for anyone who ever found beauty in a bad idea done well (or at least weird). Bruce Vilanch doesn’t just tell stories—he is a story.


🛒 Links & References:


🎉 Bonus Content Reminder!

Love this episode? There’s more! Join us at makemeanerd.com/join to become a member and unlock bonus content—like Bruce playing rapid-fire word association about his legendary collaborators. Plus, members get early, ad-free access to every episode.


---
Learn more about supporting this podcast by becoming a member. It's just $5/month or $55/year. Visit our website to learn more.

]]> D&D, Star Wars, Star Trek, Marvel, Gaming, Technology, Nerddom No Labyrinth with Krissy Lenz 48 48 Labyrinth with Krissy Lenz full 6d862998-1a30-48d8-ab81-92cbbc26a39e https://share.transistor.fm/s/aa04f366 Do you remember a time when David Bowie’s pants were tighter than your schedule, owls were CGI nightmares, and puppets had a suspicious amount of emotional range? No? WELL, YOU’RE IN FOR A TREAT. Because this week, Mandy steps right into the sparkly, slightly confusing fever dream that is Labyrinth. And she does so with none other than fan-favorite, tattoo-wearing, La Croix-powered 80s movie expert Krissy Lenz.

Yes, Krissy is back, and she’s brought the power of voodoo (who do? SHE DO.) along with enough trivia and nostalgia to flood the Goblin City. Together, Mandy and Krissy explore everything from Jennifer Connelly’s “emotionally lasagna” acting to the unsettling truth about baby Toby’s stripes (fashion crime? Or subtle form of goblin-initiated Stockholm syndrome?).

They break down why Labyrinth flopped harder than a toddler on a trampoline, only to rise from the VHS ashes like a glitter-dusted phoenix of cult status. We talk peach-induced amnesia, helping hands that are, frankly, too helpful, and why Ludo is the emotional support monster we all need. And in the greatest mind-meld since Vulcans became a thing, Mandy and Krissy simultaneously declare Lady Gaga as the only possible heir to the Goblin King throne. Bowie would approve. Probably.

Also on tap: the terrifying truth about The Dark Crystal, the trauma of ‘80s puppet animation, and Mandy’s theory that Sir Didymus is somehow a Gonzo cousin on a gap year.


Links & Notes


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Learn more about supporting this podcast by becoming a member. It's just $5/month or $55/year. Visit our website to learn more.

]]> Do you remember a time when David Bowie’s pants were tighter than your schedule, owls were CGI nightmares, and puppets had a suspicious amount of emotional range? No? WELL, YOU’RE IN FOR A TREAT. Because this week, Mandy steps right into the sparkly, slightly confusing fever dream that is Labyrinth. And she does so with none other than fan-favorite, tattoo-wearing, La Croix-powered 80s movie expert Krissy Lenz.

Yes, Krissy is back, and she’s brought the power of voodoo (who do? SHE DO.) along with enough trivia and nostalgia to flood the Goblin City. Together, Mandy and Krissy explore everything from Jennifer Connelly’s “emotionally lasagna” acting to the unsettling truth about baby Toby’s stripes (fashion crime? Or subtle form of goblin-initiated Stockholm syndrome?).

They break down why Labyrinth flopped harder than a toddler on a trampoline, only to rise from the VHS ashes like a glitter-dusted phoenix of cult status. We talk peach-induced amnesia, helping hands that are, frankly, too helpful, and why Ludo is the emotional support monster we all need. And in the greatest mind-meld since Vulcans became a thing, Mandy and Krissy simultaneously declare Lady Gaga as the only possible heir to the Goblin King throne. Bowie would approve. Probably.

Also on tap: the terrifying truth about The Dark Crystal, the trauma of ‘80s puppet animation, and Mandy’s theory that Sir Didymus is somehow a Gonzo cousin on a gap year.


Links & Notes


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Learn more about supporting this podcast by becoming a member. It's just $5/month or $55/year. Visit our website to learn more.

]]> Mon, 12 May 2025 03:00:00 -0700 TruStory FM TruStory FM 3151 Do you remember a time when David Bowie’s pants were tighter than your schedule, owls were CGI nightmares, and puppets had a suspicious amount of emotional range? No? WELL, YOU’RE IN FOR A TREAT. Because this week, Mandy steps right into the sparkly, slightly confusing fever dream that is Labyrinth. And she does so with none other than fan-favorite, tattoo-wearing, La Croix-powered 80s movie expert Krissy Lenz.

Yes, Krissy is back, and she’s brought the power of voodoo (who do? SHE DO.) along with enough trivia and nostalgia to flood the Goblin City. Together, Mandy and Krissy explore everything from Jennifer Connelly’s “emotionally lasagna” acting to the unsettling truth about baby Toby’s stripes (fashion crime? Or subtle form of goblin-initiated Stockholm syndrome?).

They break down why Labyrinth flopped harder than a toddler on a trampoline, only to rise from the VHS ashes like a glitter-dusted phoenix of cult status. We talk peach-induced amnesia, helping hands that are, frankly, too helpful, and why Ludo is the emotional support monster we all need. And in the greatest mind-meld since Vulcans became a thing, Mandy and Krissy simultaneously declare Lady Gaga as the only possible heir to the Goblin King throne. Bowie would approve. Probably.

Also on tap: the terrifying truth about The Dark Crystal, the trauma of ‘80s puppet animation, and Mandy’s theory that Sir Didymus is somehow a Gonzo cousin on a gap year.


Links & Notes


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Learn more about supporting this podcast by becoming a member. It's just $5/month or $55/year. Visit our website to learn more.

]]> D&D, Star Wars, Star Trek, Marvel, Gaming, Technology, Nerddom No Black Mirror with Tommy Metz III & Pete Wright 47 47 Black Mirror with Tommy Metz III & Pete Wright full be35997d-cf9f-4c9e-9f9c-6c430886682b https://share.transistor.fm/s/553a7864 Welcome back, nerdlings, to Make Me A Nerd — the show where one mainstream mom dares to plummet headfirst into the gelatinous pit of sci-fi anthologies, death anxiety, and…digital pigs. This week, Mandy Kaplan reunites with podcast übermensch Pete Wright and returning mensch Tommy Metz III to tackle Black Mirror — that show that asks the critical question: “What if your phone hated you as much as you hate yourself?”

Together, Mandy, Pete, and Tommy trudge through techno-paranoia, pastel dystopias, virtual beach towns where nobody drinks a full cocktail, and simulated space-faring hellscapes hosted by Jesse Plemons’ terrifying smirk. From “Nosedive” to “San Junipero” to “USS Callister,” they unpack it all — social media dystopias, afterlife existentialism, toxic masculinity with a side of laser guns — and yes, the entirely correct revelation that polite behavior toward Alexa might just save your life one day. Plus: why influencer culture is just Yelp for your soul, how CGI turns your eyes into dead fish orbs, and an accidental seminar on the Jewish concept of hell.

It’s dark. It’s funny. It’s deeply unsettling. It’s basically the perfect Monday.


Links & Notes


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Learn more about supporting this podcast by becoming a member. It's just $5/month or $55/year. Visit our website to learn more.

]]> Welcome back, nerdlings, to Make Me A Nerd — the show where one mainstream mom dares to plummet headfirst into the gelatinous pit of sci-fi anthologies, death anxiety, and…digital pigs. This week, Mandy Kaplan reunites with podcast übermensch Pete Wright and returning mensch Tommy Metz III to tackle Black Mirror — that show that asks the critical question: “What if your phone hated you as much as you hate yourself?”

Together, Mandy, Pete, and Tommy trudge through techno-paranoia, pastel dystopias, virtual beach towns where nobody drinks a full cocktail, and simulated space-faring hellscapes hosted by Jesse Plemons’ terrifying smirk. From “Nosedive” to “San Junipero” to “USS Callister,” they unpack it all — social media dystopias, afterlife existentialism, toxic masculinity with a side of laser guns — and yes, the entirely correct revelation that polite behavior toward Alexa might just save your life one day. Plus: why influencer culture is just Yelp for your soul, how CGI turns your eyes into dead fish orbs, and an accidental seminar on the Jewish concept of hell.

It’s dark. It’s funny. It’s deeply unsettling. It’s basically the perfect Monday.


Links & Notes


---
Learn more about supporting this podcast by becoming a member. It's just $5/month or $55/year. Visit our website to learn more.

]]> Mon, 05 May 2025 03:00:00 -0700 TruStory FM TruStory FM 3816 Welcome back, nerdlings, to Make Me A Nerd — the show where one mainstream mom dares to plummet headfirst into the gelatinous pit of sci-fi anthologies, death anxiety, and…digital pigs. This week, Mandy Kaplan reunites with podcast übermensch Pete Wright and returning mensch Tommy Metz III to tackle Black Mirror — that show that asks the critical question: “What if your phone hated you as much as you hate yourself?”

Together, Mandy, Pete, and Tommy trudge through techno-paranoia, pastel dystopias, virtual beach towns where nobody drinks a full cocktail, and simulated space-faring hellscapes hosted by Jesse Plemons’ terrifying smirk. From “Nosedive” to “San Junipero” to “USS Callister,” they unpack it all — social media dystopias, afterlife existentialism, toxic masculinity with a side of laser guns — and yes, the entirely correct revelation that polite behavior toward Alexa might just save your life one day. Plus: why influencer culture is just Yelp for your soul, how CGI turns your eyes into dead fish orbs, and an accidental seminar on the Jewish concept of hell.

It’s dark. It’s funny. It’s deeply unsettling. It’s basically the perfect Monday.


Links & Notes


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Learn more about supporting this podcast by becoming a member. It's just $5/month or $55/year. Visit our website to learn more.

]]> D&D, Star Wars, Star Trek, Marvel, Gaming, Technology, Nerddom No The New Doctor Who with Manny Patel 46 46 The New Doctor Who with Manny Patel full 6bf79be0-17b9-4fb5-8260-7cec01366344 https://share.transistor.fm/s/733d9d81 What do you get when you cross a mainstream mom, a Time Lord, and the Spice Girls? A deliriously joyful trip through time, space, pop culture, and puppets. This week on Make Me A Nerd, Mandy welcomes back the dazzlingly encyclopedic Manny Patel—Doctor Who superfan, mashup artist, and the human equivalent of a well-timed sonic screwdriver—for an energetic deep dive into the “three-boot” of Doctor Who on Disney+. Together, they attempt the nerdy equivalent of catching a greased pig: explaining The Giggle, The Church on Ruby Road, and The Devil’s Chord to someone who has maybe seen three episodes and still calls Van Gogh “that guy who painted starry stuff.”

Manny brings the receipts—from Neil Patrick Harris channeling every villain trope with chaotic glee, to the Doctor’s new bi-generative regeneration twist, to goblins who serenade babies before sautéing them. Mandy, meanwhile, lobs perfectly timed WTFs and deeply relatable mom-level questions (“Why isn’t anyone scared of the goblins?” “Why does the TARDIS look like a 90s karaoke screen?”). By the end, you’ll be asking yourself the real questions: Is Doctor Who too woke? Is crying the new sonic screwdriver? And will Mandy ever stop calling herself a “whobie”?

Also: Jinkx Monsoon is serving Maestro menace, UNIT is basically the British Avengers, and somebody please give Manny a consulting credit already.

Links & Notes


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Learn more about supporting this podcast by becoming a member. It's just $5/month or $55/year. Visit our website to learn more.

]]> What do you get when you cross a mainstream mom, a Time Lord, and the Spice Girls? A deliriously joyful trip through time, space, pop culture, and puppets. This week on Make Me A Nerd, Mandy welcomes back the dazzlingly encyclopedic Manny Patel—Doctor Who superfan, mashup artist, and the human equivalent of a well-timed sonic screwdriver—for an energetic deep dive into the “three-boot” of Doctor Who on Disney+. Together, they attempt the nerdy equivalent of catching a greased pig: explaining The Giggle, The Church on Ruby Road, and The Devil’s Chord to someone who has maybe seen three episodes and still calls Van Gogh “that guy who painted starry stuff.”

Manny brings the receipts—from Neil Patrick Harris channeling every villain trope with chaotic glee, to the Doctor’s new bi-generative regeneration twist, to goblins who serenade babies before sautéing them. Mandy, meanwhile, lobs perfectly timed WTFs and deeply relatable mom-level questions (“Why isn’t anyone scared of the goblins?” “Why does the TARDIS look like a 90s karaoke screen?”). By the end, you’ll be asking yourself the real questions: Is Doctor Who too woke? Is crying the new sonic screwdriver? And will Mandy ever stop calling herself a “whobie”?

Also: Jinkx Monsoon is serving Maestro menace, UNIT is basically the British Avengers, and somebody please give Manny a consulting credit already.

Links & Notes


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Learn more about supporting this podcast by becoming a member. It's just $5/month or $55/year. Visit our website to learn more.

]]> Mon, 28 Apr 2025 03:00:00 -0700 TruStory FM TruStory FM 3230 What do you get when you cross a mainstream mom, a Time Lord, and the Spice Girls? A deliriously joyful trip through time, space, pop culture, and puppets. This week on Make Me A Nerd, Mandy welcomes back the dazzlingly encyclopedic Manny Patel—Doctor Who superfan, mashup artist, and the human equivalent of a well-timed sonic screwdriver—for an energetic deep dive into the “three-boot” of Doctor Who on Disney+. Together, they attempt the nerdy equivalent of catching a greased pig: explaining The Giggle, The Church on Ruby Road, and The Devil’s Chord to someone who has maybe seen three episodes and still calls Van Gogh “that guy who painted starry stuff.”

Manny brings the receipts—from Neil Patrick Harris channeling every villain trope with chaotic glee, to the Doctor’s new bi-generative regeneration twist, to goblins who serenade babies before sautéing them. Mandy, meanwhile, lobs perfectly timed WTFs and deeply relatable mom-level questions (“Why isn’t anyone scared of the goblins?” “Why does the TARDIS look like a 90s karaoke screen?”). By the end, you’ll be asking yourself the real questions: Is Doctor Who too woke? Is crying the new sonic screwdriver? And will Mandy ever stop calling herself a “whobie”?

Also: Jinkx Monsoon is serving Maestro menace, UNIT is basically the British Avengers, and somebody please give Manny a consulting credit already.

Links & Notes


---
Learn more about supporting this podcast by becoming a member. It's just $5/month or $55/year. Visit our website to learn more.

]]> D&D, Star Wars, Star Trek, Marvel, Gaming, Technology, Nerddom No Andor with Yoshi Stone 45 45 Andor with Yoshi Stone full 841fc23f-8253-49ac-b75e-23e2e56ca01c https://share.transistor.fm/s/87567238 In 1977, George Lucas introduced the world to a galaxy far, far away—a universe filled with lightsabers, Jedi mysticism, and the eternal struggle between the forces of good and evil. In the decades since, Star Wars has alternately soared and stumbled, expanding its mythos with prequels, sequels, spin-offs, and animated series. Some of these additions have been embraced with fervor. Others have been met with a sigh. And then, in 2022, something unexpected happened. A show emerged that defied the formula, stripped away the familiar iconography, and ignored the Skywalker lineage entirely. Andor was not a story of destiny or prophecy. It was a story of people—flawed, desperate, ordinary people—trying to survive in the shadow of an empire.

On this episode of Make Me A Nerd, Mandy takes her first step into the world of Andor. Her guide? Yoshi Stone, a television producer, cocktail enthusiast, and lifelong Star Wars devotee who has spent years navigating the vast and varied terrain of nerd culture. Together, they explore the show’s grounded realism, its moral ambiguity, and its surprising ability to make an intergalactic rebellion feel like a gritty political thriller.

Why does Andor feel more like The Bourne Identity than The Empire Strikes Back? What does it mean that its characters drink from mismatched cups, wear scuffed boots, and worry about bureaucratic red tape? And how did a show with no Jedi, no Sith, and no lightsabers become, in Yoshi’s estimation, the best Star Wars project of the last two decades?

This is a conversation about a show that shouldn’t have worked. But did.


Links & References:


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Learn more about supporting this podcast by becoming a member. It's just $5/month or $55/year. Visit our website to learn more.

]]> In 1977, George Lucas introduced the world to a galaxy far, far away—a universe filled with lightsabers, Jedi mysticism, and the eternal struggle between the forces of good and evil. In the decades since, Star Wars has alternately soared and stumbled, expanding its mythos with prequels, sequels, spin-offs, and animated series. Some of these additions have been embraced with fervor. Others have been met with a sigh. And then, in 2022, something unexpected happened. A show emerged that defied the formula, stripped away the familiar iconography, and ignored the Skywalker lineage entirely. Andor was not a story of destiny or prophecy. It was a story of people—flawed, desperate, ordinary people—trying to survive in the shadow of an empire.

On this episode of Make Me A Nerd, Mandy takes her first step into the world of Andor. Her guide? Yoshi Stone, a television producer, cocktail enthusiast, and lifelong Star Wars devotee who has spent years navigating the vast and varied terrain of nerd culture. Together, they explore the show’s grounded realism, its moral ambiguity, and its surprising ability to make an intergalactic rebellion feel like a gritty political thriller.

Why does Andor feel more like The Bourne Identity than The Empire Strikes Back? What does it mean that its characters drink from mismatched cups, wear scuffed boots, and worry about bureaucratic red tape? And how did a show with no Jedi, no Sith, and no lightsabers become, in Yoshi’s estimation, the best Star Wars project of the last two decades?

This is a conversation about a show that shouldn’t have worked. But did.


Links & References:


---
Learn more about supporting this podcast by becoming a member. It's just $5/month or $55/year. Visit our website to learn more.

]]> Mon, 21 Apr 2025 03:27:00 -0700 TruStory FM TruStory FM 3115 In 1977, George Lucas introduced the world to a galaxy far, far away—a universe filled with lightsabers, Jedi mysticism, and the eternal struggle between the forces of good and evil. In the decades since, Star Wars has alternately soared and stumbled, expanding its mythos with prequels, sequels, spin-offs, and animated series. Some of these additions have been embraced with fervor. Others have been met with a sigh. And then, in 2022, something unexpected happened. A show emerged that defied the formula, stripped away the familiar iconography, and ignored the Skywalker lineage entirely. Andor was not a story of destiny or prophecy. It was a story of people—flawed, desperate, ordinary people—trying to survive in the shadow of an empire.

On this episode of Make Me A Nerd, Mandy takes her first step into the world of Andor. Her guide? Yoshi Stone, a television producer, cocktail enthusiast, and lifelong Star Wars devotee who has spent years navigating the vast and varied terrain of nerd culture. Together, they explore the show’s grounded realism, its moral ambiguity, and its surprising ability to make an intergalactic rebellion feel like a gritty political thriller.

Why does Andor feel more like The Bourne Identity than The Empire Strikes Back? What does it mean that its characters drink from mismatched cups, wear scuffed boots, and worry about bureaucratic red tape? And how did a show with no Jedi, no Sith, and no lightsabers become, in Yoshi’s estimation, the best Star Wars project of the last two decades?

This is a conversation about a show that shouldn’t have worked. But did.


Links & References:


---
Learn more about supporting this podcast by becoming a member. It's just $5/month or $55/year. Visit our website to learn more.

]]> D&D, Star Wars, Star Trek, Marvel, Gaming, Technology, Nerddom No The Last of Us with Matthew Fox 44 44 The Last of Us with Matthew Fox full 3ff82622-d3cd-4def-800e-8a1d19baa7ad https://share.transistor.fm/s/7c3a4058 This week on Make Me A Nerd, Mandy attempts to survive a full-blown fungal apocalypse—emotionally, spiritually, and occasionally by camouflage. And she’s not alone! She’s joined by three-time guest and ethics enthusiast Matthew Fox, who gently guides her through the cordyceps-infested wasteland that is The Last of Us. Think of them as a podcast Joel, if Joel read moral philosophy and didn’t shoot people in the face quite as often.

From clickers to conundrums, this episode dives into why this so-called zombie genre show is actually about love, loss, and whether saving one person is worth dooming humanity. (Spoiler: maybe!) Mandy—bless her emotionally-intact, pastel-colored heart—only made it through two episodes before waving a white flag made of tissues and trauma. Matthew, meanwhile, brings receipts, ethics, and a voice so reassuring it makes the end of civilization feel slightly cozy.

They tackle the big questions: Is Pedro Pascal’s Texan accent legally binding? Does Bella Ramsey have a resting post-apocalyptic face? Would Mandy survive five minutes in Boston 20 years after the fall of humanity? (Spoiler: No. And that’s fine.) They also explore how video games became the Shakespearean tragedies of our time, how the show contributed to the fall of the “video game curse,” and whether Joel is the reluctant dad of the decade… or just a really hot war criminal.

Plus, a tribute to the late Val Kilmer, a nod to Willow, and a moment of silence for Mandy’s sanity after trying to reconcile a brain fungus outbreak with pandemic PTSD. You’re going to laugh, you’re going to think, you’re going to want to rewatch episode two and sob into a throw blanket.

Links & Notes


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Learn more about supporting this podcast by becoming a member. It's just $5/month or $55/year. Visit our website to learn more.

]]> This week on Make Me A Nerd, Mandy attempts to survive a full-blown fungal apocalypse—emotionally, spiritually, and occasionally by camouflage. And she’s not alone! She’s joined by three-time guest and ethics enthusiast Matthew Fox, who gently guides her through the cordyceps-infested wasteland that is The Last of Us. Think of them as a podcast Joel, if Joel read moral philosophy and didn’t shoot people in the face quite as often.

From clickers to conundrums, this episode dives into why this so-called zombie genre show is actually about love, loss, and whether saving one person is worth dooming humanity. (Spoiler: maybe!) Mandy—bless her emotionally-intact, pastel-colored heart—only made it through two episodes before waving a white flag made of tissues and trauma. Matthew, meanwhile, brings receipts, ethics, and a voice so reassuring it makes the end of civilization feel slightly cozy.

They tackle the big questions: Is Pedro Pascal’s Texan accent legally binding? Does Bella Ramsey have a resting post-apocalyptic face? Would Mandy survive five minutes in Boston 20 years after the fall of humanity? (Spoiler: No. And that’s fine.) They also explore how video games became the Shakespearean tragedies of our time, how the show contributed to the fall of the “video game curse,” and whether Joel is the reluctant dad of the decade… or just a really hot war criminal.

Plus, a tribute to the late Val Kilmer, a nod to Willow, and a moment of silence for Mandy’s sanity after trying to reconcile a brain fungus outbreak with pandemic PTSD. You’re going to laugh, you’re going to think, you’re going to want to rewatch episode two and sob into a throw blanket.

Links & Notes


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Learn more about supporting this podcast by becoming a member. It's just $5/month or $55/year. Visit our website to learn more.

]]> Mon, 14 Apr 2025 03:00:00 -0700 TruStory FM TruStory FM 3362 This week on Make Me A Nerd, Mandy attempts to survive a full-blown fungal apocalypse—emotionally, spiritually, and occasionally by camouflage. And she’s not alone! She’s joined by three-time guest and ethics enthusiast Matthew Fox, who gently guides her through the cordyceps-infested wasteland that is The Last of Us. Think of them as a podcast Joel, if Joel read moral philosophy and didn’t shoot people in the face quite as often.

From clickers to conundrums, this episode dives into why this so-called zombie genre show is actually about love, loss, and whether saving one person is worth dooming humanity. (Spoiler: maybe!) Mandy—bless her emotionally-intact, pastel-colored heart—only made it through two episodes before waving a white flag made of tissues and trauma. Matthew, meanwhile, brings receipts, ethics, and a voice so reassuring it makes the end of civilization feel slightly cozy.

They tackle the big questions: Is Pedro Pascal’s Texan accent legally binding? Does Bella Ramsey have a resting post-apocalyptic face? Would Mandy survive five minutes in Boston 20 years after the fall of humanity? (Spoiler: No. And that’s fine.) They also explore how video games became the Shakespearean tragedies of our time, how the show contributed to the fall of the “video game curse,” and whether Joel is the reluctant dad of the decade… or just a really hot war criminal.

Plus, a tribute to the late Val Kilmer, a nod to Willow, and a moment of silence for Mandy’s sanity after trying to reconcile a brain fungus outbreak with pandemic PTSD. You’re going to laugh, you’re going to think, you’re going to want to rewatch episode two and sob into a throw blanket.

Links & Notes


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Learn more about supporting this podcast by becoming a member. It's just $5/month or $55/year. Visit our website to learn more.

]]> D&D, Star Wars, Star Trek, Marvel, Gaming, Technology, Nerddom No Eras with Tommy Metz III 43 43 Eras with Tommy Metz III full 30c42558-7319-4965-8280-a1548503152a https://share.transistor.fm/s/00a25cdc Ladies and gentlemen, Swifties and skeptics, gather round, for today we embark on a journey of seismic cultural significance. No, not another election cycle. No, not the discovery of yet another billionaire’s secret doomsday bunker. We are talking about Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour—a three-and-a-half-hour pop music odyssey, equal parts spectacle, sermon, and strut.

Mandy Kaplan, self-proclaimed “mainstream mom on a mission,” has declared war on ignorance and invited back one of her favorite guests, Tommy Metz III, in a valiant attempt to indoctrinate him into the glitter-drenched, emotionally devastating and, at times, utterly perplexing world of Taylor Swift. Tommy, who entered this battle armed with little more than vague memories of Reputation and the mistaken belief that Taylor and Carrie Underwood might be the same person, emerges… changed.

Together, they probe the Eras Tour concert film, marvel at the wizardry of a stage that does absolutely everything short of launching Swift into orbit, and attempt to decode the many, many hidden messages that have turned Swift’s fandom into a full-blown Da Vinci Code situation. Why is there a countdown from 13? Why does a stadium full of people scream at the mention of a random name like “Betty”? How, exactly, does Taylor maintain that level of strut energy for 40+ songs without collapsing into a sequined heap? These are the questions, people.

Along the way, Mandy and Tommy discuss the sheer indecency of rhyming words with themselves, the ethics of handing a hat to a billionaire’s child instead of a Make-a-Wish kiddo, and whether or not the Reputation era was unfairly maligned by people who simply weren’t ready for Dark Taylor™. Also, there are snakes. Digital snakes. Massive, stadium-sized, Jurassic Park-worthy snakes.

So, whether you’re a lifelong Swiftie, a casual observer, or someone who has been actively avoiding this cultural monolith like it’s a student loan repayment notice, this episode is for you. Listen as Tommy slowly succumbs to Taylor’s undeniable power, Mandy achieves her ultimate goal of nerd conversion, and we all collectively marvel at the fact that this woman dropped a double album in the middle of a world tour.

Links & References:


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Learn more about supporting this podcast by becoming a member. It's just $5/month or $55/year. Visit our website to learn more.

]]> Ladies and gentlemen, Swifties and skeptics, gather round, for today we embark on a journey of seismic cultural significance. No, not another election cycle. No, not the discovery of yet another billionaire’s secret doomsday bunker. We are talking about Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour—a three-and-a-half-hour pop music odyssey, equal parts spectacle, sermon, and strut.

Mandy Kaplan, self-proclaimed “mainstream mom on a mission,” has declared war on ignorance and invited back one of her favorite guests, Tommy Metz III, in a valiant attempt to indoctrinate him into the glitter-drenched, emotionally devastating and, at times, utterly perplexing world of Taylor Swift. Tommy, who entered this battle armed with little more than vague memories of Reputation and the mistaken belief that Taylor and Carrie Underwood might be the same person, emerges… changed.

Together, they probe the Eras Tour concert film, marvel at the wizardry of a stage that does absolutely everything short of launching Swift into orbit, and attempt to decode the many, many hidden messages that have turned Swift’s fandom into a full-blown Da Vinci Code situation. Why is there a countdown from 13? Why does a stadium full of people scream at the mention of a random name like “Betty”? How, exactly, does Taylor maintain that level of strut energy for 40+ songs without collapsing into a sequined heap? These are the questions, people.

Along the way, Mandy and Tommy discuss the sheer indecency of rhyming words with themselves, the ethics of handing a hat to a billionaire’s child instead of a Make-a-Wish kiddo, and whether or not the Reputation era was unfairly maligned by people who simply weren’t ready for Dark Taylor™. Also, there are snakes. Digital snakes. Massive, stadium-sized, Jurassic Park-worthy snakes.

So, whether you’re a lifelong Swiftie, a casual observer, or someone who has been actively avoiding this cultural monolith like it’s a student loan repayment notice, this episode is for you. Listen as Tommy slowly succumbs to Taylor’s undeniable power, Mandy achieves her ultimate goal of nerd conversion, and we all collectively marvel at the fact that this woman dropped a double album in the middle of a world tour.

Links & References:


---
Learn more about supporting this podcast by becoming a member. It's just $5/month or $55/year. Visit our website to learn more.

]]> Mon, 07 Apr 2025 03:00:00 -0700 TruStory FM TruStory FM 4811 Ladies and gentlemen, Swifties and skeptics, gather round, for today we embark on a journey of seismic cultural significance. No, not another election cycle. No, not the discovery of yet another billionaire’s secret doomsday bunker. We are talking about Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour—a three-and-a-half-hour pop music odyssey, equal parts spectacle, sermon, and strut.

Mandy Kaplan, self-proclaimed “mainstream mom on a mission,” has declared war on ignorance and invited back one of her favorite guests, Tommy Metz III, in a valiant attempt to indoctrinate him into the glitter-drenched, emotionally devastating and, at times, utterly perplexing world of Taylor Swift. Tommy, who entered this battle armed with little more than vague memories of Reputation and the mistaken belief that Taylor and Carrie Underwood might be the same person, emerges… changed.

Together, they probe the Eras Tour concert film, marvel at the wizardry of a stage that does absolutely everything short of launching Swift into orbit, and attempt to decode the many, many hidden messages that have turned Swift’s fandom into a full-blown Da Vinci Code situation. Why is there a countdown from 13? Why does a stadium full of people scream at the mention of a random name like “Betty”? How, exactly, does Taylor maintain that level of strut energy for 40+ songs without collapsing into a sequined heap? These are the questions, people.

Along the way, Mandy and Tommy discuss the sheer indecency of rhyming words with themselves, the ethics of handing a hat to a billionaire’s child instead of a Make-a-Wish kiddo, and whether or not the Reputation era was unfairly maligned by people who simply weren’t ready for Dark Taylor™. Also, there are snakes. Digital snakes. Massive, stadium-sized, Jurassic Park-worthy snakes.

So, whether you’re a lifelong Swiftie, a casual observer, or someone who has been actively avoiding this cultural monolith like it’s a student loan repayment notice, this episode is for you. Listen as Tommy slowly succumbs to Taylor’s undeniable power, Mandy achieves her ultimate goal of nerd conversion, and we all collectively marvel at the fact that this woman dropped a double album in the middle of a world tour.

Links & References:


---
Learn more about supporting this podcast by becoming a member. It's just $5/month or $55/year. Visit our website to learn more.

]]> D&D, Star Wars, Star Trek, Marvel, Gaming, Technology, Nerddom No Severance with Jon Cassie 42 42 Severance with Jon Cassie full 874c6c78-4ff4-47ba-ad04-721abd466438 https://share.transistor.fm/s/7095b0b7 You wake up. You’re at work. You don’t know how you got there. You don’t know who you are outside of this fluorescent-lit, carpeted labyrinth. And worst of all—you have to attend a melon party. This week on Make Me A Nerd, Mandy takes a cubicle tour of Apple TV+'s Severance. Joining her is Jon Cassie, a certified nerd extraordinaire, former podcaster, and educational innovator, who has spent more time thinking about sci-fi and board games than most of us spend awake.

Together, they unravel Severance’s mind-melting mysteries—its eerie office culture, its unsettling cult parallels (Scientology, we see you), and its ability to make us question whether we should ever trust HR again. They marvel at the performances, particularly the shockingly terrifying Tramell Tillman (who, fun fact, is actually a warm and delightful human in real life) and the absolutely flawless Patricia Arquette, who could probably make reading a grocery list feel like a psychological thriller.

And because this show refuses to let anyone breathe, Mandy relives the moment her soul left her body upon discovering Miss Casey’s true identity. Spoiler: It involves screaming, existential dread, and a mild cardiac event.

And because no nerdy discussion is complete without a tangent, Jon drops some Black Mirror recommendations, Mandy reveals her undying obsession with cults, and they both agree that Severance is one of the most perfectly eerie shows ever made.

But wait—there’s more! For members only, Jon gives Mandy a crash course in Babylon 5, because why stop at one mind-bending sci-fi series when you can have two? Not a member? No worries! Just visit MakeMeANerd.com and join today! You’ll get to sign up to your very own personal podcast feed full of all the extended editions of the show!

So, grab your outdated work computer, stare longingly at your reflection in a darkened elevator, and press play. Welcome to Make Me A Nerd. You may not remember how you got here, but you’ll never want to leave.


Links & References:


---
Learn more about supporting this podcast by becoming a member. It's just $5/month or $55/year. Visit our website to learn more.

]]> You wake up. You’re at work. You don’t know how you got there. You don’t know who you are outside of this fluorescent-lit, carpeted labyrinth. And worst of all—you have to attend a melon party. This week on Make Me A Nerd, Mandy takes a cubicle tour of Apple TV+'s Severance. Joining her is Jon Cassie, a certified nerd extraordinaire, former podcaster, and educational innovator, who has spent more time thinking about sci-fi and board games than most of us spend awake.

Together, they unravel Severance’s mind-melting mysteries—its eerie office culture, its unsettling cult parallels (Scientology, we see you), and its ability to make us question whether we should ever trust HR again. They marvel at the performances, particularly the shockingly terrifying Tramell Tillman (who, fun fact, is actually a warm and delightful human in real life) and the absolutely flawless Patricia Arquette, who could probably make reading a grocery list feel like a psychological thriller.

And because this show refuses to let anyone breathe, Mandy relives the moment her soul left her body upon discovering Miss Casey’s true identity. Spoiler: It involves screaming, existential dread, and a mild cardiac event.

And because no nerdy discussion is complete without a tangent, Jon drops some Black Mirror recommendations, Mandy reveals her undying obsession with cults, and they both agree that Severance is one of the most perfectly eerie shows ever made.

But wait—there’s more! For members only, Jon gives Mandy a crash course in Babylon 5, because why stop at one mind-bending sci-fi series when you can have two? Not a member? No worries! Just visit MakeMeANerd.com and join today! You’ll get to sign up to your very own personal podcast feed full of all the extended editions of the show!

So, grab your outdated work computer, stare longingly at your reflection in a darkened elevator, and press play. Welcome to Make Me A Nerd. You may not remember how you got here, but you’ll never want to leave.


Links & References:


---
Learn more about supporting this podcast by becoming a member. It's just $5/month or $55/year. Visit our website to learn more.

]]> Mon, 31 Mar 2025 03:00:00 -0700 TruStory FM TruStory FM 3972 You wake up. You’re at work. You don’t know how you got there. You don’t know who you are outside of this fluorescent-lit, carpeted labyrinth. And worst of all—you have to attend a melon party. This week on Make Me A Nerd, Mandy takes a cubicle tour of Apple TV+'s Severance. Joining her is Jon Cassie, a certified nerd extraordinaire, former podcaster, and educational innovator, who has spent more time thinking about sci-fi and board games than most of us spend awake.

Together, they unravel Severance’s mind-melting mysteries—its eerie office culture, its unsettling cult parallels (Scientology, we see you), and its ability to make us question whether we should ever trust HR again. They marvel at the performances, particularly the shockingly terrifying Tramell Tillman (who, fun fact, is actually a warm and delightful human in real life) and the absolutely flawless Patricia Arquette, who could probably make reading a grocery list feel like a psychological thriller.

And because this show refuses to let anyone breathe, Mandy relives the moment her soul left her body upon discovering Miss Casey’s true identity. Spoiler: It involves screaming, existential dread, and a mild cardiac event.

And because no nerdy discussion is complete without a tangent, Jon drops some Black Mirror recommendations, Mandy reveals her undying obsession with cults, and they both agree that Severance is one of the most perfectly eerie shows ever made.

But wait—there’s more! For members only, Jon gives Mandy a crash course in Babylon 5, because why stop at one mind-bending sci-fi series when you can have two? Not a member? No worries! Just visit MakeMeANerd.com and join today! You’ll get to sign up to your very own personal podcast feed full of all the extended editions of the show!

So, grab your outdated work computer, stare longingly at your reflection in a darkened elevator, and press play. Welcome to Make Me A Nerd. You may not remember how you got here, but you’ll never want to leave.


Links & References:


---
Learn more about supporting this podcast by becoming a member. It's just $5/month or $55/year. Visit our website to learn more.

]]> D&D, Star Wars, Star Trek, Marvel, Gaming, Technology, Nerddom No Everything Everywhere All At Once with Lester Ryan Clark & Kynan Dias 41 41 Everything Everywhere All At Once with Lester Ryan Clark & Kynan Dias full 5c69910a-fd51-44ee-ab0c-42966cf053d1 https://share.transistor.fm/s/d231fa2c Everything Everywhere All at Once. It’s the film that took home a million Oscars, melted a billion brains, and somehow made hot dog fingers emotionally resonant. This week, Mandy sits down with Exorcist Minute co-hosts Lester Ryan Clark and Kynan Dias, two men who decided that watching Everything Everywhere like normal people just wasn’t enough, so they’ve chosen to break it down minute-by-minute, which is either a brilliant act of cinematic devotion or a slow descent into madness. Probably both.

Together, they wade through the absurdity, the heartbreak, the nihilism, and yes, the butt plug fight scene. Along the way, they discuss the film’s mind-bending multiversal logic, the Daniels’ love of absurdism, Jamie Lee Curtis’s transformation into the IRS agent of your nightmares, and why Michelle Yeoh is basically the multiversal queen of everything.

Also on the docket:

  • The history of butt plugs (yes, really).
  • The actual existence of a 2017 Everything Everywhere script written for Jackie Chan.
  • The moment Mandy considered abandoning the movie entirely—only to be emotionally wrecked by the final act.
  • And, most importantly, what the hell is up with those raccoons?

So strap in, grab your fanny pack, and prepare for a cinematic discussion that will leave you questioning existence itself—while also wondering why you suddenly desperately need a bagel. And if you’re listening on Apple, leave a five-star review, or Mandy will personally send Jamie Lee Curtis to audit your taxes.

Links & Notes



---
Learn more about supporting this podcast by becoming a member. It's just $5/month or $55/year. Visit our website to learn more.

]]> Everything Everywhere All at Once. It’s the film that took home a million Oscars, melted a billion brains, and somehow made hot dog fingers emotionally resonant. This week, Mandy sits down with Exorcist Minute co-hosts Lester Ryan Clark and Kynan Dias, two men who decided that watching Everything Everywhere like normal people just wasn’t enough, so they’ve chosen to break it down minute-by-minute, which is either a brilliant act of cinematic devotion or a slow descent into madness. Probably both.

Together, they wade through the absurdity, the heartbreak, the nihilism, and yes, the butt plug fight scene. Along the way, they discuss the film’s mind-bending multiversal logic, the Daniels’ love of absurdism, Jamie Lee Curtis’s transformation into the IRS agent of your nightmares, and why Michelle Yeoh is basically the multiversal queen of everything.

Also on the docket:

  • The history of butt plugs (yes, really).
  • The actual existence of a 2017 Everything Everywhere script written for Jackie Chan.
  • The moment Mandy considered abandoning the movie entirely—only to be emotionally wrecked by the final act.
  • And, most importantly, what the hell is up with those raccoons?

So strap in, grab your fanny pack, and prepare for a cinematic discussion that will leave you questioning existence itself—while also wondering why you suddenly desperately need a bagel. And if you’re listening on Apple, leave a five-star review, or Mandy will personally send Jamie Lee Curtis to audit your taxes.

Links & Notes



---
Learn more about supporting this podcast by becoming a member. It's just $5/month or $55/year. Visit our website to learn more.

]]> Mon, 24 Mar 2025 03:00:00 -0700 TruStory FM TruStory FM 4036 Everything Everywhere All at Once. It’s the film that took home a million Oscars, melted a billion brains, and somehow made hot dog fingers emotionally resonant. This week, Mandy sits down with Exorcist Minute co-hosts Lester Ryan Clark and Kynan Dias, two men who decided that watching Everything Everywhere like normal people just wasn’t enough, so they’ve chosen to break it down minute-by-minute, which is either a brilliant act of cinematic devotion or a slow descent into madness. Probably both.

Together, they wade through the absurdity, the heartbreak, the nihilism, and yes, the butt plug fight scene. Along the way, they discuss the film’s mind-bending multiversal logic, the Daniels’ love of absurdism, Jamie Lee Curtis’s transformation into the IRS agent of your nightmares, and why Michelle Yeoh is basically the multiversal queen of everything.

Also on the docket:

  • The history of butt plugs (yes, really).
  • The actual existence of a 2017 Everything Everywhere script written for Jackie Chan.
  • The moment Mandy considered abandoning the movie entirely—only to be emotionally wrecked by the final act.
  • And, most importantly, what the hell is up with those raccoons?

So strap in, grab your fanny pack, and prepare for a cinematic discussion that will leave you questioning existence itself—while also wondering why you suddenly desperately need a bagel. And if you’re listening on Apple, leave a five-star review, or Mandy will personally send Jamie Lee Curtis to audit your taxes.

Links & Notes



---
Learn more about supporting this podcast by becoming a member. It's just $5/month or $55/year. Visit our website to learn more.

]]> D&D, Star Wars, Star Trek, Marvel, Gaming, Technology, Nerddom No Wheel of Time with Audrey Kearns 40 40 Wheel of Time with Audrey Kearns full 3b5e37ba-43cb-40c1-bfdb-47407582a3fa https://share.transistor.fm/s/ea1a9211 Wheel of Time—a sprawling, epic fantasy series filled with magic, palace intrigue, and, apparently, an unlimited budget for breathtaking visuals and absurdly attractive people. This week, Mandy welcomes back Audrey Kearns, aka the Geek Girl Authority herself, to painstakingly explain what the hell is going on in this Amazon Prime behemoth.

We start with Mandy, who thought Wheel of Time was a fitness tracker before being thrown into a world of Trollocs, Aes Sedai, and, oh yes, an alarming number of dismembered animal carcasses. Audrey, meanwhile, is here to reassure us that, yes, this is all normal, and no, we should not be alarmed by the sudden disappearance and recasting of a major character. It happens. Nothing to see here. Move along.

Together, they navigate the show's Game of Thrones-esque political machinations, Lord of the Rings-style reluctant heroes, and an inexplicable hot tub scene that Mandy found deeply relatable. Also, there’s a villainous peddler, a terrifying Björk-esque sorceress, and a lot of people who seem very angry for reasons that remain somewhat unclear.

Come for the nerdy deep dive. Stay for Mandy and Audrey debating which Aes Sedai faction they’d belong to in an alternate universe. (Spoiler: It's probably not the evil one. Probably.)

Links & Notes


---
Learn more about supporting this podcast by becoming a member. It's just $5/month or $55/year. Visit our website to learn more.

]]> Wheel of Time—a sprawling, epic fantasy series filled with magic, palace intrigue, and, apparently, an unlimited budget for breathtaking visuals and absurdly attractive people. This week, Mandy welcomes back Audrey Kearns, aka the Geek Girl Authority herself, to painstakingly explain what the hell is going on in this Amazon Prime behemoth.

We start with Mandy, who thought Wheel of Time was a fitness tracker before being thrown into a world of Trollocs, Aes Sedai, and, oh yes, an alarming number of dismembered animal carcasses. Audrey, meanwhile, is here to reassure us that, yes, this is all normal, and no, we should not be alarmed by the sudden disappearance and recasting of a major character. It happens. Nothing to see here. Move along.

Together, they navigate the show's Game of Thrones-esque political machinations, Lord of the Rings-style reluctant heroes, and an inexplicable hot tub scene that Mandy found deeply relatable. Also, there’s a villainous peddler, a terrifying Björk-esque sorceress, and a lot of people who seem very angry for reasons that remain somewhat unclear.

Come for the nerdy deep dive. Stay for Mandy and Audrey debating which Aes Sedai faction they’d belong to in an alternate universe. (Spoiler: It's probably not the evil one. Probably.)

Links & Notes


---
Learn more about supporting this podcast by becoming a member. It's just $5/month or $55/year. Visit our website to learn more.

]]> Mon, 17 Mar 2025 03:00:00 -0700 TruStory FM TruStory FM 3655 Wheel of Time—a sprawling, epic fantasy series filled with magic, palace intrigue, and, apparently, an unlimited budget for breathtaking visuals and absurdly attractive people. This week, Mandy welcomes back Audrey Kearns, aka the Geek Girl Authority herself, to painstakingly explain what the hell is going on in this Amazon Prime behemoth.

We start with Mandy, who thought Wheel of Time was a fitness tracker before being thrown into a world of Trollocs, Aes Sedai, and, oh yes, an alarming number of dismembered animal carcasses. Audrey, meanwhile, is here to reassure us that, yes, this is all normal, and no, we should not be alarmed by the sudden disappearance and recasting of a major character. It happens. Nothing to see here. Move along.

Together, they navigate the show's Game of Thrones-esque political machinations, Lord of the Rings-style reluctant heroes, and an inexplicable hot tub scene that Mandy found deeply relatable. Also, there’s a villainous peddler, a terrifying Björk-esque sorceress, and a lot of people who seem very angry for reasons that remain somewhat unclear.

Come for the nerdy deep dive. Stay for Mandy and Audrey debating which Aes Sedai faction they’d belong to in an alternate universe. (Spoiler: It's probably not the evil one. Probably.)

Links & Notes


---
Learn more about supporting this podcast by becoming a member. It's just $5/month or $55/year. Visit our website to learn more.

]]> D&D, Star Wars, Star Trek, Marvel, Gaming, Technology, Nerddom No Survivor with Patrick Gomez 39 39 Survivor with Patrick Gomez full 39ae4ee4-0d9f-4aae-bc47-fdf5314c15f9 https://share.transistor.fm/s/4e49a490 This week on Make Me A Nerd, Mandy marches barefoot into the unwashed, coconut-scented, betrayal-laden world of Survivor. And who better to guide her through this mosquito-infested fever dream than Patrick Gomez, Editor-in-Chief of Entertainment Weekly and a man who has spent an alarming amount of time thinking about reality television strategy.

Yes, Mandy—who typically prefers her entertainment with a side of not starving to death—has watched an entire season of Survivor, specifically Heroes vs. Villains (because nothing says “survival” like arbitrarily labeling people based on past television appearances). She emerges with questions—about alliances, injuries, the baffling lack of toothbrushes, and, most importantly, where and how these people poop. Yes, poop. Because if you’re living on a beach for over a month, that is a logistical nightmare.

Patrick, a man who has personally interviewed the Survivor gods and lives to tell the tale, spills the behind-the-scenes tea: the scheming, the suffering, the completely unnecessary levels of shirtlessness, and the fact that Jeff Probst might actually be immortal. Also, did you know Survivor once had a season that was essentially race wars? Because that happened. And CBS aired it. In the 21st century.

Mandy and Patrick also discuss:

  • Boston Rob and his accent, which sounds like an actor badly pretending to be from Boston.
  • Sandra, the queen of “As long as it ain’t me,” and why she is the best player of all time.
  • Russell, a man who exudes the chaotic energy of someone who has definitely tried to start a cult in a Walmart parking lot.
  • Parvati, whose flirty villainy makes Mandy want to punch a wall.
  • The time a contestant faked his grandmother’s death to win a challenge.
  • And, of course, why the pizza rewards look like something that was legally ruled “not food” by the FDA.

Plus, if you become a Make Me A Nerd member, you’ll get access to an Oscars special where Patrick spills behind-the-scenes secrets from Hollywood’s biggest night. Because if there’s anything more cutthroat than Survivor, it’s awards season.

So, grab some wine, drop your buffs, and prepare for an episode so packed with drama, you’ll want to vote someone off your couch just to process it all.

Links & Notes


---
Learn more about supporting this podcast by becoming a member. It's just $5/month or $55/year. Visit our website to learn more.

]]> This week on Make Me A Nerd, Mandy marches barefoot into the unwashed, coconut-scented, betrayal-laden world of Survivor. And who better to guide her through this mosquito-infested fever dream than Patrick Gomez, Editor-in-Chief of Entertainment Weekly and a man who has spent an alarming amount of time thinking about reality television strategy.

Yes, Mandy—who typically prefers her entertainment with a side of not starving to death—has watched an entire season of Survivor, specifically Heroes vs. Villains (because nothing says “survival” like arbitrarily labeling people based on past television appearances). She emerges with questions—about alliances, injuries, the baffling lack of toothbrushes, and, most importantly, where and how these people poop. Yes, poop. Because if you’re living on a beach for over a month, that is a logistical nightmare.

Patrick, a man who has personally interviewed the Survivor gods and lives to tell the tale, spills the behind-the-scenes tea: the scheming, the suffering, the completely unnecessary levels of shirtlessness, and the fact that Jeff Probst might actually be immortal. Also, did you know Survivor once had a season that was essentially race wars? Because that happened. And CBS aired it. In the 21st century.

Mandy and Patrick also discuss:

  • Boston Rob and his accent, which sounds like an actor badly pretending to be from Boston.
  • Sandra, the queen of “As long as it ain’t me,” and why she is the best player of all time.
  • Russell, a man who exudes the chaotic energy of someone who has definitely tried to start a cult in a Walmart parking lot.
  • Parvati, whose flirty villainy makes Mandy want to punch a wall.
  • The time a contestant faked his grandmother’s death to win a challenge.
  • And, of course, why the pizza rewards look like something that was legally ruled “not food” by the FDA.

Plus, if you become a Make Me A Nerd member, you’ll get access to an Oscars special where Patrick spills behind-the-scenes secrets from Hollywood’s biggest night. Because if there’s anything more cutthroat than Survivor, it’s awards season.

So, grab some wine, drop your buffs, and prepare for an episode so packed with drama, you’ll want to vote someone off your couch just to process it all.

Links & Notes


---
Learn more about supporting this podcast by becoming a member. It's just $5/month or $55/year. Visit our website to learn more.

]]> Mon, 10 Mar 2025 03:00:00 -0700 TruStory FM TruStory FM 5113 This week on Make Me A Nerd, Mandy marches barefoot into the unwashed, coconut-scented, betrayal-laden world of Survivor. And who better to guide her through this mosquito-infested fever dream than Patrick Gomez, Editor-in-Chief of Entertainment Weekly and a man who has spent an alarming amount of time thinking about reality television strategy.

Yes, Mandy—who typically prefers her entertainment with a side of not starving to death—has watched an entire season of Survivor, specifically Heroes vs. Villains (because nothing says “survival” like arbitrarily labeling people based on past television appearances). She emerges with questions—about alliances, injuries, the baffling lack of toothbrushes, and, most importantly, where and how these people poop. Yes, poop. Because if you’re living on a beach for over a month, that is a logistical nightmare.

Patrick, a man who has personally interviewed the Survivor gods and lives to tell the tale, spills the behind-the-scenes tea: the scheming, the suffering, the completely unnecessary levels of shirtlessness, and the fact that Jeff Probst might actually be immortal. Also, did you know Survivor once had a season that was essentially race wars? Because that happened. And CBS aired it. In the 21st century.

Mandy and Patrick also discuss:

  • Boston Rob and his accent, which sounds like an actor badly pretending to be from Boston.
  • Sandra, the queen of “As long as it ain’t me,” and why she is the best player of all time.
  • Russell, a man who exudes the chaotic energy of someone who has definitely tried to start a cult in a Walmart parking lot.
  • Parvati, whose flirty villainy makes Mandy want to punch a wall.
  • The time a contestant faked his grandmother’s death to win a challenge.
  • And, of course, why the pizza rewards look like something that was legally ruled “not food” by the FDA.

Plus, if you become a Make Me A Nerd member, you’ll get access to an Oscars special where Patrick spills behind-the-scenes secrets from Hollywood’s biggest night. Because if there’s anything more cutthroat than Survivor, it’s awards season.

So, grab some wine, drop your buffs, and prepare for an episode so packed with drama, you’ll want to vote someone off your couch just to process it all.

Links & Notes


---
Learn more about supporting this podcast by becoming a member. It's just $5/month or $55/year. Visit our website to learn more.

]]> D&D, Star Wars, Star Trek, Marvel, Gaming, Technology, Nerddom No Star Trek: Deep Space Nine with Manny Patel 38 38 Star Trek: Deep Space Nine with Manny Patel full d1843ed5-2719-4b6f-995f-fe2bff46835e https://share.transistor.fm/s/fa5e3b62 In 1993, a television show did something radical. It eschewed the traditional frontier, the ever-expanding voyage, the endless pursuit of the unknown. Instead, it stood still. It stayed put. It built a world—not on a starship, but on a space station. A fixed point in the cosmos where characters, conflicts, and consequences could spiral outward in ways that no Star Trek series had attempted before.

That show was Deep Space Nine.

This week on Make Me A Nerd, Mandy steps into the Operations Center of the most complex, layered, and politically charged Star Trek installment. And guiding her through this cosmic storm? Manny Patel—a man whose nerd credentials run deep, from organizing conventions to crafting meticulous Star Trek mashups that have captivated fans for decades.

Together, Mandy and Manny traverse the wormhole of Deep Space Nine’s origin, its infamous status as Star Trek’s rebellious middle child, and its shifting tonal landscape—from existential crises in the pilot to the narrative fireworks of The Way of the Warrior. They discuss the unexpected intersections of pop culture (what does Taxi's Louie De Palma have to do with Quark?), the mesmerizing gravitas of Avery Brooks (and the time he unknowingly enchanted Mandy’s Nana), and the sheer audacity of Trials and Tribble-ations—an episode that didn’t just pay homage to the past, but seamlessly wove itself into it.

This is a conversation about the architecture of storytelling. The way narratives evolve. The way characters, much like people, are shaped by their environments. And it’s about the strange, wonderful process of discovery—of stepping outside your comfort zone and realizing that the thing you never thought you’d love? It might just become part of you.

Links & Notes




---
Learn more about supporting this podcast by becoming a member. It's just $5/month or $55/year. Visit our website to learn more.

]]> In 1993, a television show did something radical. It eschewed the traditional frontier, the ever-expanding voyage, the endless pursuit of the unknown. Instead, it stood still. It stayed put. It built a world—not on a starship, but on a space station. A fixed point in the cosmos where characters, conflicts, and consequences could spiral outward in ways that no Star Trek series had attempted before.

That show was Deep Space Nine.

This week on Make Me A Nerd, Mandy steps into the Operations Center of the most complex, layered, and politically charged Star Trek installment. And guiding her through this cosmic storm? Manny Patel—a man whose nerd credentials run deep, from organizing conventions to crafting meticulous Star Trek mashups that have captivated fans for decades.

Together, Mandy and Manny traverse the wormhole of Deep Space Nine’s origin, its infamous status as Star Trek’s rebellious middle child, and its shifting tonal landscape—from existential crises in the pilot to the narrative fireworks of The Way of the Warrior. They discuss the unexpected intersections of pop culture (what does Taxi's Louie De Palma have to do with Quark?), the mesmerizing gravitas of Avery Brooks (and the time he unknowingly enchanted Mandy’s Nana), and the sheer audacity of Trials and Tribble-ations—an episode that didn’t just pay homage to the past, but seamlessly wove itself into it.

This is a conversation about the architecture of storytelling. The way narratives evolve. The way characters, much like people, are shaped by their environments. And it’s about the strange, wonderful process of discovery—of stepping outside your comfort zone and realizing that the thing you never thought you’d love? It might just become part of you.

Links & Notes




---
Learn more about supporting this podcast by becoming a member. It's just $5/month or $55/year. Visit our website to learn more.

]]> Mon, 03 Mar 2025 03:00:00 -0800 TruStory FM TruStory FM 3338 In 1993, a television show did something radical. It eschewed the traditional frontier, the ever-expanding voyage, the endless pursuit of the unknown. Instead, it stood still. It stayed put. It built a world—not on a starship, but on a space station. A fixed point in the cosmos where characters, conflicts, and consequences could spiral outward in ways that no Star Trek series had attempted before.

That show was Deep Space Nine.

This week on Make Me A Nerd, Mandy steps into the Operations Center of the most complex, layered, and politically charged Star Trek installment. And guiding her through this cosmic storm? Manny Patel—a man whose nerd credentials run deep, from organizing conventions to crafting meticulous Star Trek mashups that have captivated fans for decades.

Together, Mandy and Manny traverse the wormhole of Deep Space Nine’s origin, its infamous status as Star Trek’s rebellious middle child, and its shifting tonal landscape—from existential crises in the pilot to the narrative fireworks of The Way of the Warrior. They discuss the unexpected intersections of pop culture (what does Taxi's Louie De Palma have to do with Quark?), the mesmerizing gravitas of Avery Brooks (and the time he unknowingly enchanted Mandy’s Nana), and the sheer audacity of Trials and Tribble-ations—an episode that didn’t just pay homage to the past, but seamlessly wove itself into it.

This is a conversation about the architecture of storytelling. The way narratives evolve. The way characters, much like people, are shaped by their environments. And it’s about the strange, wonderful process of discovery—of stepping outside your comfort zone and realizing that the thing you never thought you’d love? It might just become part of you.

Links & Notes




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Learn more about supporting this podcast by becoming a member. It's just $5/month or $55/year. Visit our website to learn more.

]]> D&D, Star Wars, Star Trek, Marvel, Gaming, Technology, Nerddom No Outlander with Amy Crofoot 37 37 Outlander with Amy Crofoot full 37438072-ade5-4152-b7f4-344e6c90d791 https://share.transistor.fm/s/84babd59 Is it possible that a historical drama with time-traveling elements could captivate a mainstream audience, birthing a fandom so fervent it borders on the delightfully obsessive? This week, Mandy wades into the world of Outlander to find out.

As her guide, Mandy speaks with actress Amy Crofoot, an avowed Outlander enthusiast, to explore the show's undeniable appeal. Is it the meticulously crafted historical setting? The sweeping romance? Or perhaps the subtle nods to geek culture that resonate with a broader audience?

Amy shares her personal journey into fandom, from devouring the dense source material to hosting pajama-clad viewing parties fueled by Sassenach Gin (from the distillery of Sam Heughan, who plays Jamie, a hunky main character). But what is it about this series that inspires such devotion? Is it the escapism? The complex characters? Or the way the show tackles weighty themes with a blend of historical accuracy, fantastical imagination, and nudity?

Could Outlander be more than just a guilty pleasure? Could it be a cultural phenomenon that bridges the gap between mainstream entertainment and the passionate world of fandom? Tune in to find out!

Links & Notes


---
Learn more about supporting this podcast by becoming a member. It's just $5/month or $55/year. Visit our website to learn more.

]]> Is it possible that a historical drama with time-traveling elements could captivate a mainstream audience, birthing a fandom so fervent it borders on the delightfully obsessive? This week, Mandy wades into the world of Outlander to find out.

As her guide, Mandy speaks with actress Amy Crofoot, an avowed Outlander enthusiast, to explore the show's undeniable appeal. Is it the meticulously crafted historical setting? The sweeping romance? Or perhaps the subtle nods to geek culture that resonate with a broader audience?

Amy shares her personal journey into fandom, from devouring the dense source material to hosting pajama-clad viewing parties fueled by Sassenach Gin (from the distillery of Sam Heughan, who plays Jamie, a hunky main character). But what is it about this series that inspires such devotion? Is it the escapism? The complex characters? Or the way the show tackles weighty themes with a blend of historical accuracy, fantastical imagination, and nudity?

Could Outlander be more than just a guilty pleasure? Could it be a cultural phenomenon that bridges the gap between mainstream entertainment and the passionate world of fandom? Tune in to find out!

Links & Notes


---
Learn more about supporting this podcast by becoming a member. It's just $5/month or $55/year. Visit our website to learn more.

]]> Mon, 24 Feb 2025 03:00:00 -0800 TruStory FM TruStory FM 3375 Is it possible that a historical drama with time-traveling elements could captivate a mainstream audience, birthing a fandom so fervent it borders on the delightfully obsessive? This week, Mandy wades into the world of Outlander to find out.

As her guide, Mandy speaks with actress Amy Crofoot, an avowed Outlander enthusiast, to explore the show's undeniable appeal. Is it the meticulously crafted historical setting? The sweeping romance? Or perhaps the subtle nods to geek culture that resonate with a broader audience?

Amy shares her personal journey into fandom, from devouring the dense source material to hosting pajama-clad viewing parties fueled by Sassenach Gin (from the distillery of Sam Heughan, who plays Jamie, a hunky main character). But what is it about this series that inspires such devotion? Is it the escapism? The complex characters? Or the way the show tackles weighty themes with a blend of historical accuracy, fantastical imagination, and nudity?

Could Outlander be more than just a guilty pleasure? Could it be a cultural phenomenon that bridges the gap between mainstream entertainment and the passionate world of fandom? Tune in to find out!

Links & Notes


---
Learn more about supporting this podcast by becoming a member. It's just $5/month or $55/year. Visit our website to learn more.

]]> D&D, Star Wars, Star Trek, Marvel, Gaming, Technology, Nerddom No The Exorcist with Lester Ryan Clark and Kynan Dias 36 36 The Exorcist with Lester Ryan Clark and Kynan Dias full 017053d7-f23f-4d12-b600-af459c8c6162 https://share.transistor.fm/s/516b04b9 Is "The Exorcist" just a scary movie, or is it a cultural artifact, a theological debate wrapped in celluloid? Mandy Kaplan confesses her way into the abyss with Lester Ryan Clark and Kynan Dias, the minds behind "The Exorcist Minute," a podcast dissecting the film minute by agonizing minute.

Why does the film open in Iraq? Is it a pro-Catholic screed, or something far more subversive? What does the film say about feminism? And what does it mean that the scariest voice in the movie comes from Mercedes McCambridge?

Prepare to have assumptions challenged as they unearth the hidden layers of a film that continues to haunt and fascinate decades after its release. Was Linda Blair robbed of an Oscar? Is Burke Dennings a secret gay icon? And could Captain Howdy be less interested in possessing a child and more in sowing discord maybe?

So join Mandy for an exploration of faith, fear, and the enduring power of a story that asks us to confront the darkness within ourselves... but you know... doing all that really nerdily.


Links & Notes


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Learn more about supporting this podcast by becoming a member. It's just $5/month or $55/year. Visit our website to learn more.

]]> Is "The Exorcist" just a scary movie, or is it a cultural artifact, a theological debate wrapped in celluloid? Mandy Kaplan confesses her way into the abyss with Lester Ryan Clark and Kynan Dias, the minds behind "The Exorcist Minute," a podcast dissecting the film minute by agonizing minute.

Why does the film open in Iraq? Is it a pro-Catholic screed, or something far more subversive? What does the film say about feminism? And what does it mean that the scariest voice in the movie comes from Mercedes McCambridge?

Prepare to have assumptions challenged as they unearth the hidden layers of a film that continues to haunt and fascinate decades after its release. Was Linda Blair robbed of an Oscar? Is Burke Dennings a secret gay icon? And could Captain Howdy be less interested in possessing a child and more in sowing discord maybe?

So join Mandy for an exploration of faith, fear, and the enduring power of a story that asks us to confront the darkness within ourselves... but you know... doing all that really nerdily.


Links & Notes


---
Learn more about supporting this podcast by becoming a member. It's just $5/month or $55/year. Visit our website to learn more.

]]> Mon, 17 Feb 2025 03:00:00 -0800 TruStory FM TruStory FM 3891 Is "The Exorcist" just a scary movie, or is it a cultural artifact, a theological debate wrapped in celluloid? Mandy Kaplan confesses her way into the abyss with Lester Ryan Clark and Kynan Dias, the minds behind "The Exorcist Minute," a podcast dissecting the film minute by agonizing minute.

Why does the film open in Iraq? Is it a pro-Catholic screed, or something far more subversive? What does the film say about feminism? And what does it mean that the scariest voice in the movie comes from Mercedes McCambridge?

Prepare to have assumptions challenged as they unearth the hidden layers of a film that continues to haunt and fascinate decades after its release. Was Linda Blair robbed of an Oscar? Is Burke Dennings a secret gay icon? And could Captain Howdy be less interested in possessing a child and more in sowing discord maybe?

So join Mandy for an exploration of faith, fear, and the enduring power of a story that asks us to confront the darkness within ourselves... but you know... doing all that really nerdily.


Links & Notes


---
Learn more about supporting this podcast by becoming a member. It's just $5/month or $55/year. Visit our website to learn more.

]]> D&D, Star Wars, Star Trek, Marvel, Gaming, Technology, Nerddom No Jungle Book with Justine Huxley 35 35 Jungle Book with Justine Huxley full 256062f3-ed9c-480d-9456-df9d15e3f4de https://share.transistor.fm/s/047b8f39 What makes a nerd? Is it the obsessive cataloging of obscure details? The unyielding commitment to lore? The passionate embrace of minutiae deemed trivial by the larger world? This week, Mandy the Mainstreamer welcomes back Justine Huxley, a voiceover artist of rarefied skill, a legend among the Apex Legends.

Together, they hit play on The Jungle Book, the 1967 Disney classic, to marvel at the lilting menace of Sterling Holloway’s Ka, the bombastic warmth of Phil Harris’s Baloo, and the aristocratic terror of George Sanders’s Shere Khan. They ask: Were the Beatles really supposed to lend their voices to a quartet of Liverpudlian vultures? And if they had, would it have changed history? What makes something timeless? And what makes it better left alone?

If that question is too big to ponder, don’t worry. Stick around for The Great Recasting!

Links & Notes


---
Learn more about supporting this podcast by becoming a member. It's just $5/month or $55/year. Visit our website to learn more.

]]> What makes a nerd? Is it the obsessive cataloging of obscure details? The unyielding commitment to lore? The passionate embrace of minutiae deemed trivial by the larger world? This week, Mandy the Mainstreamer welcomes back Justine Huxley, a voiceover artist of rarefied skill, a legend among the Apex Legends.

Together, they hit play on The Jungle Book, the 1967 Disney classic, to marvel at the lilting menace of Sterling Holloway’s Ka, the bombastic warmth of Phil Harris’s Baloo, and the aristocratic terror of George Sanders’s Shere Khan. They ask: Were the Beatles really supposed to lend their voices to a quartet of Liverpudlian vultures? And if they had, would it have changed history? What makes something timeless? And what makes it better left alone?

If that question is too big to ponder, don’t worry. Stick around for The Great Recasting!

Links & Notes


---
Learn more about supporting this podcast by becoming a member. It's just $5/month or $55/year. Visit our website to learn more.

]]> Mon, 10 Feb 2025 03:00:00 -0800 TruStory FM TruStory FM 3764 What makes a nerd? Is it the obsessive cataloging of obscure details? The unyielding commitment to lore? The passionate embrace of minutiae deemed trivial by the larger world? This week, Mandy the Mainstreamer welcomes back Justine Huxley, a voiceover artist of rarefied skill, a legend among the Apex Legends.

Together, they hit play on The Jungle Book, the 1967 Disney classic, to marvel at the lilting menace of Sterling Holloway’s Ka, the bombastic warmth of Phil Harris’s Baloo, and the aristocratic terror of George Sanders’s Shere Khan. They ask: Were the Beatles really supposed to lend their voices to a quartet of Liverpudlian vultures? And if they had, would it have changed history? What makes something timeless? And what makes it better left alone?

If that question is too big to ponder, don’t worry. Stick around for The Great Recasting!

Links & Notes


---
Learn more about supporting this podcast by becoming a member. It's just $5/month or $55/year. Visit our website to learn more.

]]> D&D, Star Wars, Star Trek, Marvel, Gaming, Technology, Nerddom No Blade Runner with Paul J. Salamoff 34 34 Blade Runner with Paul J. Salamoff full a8e0959f-27f8-47b1-9534-665023d5deb6 https://share.transistor.fm/s/0daf27cf What does it mean to be human? And, perhaps more importantly, what does it mean to feel human?

On today’s episode of Make Me a Nerd, host Mandy Kaplan embarks on a journey with writer, producer, and director Paul J. Salamoff—a man whose career spans makeup effects, comic books, and award-winning filmmaking. Their mission? To dissect one of the most iconic and enigmatic films in science fiction history: Blade Runner.

This is a story about contrasts—about the grit of dystopian Los Angeles and the shimmer of neon lights, about robots who just want to live and humans who’ve forgotten how.

Together, they tackle the overlooked details: Joanna Cassidy’s boots that magically swap from heels to flats mid-chase, Harrison Ford’s noodle obsession, and the strangely unsettling world of J.F. Sebastian’s creepy companions. But they also dive deep—into the philosophical core of Blade Runner, into what it means to make peace with mortality, and into the ever-debated question: Is Deckard a replicant?

Paul shares his first encounter with the film in the 1980s, when the Casio synths of Vangelis felt urgent and futuristic, not nostalgic and dated. He reflects on the shift from practical effects to CGI, the layers of Ridley Scott’s vision, and why Blade Runner is still his favorite film of all time. Mandy, for her part, asks the questions we’re all too afraid to ask—like why Rachel is dressed like Joan Crawford and whether dystopian futures really mean the end of deodorant.

And just when you think you’ve grasped the meaning of it all, Paul hints at the mysteries of the theatrical cut’s voiceover, the unicorn dream, and the controversial possibility that Rick Deckard might be… well, you’ll have to listen to find out.

PLUS: Stick around for members-only bonus content where Paul breaks down the world of the Saturn Awards, the premier honors for sci-fi, fantasy, and horror.

Links & Notes


---
Learn more about supporting this podcast by becoming a member. It's just $5/month or $55/year. Visit our website to learn more.

]]> What does it mean to be human? And, perhaps more importantly, what does it mean to feel human?

On today’s episode of Make Me a Nerd, host Mandy Kaplan embarks on a journey with writer, producer, and director Paul J. Salamoff—a man whose career spans makeup effects, comic books, and award-winning filmmaking. Their mission? To dissect one of the most iconic and enigmatic films in science fiction history: Blade Runner.

This is a story about contrasts—about the grit of dystopian Los Angeles and the shimmer of neon lights, about robots who just want to live and humans who’ve forgotten how.

Together, they tackle the overlooked details: Joanna Cassidy’s boots that magically swap from heels to flats mid-chase, Harrison Ford’s noodle obsession, and the strangely unsettling world of J.F. Sebastian’s creepy companions. But they also dive deep—into the philosophical core of Blade Runner, into what it means to make peace with mortality, and into the ever-debated question: Is Deckard a replicant?

Paul shares his first encounter with the film in the 1980s, when the Casio synths of Vangelis felt urgent and futuristic, not nostalgic and dated. He reflects on the shift from practical effects to CGI, the layers of Ridley Scott’s vision, and why Blade Runner is still his favorite film of all time. Mandy, for her part, asks the questions we’re all too afraid to ask—like why Rachel is dressed like Joan Crawford and whether dystopian futures really mean the end of deodorant.

And just when you think you’ve grasped the meaning of it all, Paul hints at the mysteries of the theatrical cut’s voiceover, the unicorn dream, and the controversial possibility that Rick Deckard might be… well, you’ll have to listen to find out.

PLUS: Stick around for members-only bonus content where Paul breaks down the world of the Saturn Awards, the premier honors for sci-fi, fantasy, and horror.

Links & Notes


---
Learn more about supporting this podcast by becoming a member. It's just $5/month or $55/year. Visit our website to learn more.

]]> Mon, 03 Feb 2025 03:00:00 -0800 TruStory FM TruStory FM 3307 What does it mean to be human? And, perhaps more importantly, what does it mean to feel human?

On today’s episode of Make Me a Nerd, host Mandy Kaplan embarks on a journey with writer, producer, and director Paul J. Salamoff—a man whose career spans makeup effects, comic books, and award-winning filmmaking. Their mission? To dissect one of the most iconic and enigmatic films in science fiction history: Blade Runner.

This is a story about contrasts—about the grit of dystopian Los Angeles and the shimmer of neon lights, about robots who just want to live and humans who’ve forgotten how.

Together, they tackle the overlooked details: Joanna Cassidy’s boots that magically swap from heels to flats mid-chase, Harrison Ford’s noodle obsession, and the strangely unsettling world of J.F. Sebastian’s creepy companions. But they also dive deep—into the philosophical core of Blade Runner, into what it means to make peace with mortality, and into the ever-debated question: Is Deckard a replicant?

Paul shares his first encounter with the film in the 1980s, when the Casio synths of Vangelis felt urgent and futuristic, not nostalgic and dated. He reflects on the shift from practical effects to CGI, the layers of Ridley Scott’s vision, and why Blade Runner is still his favorite film of all time. Mandy, for her part, asks the questions we’re all too afraid to ask—like why Rachel is dressed like Joan Crawford and whether dystopian futures really mean the end of deodorant.

And just when you think you’ve grasped the meaning of it all, Paul hints at the mysteries of the theatrical cut’s voiceover, the unicorn dream, and the controversial possibility that Rick Deckard might be… well, you’ll have to listen to find out.

PLUS: Stick around for members-only bonus content where Paul breaks down the world of the Saturn Awards, the premier honors for sci-fi, fantasy, and horror.

Links & Notes


---
Learn more about supporting this podcast by becoming a member. It's just $5/month or $55/year. Visit our website to learn more.

]]> D&D, Star Wars, Star Trek, Marvel, Gaming, Technology, Nerddom No The Penguin with Matthew Fox 33 33 The Penguin with Matthew Fox full 925ee4d3-cb5a-404e-b42d-746d2c76d0c3 https://share.transistor.fm/s/5c191610 We’re slogging into the murky depths of Gotham, not with capes and cowls, but with gabardine and grit. This week on the show, Mandy navigates the shadowy alleys of nerddom, guided by the insightful Matthew Fox of Star Wars Generations and the Superhero Ethics Podcast on TruStory FM. Their subject? Not the bombastic exploits of a costumed crusader, but the surprisingly nuanced rise of The Penguin on Max.

This is a visceral exploration of power, betrayal, and the intoxicating allure of respect. Think The Godfather, think The Sopranos, but with a dash of, dare we say, avian peculiarity. Matthew is a returning champion of nerd culture explication and unpacks the layered history of the Penguin, tracing his evolution from quirky gangster with an umbrella gun to the complex, almost sympathetic figure portrayed with chilling brilliance by Colin Farrell. The conversation meanders through the intricacies of Cobb's physicality, his burning ambition, and the surprising tenderness that lurks beneath his hardened exterior.

The true revelation lies in the electric presence of Cristin Milioti as Sofia Falcone. A woman forged in the crucible of a criminal dynasty, Sofia's journey from reluctant heiress to ruthless power player is nothing short of mesmerizing. The interplay between Sofia and Oz, fueled by a shared history of both loyalty and betrayal, crackles with a tension that transcends the typical will-they-won't-they trope.

Join Mandy and Matthew as they unpack the complexities of The Penguin, exploring the unexpected brilliance of a show that dares to ask: what happens when the villain takes center stage, and we find ourselves, against our better judgment, rooting for him?


---
Learn more about supporting this podcast by becoming a member. It's just $5/month or $55/year. Visit our website to learn more.

]]> We’re slogging into the murky depths of Gotham, not with capes and cowls, but with gabardine and grit. This week on the show, Mandy navigates the shadowy alleys of nerddom, guided by the insightful Matthew Fox of Star Wars Generations and the Superhero Ethics Podcast on TruStory FM. Their subject? Not the bombastic exploits of a costumed crusader, but the surprisingly nuanced rise of The Penguin on Max.

This is a visceral exploration of power, betrayal, and the intoxicating allure of respect. Think The Godfather, think The Sopranos, but with a dash of, dare we say, avian peculiarity. Matthew is a returning champion of nerd culture explication and unpacks the layered history of the Penguin, tracing his evolution from quirky gangster with an umbrella gun to the complex, almost sympathetic figure portrayed with chilling brilliance by Colin Farrell. The conversation meanders through the intricacies of Cobb's physicality, his burning ambition, and the surprising tenderness that lurks beneath his hardened exterior.

The true revelation lies in the electric presence of Cristin Milioti as Sofia Falcone. A woman forged in the crucible of a criminal dynasty, Sofia's journey from reluctant heiress to ruthless power player is nothing short of mesmerizing. The interplay between Sofia and Oz, fueled by a shared history of both loyalty and betrayal, crackles with a tension that transcends the typical will-they-won't-they trope.

Join Mandy and Matthew as they unpack the complexities of The Penguin, exploring the unexpected brilliance of a show that dares to ask: what happens when the villain takes center stage, and we find ourselves, against our better judgment, rooting for him?


---
Learn more about supporting this podcast by becoming a member. It's just $5/month or $55/year. Visit our website to learn more.

]]> Mon, 27 Jan 2025 03:00:00 -0800 TruStory FM TruStory FM 4257 We’re slogging into the murky depths of Gotham, not with capes and cowls, but with gabardine and grit. This week on the show, Mandy navigates the shadowy alleys of nerddom, guided by the insightful Matthew Fox of Star Wars Generations and the Superhero Ethics Podcast on TruStory FM. Their subject? Not the bombastic exploits of a costumed crusader, but the surprisingly nuanced rise of The Penguin on Max.

This is a visceral exploration of power, betrayal, and the intoxicating allure of respect. Think The Godfather, think The Sopranos, but with a dash of, dare we say, avian peculiarity. Matthew is a returning champion of nerd culture explication and unpacks the layered history of the Penguin, tracing his evolution from quirky gangster with an umbrella gun to the complex, almost sympathetic figure portrayed with chilling brilliance by Colin Farrell. The conversation meanders through the intricacies of Cobb's physicality, his burning ambition, and the surprising tenderness that lurks beneath his hardened exterior.

The true revelation lies in the electric presence of Cristin Milioti as Sofia Falcone. A woman forged in the crucible of a criminal dynasty, Sofia's journey from reluctant heiress to ruthless power player is nothing short of mesmerizing. The interplay between Sofia and Oz, fueled by a shared history of both loyalty and betrayal, crackles with a tension that transcends the typical will-they-won't-they trope.

Join Mandy and Matthew as they unpack the complexities of The Penguin, exploring the unexpected brilliance of a show that dares to ask: what happens when the villain takes center stage, and we find ourselves, against our better judgment, rooting for him?


---
Learn more about supporting this podcast by becoming a member. It's just $5/month or $55/year. Visit our website to learn more.

]]> D&D, Star Wars, Star Trek, Marvel, Gaming, Technology, Nerddom No Squid Game Season 2 with Jimmy Aquino 32 32 Squid Game Season 2 with Jimmy Aquino full d0f1c361-c283-4df2-9eb3-107dd7d5fc8f https://share.transistor.fm/s/6083c7aa What compels someone to willingly re-enter a labyrinth of death, deceit, and desperation? Is it revenge? Redemption? Or is it something darker—something unspeakable? In this week’s episode of Make Me A Nerd, Mandy welcomes back friend-of-the-show and pop culture aficionado Jimmy Aquino for a sprawling conversation about Season 2 of Netflix’s global phenomenon, Squid Game.

Why does the show juxtapose childlike innocence with grotesque violence? How does its set design, awash in candy-colored chaos, weaponize nostalgia? And what does it mean to see yourself in a world where every choice is a gamble, every friendship a potential betrayal?

Jimmy reveals fascinating behind-the-scenes details about the cast, from the controversial portrayal of a trans character to the unlikely comeback of a disgraced K-pop idol. Mandy, meanwhile, struggles with the show's relentless intensity, raising questions about the ethics of entertainment. Together, they navigate the intricate storytelling, dissect the character arcs, and celebrate the masterful use of music—from eerie arias to haunting covers.

Links & Notes


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Learn more about supporting this podcast by becoming a member. It's just $5/month or $55/year. Visit our website to learn more.

]]> What compels someone to willingly re-enter a labyrinth of death, deceit, and desperation? Is it revenge? Redemption? Or is it something darker—something unspeakable? In this week’s episode of Make Me A Nerd, Mandy welcomes back friend-of-the-show and pop culture aficionado Jimmy Aquino for a sprawling conversation about Season 2 of Netflix’s global phenomenon, Squid Game.

Why does the show juxtapose childlike innocence with grotesque violence? How does its set design, awash in candy-colored chaos, weaponize nostalgia? And what does it mean to see yourself in a world where every choice is a gamble, every friendship a potential betrayal?

Jimmy reveals fascinating behind-the-scenes details about the cast, from the controversial portrayal of a trans character to the unlikely comeback of a disgraced K-pop idol. Mandy, meanwhile, struggles with the show's relentless intensity, raising questions about the ethics of entertainment. Together, they navigate the intricate storytelling, dissect the character arcs, and celebrate the masterful use of music—from eerie arias to haunting covers.

Links & Notes


---
Learn more about supporting this podcast by becoming a member. It's just $5/month or $55/year. Visit our website to learn more.

]]> Mon, 20 Jan 2025 03:00:00 -0800 TruStory FM TruStory FM 3054 What compels someone to willingly re-enter a labyrinth of death, deceit, and desperation? Is it revenge? Redemption? Or is it something darker—something unspeakable? In this week’s episode of Make Me A Nerd, Mandy welcomes back friend-of-the-show and pop culture aficionado Jimmy Aquino for a sprawling conversation about Season 2 of Netflix’s global phenomenon, Squid Game.

Why does the show juxtapose childlike innocence with grotesque violence? How does its set design, awash in candy-colored chaos, weaponize nostalgia? And what does it mean to see yourself in a world where every choice is a gamble, every friendship a potential betrayal?

Jimmy reveals fascinating behind-the-scenes details about the cast, from the controversial portrayal of a trans character to the unlikely comeback of a disgraced K-pop idol. Mandy, meanwhile, struggles with the show's relentless intensity, raising questions about the ethics of entertainment. Together, they navigate the intricate storytelling, dissect the character arcs, and celebrate the masterful use of music—from eerie arias to haunting covers.

Links & Notes


---
Learn more about supporting this podcast by becoming a member. It's just $5/month or $55/year. Visit our website to learn more.

]]> D&D, Star Wars, Star Trek, Marvel, Gaming, Technology, Nerddom No King of Kong with Megan Isser 31 31 King of Kong with Megan Isser full ae306fb6-36ca-4d8c-979c-ec22fc3b228d https://share.transistor.fm/s/2b676ba6 What happens when obsession becomes a refuge, when a high score becomes a legacy, and when a rivalry turns into a morality play? This week on Make Me A Nerd, Mandy Kaplan goes deep into the pixelated world of Donkey Kong, a place where the stakes are high, the egos are massive, and the quarters just keep coming. Mandy is joined by Megan Isser, a former documentary filmmaker turned professor of film, who brings her nuanced lens to the unlikely drama chronicled in the cult-classic documentary The King of Kong.

This isn’t just a story about a video game—it’s a story about identity, community, and the fraught pursuit of greatness.

Billy Mitchell, the reigning champion with a penchant for arrogance and hot sauce, becomes the perfect foil for Steve Wiebe, the underdog science teacher whose life has been a series of almosts—almost a great athlete, almost a great musician, almost a winner. The film, directed by Seth Gordon, captures their rivalry with the precision of a Donkey Kong hammer smashing barrels, raising larger questions about what it means to devote yourself to something utterly niche, but deeply important.

Megan and Mandy dissect the film’s narrative structure, its unforgettable cast of characters (from Walter Day’s referee stripes to Brian Kuh’s kill-screen evangelism), and the fine line between celebrating nerd culture and mocking it. They also explore the documentary’s impact on the genre itself, as well as the ethical choices filmmakers face when portraying their subjects.

Is Billy Mitchell the villain we want him to be? Is Steve Wiebe the hero we need him to be? And what does it all say about the lengths we’ll go to for recognition, even in an arcade?

This episode is a love letter to obsession and the people who find meaning in the unlikeliest places. But it’s also a meditation on humanity, on what drives us to compete, to connect, and to care.

Press play. Because somewhere in the background, a Donkey Kong cabinet is still buzzing, and a potential kill screen is always looming.

Links & Notes


---
Learn more about supporting this podcast by becoming a member. It's just $5/month or $55/year. Visit our website to learn more.

]]> What happens when obsession becomes a refuge, when a high score becomes a legacy, and when a rivalry turns into a morality play? This week on Make Me A Nerd, Mandy Kaplan goes deep into the pixelated world of Donkey Kong, a place where the stakes are high, the egos are massive, and the quarters just keep coming. Mandy is joined by Megan Isser, a former documentary filmmaker turned professor of film, who brings her nuanced lens to the unlikely drama chronicled in the cult-classic documentary The King of Kong.

This isn’t just a story about a video game—it’s a story about identity, community, and the fraught pursuit of greatness.

Billy Mitchell, the reigning champion with a penchant for arrogance and hot sauce, becomes the perfect foil for Steve Wiebe, the underdog science teacher whose life has been a series of almosts—almost a great athlete, almost a great musician, almost a winner. The film, directed by Seth Gordon, captures their rivalry with the precision of a Donkey Kong hammer smashing barrels, raising larger questions about what it means to devote yourself to something utterly niche, but deeply important.

Megan and Mandy dissect the film’s narrative structure, its unforgettable cast of characters (from Walter Day’s referee stripes to Brian Kuh’s kill-screen evangelism), and the fine line between celebrating nerd culture and mocking it. They also explore the documentary’s impact on the genre itself, as well as the ethical choices filmmakers face when portraying their subjects.

Is Billy Mitchell the villain we want him to be? Is Steve Wiebe the hero we need him to be? And what does it all say about the lengths we’ll go to for recognition, even in an arcade?

This episode is a love letter to obsession and the people who find meaning in the unlikeliest places. But it’s also a meditation on humanity, on what drives us to compete, to connect, and to care.

Press play. Because somewhere in the background, a Donkey Kong cabinet is still buzzing, and a potential kill screen is always looming.

Links & Notes


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Learn more about supporting this podcast by becoming a member. It's just $5/month or $55/year. Visit our website to learn more.

]]> Mon, 13 Jan 2025 03:00:00 -0800 TruStory FM TruStory FM 3146 What happens when obsession becomes a refuge, when a high score becomes a legacy, and when a rivalry turns into a morality play? This week on Make Me A Nerd, Mandy Kaplan goes deep into the pixelated world of Donkey Kong, a place where the stakes are high, the egos are massive, and the quarters just keep coming. Mandy is joined by Megan Isser, a former documentary filmmaker turned professor of film, who brings her nuanced lens to the unlikely drama chronicled in the cult-classic documentary The King of Kong.

This isn’t just a story about a video game—it’s a story about identity, community, and the fraught pursuit of greatness.

Billy Mitchell, the reigning champion with a penchant for arrogance and hot sauce, becomes the perfect foil for Steve Wiebe, the underdog science teacher whose life has been a series of almosts—almost a great athlete, almost a great musician, almost a winner. The film, directed by Seth Gordon, captures their rivalry with the precision of a Donkey Kong hammer smashing barrels, raising larger questions about what it means to devote yourself to something utterly niche, but deeply important.

Megan and Mandy dissect the film’s narrative structure, its unforgettable cast of characters (from Walter Day’s referee stripes to Brian Kuh’s kill-screen evangelism), and the fine line between celebrating nerd culture and mocking it. They also explore the documentary’s impact on the genre itself, as well as the ethical choices filmmakers face when portraying their subjects.

Is Billy Mitchell the villain we want him to be? Is Steve Wiebe the hero we need him to be? And what does it all say about the lengths we’ll go to for recognition, even in an arcade?

This episode is a love letter to obsession and the people who find meaning in the unlikeliest places. But it’s also a meditation on humanity, on what drives us to compete, to connect, and to care.

Press play. Because somewhere in the background, a Donkey Kong cabinet is still buzzing, and a potential kill screen is always looming.

Links & Notes


---
Learn more about supporting this podcast by becoming a member. It's just $5/month or $55/year. Visit our website to learn more.

]]> D&D, Star Wars, Star Trek, Marvel, Gaming, Technology, Nerddom No Buffy the Vampire Slayer with Kyle Olson & Pete Wright 30 30 Buffy the Vampire Slayer with Kyle Olson & Pete Wright full 5a7c657a-fcbe-4449-b5fe-d1e94672d2ed https://share.transistor.fm/s/9fc8e88a This week, Mandy slays into Buffy the Vampire Slayer, a show she'd previously avoided. Joined by Pete Wright and Kyle Olson, she confronts her assumptions about vampires and the supernatural in stake and song.

Before the nostalgia kicks in, Kyle addresses the complicated legacy of Joss Whedon, emphasizing the importance of separating the art from the artist. This is a conversation about reclaiming the Buffy fandom as a source of joy, setting the stage for a more nuanced discussion.

Are Pete and Kyle, middle-aged straight white men, the right vessels for Buffy fandom? Yes, yes, a thousand times yes. In fact, it's their experience that shines a spotlight on just how broad the fandom of this show reaches.

This is an exploration of that fandom, the power of nostalgia, and the complex relationship between art and its creators. Along the way, they patrol through S2E3: School Hard, S4E10: Hush, and S6E7: Once More With Feeling.

Links & Notes





---
Learn more about supporting this podcast by becoming a member. It's just $5/month or $55/year. Visit our website to learn more.

]]> This week, Mandy slays into Buffy the Vampire Slayer, a show she'd previously avoided. Joined by Pete Wright and Kyle Olson, she confronts her assumptions about vampires and the supernatural in stake and song.

Before the nostalgia kicks in, Kyle addresses the complicated legacy of Joss Whedon, emphasizing the importance of separating the art from the artist. This is a conversation about reclaiming the Buffy fandom as a source of joy, setting the stage for a more nuanced discussion.

Are Pete and Kyle, middle-aged straight white men, the right vessels for Buffy fandom? Yes, yes, a thousand times yes. In fact, it's their experience that shines a spotlight on just how broad the fandom of this show reaches.

This is an exploration of that fandom, the power of nostalgia, and the complex relationship between art and its creators. Along the way, they patrol through S2E3: School Hard, S4E10: Hush, and S6E7: Once More With Feeling.

Links & Notes





---
Learn more about supporting this podcast by becoming a member. It's just $5/month or $55/year. Visit our website to learn more.

]]> Mon, 06 Jan 2025 03:00:00 -0800 TruStory FM TruStory FM 3901 This week, Mandy slays into Buffy the Vampire Slayer, a show she'd previously avoided. Joined by Pete Wright and Kyle Olson, she confronts her assumptions about vampires and the supernatural in stake and song.

Before the nostalgia kicks in, Kyle addresses the complicated legacy of Joss Whedon, emphasizing the importance of separating the art from the artist. This is a conversation about reclaiming the Buffy fandom as a source of joy, setting the stage for a more nuanced discussion.

Are Pete and Kyle, middle-aged straight white men, the right vessels for Buffy fandom? Yes, yes, a thousand times yes. In fact, it's their experience that shines a spotlight on just how broad the fandom of this show reaches.

This is an exploration of that fandom, the power of nostalgia, and the complex relationship between art and its creators. Along the way, they patrol through S2E3: School Hard, S4E10: Hush, and S6E7: Once More With Feeling.

Links & Notes





---
Learn more about supporting this podcast by becoming a member. It's just $5/month or $55/year. Visit our website to learn more.

]]> D&D, Star Wars, Star Trek, Marvel, Gaming, Technology, Nerddom No A Court of Thorns and Roses with Dana Ogle 29 29 A Court of Thorns and Roses with Dana Ogle full 764d2b46-0438-4e4d-a014-795ff4cf264f https://share.transistor.fm/s/3e35c462 Dive deep into the swirling vortex of nerddom with Mandy and Dana as they dissect the wildly popular A Court of Thorns and Roses. Mandy grapples with the thorny intricacies of faerie lore, romanticy, and the age-old question: just how does one maintain hygiene in a pre-modern, magically infused realm?

Dana, the seasoned reader and fantasy aficionado, acts as Mandy's Virgil, guiding her through the labyrinthine world of Sarah J. Maas's prose. They explore the surprising parallels to Beauty and the Beast, the allure of world-building (even when it leaves you scratching your head), and the irresistible pull of a good, old-fashioned, fairy-fueled romance.

This episode is a must-listen for anyone who's ever wondered about the finer points of faerie etiquette, the power of BookTok, or the enduring appeal of a story that blends romance, fantasy, and just a touch of good old-fashioned gore. You might even learn a thing or two about Taylor Swift along the way. Trust us, it's more connected than you think.

Links & Notes


---
Learn more about supporting this podcast by becoming a member. It's just $5/month or $55/year. Visit our website to learn more.

]]> Dive deep into the swirling vortex of nerddom with Mandy and Dana as they dissect the wildly popular A Court of Thorns and Roses. Mandy grapples with the thorny intricacies of faerie lore, romanticy, and the age-old question: just how does one maintain hygiene in a pre-modern, magically infused realm?

Dana, the seasoned reader and fantasy aficionado, acts as Mandy's Virgil, guiding her through the labyrinthine world of Sarah J. Maas's prose. They explore the surprising parallels to Beauty and the Beast, the allure of world-building (even when it leaves you scratching your head), and the irresistible pull of a good, old-fashioned, fairy-fueled romance.

This episode is a must-listen for anyone who's ever wondered about the finer points of faerie etiquette, the power of BookTok, or the enduring appeal of a story that blends romance, fantasy, and just a touch of good old-fashioned gore. You might even learn a thing or two about Taylor Swift along the way. Trust us, it's more connected than you think.

Links & Notes


---
Learn more about supporting this podcast by becoming a member. It's just $5/month or $55/year. Visit our website to learn more.

]]> Mon, 23 Dec 2024 10:00:00 -0800 TruStory FM TruStory FM 3237 Dive deep into the swirling vortex of nerddom with Mandy and Dana as they dissect the wildly popular A Court of Thorns and Roses. Mandy grapples with the thorny intricacies of faerie lore, romanticy, and the age-old question: just how does one maintain hygiene in a pre-modern, magically infused realm?

Dana, the seasoned reader and fantasy aficionado, acts as Mandy's Virgil, guiding her through the labyrinthine world of Sarah J. Maas's prose. They explore the surprising parallels to Beauty and the Beast, the allure of world-building (even when it leaves you scratching your head), and the irresistible pull of a good, old-fashioned, fairy-fueled romance.

This episode is a must-listen for anyone who's ever wondered about the finer points of faerie etiquette, the power of BookTok, or the enduring appeal of a story that blends romance, fantasy, and just a touch of good old-fashioned gore. You might even learn a thing or two about Taylor Swift along the way. Trust us, it's more connected than you think.

Links & Notes


---
Learn more about supporting this podcast by becoming a member. It's just $5/month or $55/year. Visit our website to learn more.

]]> D&D, Star Wars, Star Trek, Marvel, Gaming, Technology, Nerddom No The Babadook-dook-dook with Tommy Metz III 28 28 The Babadook-dook-dook with Tommy Metz III full 2bd5f3bb-94bf-431c-b0f5-c63bb05dffd9 https://share.transistor.fm/s/fd17537d What happens when fear isn’t just in the shadows, but in the walls of your own home? When the weight of loss becomes a creature you can see, hear, and—perhaps worst of all—cannot escape?

This week, Mandy invites filmmaker, podcaster, and friend Tommy Metz III back to unpack one of the most unsettling films of the last decade: The Babadook.

Mandy and Tommy explore the architecture of horror itself, evaluating how Jennifer Kent’s 2014 cult classic reshaped the genre. From the film’s muted color palette to its sound design, they unpack how the movie doesn’t just tell a bedtime story—it feels like one.

What if the Babadook isn’t just a monster, but an author, a symbol of a mother’s unresolved trauma? Tommy presents a theory that might just make you rethink every frame of the film, complete with exhibits and photographic evidence. Mandy recounts her own nightmares, her love-hate relationship with creepy children’s books, and her newfound obsession with the film’s unsettling layers.

And what about this for unexpected twists: How did a shadowy, top-hat-wearing figure become a queer icon? Yes, you read that right. The Babadook’s journey from psychological horror to internet meme is a subplot worthy of its own deep dive.

Links & Notes


---
Learn more about supporting this podcast by becoming a member. It's just $5/month or $55/year. Visit our website to learn more.

]]> What happens when fear isn’t just in the shadows, but in the walls of your own home? When the weight of loss becomes a creature you can see, hear, and—perhaps worst of all—cannot escape?

This week, Mandy invites filmmaker, podcaster, and friend Tommy Metz III back to unpack one of the most unsettling films of the last decade: The Babadook.

Mandy and Tommy explore the architecture of horror itself, evaluating how Jennifer Kent’s 2014 cult classic reshaped the genre. From the film’s muted color palette to its sound design, they unpack how the movie doesn’t just tell a bedtime story—it feels like one.

What if the Babadook isn’t just a monster, but an author, a symbol of a mother’s unresolved trauma? Tommy presents a theory that might just make you rethink every frame of the film, complete with exhibits and photographic evidence. Mandy recounts her own nightmares, her love-hate relationship with creepy children’s books, and her newfound obsession with the film’s unsettling layers.

And what about this for unexpected twists: How did a shadowy, top-hat-wearing figure become a queer icon? Yes, you read that right. The Babadook’s journey from psychological horror to internet meme is a subplot worthy of its own deep dive.

Links & Notes


---
Learn more about supporting this podcast by becoming a member. It's just $5/month or $55/year. Visit our website to learn more.

]]> Mon, 16 Dec 2024 03:00:00 -0800 TruStory FM TruStory FM 3309 What happens when fear isn’t just in the shadows, but in the walls of your own home? When the weight of loss becomes a creature you can see, hear, and—perhaps worst of all—cannot escape?

This week, Mandy invites filmmaker, podcaster, and friend Tommy Metz III back to unpack one of the most unsettling films of the last decade: The Babadook.

Mandy and Tommy explore the architecture of horror itself, evaluating how Jennifer Kent’s 2014 cult classic reshaped the genre. From the film’s muted color palette to its sound design, they unpack how the movie doesn’t just tell a bedtime story—it feels like one.

What if the Babadook isn’t just a monster, but an author, a symbol of a mother’s unresolved trauma? Tommy presents a theory that might just make you rethink every frame of the film, complete with exhibits and photographic evidence. Mandy recounts her own nightmares, her love-hate relationship with creepy children’s books, and her newfound obsession with the film’s unsettling layers.

And what about this for unexpected twists: How did a shadowy, top-hat-wearing figure become a queer icon? Yes, you read that right. The Babadook’s journey from psychological horror to internet meme is a subplot worthy of its own deep dive.

Links & Notes


---
Learn more about supporting this podcast by becoming a member. It's just $5/month or $55/year. Visit our website to learn more.

]]> D&D, Star Wars, Star Trek, Marvel, Gaming, Technology, Nerddom No A Love Letter to Star Trek: Deconstructing The Orville with Matthew Fox 27 27 A Love Letter to Star Trek: Deconstructing The Orville with Matthew Fox full d80e50a9-d13a-4a97-a502-4ca522cdc2c7 https://share.transistor.fm/s/7052750b Mandy Kaplan embarks on a cosmic quest to decode the enigmatic realms of sci-fi aboard the USS Orville, captained by the comedic stylings of Seth MacFarlane, with Matthew Fox, host of Star Wars Generations and Superhero Ethics.

This isn't a show that's obsessed with warp speeds or phaser frequencies. Instead, Matthew sees science fiction as a mirror reflecting the complexities of our own world, a lens through which to examine ethics, humanity, and the very fabric of consciousness.

Mandy sets off with The Orville, a show she initially dismissed as "frat-boy humor," and discovers the surprising depth beneath the surface. Together, they explore pivotal episodes: "About a Girl," a poignant exploration of gender identity and cultural relativism, and "Mad Idolatry," a sharp critique of religious fervor and its potential for manipulation. The Orville is a space adventure and a philosophical thought experiment wrapped in witty banter and surprising emotional resonance.

Links & Notes



---
Learn more about supporting this podcast by becoming a member. It's just $5/month or $55/year. Visit our website to learn more.

]]> Mandy Kaplan embarks on a cosmic quest to decode the enigmatic realms of sci-fi aboard the USS Orville, captained by the comedic stylings of Seth MacFarlane, with Matthew Fox, host of Star Wars Generations and Superhero Ethics.

This isn't a show that's obsessed with warp speeds or phaser frequencies. Instead, Matthew sees science fiction as a mirror reflecting the complexities of our own world, a lens through which to examine ethics, humanity, and the very fabric of consciousness.

Mandy sets off with The Orville, a show she initially dismissed as "frat-boy humor," and discovers the surprising depth beneath the surface. Together, they explore pivotal episodes: "About a Girl," a poignant exploration of gender identity and cultural relativism, and "Mad Idolatry," a sharp critique of religious fervor and its potential for manipulation. The Orville is a space adventure and a philosophical thought experiment wrapped in witty banter and surprising emotional resonance.

Links & Notes



---
Learn more about supporting this podcast by becoming a member. It's just $5/month or $55/year. Visit our website to learn more.

]]> Mon, 09 Dec 2024 03:00:00 -0800 TruStory FM TruStory FM 3536 Mandy Kaplan embarks on a cosmic quest to decode the enigmatic realms of sci-fi aboard the USS Orville, captained by the comedic stylings of Seth MacFarlane, with Matthew Fox, host of Star Wars Generations and Superhero Ethics.

This isn't a show that's obsessed with warp speeds or phaser frequencies. Instead, Matthew sees science fiction as a mirror reflecting the complexities of our own world, a lens through which to examine ethics, humanity, and the very fabric of consciousness.

Mandy sets off with The Orville, a show she initially dismissed as "frat-boy humor," and discovers the surprising depth beneath the surface. Together, they explore pivotal episodes: "About a Girl," a poignant exploration of gender identity and cultural relativism, and "Mad Idolatry," a sharp critique of religious fervor and its potential for manipulation. The Orville is a space adventure and a philosophical thought experiment wrapped in witty banter and surprising emotional resonance.

Links & Notes



---
Learn more about supporting this podcast by becoming a member. It's just $5/month or $55/year. Visit our website to learn more.

]]> D&D, Star Wars, Star Trek, Marvel, Gaming, Technology, Nerddom No The Unexpected Heart of One Piece with Zach Logan 26 26 The Unexpected Heart of One Piece with Zach Logan full 8b2fc2c5-5665-4597-83f7-8f3b944e597f https://share.transistor.fm/s/e55724cc Mandy embarks on a quixotic quest to decode the enigmatic world of One Piece. Yes, that One Piece – the sprawling, seemingly endless saga of pirates, devil fruits, and a rubber-limbed protagonist named Monkey D. Luffy. Now, before you dismiss this as mere children’s fare, consider this: One Piece, like a meticulously crafted Trojan Horse, smuggles profound themes of friendship, loyalty, and the enduring power of dreams within its vibrant, often absurd exterior.

Zach Logan, the erudite host of the One Piece Podcast, serves as Mandy’s Virgil, guiding her through this labyrinthine narrative. He, a veteran of the double secret life – the one where international espionage is but a mundane Tuesday – reveals the surprising depth and emotional resonance lurking beneath the surface of this thousand-plus episode epic. They discuss the nuances of the original anime, the kinetic energy of the recent “Fan Letter” special, and the surprisingly effective live-action adaptation, a production Zach’s own mother, along with a legion of other moms, inexplicably adores.

But the true heart of this episode lies in the unexpected parallels they draw between One Piece and other seemingly disparate narratives, from Homer’s Odyssey to the nerdy depths of the television show Lost. They explore the enduring appeal of the “ragtag crew on a mission” trope, the way it taps into our primal yearning for connection and belonging. In doing so, they reveal the universality of One Piece, its ability to transcend cultural boundaries and speak to something deep within the human spirit. So, grab your straw hat, hoist the Jolly Roger, and prepare to be swept away by the world of One Piece.

Links & Notes


---
Learn more about supporting this podcast by becoming a member. It's just $5/month or $55/year. Visit our website to learn more.

]]> Mandy embarks on a quixotic quest to decode the enigmatic world of One Piece. Yes, that One Piece – the sprawling, seemingly endless saga of pirates, devil fruits, and a rubber-limbed protagonist named Monkey D. Luffy. Now, before you dismiss this as mere children’s fare, consider this: One Piece, like a meticulously crafted Trojan Horse, smuggles profound themes of friendship, loyalty, and the enduring power of dreams within its vibrant, often absurd exterior.

Zach Logan, the erudite host of the One Piece Podcast, serves as Mandy’s Virgil, guiding her through this labyrinthine narrative. He, a veteran of the double secret life – the one where international espionage is but a mundane Tuesday – reveals the surprising depth and emotional resonance lurking beneath the surface of this thousand-plus episode epic. They discuss the nuances of the original anime, the kinetic energy of the recent “Fan Letter” special, and the surprisingly effective live-action adaptation, a production Zach’s own mother, along with a legion of other moms, inexplicably adores.

But the true heart of this episode lies in the unexpected parallels they draw between One Piece and other seemingly disparate narratives, from Homer’s Odyssey to the nerdy depths of the television show Lost. They explore the enduring appeal of the “ragtag crew on a mission” trope, the way it taps into our primal yearning for connection and belonging. In doing so, they reveal the universality of One Piece, its ability to transcend cultural boundaries and speak to something deep within the human spirit. So, grab your straw hat, hoist the Jolly Roger, and prepare to be swept away by the world of One Piece.

Links & Notes


---
Learn more about supporting this podcast by becoming a member. It's just $5/month or $55/year. Visit our website to learn more.

]]> Mon, 02 Dec 2024 03:00:00 -0800 TruStory FM TruStory FM 3192 Mandy embarks on a quixotic quest to decode the enigmatic world of One Piece. Yes, that One Piece – the sprawling, seemingly endless saga of pirates, devil fruits, and a rubber-limbed protagonist named Monkey D. Luffy. Now, before you dismiss this as mere children’s fare, consider this: One Piece, like a meticulously crafted Trojan Horse, smuggles profound themes of friendship, loyalty, and the enduring power of dreams within its vibrant, often absurd exterior.

Zach Logan, the erudite host of the One Piece Podcast, serves as Mandy’s Virgil, guiding her through this labyrinthine narrative. He, a veteran of the double secret life – the one where international espionage is but a mundane Tuesday – reveals the surprising depth and emotional resonance lurking beneath the surface of this thousand-plus episode epic. They discuss the nuances of the original anime, the kinetic energy of the recent “Fan Letter” special, and the surprisingly effective live-action adaptation, a production Zach’s own mother, along with a legion of other moms, inexplicably adores.

But the true heart of this episode lies in the unexpected parallels they draw between One Piece and other seemingly disparate narratives, from Homer’s Odyssey to the nerdy depths of the television show Lost. They explore the enduring appeal of the “ragtag crew on a mission” trope, the way it taps into our primal yearning for connection and belonging. In doing so, they reveal the universality of One Piece, its ability to transcend cultural boundaries and speak to something deep within the human spirit. So, grab your straw hat, hoist the Jolly Roger, and prepare to be swept away by the world of One Piece.

Links & Notes


---
Learn more about supporting this podcast by becoming a member. It's just $5/month or $55/year. Visit our website to learn more.

]]> D&D, Star Wars, Star Trek, Marvel, Gaming, Technology, Nerddom No Marvel Magic: The Case of Agatha Harkness with Matt Cole 25 25 Marvel Magic: The Case of Agatha Harkness with Matt Cole full 05ec06dc-e5a5-4b7b-808c-773f241643d1 https://share.transistor.fm/s/03ea849d This week on Make Me A Nerd, Mandy goes deep into the bewitching woods of "Agatha All Along," a spin-off of the already perplexing "WandaVision." To help her grapple with the show's unique narrative structure, its blend of sitcom tropes and supernatural intrigue, and its connection to the broader tapestry of the MCU she’s got her new best Marvel friend, Matt Cole from the Debate This! Podcast!

They dissect the lingering effects of Wanda's hex spell on Agatha Harkness, exploring how it traps her in a cycle of sitcom archetypes, blurring the lines between reality and illusion. They examine the significance of Aubrey Plaza's arrival, questioning her motivations and her connection to Agatha's past. They probe the show's subtle nods to the history of witchcraft, tracing the threads of real-world folklore woven into the fictional narrative.

But the conversation extends beyond the specifics of the plot. They unpack the challenges of adapting complex comic book lore for the screen, the delicate balance between fan service and accessibility, and the tendency of superhero narratives to recycle familiar tropes. They question the effectiveness of exposition-heavy recaps and primers, arguing that sometimes, a surface-level engagement can be more rewarding than a deep dive into obscure trivia.

Ultimately, this episode is about the inherent human desire to make sense of complex narratives, to find connection in shared experiences, and to laugh at the absurdity of it all. It’s an exploration of the joys and frustrations of fandom, the tension between casual viewing and obsessive analysis, and the realization that even in the most fantastical worlds, the human element remains at the core. So, join coven as they unravel the mysteries of Agatha, navigating the convoluted corridors of the MCU with a mix of curiosity, skepticism, and a healthy appreciation for the weird.

Links & Notes



---
Learn more about supporting this podcast by becoming a member. It's just $5/month or $55/year. Visit our website to learn more.

]]> This week on Make Me A Nerd, Mandy goes deep into the bewitching woods of "Agatha All Along," a spin-off of the already perplexing "WandaVision." To help her grapple with the show's unique narrative structure, its blend of sitcom tropes and supernatural intrigue, and its connection to the broader tapestry of the MCU she’s got her new best Marvel friend, Matt Cole from the Debate This! Podcast!

They dissect the lingering effects of Wanda's hex spell on Agatha Harkness, exploring how it traps her in a cycle of sitcom archetypes, blurring the lines between reality and illusion. They examine the significance of Aubrey Plaza's arrival, questioning her motivations and her connection to Agatha's past. They probe the show's subtle nods to the history of witchcraft, tracing the threads of real-world folklore woven into the fictional narrative.

But the conversation extends beyond the specifics of the plot. They unpack the challenges of adapting complex comic book lore for the screen, the delicate balance between fan service and accessibility, and the tendency of superhero narratives to recycle familiar tropes. They question the effectiveness of exposition-heavy recaps and primers, arguing that sometimes, a surface-level engagement can be more rewarding than a deep dive into obscure trivia.

Ultimately, this episode is about the inherent human desire to make sense of complex narratives, to find connection in shared experiences, and to laugh at the absurdity of it all. It’s an exploration of the joys and frustrations of fandom, the tension between casual viewing and obsessive analysis, and the realization that even in the most fantastical worlds, the human element remains at the core. So, join coven as they unravel the mysteries of Agatha, navigating the convoluted corridors of the MCU with a mix of curiosity, skepticism, and a healthy appreciation for the weird.

Links & Notes



---
Learn more about supporting this podcast by becoming a member. It's just $5/month or $55/year. Visit our website to learn more.

]]> Mon, 25 Nov 2024 03:00:00 -0800 TruStory FM TruStory FM 3400 This week on Make Me A Nerd, Mandy goes deep into the bewitching woods of "Agatha All Along," a spin-off of the already perplexing "WandaVision." To help her grapple with the show's unique narrative structure, its blend of sitcom tropes and supernatural intrigue, and its connection to the broader tapestry of the MCU she’s got her new best Marvel friend, Matt Cole from the Debate This! Podcast!

They dissect the lingering effects of Wanda's hex spell on Agatha Harkness, exploring how it traps her in a cycle of sitcom archetypes, blurring the lines between reality and illusion. They examine the significance of Aubrey Plaza's arrival, questioning her motivations and her connection to Agatha's past. They probe the show's subtle nods to the history of witchcraft, tracing the threads of real-world folklore woven into the fictional narrative.

But the conversation extends beyond the specifics of the plot. They unpack the challenges of adapting complex comic book lore for the screen, the delicate balance between fan service and accessibility, and the tendency of superhero narratives to recycle familiar tropes. They question the effectiveness of exposition-heavy recaps and primers, arguing that sometimes, a surface-level engagement can be more rewarding than a deep dive into obscure trivia.

Ultimately, this episode is about the inherent human desire to make sense of complex narratives, to find connection in shared experiences, and to laugh at the absurdity of it all. It’s an exploration of the joys and frustrations of fandom, the tension between casual viewing and obsessive analysis, and the realization that even in the most fantastical worlds, the human element remains at the core. So, join coven as they unravel the mysteries of Agatha, navigating the convoluted corridors of the MCU with a mix of curiosity, skepticism, and a healthy appreciation for the weird.

Links & Notes



---
Learn more about supporting this podcast by becoming a member. It's just $5/month or $55/year. Visit our website to learn more.

]]> D&D, Star Wars, Star Trek, Marvel, Gaming, Technology, Nerddom No Breaking Into the MCU Through the TVA: Loki with Justin Jaeger 24 24 Breaking Into the MCU Through the TVA: Loki with Justin Jaeger full a32bccf2-32f1-4aa1-afea-8a0f41b1d9bd https://share.transistor.fm/s/e12a8176 In this delightfully nerdy episode, Mandy joins the ranks of the Marvel Cinematic Universe for the (sort of) first time with podcaster and comic book aficionado Justin Jaeger. Like a modern-day anthropologist venturing into uncharted territory, Mandy explores the mystifying world of Loki, Marvel's mercurial trickster god, through the lens of a complete newcomer.

Justin, whose personal comic collection once aspired to the likes of the Library of Alexandria with 8,000 volumes, guides Mandy through the intricacies of Marvel lore while accidentally turning their discussion into an impromptu therapy session. The pair pull apart the charming paradox of Tom Hiddleston's Loki—a villain so charismatic that Mandy initially mistakes him for the hero.

From comparing the show to Silence of the Lambs to debating the state of Marvel's special effects budget, this episode offers a refreshingly uninitiated perspective on superhero culture. Whether you're a seasoned comic collector or someone who only knows Tom Hiddleston as "Taylor Swift's ex who dances on Graham Norton," this conversation bridges the gap between mainstream and nerd culture with wit and warmth.

Links & Notes



---
Learn more about supporting this podcast by becoming a member. It's just $5/month or $55/year. Visit our website to learn more.

]]> In this delightfully nerdy episode, Mandy joins the ranks of the Marvel Cinematic Universe for the (sort of) first time with podcaster and comic book aficionado Justin Jaeger. Like a modern-day anthropologist venturing into uncharted territory, Mandy explores the mystifying world of Loki, Marvel's mercurial trickster god, through the lens of a complete newcomer.

Justin, whose personal comic collection once aspired to the likes of the Library of Alexandria with 8,000 volumes, guides Mandy through the intricacies of Marvel lore while accidentally turning their discussion into an impromptu therapy session. The pair pull apart the charming paradox of Tom Hiddleston's Loki—a villain so charismatic that Mandy initially mistakes him for the hero.

From comparing the show to Silence of the Lambs to debating the state of Marvel's special effects budget, this episode offers a refreshingly uninitiated perspective on superhero culture. Whether you're a seasoned comic collector or someone who only knows Tom Hiddleston as "Taylor Swift's ex who dances on Graham Norton," this conversation bridges the gap between mainstream and nerd culture with wit and warmth.

Links & Notes



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Learn more about supporting this podcast by becoming a member. It's just $5/month or $55/year. Visit our website to learn more.

]]> Mon, 18 Nov 2024 03:00:00 -0800 TruStory FM TruStory FM 2966 In this delightfully nerdy episode, Mandy joins the ranks of the Marvel Cinematic Universe for the (sort of) first time with podcaster and comic book aficionado Justin Jaeger. Like a modern-day anthropologist venturing into uncharted territory, Mandy explores the mystifying world of Loki, Marvel's mercurial trickster god, through the lens of a complete newcomer.

Justin, whose personal comic collection once aspired to the likes of the Library of Alexandria with 8,000 volumes, guides Mandy through the intricacies of Marvel lore while accidentally turning their discussion into an impromptu therapy session. The pair pull apart the charming paradox of Tom Hiddleston's Loki—a villain so charismatic that Mandy initially mistakes him for the hero.

From comparing the show to Silence of the Lambs to debating the state of Marvel's special effects budget, this episode offers a refreshingly uninitiated perspective on superhero culture. Whether you're a seasoned comic collector or someone who only knows Tom Hiddleston as "Taylor Swift's ex who dances on Graham Norton," this conversation bridges the gap between mainstream and nerd culture with wit and warmth.

Links & Notes



---
Learn more about supporting this podcast by becoming a member. It's just $5/month or $55/year. Visit our website to learn more.

]]> D&D, Star Wars, Star Trek, Marvel, Gaming, Technology, Nerddom No Wynona Earp with Melody McCune 23 23 Wynona Earp with Melody McCune full afc0e8df-5d12-4179-9d82-0d48366900d2 https://share.transistor.fm/s/0a44dc01 This week, Mandy sits down with the Earp-erific Melody McCune from Geek Girl Authority, who's here to school Mandy (and all of us!) on the wild world of Wynonna Earp.

Mandy bravely ventured into Season 3, Episode 7 before realizing she needed some serious backstory. So, like the true overachiever she is, she went back and watched the pilot (extra credit!). Now she's ready to chat all things Wynonna, from the show's surprising shift in tone (dark and atmospheric pilot vs. later seasons' campy fun) to the complicated family dynamics (vampire baby-daddies, anyone?).

They unpack the sisterly love, the curse, the quippy humor, and the surprisingly addictive soap opera-esque drama that makes this show a must-watch. Plus, Mandy's got some theories about Wynonna's MIA older sister, Willow – spin-off alert?! And did we mention Doc Holliday? Because, Doc Holliday.

Tune in for a hilarious deep dive into Purgatory, Revenants, and the joys of discovering new shows through podcasting. You might just become a little bit Earpy yourself.

Links & Notes


---
Learn more about supporting this podcast by becoming a member. It's just $5/month or $55/year. Visit our website to learn more.

]]> This week, Mandy sits down with the Earp-erific Melody McCune from Geek Girl Authority, who's here to school Mandy (and all of us!) on the wild world of Wynonna Earp.

Mandy bravely ventured into Season 3, Episode 7 before realizing she needed some serious backstory. So, like the true overachiever she is, she went back and watched the pilot (extra credit!). Now she's ready to chat all things Wynonna, from the show's surprising shift in tone (dark and atmospheric pilot vs. later seasons' campy fun) to the complicated family dynamics (vampire baby-daddies, anyone?).

They unpack the sisterly love, the curse, the quippy humor, and the surprisingly addictive soap opera-esque drama that makes this show a must-watch. Plus, Mandy's got some theories about Wynonna's MIA older sister, Willow – spin-off alert?! And did we mention Doc Holliday? Because, Doc Holliday.

Tune in for a hilarious deep dive into Purgatory, Revenants, and the joys of discovering new shows through podcasting. You might just become a little bit Earpy yourself.

Links & Notes


---
Learn more about supporting this podcast by becoming a member. It's just $5/month or $55/year. Visit our website to learn more.

]]> Mon, 11 Nov 2024 03:00:00 -0800 TruStory FM TruStory FM 3468 This week, Mandy sits down with the Earp-erific Melody McCune from Geek Girl Authority, who's here to school Mandy (and all of us!) on the wild world of Wynonna Earp.

Mandy bravely ventured into Season 3, Episode 7 before realizing she needed some serious backstory. So, like the true overachiever she is, she went back and watched the pilot (extra credit!). Now she's ready to chat all things Wynonna, from the show's surprising shift in tone (dark and atmospheric pilot vs. later seasons' campy fun) to the complicated family dynamics (vampire baby-daddies, anyone?).

They unpack the sisterly love, the curse, the quippy humor, and the surprisingly addictive soap opera-esque drama that makes this show a must-watch. Plus, Mandy's got some theories about Wynonna's MIA older sister, Willow – spin-off alert?! And did we mention Doc Holliday? Because, Doc Holliday.

Tune in for a hilarious deep dive into Purgatory, Revenants, and the joys of discovering new shows through podcasting. You might just become a little bit Earpy yourself.

Links & Notes


---
Learn more about supporting this podcast by becoming a member. It's just $5/month or $55/year. Visit our website to learn more.

]]> D&D, Star Wars, Star Trek, Marvel, Gaming, Technology, Nerddom No Mommie Dearest with Abdi Nazemian 22 22 Mommie Dearest with Abdi Nazemian full 94fc85b0-1ea9-4ff0-94f4-4e5c56366df5 https://share.transistor.fm/s/59b82a76 Join Mandy and her favorite roommate of all time, Abdi Nazemian, for a deep dive into the gloriously campy world of Mommie Dearest! Mandy gets schooled by Abdi, an award-winning author and certified Mommie Dearest expert, on why this so-bad-it's-good film has become a gay cultural touchstone.

They unpack Joan Crawford's over-the-top portrayal by Faye Dunaway, the unintentional camp that makes it so hilarious, and the surprisingly poignant way the film opened up conversations about abuse. Abdi shares hilarious anecdotes, including a legendary high school Mommie Dearest party and a personal encounter with Faye Dunaway (that didn't go so well).

Plus, they brainstorm musical numbers for a Mommie Dearest musical – get ready for "Mad at the Dirt"! Whether you're a longtime fan or a Mommie Dearest newbie, this episode is guaranteed to make you look at this classic film with fresh—and maybe more forgiving—eyes.

Links & Notes


---
Learn more about supporting this podcast by becoming a member. It's just $5/month or $55/year. Visit our website to learn more.

]]> Join Mandy and her favorite roommate of all time, Abdi Nazemian, for a deep dive into the gloriously campy world of Mommie Dearest! Mandy gets schooled by Abdi, an award-winning author and certified Mommie Dearest expert, on why this so-bad-it's-good film has become a gay cultural touchstone.

They unpack Joan Crawford's over-the-top portrayal by Faye Dunaway, the unintentional camp that makes it so hilarious, and the surprisingly poignant way the film opened up conversations about abuse. Abdi shares hilarious anecdotes, including a legendary high school Mommie Dearest party and a personal encounter with Faye Dunaway (that didn't go so well).

Plus, they brainstorm musical numbers for a Mommie Dearest musical – get ready for "Mad at the Dirt"! Whether you're a longtime fan or a Mommie Dearest newbie, this episode is guaranteed to make you look at this classic film with fresh—and maybe more forgiving—eyes.

Links & Notes


---
Learn more about supporting this podcast by becoming a member. It's just $5/month or $55/year. Visit our website to learn more.

]]> Mon, 04 Nov 2024 03:00:00 -0800 TruStory FM TruStory FM 3768 Join Mandy and her favorite roommate of all time, Abdi Nazemian, for a deep dive into the gloriously campy world of Mommie Dearest! Mandy gets schooled by Abdi, an award-winning author and certified Mommie Dearest expert, on why this so-bad-it's-good film has become a gay cultural touchstone.

They unpack Joan Crawford's over-the-top portrayal by Faye Dunaway, the unintentional camp that makes it so hilarious, and the surprisingly poignant way the film opened up conversations about abuse. Abdi shares hilarious anecdotes, including a legendary high school Mommie Dearest party and a personal encounter with Faye Dunaway (that didn't go so well).

Plus, they brainstorm musical numbers for a Mommie Dearest musical – get ready for "Mad at the Dirt"! Whether you're a longtime fan or a Mommie Dearest newbie, this episode is guaranteed to make you look at this classic film with fresh—and maybe more forgiving—eyes.

Links & Notes


---
Learn more about supporting this podcast by becoming a member. It's just $5/month or $55/year. Visit our website to learn more.

]]> D&D, Star Wars, Star Trek, Marvel, Gaming, Technology, Nerddom No Blown Away with Justine Huxley 21 21 Blown Away with Justine Huxley full bab1cb55-2150-448e-93c2-e2e535d72e40 https://share.transistor.fm/s/44368d18 This week on Make Me A Nerd, Mandy's chatting with the multi-talented Justine Huxley – voiceover artist, musical theater star, and, as it turns out, a total nerd in her own right.

Justine's nerdiness spans the spectrum. She reminisces about belting out show tunes as a kid in San Francisco's Ghirardelli Square (pre-smartphone, sadly, no viral fame) and geeks out about Stephen Sondheim. While Mandy steers clear of museums, Justine confesses her love for all things natural history and science – butterflies, dinosaurs, the whole shebang.

But wait, there's more! Justine just celebrated her public D&D debut at DreamHack Atlanta. As the voice of a quirky scientist in the video game Apex Legends, she was invited to participate in live D&D sessions. Turns out, she's a natural, rolling a string of 20s (now known as the "Justine roll") and winning over the D&D crowd.

The heart of the episode, though, is Netflix's "Blown Away." We're all hooked on the glassblowing competition, mesmerized by the artistry and skill. They break down the show's "Top Chef"-esque format, marvel at the contestants' creations, and sympathize with the physical demands – the heat, the burns, the evaluator, Katherine, whose critiques can be a bit…oof.

They get into just a bit of the nitty-gritty of specific episodes, praising Edgar, a young glassblower with a knack for realism (sadly, eliminated too early), and discussing the "Potluck Party" challenge, where one contestant declared his dislike of eating (what?!), and another created a powerful piece about food scarcity. They also weigh in on Debra, a talented but perhaps slightly overconfident competitor.

Obviously, click through to learn more about Justine's fantastic world. And check out "Blown Away," seriously. You'll be blo... oh never mind.

Links & Notes


---
Learn more about supporting this podcast by becoming a member. It's just $5/month or $55/year. Visit our website to learn more.

]]> This week on Make Me A Nerd, Mandy's chatting with the multi-talented Justine Huxley – voiceover artist, musical theater star, and, as it turns out, a total nerd in her own right.

Justine's nerdiness spans the spectrum. She reminisces about belting out show tunes as a kid in San Francisco's Ghirardelli Square (pre-smartphone, sadly, no viral fame) and geeks out about Stephen Sondheim. While Mandy steers clear of museums, Justine confesses her love for all things natural history and science – butterflies, dinosaurs, the whole shebang.

But wait, there's more! Justine just celebrated her public D&D debut at DreamHack Atlanta. As the voice of a quirky scientist in the video game Apex Legends, she was invited to participate in live D&D sessions. Turns out, she's a natural, rolling a string of 20s (now known as the "Justine roll") and winning over the D&D crowd.

The heart of the episode, though, is Netflix's "Blown Away." We're all hooked on the glassblowing competition, mesmerized by the artistry and skill. They break down the show's "Top Chef"-esque format, marvel at the contestants' creations, and sympathize with the physical demands – the heat, the burns, the evaluator, Katherine, whose critiques can be a bit…oof.

They get into just a bit of the nitty-gritty of specific episodes, praising Edgar, a young glassblower with a knack for realism (sadly, eliminated too early), and discussing the "Potluck Party" challenge, where one contestant declared his dislike of eating (what?!), and another created a powerful piece about food scarcity. They also weigh in on Debra, a talented but perhaps slightly overconfident competitor.

Obviously, click through to learn more about Justine's fantastic world. And check out "Blown Away," seriously. You'll be blo... oh never mind.

Links & Notes


---
Learn more about supporting this podcast by becoming a member. It's just $5/month or $55/year. Visit our website to learn more.

]]> Mon, 28 Oct 2024 03:00:00 -0700 TruStory FM TruStory FM 3275 This week on Make Me A Nerd, Mandy's chatting with the multi-talented Justine Huxley – voiceover artist, musical theater star, and, as it turns out, a total nerd in her own right.

Justine's nerdiness spans the spectrum. She reminisces about belting out show tunes as a kid in San Francisco's Ghirardelli Square (pre-smartphone, sadly, no viral fame) and geeks out about Stephen Sondheim. While Mandy steers clear of museums, Justine confesses her love for all things natural history and science – butterflies, dinosaurs, the whole shebang.

But wait, there's more! Justine just celebrated her public D&D debut at DreamHack Atlanta. As the voice of a quirky scientist in the video game Apex Legends, she was invited to participate in live D&D sessions. Turns out, she's a natural, rolling a string of 20s (now known as the "Justine roll") and winning over the D&D crowd.

The heart of the episode, though, is Netflix's "Blown Away." We're all hooked on the glassblowing competition, mesmerized by the artistry and skill. They break down the show's "Top Chef"-esque format, marvel at the contestants' creations, and sympathize with the physical demands – the heat, the burns, the evaluator, Katherine, whose critiques can be a bit…oof.

They get into just a bit of the nitty-gritty of specific episodes, praising Edgar, a young glassblower with a knack for realism (sadly, eliminated too early), and discussing the "Potluck Party" challenge, where one contestant declared his dislike of eating (what?!), and another created a powerful piece about food scarcity. They also weigh in on Debra, a talented but perhaps slightly overconfident competitor.

Obviously, click through to learn more about Justine's fantastic world. And check out "Blown Away," seriously. You'll be blo... oh never mind.

Links & Notes


---
Learn more about supporting this podcast by becoming a member. It's just $5/month or $55/year. Visit our website to learn more.

]]> D&D, Star Wars, Star Trek, Marvel, Gaming, Technology, Nerddom No Quantum Leap for Grown-Ups with Darren Grodsky 20 20 Quantum Leap for Grown-Ups with Darren Grodsky full 92961e4d-7053-47a5-88e0-c6ef4ce37781 https://share.transistor.fm/s/2e1f542a This week, Mandy sits down with Darren Grodsky, a writer, director, and the mastermind behind the smash-hit podcast "How to Destroy Everything."

Mandy and Darren take a timey-wimey trip through "Quantum Leap," the iconic '80s and '90s sci-fi series that captured Darren's imagination as a young boy. Together, they explore the show's genius use of time travel as a vehicle for powerful, emotional storytelling. Darren even admits publicly to choosing "Quantum Leap" over talking to his girlfriend. He really said that. He said it on a podcast. As the conversation unfolds, Mandy and Darren dissect the unforgettable characters, the science behind the quantum leaps, and the show's uncanny ability to tackle important social issues.

If you're craving even more nerdy awesomeness, head over to MakeMeANerd.com/join and become a member of the "Make Me a Nerd" community. You'll gain access to ad-free episodes, early releases, and exclusive bonus content that will take your nerd game to the next level! And this week in the member after-party, Darren takes us on a wild journey through his best friend's tumultuous childhood, revealing the perfect blend of humor and heartbreak that makes his podcast so addictive.

Links & Notes


---
Learn more about supporting this podcast by becoming a member. It's just $5/month or $55/year. Visit our website to learn more.

]]> This week, Mandy sits down with Darren Grodsky, a writer, director, and the mastermind behind the smash-hit podcast "How to Destroy Everything."

Mandy and Darren take a timey-wimey trip through "Quantum Leap," the iconic '80s and '90s sci-fi series that captured Darren's imagination as a young boy. Together, they explore the show's genius use of time travel as a vehicle for powerful, emotional storytelling. Darren even admits publicly to choosing "Quantum Leap" over talking to his girlfriend. He really said that. He said it on a podcast. As the conversation unfolds, Mandy and Darren dissect the unforgettable characters, the science behind the quantum leaps, and the show's uncanny ability to tackle important social issues.

If you're craving even more nerdy awesomeness, head over to MakeMeANerd.com/join and become a member of the "Make Me a Nerd" community. You'll gain access to ad-free episodes, early releases, and exclusive bonus content that will take your nerd game to the next level! And this week in the member after-party, Darren takes us on a wild journey through his best friend's tumultuous childhood, revealing the perfect blend of humor and heartbreak that makes his podcast so addictive.

Links & Notes


---
Learn more about supporting this podcast by becoming a member. It's just $5/month or $55/year. Visit our website to learn more.

]]> Mon, 21 Oct 2024 03:00:00 -0700 TruStory FM TruStory FM 3675 This week, Mandy sits down with Darren Grodsky, a writer, director, and the mastermind behind the smash-hit podcast "How to Destroy Everything."

Mandy and Darren take a timey-wimey trip through "Quantum Leap," the iconic '80s and '90s sci-fi series that captured Darren's imagination as a young boy. Together, they explore the show's genius use of time travel as a vehicle for powerful, emotional storytelling. Darren even admits publicly to choosing "Quantum Leap" over talking to his girlfriend. He really said that. He said it on a podcast. As the conversation unfolds, Mandy and Darren dissect the unforgettable characters, the science behind the quantum leaps, and the show's uncanny ability to tackle important social issues.

If you're craving even more nerdy awesomeness, head over to MakeMeANerd.com/join and become a member of the "Make Me a Nerd" community. You'll gain access to ad-free episodes, early releases, and exclusive bonus content that will take your nerd game to the next level! And this week in the member after-party, Darren takes us on a wild journey through his best friend's tumultuous childhood, revealing the perfect blend of humor and heartbreak that makes his podcast so addictive.

Links & Notes


---
Learn more about supporting this podcast by becoming a member. It's just $5/month or $55/year. Visit our website to learn more.

]]> D&D, Star Wars, Star Trek, Marvel, Gaming, Technology, Nerddom No Dragonlance Deconstructed with Simon Petrie 19 19 Dragonlance Deconstructed with Simon Petrie full 6096185c-c757-4ea4-aa4c-29702d0f6b55 https://share.transistor.fm/s/f07df42a Hark, adventurers and nerds both fledgling and seasoned! Gather 'round the flickering hearth of Make Me a Nerd, where tales of fantastical realms and digital dungeons unfold. In this episode, our intrepid host, Mandy Kaplan, embarks on a quest into the heart of Dragonlance, guided by the wise and whimsical Simon Petrie. Together, they delve into the worn pages of Dragons of Autumn Twilight, a tome teeming with knights, mages, and creatures most wondrous. Prepare for a journey fraught with draconians, kender, and the unpredictable magic of Raistlin, a mage whose power ebbs and flows like the tides of Krynn.

Our heroes navigate the treacherous landscapes of this epic saga, encountering a cast of characters as diverse as the races of Ansalon. From the stalwart Sturm Brightblade to the mischievous Tasslehoff Burrfoot, each companion brings their unique strengths and secrets to the fellowship. Mandy, a newcomer to this world of high fantasy, grapples with the complexities of kender and gully dwarves, while Simon, a seasoned veteran of these literary campaigns, illuminates the lore and mechanics of this beloved series. Together, they unravel the mysteries of Krynn, pondering the motivations of heroes and villains alike.

But beware! For this journey is not without its perils! Mandy’s quest for higher stakes leads her to question the invincibility of the companions, yearning for a touch of danger to heighten the drama. Simon, ever the sage guide, hints at future trials and tribulations, promising a darker path ahead. The discussion weaves through the intricacies of magic, the challenges of Dungeons & Dragons gameplay, and the surprising divinity of a certain wacky old mage.

So join us, brave listeners, as we explore the realms of Dragonlance. Prepare to roll the dice of fate, encounter dragons both real and wicker, and uncover the secrets that lie hidden within the hearts of heroes. For this is but the first chapter in a grand adventure, and the fate of Krynn hangs in the balance!


---
Learn more about supporting this podcast by becoming a member. It's just $5/month or $55/year. Visit our website to learn more.

]]> Hark, adventurers and nerds both fledgling and seasoned! Gather 'round the flickering hearth of Make Me a Nerd, where tales of fantastical realms and digital dungeons unfold. In this episode, our intrepid host, Mandy Kaplan, embarks on a quest into the heart of Dragonlance, guided by the wise and whimsical Simon Petrie. Together, they delve into the worn pages of Dragons of Autumn Twilight, a tome teeming with knights, mages, and creatures most wondrous. Prepare for a journey fraught with draconians, kender, and the unpredictable magic of Raistlin, a mage whose power ebbs and flows like the tides of Krynn.

Our heroes navigate the treacherous landscapes of this epic saga, encountering a cast of characters as diverse as the races of Ansalon. From the stalwart Sturm Brightblade to the mischievous Tasslehoff Burrfoot, each companion brings their unique strengths and secrets to the fellowship. Mandy, a newcomer to this world of high fantasy, grapples with the complexities of kender and gully dwarves, while Simon, a seasoned veteran of these literary campaigns, illuminates the lore and mechanics of this beloved series. Together, they unravel the mysteries of Krynn, pondering the motivations of heroes and villains alike.

But beware! For this journey is not without its perils! Mandy’s quest for higher stakes leads her to question the invincibility of the companions, yearning for a touch of danger to heighten the drama. Simon, ever the sage guide, hints at future trials and tribulations, promising a darker path ahead. The discussion weaves through the intricacies of magic, the challenges of Dungeons & Dragons gameplay, and the surprising divinity of a certain wacky old mage.

So join us, brave listeners, as we explore the realms of Dragonlance. Prepare to roll the dice of fate, encounter dragons both real and wicker, and uncover the secrets that lie hidden within the hearts of heroes. For this is but the first chapter in a grand adventure, and the fate of Krynn hangs in the balance!


---
Learn more about supporting this podcast by becoming a member. It's just $5/month or $55/year. Visit our website to learn more.

]]> Mon, 14 Oct 2024 03:00:00 -0700 TruStory FM TruStory FM 3068 Hark, adventurers and nerds both fledgling and seasoned! Gather 'round the flickering hearth of Make Me a Nerd, where tales of fantastical realms and digital dungeons unfold. In this episode, our intrepid host, Mandy Kaplan, embarks on a quest into the heart of Dragonlance, guided by the wise and whimsical Simon Petrie. Together, they delve into the worn pages of Dragons of Autumn Twilight, a tome teeming with knights, mages, and creatures most wondrous. Prepare for a journey fraught with draconians, kender, and the unpredictable magic of Raistlin, a mage whose power ebbs and flows like the tides of Krynn.

Our heroes navigate the treacherous landscapes of this epic saga, encountering a cast of characters as diverse as the races of Ansalon. From the stalwart Sturm Brightblade to the mischievous Tasslehoff Burrfoot, each companion brings their unique strengths and secrets to the fellowship. Mandy, a newcomer to this world of high fantasy, grapples with the complexities of kender and gully dwarves, while Simon, a seasoned veteran of these literary campaigns, illuminates the lore and mechanics of this beloved series. Together, they unravel the mysteries of Krynn, pondering the motivations of heroes and villains alike.

But beware! For this journey is not without its perils! Mandy’s quest for higher stakes leads her to question the invincibility of the companions, yearning for a touch of danger to heighten the drama. Simon, ever the sage guide, hints at future trials and tribulations, promising a darker path ahead. The discussion weaves through the intricacies of magic, the challenges of Dungeons & Dragons gameplay, and the surprising divinity of a certain wacky old mage.

So join us, brave listeners, as we explore the realms of Dragonlance. Prepare to roll the dice of fate, encounter dragons both real and wicker, and uncover the secrets that lie hidden within the hearts of heroes. For this is but the first chapter in a grand adventure, and the fate of Krynn hangs in the balance!


---
Learn more about supporting this podcast by becoming a member. It's just $5/month or $55/year. Visit our website to learn more.

]]> D&D, Star Wars, Star Trek, Marvel, Gaming, Technology, Nerddom No Decoding 007: Matt DeGroot on Goldfinger's Hidden Agenda 18 18 Decoding 007: Matt DeGroot on Goldfinger's Hidden Agenda full e7e82ff3-fec5-47a4-a3b2-2464a7a06be1 https://share.transistor.fm/s/ffa5ae6e Ever feel like you're trapped in a world of gilded villains and shadowy agendas, where the fate of nations hangs in the balance? Then step into the thrilling world of James Bond with Matt DeGroot, Vice President of Production at Crooked Media, as he guides Mandy Kaplan through the treacherous landscape of Goldfinger on Make Me A Nerd. Matt, a man who obviously navigates the corridors of power by day and the seductive world of espionage by night, unveils the secrets of 007, revealing why this particular film holds the key to understanding the enduring power of the Bond mythos. But be warned, this is not a game for the faint of heart.

Beyond the shimmering surface of shaken martinis and tailored suits lies a world of calculated risks and deadly consequences. Matt, a connoisseur of both political strategy and cinematic intrigue, dissects the anatomy of Goldfinger'splot, exposing the machinations of its villain and the vulnerabilities of a world on the brink. He'll delve into the historical context of the film, exploring its place within the Bond dynasty and the evolution of the franchise. And he'll offer a glimpse into his own origin story, sharing the childhood memories that forged his fascination with the world of espionage. But remember, knowledge is power, and in this game, information can be as deadly as a golden gun.

Together, they’ll navigate the labyrinthine world of double agents and femme fatales, illuminating the roles of Felix Leiter and Miss Moneypenny, whose secrets may hold the key to Bond's survival. And he'll offer a masterclass in political action, reminding listeners that real-world villains can be just as dangerous as their fictional counterparts. Take control of your destiny and visit VoteSaveAmerica.com to make your voice heard. Because in this world, silence is complicity.

So, are you ready to enter the world of shadows and secrets? Tune in to Make Me A Nerd for a thrilling deconstruction of Goldfinger and its enduring legacy. Discover the hidden power dynamics at play and uncover the truth behind the world's most iconic spy. But be careful who you trust, because in this game, betrayal is always a possibility. And remember, the power to change the world is in your hands.


---
Learn more about supporting this podcast by becoming a member. It's just $5/month or $55/year. Visit our website to learn more.

]]> Ever feel like you're trapped in a world of gilded villains and shadowy agendas, where the fate of nations hangs in the balance? Then step into the thrilling world of James Bond with Matt DeGroot, Vice President of Production at Crooked Media, as he guides Mandy Kaplan through the treacherous landscape of Goldfinger on Make Me A Nerd. Matt, a man who obviously navigates the corridors of power by day and the seductive world of espionage by night, unveils the secrets of 007, revealing why this particular film holds the key to understanding the enduring power of the Bond mythos. But be warned, this is not a game for the faint of heart.

Beyond the shimmering surface of shaken martinis and tailored suits lies a world of calculated risks and deadly consequences. Matt, a connoisseur of both political strategy and cinematic intrigue, dissects the anatomy of Goldfinger'splot, exposing the machinations of its villain and the vulnerabilities of a world on the brink. He'll delve into the historical context of the film, exploring its place within the Bond dynasty and the evolution of the franchise. And he'll offer a glimpse into his own origin story, sharing the childhood memories that forged his fascination with the world of espionage. But remember, knowledge is power, and in this game, information can be as deadly as a golden gun.

Together, they’ll navigate the labyrinthine world of double agents and femme fatales, illuminating the roles of Felix Leiter and Miss Moneypenny, whose secrets may hold the key to Bond's survival. And he'll offer a masterclass in political action, reminding listeners that real-world villains can be just as dangerous as their fictional counterparts. Take control of your destiny and visit VoteSaveAmerica.com to make your voice heard. Because in this world, silence is complicity.

So, are you ready to enter the world of shadows and secrets? Tune in to Make Me A Nerd for a thrilling deconstruction of Goldfinger and its enduring legacy. Discover the hidden power dynamics at play and uncover the truth behind the world's most iconic spy. But be careful who you trust, because in this game, betrayal is always a possibility. And remember, the power to change the world is in your hands.


---
Learn more about supporting this podcast by becoming a member. It's just $5/month or $55/year. Visit our website to learn more.

]]> Mon, 07 Oct 2024 03:00:00 -0700 TruStory FM TruStory FM 3414 Ever feel like you're trapped in a world of gilded villains and shadowy agendas, where the fate of nations hangs in the balance? Then step into the thrilling world of James Bond with Matt DeGroot, Vice President of Production at Crooked Media, as he guides Mandy Kaplan through the treacherous landscape of Goldfinger on Make Me A Nerd. Matt, a man who obviously navigates the corridors of power by day and the seductive world of espionage by night, unveils the secrets of 007, revealing why this particular film holds the key to understanding the enduring power of the Bond mythos. But be warned, this is not a game for the faint of heart.

Beyond the shimmering surface of shaken martinis and tailored suits lies a world of calculated risks and deadly consequences. Matt, a connoisseur of both political strategy and cinematic intrigue, dissects the anatomy of Goldfinger'splot, exposing the machinations of its villain and the vulnerabilities of a world on the brink. He'll delve into the historical context of the film, exploring its place within the Bond dynasty and the evolution of the franchise. And he'll offer a glimpse into his own origin story, sharing the childhood memories that forged his fascination with the world of espionage. But remember, knowledge is power, and in this game, information can be as deadly as a golden gun.

Together, they’ll navigate the labyrinthine world of double agents and femme fatales, illuminating the roles of Felix Leiter and Miss Moneypenny, whose secrets may hold the key to Bond's survival. And he'll offer a masterclass in political action, reminding listeners that real-world villains can be just as dangerous as their fictional counterparts. Take control of your destiny and visit VoteSaveAmerica.com to make your voice heard. Because in this world, silence is complicity.

So, are you ready to enter the world of shadows and secrets? Tune in to Make Me A Nerd for a thrilling deconstruction of Goldfinger and its enduring legacy. Discover the hidden power dynamics at play and uncover the truth behind the world's most iconic spy. But be careful who you trust, because in this game, betrayal is always a possibility. And remember, the power to change the world is in your hands.


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Learn more about supporting this podcast by becoming a member. It's just $5/month or $55/year. Visit our website to learn more.

]]> D&D, Star Wars, Star Trek, Marvel, Gaming, Technology, Nerddom No Death Blossoms in Bloom: The Last Starfighter with Andy Nelson 17 17 Death Blossoms in Bloom: The Last Starfighter with Andy Nelson full 44a5c9ab-f3d1-4780-bfa2-8a3886009971 https://share.transistor.fm/s/8139dcd3 This week on Make Me a Nerd, Mandy sits down with podcast producer and "slutty nerd" Andy Nelson. Together, they blast off for a journey back to 1984 to revisit the cult classic film, "The Last Starfighter." This sci-fi adventure, often hailed as the best of the "Star Wars ripoffs," tells the story of Alex Rogan, a trailer park teen who achieves the highest score on an arcade game, only to discover it's a recruitment tool for an intergalactic war.

Andy shares his nostalgic love for the film, praising its surprisingly grounded characters and relatable themes of ambition and escapism. Mandy, new to the world of "Starfighter," compares its vibe to a mashup of "WarGames" and "Footloose," highlighting the film's unique blend of futuristic action and small-town charm.

Sure, it's a film with some quirky humor, from Robert Preston's charismatic performance as the alien recruiter Centauri to the grumpy, snake-faced alien. But it's also a film with some surprisingly sophisticated special effects. That's right, note the use of repurposed "Blade Runner" props and groundbreaking CGI that captivated audiences at the time.

This is a film with enduring appeal and has a prized place in the pantheon of 80s sci-fi films. So embrace your inner nerd and relive the magic of this classic film, and make sure Andy knows his nerd promiscuity is welcome here!


---
Learn more about supporting this podcast by becoming a member. It's just $5/month or $55/year. Visit our website to learn more.

]]> This week on Make Me a Nerd, Mandy sits down with podcast producer and "slutty nerd" Andy Nelson. Together, they blast off for a journey back to 1984 to revisit the cult classic film, "The Last Starfighter." This sci-fi adventure, often hailed as the best of the "Star Wars ripoffs," tells the story of Alex Rogan, a trailer park teen who achieves the highest score on an arcade game, only to discover it's a recruitment tool for an intergalactic war.

Andy shares his nostalgic love for the film, praising its surprisingly grounded characters and relatable themes of ambition and escapism. Mandy, new to the world of "Starfighter," compares its vibe to a mashup of "WarGames" and "Footloose," highlighting the film's unique blend of futuristic action and small-town charm.

Sure, it's a film with some quirky humor, from Robert Preston's charismatic performance as the alien recruiter Centauri to the grumpy, snake-faced alien. But it's also a film with some surprisingly sophisticated special effects. That's right, note the use of repurposed "Blade Runner" props and groundbreaking CGI that captivated audiences at the time.

This is a film with enduring appeal and has a prized place in the pantheon of 80s sci-fi films. So embrace your inner nerd and relive the magic of this classic film, and make sure Andy knows his nerd promiscuity is welcome here!


---
Learn more about supporting this podcast by becoming a member. It's just $5/month or $55/year. Visit our website to learn more.

]]> Mon, 30 Sep 2024 03:00:00 -0700 TruStory FM TruStory FM 3064 This week on Make Me a Nerd, Mandy sits down with podcast producer and "slutty nerd" Andy Nelson. Together, they blast off for a journey back to 1984 to revisit the cult classic film, "The Last Starfighter." This sci-fi adventure, often hailed as the best of the "Star Wars ripoffs," tells the story of Alex Rogan, a trailer park teen who achieves the highest score on an arcade game, only to discover it's a recruitment tool for an intergalactic war.

Andy shares his nostalgic love for the film, praising its surprisingly grounded characters and relatable themes of ambition and escapism. Mandy, new to the world of "Starfighter," compares its vibe to a mashup of "WarGames" and "Footloose," highlighting the film's unique blend of futuristic action and small-town charm.

Sure, it's a film with some quirky humor, from Robert Preston's charismatic performance as the alien recruiter Centauri to the grumpy, snake-faced alien. But it's also a film with some surprisingly sophisticated special effects. That's right, note the use of repurposed "Blade Runner" props and groundbreaking CGI that captivated audiences at the time.

This is a film with enduring appeal and has a prized place in the pantheon of 80s sci-fi films. So embrace your inner nerd and relive the magic of this classic film, and make sure Andy knows his nerd promiscuity is welcome here!


---
Learn more about supporting this podcast by becoming a member. It's just $5/month or $55/year. Visit our website to learn more.

]]> D&D, Star Wars, Star Trek, Marvel, Gaming, Technology, Nerddom No Who Watches the Watchmandy? 16 16 Who Watches the Watchmandy? full c4465e62-61c7-4952-8faf-949663d7b7da https://share.transistor.fm/s/0c77ffa5 This week on Make Me a Nerd, Mandy explores the world of the inkstained wretch in the complex world of graphic novels with comic book author Adam Rose. Having dipped her toes in the shallow end with lighter reads, Mandy bravely tackles the seminal work "The Watchmen," a graphic novel renowned for its intricate storytelling and mature themes.

Adam, a lifelong comic book enthusiast, and professional writer in the field, guides Mandy through the nuances of the medium, explaining how "The Watchmen" revolutionized the genre by portraying superheroes with a raw and human complexity rarely seen before. They delve into the historical and political context of the story, drawing parallels to contemporary events and exploring the book's enduring relevance.

Sure, there are struggles navigating the dense narrative and intricate artwork. Sure, she questions whether she's overthinking the details or missing crucial clues while she litigates her life choices. Adam reassures her, emphasizing that "The Watchmen" demands multiple readings to fully grasp its layers and that not every graphic novel requires such meticulous scrutiny.

Tune in as they discuss the lasting impact of "The Watchmen" on pop culture, its influence on subsequent works like "The Boys" and "Kick-Ass," and the various adaptations, including a movie and a television series that serves as a sequel to the graphic novel's events. And definitely check out Adam’s work on Huge Detective right here!


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Learn more about supporting this podcast by becoming a member. It's just $5/month or $55/year. Visit our website to learn more.

]]> This week on Make Me a Nerd, Mandy explores the world of the inkstained wretch in the complex world of graphic novels with comic book author Adam Rose. Having dipped her toes in the shallow end with lighter reads, Mandy bravely tackles the seminal work "The Watchmen," a graphic novel renowned for its intricate storytelling and mature themes.

Adam, a lifelong comic book enthusiast, and professional writer in the field, guides Mandy through the nuances of the medium, explaining how "The Watchmen" revolutionized the genre by portraying superheroes with a raw and human complexity rarely seen before. They delve into the historical and political context of the story, drawing parallels to contemporary events and exploring the book's enduring relevance.

Sure, there are struggles navigating the dense narrative and intricate artwork. Sure, she questions whether she's overthinking the details or missing crucial clues while she litigates her life choices. Adam reassures her, emphasizing that "The Watchmen" demands multiple readings to fully grasp its layers and that not every graphic novel requires such meticulous scrutiny.

Tune in as they discuss the lasting impact of "The Watchmen" on pop culture, its influence on subsequent works like "The Boys" and "Kick-Ass," and the various adaptations, including a movie and a television series that serves as a sequel to the graphic novel's events. And definitely check out Adam’s work on Huge Detective right here!


---
Learn more about supporting this podcast by becoming a member. It's just $5/month or $55/year. Visit our website to learn more.

]]> Mon, 23 Sep 2024 03:00:00 -0700 TruStory FM TruStory FM 2786 This week on Make Me a Nerd, Mandy explores the world of the inkstained wretch in the complex world of graphic novels with comic book author Adam Rose. Having dipped her toes in the shallow end with lighter reads, Mandy bravely tackles the seminal work "The Watchmen," a graphic novel renowned for its intricate storytelling and mature themes.

Adam, a lifelong comic book enthusiast, and professional writer in the field, guides Mandy through the nuances of the medium, explaining how "The Watchmen" revolutionized the genre by portraying superheroes with a raw and human complexity rarely seen before. They delve into the historical and political context of the story, drawing parallels to contemporary events and exploring the book's enduring relevance.

Sure, there are struggles navigating the dense narrative and intricate artwork. Sure, she questions whether she's overthinking the details or missing crucial clues while she litigates her life choices. Adam reassures her, emphasizing that "The Watchmen" demands multiple readings to fully grasp its layers and that not every graphic novel requires such meticulous scrutiny.

Tune in as they discuss the lasting impact of "The Watchmen" on pop culture, its influence on subsequent works like "The Boys" and "Kick-Ass," and the various adaptations, including a movie and a television series that serves as a sequel to the graphic novel's events. And definitely check out Adam’s work on Huge Detective right here!


---
Learn more about supporting this podcast by becoming a member. It's just $5/month or $55/year. Visit our website to learn more.

]]> D&D, Star Wars, Star Trek, Marvel, Gaming, Technology, Nerddom No Game Over, Man(dy)! It’s Aliens with Darnell Smith 15 15 Game Over, Man(dy)! It’s Aliens with Darnell Smith full 7030e162-e0a7-40e5-b142-6e7d702fe423 https://share.transistor.fm/s/5a4b5f92 This week, Mandy embarks on a mission to appreciate the appeal of Aliens, and a genre she admits to having little experience with. Her guide through this new territory is Darnell Smith, a longtime friend and self-proclaimed sci-fi expert. For their cinematic journey, Darnell selects James Cameron’s film, one he believes to be the pinnacle of the franchise despite its departure from the original's tone.

Throughout their discussion, Mandy questions whether "Aliens" belongs in the sci-fi category, finding its action-heavy plot and lack of nuanced alien characters more akin to a typical military movie set in space. She does, however, express fascination with the film's detailed depiction of a futuristic Earth, particularly the mundane aspects of daily life. Darnell, on the other hand, focuses on the film's deeper themes, connecting the relentless nature of the alien creatures to the horrors of the unknown and humanity's tendency towards hubris.

Sure, Mandy leans toward relatable characters and immersive world-building, while Darnell emphasizes the genre's ability to explore complex themes through fantastical scenarios. Still, Mandy's enthusiasm for the material is a huge win for nerddom. Whether or not "Aliens" fully converts Mandy into a sci-fi enthusiast remains to be seen, but the episode does offer an interesting glimpse into the subjective nature of genre and the diverse ways in which audiences connect with stories.


---
Learn more about supporting this podcast by becoming a member. It's just $5/month or $55/year. Visit our website to learn more.

]]> This week, Mandy embarks on a mission to appreciate the appeal of Aliens, and a genre she admits to having little experience with. Her guide through this new territory is Darnell Smith, a longtime friend and self-proclaimed sci-fi expert. For their cinematic journey, Darnell selects James Cameron’s film, one he believes to be the pinnacle of the franchise despite its departure from the original's tone.

Throughout their discussion, Mandy questions whether "Aliens" belongs in the sci-fi category, finding its action-heavy plot and lack of nuanced alien characters more akin to a typical military movie set in space. She does, however, express fascination with the film's detailed depiction of a futuristic Earth, particularly the mundane aspects of daily life. Darnell, on the other hand, focuses on the film's deeper themes, connecting the relentless nature of the alien creatures to the horrors of the unknown and humanity's tendency towards hubris.

Sure, Mandy leans toward relatable characters and immersive world-building, while Darnell emphasizes the genre's ability to explore complex themes through fantastical scenarios. Still, Mandy's enthusiasm for the material is a huge win for nerddom. Whether or not "Aliens" fully converts Mandy into a sci-fi enthusiast remains to be seen, but the episode does offer an interesting glimpse into the subjective nature of genre and the diverse ways in which audiences connect with stories.


---
Learn more about supporting this podcast by becoming a member. It's just $5/month or $55/year. Visit our website to learn more.

]]> Mon, 16 Sep 2024 03:00:00 -0700 TruStory FM TruStory FM 3638 This week, Mandy embarks on a mission to appreciate the appeal of Aliens, and a genre she admits to having little experience with. Her guide through this new territory is Darnell Smith, a longtime friend and self-proclaimed sci-fi expert. For their cinematic journey, Darnell selects James Cameron’s film, one he believes to be the pinnacle of the franchise despite its departure from the original's tone.

Throughout their discussion, Mandy questions whether "Aliens" belongs in the sci-fi category, finding its action-heavy plot and lack of nuanced alien characters more akin to a typical military movie set in space. She does, however, express fascination with the film's detailed depiction of a futuristic Earth, particularly the mundane aspects of daily life. Darnell, on the other hand, focuses on the film's deeper themes, connecting the relentless nature of the alien creatures to the horrors of the unknown and humanity's tendency towards hubris.

Sure, Mandy leans toward relatable characters and immersive world-building, while Darnell emphasizes the genre's ability to explore complex themes through fantastical scenarios. Still, Mandy's enthusiasm for the material is a huge win for nerddom. Whether or not "Aliens" fully converts Mandy into a sci-fi enthusiast remains to be seen, but the episode does offer an interesting glimpse into the subjective nature of genre and the diverse ways in which audiences connect with stories.


---
Learn more about supporting this podcast by becoming a member. It's just $5/month or $55/year. Visit our website to learn more.

]]> D&D, Star Wars, Star Trek, Marvel, Gaming, Technology, Nerddom No Visiting Doctor Who, Rolling with Krissy Lenz, Finding Danny Bonaduce 14 14 Visiting Doctor Who, Rolling with Krissy Lenz, Finding Danny Bonaduce full 50b8146b-becd-48d6-93de-fb16ab881364 https://share.transistor.fm/s/0b490676 This week on Make Me a Nerd, host Mandy Kaplan dives headfirst into the swirling vortex of Doctor Who with the help of returning guest and self-proclaimed "nerd-maker" Krissy Lenz.

Mandy, still riding high from solving a real-life murder mystery, confesses her trepidation about tackling the sprawling universe of Doctor Who. But fear not, dear listeners, Krissy has a plan – a plan that involves a very specific episode, a certain famous painter, and a creature that can only be described as a "grunt-faced chicken dragon."

The episode in question? Season 5's "Vincent and the Doctor," a star-studded affair featuring Bill Nighy and penned by the one and only Richard Curtis (yes, that Richard Curtis). Mandy is immediately captivated by the episode's blend of historical fiction, quirky humor, and genuine emotion. She marvels at the animation of Van Gogh's "Starry Night," ponders the Doctor's ability to befriend even the most fearsome alien, and grapples with the concept of the TARDIS (a word she only knew from the musical "Matilda," naturally).

So tune in to this week's Make Me a Nerd for a delightful conversation about the power of feeling seen, the joy of unexpected historical encounters, and the undeniable sex appeal of 1890s Danny Bonaduce. You might even learn a thing or two about Doctor Who along the way.


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Learn more about supporting this podcast by becoming a member. It's just $5/month or $55/year. Visit our website to learn more.

]]> This week on Make Me a Nerd, host Mandy Kaplan dives headfirst into the swirling vortex of Doctor Who with the help of returning guest and self-proclaimed "nerd-maker" Krissy Lenz.

Mandy, still riding high from solving a real-life murder mystery, confesses her trepidation about tackling the sprawling universe of Doctor Who. But fear not, dear listeners, Krissy has a plan – a plan that involves a very specific episode, a certain famous painter, and a creature that can only be described as a "grunt-faced chicken dragon."

The episode in question? Season 5's "Vincent and the Doctor," a star-studded affair featuring Bill Nighy and penned by the one and only Richard Curtis (yes, that Richard Curtis). Mandy is immediately captivated by the episode's blend of historical fiction, quirky humor, and genuine emotion. She marvels at the animation of Van Gogh's "Starry Night," ponders the Doctor's ability to befriend even the most fearsome alien, and grapples with the concept of the TARDIS (a word she only knew from the musical "Matilda," naturally).

So tune in to this week's Make Me a Nerd for a delightful conversation about the power of feeling seen, the joy of unexpected historical encounters, and the undeniable sex appeal of 1890s Danny Bonaduce. You might even learn a thing or two about Doctor Who along the way.


---
Learn more about supporting this podcast by becoming a member. It's just $5/month or $55/year. Visit our website to learn more.

]]> Mon, 09 Sep 2024 03:00:00 -0700 TruStory FM TruStory FM 2981 This week on Make Me a Nerd, host Mandy Kaplan dives headfirst into the swirling vortex of Doctor Who with the help of returning guest and self-proclaimed "nerd-maker" Krissy Lenz.

Mandy, still riding high from solving a real-life murder mystery, confesses her trepidation about tackling the sprawling universe of Doctor Who. But fear not, dear listeners, Krissy has a plan – a plan that involves a very specific episode, a certain famous painter, and a creature that can only be described as a "grunt-faced chicken dragon."

The episode in question? Season 5's "Vincent and the Doctor," a star-studded affair featuring Bill Nighy and penned by the one and only Richard Curtis (yes, that Richard Curtis). Mandy is immediately captivated by the episode's blend of historical fiction, quirky humor, and genuine emotion. She marvels at the animation of Van Gogh's "Starry Night," ponders the Doctor's ability to befriend even the most fearsome alien, and grapples with the concept of the TARDIS (a word she only knew from the musical "Matilda," naturally).

So tune in to this week's Make Me a Nerd for a delightful conversation about the power of feeling seen, the joy of unexpected historical encounters, and the undeniable sex appeal of 1890s Danny Bonaduce. You might even learn a thing or two about Doctor Who along the way.


---
Learn more about supporting this podcast by becoming a member. It's just $5/month or $55/year. Visit our website to learn more.

]]> D&D, Star Wars, Star Trek, Marvel, Gaming, Technology, Nerddom No Second Breakfast for Mandy: A Lord of the Rings Rundown with Richard Hellstern 13 13 Second Breakfast for Mandy: A Lord of the Rings Rundown with Richard Hellstern full c8fc6a62-d1ac-4e10-9146-3e776834af59 https://share.transistor.fm/s/08cd98a3 This week on Make Me a Nerd, Mandy Kaplan dives headlong into the fascinating world of The Lord of the Rings with her guest, friend, and Tolkien superfan, Richard Hellstern. Despite her notably limited travel across Middle Earth, Mandy bravely boards the carriage with Gandalf and Frodo and manages to make a drinking game out of the trip.

Surprising everyone, her admiration for the complex and rich world of Peter Jackson’s loving adaptation shines through, even though she admits to struggling at times with the lengthy explanatory monologues about Middle Earth's history.

Richard leads Mandy on a journey through what makes The Lord of the Rings such a captivating saga. Between Peter Jackson's evident love for the source material, the breathtaking visual effects, Howard Shore's enchanting score, and the characters' humanity despite the epic scale of the story, Mandy not only understands the hype and the jokes but might even appreciate the fantasy. Welcome to Tolkien, nerds… the Shire is warm. 


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Learn more about supporting this podcast by becoming a member. It's just $5/month or $55/year. Visit our website to learn more.

]]> This week on Make Me a Nerd, Mandy Kaplan dives headlong into the fascinating world of The Lord of the Rings with her guest, friend, and Tolkien superfan, Richard Hellstern. Despite her notably limited travel across Middle Earth, Mandy bravely boards the carriage with Gandalf and Frodo and manages to make a drinking game out of the trip.

Surprising everyone, her admiration for the complex and rich world of Peter Jackson’s loving adaptation shines through, even though she admits to struggling at times with the lengthy explanatory monologues about Middle Earth's history.

Richard leads Mandy on a journey through what makes The Lord of the Rings such a captivating saga. Between Peter Jackson's evident love for the source material, the breathtaking visual effects, Howard Shore's enchanting score, and the characters' humanity despite the epic scale of the story, Mandy not only understands the hype and the jokes but might even appreciate the fantasy. Welcome to Tolkien, nerds… the Shire is warm. 


---
Learn more about supporting this podcast by becoming a member. It's just $5/month or $55/year. Visit our website to learn more.

]]> Mon, 02 Sep 2024 03:00:00 -0700 TruStory FM TruStory FM 2994 This week on Make Me a Nerd, Mandy Kaplan dives headlong into the fascinating world of The Lord of the Rings with her guest, friend, and Tolkien superfan, Richard Hellstern. Despite her notably limited travel across Middle Earth, Mandy bravely boards the carriage with Gandalf and Frodo and manages to make a drinking game out of the trip.

Surprising everyone, her admiration for the complex and rich world of Peter Jackson’s loving adaptation shines through, even though she admits to struggling at times with the lengthy explanatory monologues about Middle Earth's history.

Richard leads Mandy on a journey through what makes The Lord of the Rings such a captivating saga. Between Peter Jackson's evident love for the source material, the breathtaking visual effects, Howard Shore's enchanting score, and the characters' humanity despite the epic scale of the story, Mandy not only understands the hype and the jokes but might even appreciate the fantasy. Welcome to Tolkien, nerds… the Shire is warm. 


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Learn more about supporting this podcast by becoming a member. It's just $5/month or $55/year. Visit our website to learn more.

]]> D&D, Star Wars, Star Trek, Marvel, Gaming, Technology, Nerddom No Superman Smashes Entire Ideologies with Jimmy Aquino 12 12 Superman Smashes Entire Ideologies with Jimmy Aquino full 826e6a8f-d3ab-4813-99f7-4b6db450fc60 https://share.transistor.fm/s/9f9a46c7 On this episode of Make Me A Nerd, Mandy welcomes her longtime friend (and comic book expert!) Jimmy Aquino to the show. Jimmy dives deep into his lifelong love of all things nerd, from childhood cartoons to his impressive Batman tattoo.

Then, Jimmy throws Mandy into the deep end with a truly unique Superman story: Superman Smashes the Klan by Gene Luen Yang, art by Gurihiru. This graphic novel tackles real-world issues like racism and xenophobia through the lens of a classic superhero narrative. Will this be the story that finally turns Mandy into a full-fledged nerd?

Links mentioned in this episode:


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Learn more about supporting this podcast by becoming a member. It's just $5/month or $55/year. Visit our website to learn more.

]]> On this episode of Make Me A Nerd, Mandy welcomes her longtime friend (and comic book expert!) Jimmy Aquino to the show. Jimmy dives deep into his lifelong love of all things nerd, from childhood cartoons to his impressive Batman tattoo.

Then, Jimmy throws Mandy into the deep end with a truly unique Superman story: Superman Smashes the Klan by Gene Luen Yang, art by Gurihiru. This graphic novel tackles real-world issues like racism and xenophobia through the lens of a classic superhero narrative. Will this be the story that finally turns Mandy into a full-fledged nerd?

Links mentioned in this episode:


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Learn more about supporting this podcast by becoming a member. It's just $5/month or $55/year. Visit our website to learn more.

]]> Mon, 26 Aug 2024 03:00:00 -0700 TruStory FM TruStory FM 3239 On this episode of Make Me A Nerd, Mandy welcomes her longtime friend (and comic book expert!) Jimmy Aquino to the show. Jimmy dives deep into his lifelong love of all things nerd, from childhood cartoons to his impressive Batman tattoo.

Then, Jimmy throws Mandy into the deep end with a truly unique Superman story: Superman Smashes the Klan by Gene Luen Yang, art by Gurihiru. This graphic novel tackles real-world issues like racism and xenophobia through the lens of a classic superhero narrative. Will this be the story that finally turns Mandy into a full-fledged nerd?

Links mentioned in this episode:


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Learn more about supporting this podcast by becoming a member. It's just $5/month or $55/year. Visit our website to learn more.

]]> D&D, Star Wars, Star Trek, Marvel, Gaming, Technology, Nerddom No Following Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension with Pete Wright 11 11 Following Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension with Pete Wright full c600d8ce-5abd-45a6-a4a0-e566dcfd3cf2 https://share.transistor.fm/s/a58124aa Mandy sits down with her producer, confidant, consigliere, part-time chef, and friend Pete Wright to dive into the wacky world of the 1984 cult classic, "The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension." Discover the enduring charm and infectious sense of fun that has made this quirky sci-fi adventure a beloved favorite among its dedicated fans.

Pete shares his first encounter with "Buckaroo Banzai" as a teenager, watching it with friends and being captivated by its quirky humor and unique worldview. He acknowledges that the film may not hold up as well for newcomers today but still appreciates the passion and dedication of the talented cast, which includes Peter Weller, John Lithgow, Christopher Lloyd, and Jeff Goldblum.

They cut into the behind-the-scenes stories of the film's production, highlighting the creative team's studio notes and their clever ways of testing whether the suits were still paying attention. They also touch on the film's intentions as a potential franchise starter and the enthusiasm of the actors and creators in building this unique universe.

While acknowledging some problematic elements, such as the questionable casting of Peter Weller as a half-Japanese character and the underutilization of Ellen Barkin's character, the pair ultimately celebrate the film's enduring charm and the infectious sense of fun that permeates every frame. For Wright, "The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai" serves as a reminder of the joy that can be found in the creative process when working with a passionate and dedicated team.


---
Learn more about supporting this podcast by becoming a member. It's just $5/month or $55/year. Visit our website to learn more.

]]> Mandy sits down with her producer, confidant, consigliere, part-time chef, and friend Pete Wright to dive into the wacky world of the 1984 cult classic, "The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension." Discover the enduring charm and infectious sense of fun that has made this quirky sci-fi adventure a beloved favorite among its dedicated fans.

Pete shares his first encounter with "Buckaroo Banzai" as a teenager, watching it with friends and being captivated by its quirky humor and unique worldview. He acknowledges that the film may not hold up as well for newcomers today but still appreciates the passion and dedication of the talented cast, which includes Peter Weller, John Lithgow, Christopher Lloyd, and Jeff Goldblum.

They cut into the behind-the-scenes stories of the film's production, highlighting the creative team's studio notes and their clever ways of testing whether the suits were still paying attention. They also touch on the film's intentions as a potential franchise starter and the enthusiasm of the actors and creators in building this unique universe.

While acknowledging some problematic elements, such as the questionable casting of Peter Weller as a half-Japanese character and the underutilization of Ellen Barkin's character, the pair ultimately celebrate the film's enduring charm and the infectious sense of fun that permeates every frame. For Wright, "The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai" serves as a reminder of the joy that can be found in the creative process when working with a passionate and dedicated team.


---
Learn more about supporting this podcast by becoming a member. It's just $5/month or $55/year. Visit our website to learn more.

]]> Mon, 19 Aug 2024 03:00:00 -0700 TruStory FM TruStory FM 3390 Mandy sits down with her producer, confidant, consigliere, part-time chef, and friend Pete Wright to dive into the wacky world of the 1984 cult classic, "The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension." Discover the enduring charm and infectious sense of fun that has made this quirky sci-fi adventure a beloved favorite among its dedicated fans.

Pete shares his first encounter with "Buckaroo Banzai" as a teenager, watching it with friends and being captivated by its quirky humor and unique worldview. He acknowledges that the film may not hold up as well for newcomers today but still appreciates the passion and dedication of the talented cast, which includes Peter Weller, John Lithgow, Christopher Lloyd, and Jeff Goldblum.

They cut into the behind-the-scenes stories of the film's production, highlighting the creative team's studio notes and their clever ways of testing whether the suits were still paying attention. They also touch on the film's intentions as a potential franchise starter and the enthusiasm of the actors and creators in building this unique universe.

While acknowledging some problematic elements, such as the questionable casting of Peter Weller as a half-Japanese character and the underutilization of Ellen Barkin's character, the pair ultimately celebrate the film's enduring charm and the infectious sense of fun that permeates every frame. For Wright, "The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai" serves as a reminder of the joy that can be found in the creative process when working with a passionate and dedicated team.


---
Learn more about supporting this podcast by becoming a member. It's just $5/month or $55/year. Visit our website to learn more.

]]> D&D, Star Wars, Star Trek, Marvel, Gaming, Technology, Nerddom No Through the Farscape Wormhole with Audrey Kearns 10 10 Through the Farscape Wormhole with Audrey Kearns full ec185596-6343-4a55-9769-eceddb299790 https://share.transistor.fm/s/9da831cd Mandy embarks on a journey into the weird and wonderful world of Farscape with none other than the "geek girl authority" herself, Audrey Kearns. The two reminisce about their comedy days at Acme before diving headfirst into the uncharted territories of science fiction fandom.

Audrey, a self-proclaimed shy daydreamer, reveals how her childhood overseas and love of escapism led her to become a champion of all things sci-fi and fantasy. When pressed to name her desert island picks, she struggles to choose between heavyweights like Battlestar Galactica, Lord of the Rings, and Star Trek. But the true star of this episode is the cult classic series Farscape.

For the uninitiated, Audrey pitches Farscape as a "fish out of water" story following an astronaut scientist named John Crichton who gets hurled across the universe into the middle of an alien conflict. With muppets. Yes, you read that right. The Jim Henson Company's involvement brings a unique flavor to this space opera, blurring the line between puppet and sentient being.

Mandy bravely screens the pilot and second episodes and grapples with the show's jarring theme song, likening the female vocalizations to "screaming in pain." Audrey assures her it's all part of the immersive experience. Together they marvel at the rich worldbuilding, the prevalence of scaly reptilian aliens across the sci-fi landscape, and Audrey's fascinating (albeit chilly) stint as a mermaid model for Disney animators.

Will Mandy emerge from this wormhole a converted Farscape fanatic? Tune in to find out, and remember - in the words of John Crichton - "You can be more."

Check out Geek Girl Authority


---
Learn more about supporting this podcast by becoming a member. It's just $5/month or $55/year. Visit our website to learn more.

]]> Mandy embarks on a journey into the weird and wonderful world of Farscape with none other than the "geek girl authority" herself, Audrey Kearns. The two reminisce about their comedy days at Acme before diving headfirst into the uncharted territories of science fiction fandom.

Audrey, a self-proclaimed shy daydreamer, reveals how her childhood overseas and love of escapism led her to become a champion of all things sci-fi and fantasy. When pressed to name her desert island picks, she struggles to choose between heavyweights like Battlestar Galactica, Lord of the Rings, and Star Trek. But the true star of this episode is the cult classic series Farscape.

For the uninitiated, Audrey pitches Farscape as a "fish out of water" story following an astronaut scientist named John Crichton who gets hurled across the universe into the middle of an alien conflict. With muppets. Yes, you read that right. The Jim Henson Company's involvement brings a unique flavor to this space opera, blurring the line between puppet and sentient being.

Mandy bravely screens the pilot and second episodes and grapples with the show's jarring theme song, likening the female vocalizations to "screaming in pain." Audrey assures her it's all part of the immersive experience. Together they marvel at the rich worldbuilding, the prevalence of scaly reptilian aliens across the sci-fi landscape, and Audrey's fascinating (albeit chilly) stint as a mermaid model for Disney animators.

Will Mandy emerge from this wormhole a converted Farscape fanatic? Tune in to find out, and remember - in the words of John Crichton - "You can be more."

Check out Geek Girl Authority


---
Learn more about supporting this podcast by becoming a member. It's just $5/month or $55/year. Visit our website to learn more.

]]> Mon, 12 Aug 2024 03:00:00 -0700 TruStory FM TruStory FM 3452 Mandy embarks on a journey into the weird and wonderful world of Farscape with none other than the "geek girl authority" herself, Audrey Kearns. The two reminisce about their comedy days at Acme before diving headfirst into the uncharted territories of science fiction fandom.

Audrey, a self-proclaimed shy daydreamer, reveals how her childhood overseas and love of escapism led her to become a champion of all things sci-fi and fantasy. When pressed to name her desert island picks, she struggles to choose between heavyweights like Battlestar Galactica, Lord of the Rings, and Star Trek. But the true star of this episode is the cult classic series Farscape.

For the uninitiated, Audrey pitches Farscape as a "fish out of water" story following an astronaut scientist named John Crichton who gets hurled across the universe into the middle of an alien conflict. With muppets. Yes, you read that right. The Jim Henson Company's involvement brings a unique flavor to this space opera, blurring the line between puppet and sentient being.

Mandy bravely screens the pilot and second episodes and grapples with the show's jarring theme song, likening the female vocalizations to "screaming in pain." Audrey assures her it's all part of the immersive experience. Together they marvel at the rich worldbuilding, the prevalence of scaly reptilian aliens across the sci-fi landscape, and Audrey's fascinating (albeit chilly) stint as a mermaid model for Disney animators.

Will Mandy emerge from this wormhole a converted Farscape fanatic? Tune in to find out, and remember - in the words of John Crichton - "You can be more."

Check out Geek Girl Authority


---
Learn more about supporting this podcast by becoming a member. It's just $5/month or $55/year. Visit our website to learn more.

]]> D&D, Star Wars, Star Trek, Marvel, Gaming, Technology, Nerddom No Resistance is Futile: A Star Trek Intervention with Brian Bradley 9 9 Resistance is Futile: A Star Trek Intervention with Brian Bradley full 45958ab9-d98f-4390-ad79-b1be4f58ad3b https://share.transistor.fm/s/07228bfb This week, Mandy welcomes an old friend and collaborator, the multi-talented Brian Bradley, to the show. The pair reminisce about their shared history at the sadly now-defunct Acme Comedy Theater. But what secrets lie hidden in the NDA-protected annals of their legal battles? Mandy and Brian remain tight-lipped.

Brian, a lifelong devotee of all things geeky, reveals the origin story of his nerd journey, from comic books to Star Wars to the theater (purely to meet women, of course). But the real question is, can he convert Mandy to the ways of the Trekkie with a curated selection of Star Trek episodes?

First up, "The Inner Light" from Star Trek: The Next Generation. This acclaimed episode sees Captain Picard living out 40 years on an alien planet in the span of mere minutes. Mandy is quick to point out the decidedly '90s aesthetic, from the Coldwater Creek-esque costumes to the cutting-edge electronic doorbells. But beneath the dated veneer lies a poignant exploration of the human condition – and the comforting universality of soup.

Up next is the musical extravaganza "Subspace Rhapsody" from the new series Strange New Worlds. In this whimsical and surreal episode, the crew of the Enterprise finds themselves trapped in a mysterious nebula that compels them to burst into song and dance numbers, much to their confusion and consternation.

As the conversation veers into the mainstreaming of geek culture, Brian laments the "cool kids" co-opting Comic-Con, while Mandy posits that The Big Bang Theory played a significant role in the nerd zeitgeist shift. But does the show accurately represent geekdom, or is it a Hollywood caricature? The debate rages on.

Tune in next week to see if Mandy has fully embraced her inner Trekkie, or if she'll be forever lost in the uncanny valley of Star Trek's retro-futuristic makeup.

Brian Bradley on IMDB


---
Learn more about supporting this podcast by becoming a member. It's just $5/month or $55/year. Visit our website to learn more.

]]> This week, Mandy welcomes an old friend and collaborator, the multi-talented Brian Bradley, to the show. The pair reminisce about their shared history at the sadly now-defunct Acme Comedy Theater. But what secrets lie hidden in the NDA-protected annals of their legal battles? Mandy and Brian remain tight-lipped.

Brian, a lifelong devotee of all things geeky, reveals the origin story of his nerd journey, from comic books to Star Wars to the theater (purely to meet women, of course). But the real question is, can he convert Mandy to the ways of the Trekkie with a curated selection of Star Trek episodes?

First up, "The Inner Light" from Star Trek: The Next Generation. This acclaimed episode sees Captain Picard living out 40 years on an alien planet in the span of mere minutes. Mandy is quick to point out the decidedly '90s aesthetic, from the Coldwater Creek-esque costumes to the cutting-edge electronic doorbells. But beneath the dated veneer lies a poignant exploration of the human condition – and the comforting universality of soup.

Up next is the musical extravaganza "Subspace Rhapsody" from the new series Strange New Worlds. In this whimsical and surreal episode, the crew of the Enterprise finds themselves trapped in a mysterious nebula that compels them to burst into song and dance numbers, much to their confusion and consternation.

As the conversation veers into the mainstreaming of geek culture, Brian laments the "cool kids" co-opting Comic-Con, while Mandy posits that The Big Bang Theory played a significant role in the nerd zeitgeist shift. But does the show accurately represent geekdom, or is it a Hollywood caricature? The debate rages on.

Tune in next week to see if Mandy has fully embraced her inner Trekkie, or if she'll be forever lost in the uncanny valley of Star Trek's retro-futuristic makeup.

Brian Bradley on IMDB


---
Learn more about supporting this podcast by becoming a member. It's just $5/month or $55/year. Visit our website to learn more.

]]> Mon, 05 Aug 2024 03:00:00 -0700 TruStory FM TruStory FM 3626 This week, Mandy welcomes an old friend and collaborator, the multi-talented Brian Bradley, to the show. The pair reminisce about their shared history at the sadly now-defunct Acme Comedy Theater. But what secrets lie hidden in the NDA-protected annals of their legal battles? Mandy and Brian remain tight-lipped.

Brian, a lifelong devotee of all things geeky, reveals the origin story of his nerd journey, from comic books to Star Wars to the theater (purely to meet women, of course). But the real question is, can he convert Mandy to the ways of the Trekkie with a curated selection of Star Trek episodes?

First up, "The Inner Light" from Star Trek: The Next Generation. This acclaimed episode sees Captain Picard living out 40 years on an alien planet in the span of mere minutes. Mandy is quick to point out the decidedly '90s aesthetic, from the Coldwater Creek-esque costumes to the cutting-edge electronic doorbells. But beneath the dated veneer lies a poignant exploration of the human condition – and the comforting universality of soup.

Up next is the musical extravaganza "Subspace Rhapsody" from the new series Strange New Worlds. In this whimsical and surreal episode, the crew of the Enterprise finds themselves trapped in a mysterious nebula that compels them to burst into song and dance numbers, much to their confusion and consternation.

As the conversation veers into the mainstreaming of geek culture, Brian laments the "cool kids" co-opting Comic-Con, while Mandy posits that The Big Bang Theory played a significant role in the nerd zeitgeist shift. But does the show accurately represent geekdom, or is it a Hollywood caricature? The debate rages on.

Tune in next week to see if Mandy has fully embraced her inner Trekkie, or if she'll be forever lost in the uncanny valley of Star Trek's retro-futuristic makeup.

Brian Bradley on IMDB


---
Learn more about supporting this podcast by becoming a member. It's just $5/month or $55/year. Visit our website to learn more.

]]> D&D, Star Wars, Star Trek, Marvel, Gaming, Technology, Nerddom No Zehra Fazal Helps Find the Golden Ball in King's Quest IV: The Perils of Rosella 8 8 Zehra Fazal Helps Find the Golden Ball in King's Quest IV: The Perils of Rosella full 9e181687-6d54-4915-8ceb-4e5850bfd05c https://share.transistor.fm/s/c87b6985 This week in nerddom, Mandy Kaplan embarks on a pixelated journey to the 1980s with special guest Zehra Fazal, a renowned voice actor known for her roles in countless animated series and video games. Zehra, a self-proclaimed nerd with a penchant for retro gaming, guides Mandy through the world of Sierra Games' classic "King's Quest IV: The Perils of Rosella."

As Mandy navigates the text-based commands and dated graphics of this beloved adventure game, she finds herself equal parts frustrated and fascinated. With Zehra's expert guidance (and a little help from Mandy's husband), our intrepid host manages to clean the dwarves' house and acquire a mysterious blue pouch. But the real challenge lies ahead - can Mandy unravel the puzzles and save both Princess Rosella's father and the enigmatic Genesta?

Throughout the episode, Mandy and Zehra bond over their shared love of cooking, baking, and the Bachelor franchise. They even make tentative plans for a future culinary collaboration. But beneath the laughter and nostalgia lies a darker question - is Princess Rosella's quest a charming fairy tale or a thinly-veiled kidnapping scheme? Tune in to find out if Mandy can conquer "King's Quest IV" and emerge victorious in her quest to embrace nerd culture.

Members are in for a treat as Mandy and Zehra dig into their shared love of Iron Chef and it’s many cultural problems over the years, and the notable feminist bent in modern video games. Want to hear it? Easy! Join for $5/month or $55/year today!

Follow Zehra on Instagram and here she is on IMDB!


---
Learn more about supporting this podcast by becoming a member. It's just $5/month or $55/year. Visit our website to learn more.

]]> This week in nerddom, Mandy Kaplan embarks on a pixelated journey to the 1980s with special guest Zehra Fazal, a renowned voice actor known for her roles in countless animated series and video games. Zehra, a self-proclaimed nerd with a penchant for retro gaming, guides Mandy through the world of Sierra Games' classic "King's Quest IV: The Perils of Rosella."

As Mandy navigates the text-based commands and dated graphics of this beloved adventure game, she finds herself equal parts frustrated and fascinated. With Zehra's expert guidance (and a little help from Mandy's husband), our intrepid host manages to clean the dwarves' house and acquire a mysterious blue pouch. But the real challenge lies ahead - can Mandy unravel the puzzles and save both Princess Rosella's father and the enigmatic Genesta?

Throughout the episode, Mandy and Zehra bond over their shared love of cooking, baking, and the Bachelor franchise. They even make tentative plans for a future culinary collaboration. But beneath the laughter and nostalgia lies a darker question - is Princess Rosella's quest a charming fairy tale or a thinly-veiled kidnapping scheme? Tune in to find out if Mandy can conquer "King's Quest IV" and emerge victorious in her quest to embrace nerd culture.

Members are in for a treat as Mandy and Zehra dig into their shared love of Iron Chef and it’s many cultural problems over the years, and the notable feminist bent in modern video games. Want to hear it? Easy! Join for $5/month or $55/year today!

Follow Zehra on Instagram and here she is on IMDB!


---
Learn more about supporting this podcast by becoming a member. It's just $5/month or $55/year. Visit our website to learn more.

]]> Mon, 29 Jul 2024 03:00:00 -0700 TruStory FM TruStory FM 3214 This week in nerddom, Mandy Kaplan embarks on a pixelated journey to the 1980s with special guest Zehra Fazal, a renowned voice actor known for her roles in countless animated series and video games. Zehra, a self-proclaimed nerd with a penchant for retro gaming, guides Mandy through the world of Sierra Games' classic "King's Quest IV: The Perils of Rosella."

As Mandy navigates the text-based commands and dated graphics of this beloved adventure game, she finds herself equal parts frustrated and fascinated. With Zehra's expert guidance (and a little help from Mandy's husband), our intrepid host manages to clean the dwarves' house and acquire a mysterious blue pouch. But the real challenge lies ahead - can Mandy unravel the puzzles and save both Princess Rosella's father and the enigmatic Genesta?

Throughout the episode, Mandy and Zehra bond over their shared love of cooking, baking, and the Bachelor franchise. They even make tentative plans for a future culinary collaboration. But beneath the laughter and nostalgia lies a darker question - is Princess Rosella's quest a charming fairy tale or a thinly-veiled kidnapping scheme? Tune in to find out if Mandy can conquer "King's Quest IV" and emerge victorious in her quest to embrace nerd culture.

Members are in for a treat as Mandy and Zehra dig into their shared love of Iron Chef and it’s many cultural problems over the years, and the notable feminist bent in modern video games. Want to hear it? Easy! Join for $5/month or $55/year today!

Follow Zehra on Instagram and here she is on IMDB!


---
Learn more about supporting this podcast by becoming a member. It's just $5/month or $55/year. Visit our website to learn more.

]]> D&D, Star Wars, Star Trek, Marvel, Gaming, Technology, Nerddom No Make Me a Nerd Takes a Hearty Breath of the Wild with Jonny Lee, Jr. 7 7 Make Me a Nerd Takes a Hearty Breath of the Wild with Jonny Lee, Jr. full b68d3746-9d72-4bbb-8356-27a23491d7fa https://share.transistor.fm/s/a79cd807 In the latest installment of the podcast "Make Me a Nerd," host Mandy Kaplan ventures into the world of gaming with the help of guest and dear friend, Jonny Lee Jr. This week's mission? Tackling the fan-favorite Nintendo Switch game, Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild.


Mandy, a self-proclaimed extrovert and musical theater aficionado, finds herself out of her element as she navigates the vast, often lonely landscape of Hyrule. Armed with a controller and a shirtless avatar named Link (for eye candy purposes, of course), Mandy embarks on a journey filled with puzzling button combinations and the occasional accidental jump instead of a slash.


You might wonder, dear listener, if Mandy will continue her Zelda adventure or retreat to the comfort of her beloved musical theater. One thing is certain: watching a gaming novice navigate the world of Hyrule is an entertaining journey in itself, filled with laughter, frustration, and the occasional longing for the simplicity of an Intellivision controller.


Follow Jonny on Instagram

Go play Zelda



---
Learn more about supporting this podcast by becoming a member. It's just $5/month or $55/year. Visit our website to learn more.

]]> In the latest installment of the podcast "Make Me a Nerd," host Mandy Kaplan ventures into the world of gaming with the help of guest and dear friend, Jonny Lee Jr. This week's mission? Tackling the fan-favorite Nintendo Switch game, Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild.


Mandy, a self-proclaimed extrovert and musical theater aficionado, finds herself out of her element as she navigates the vast, often lonely landscape of Hyrule. Armed with a controller and a shirtless avatar named Link (for eye candy purposes, of course), Mandy embarks on a journey filled with puzzling button combinations and the occasional accidental jump instead of a slash.


You might wonder, dear listener, if Mandy will continue her Zelda adventure or retreat to the comfort of her beloved musical theater. One thing is certain: watching a gaming novice navigate the world of Hyrule is an entertaining journey in itself, filled with laughter, frustration, and the occasional longing for the simplicity of an Intellivision controller.


Follow Jonny on Instagram

Go play Zelda



---
Learn more about supporting this podcast by becoming a member. It's just $5/month or $55/year. Visit our website to learn more.

]]> Mon, 22 Jul 2024 03:00:00 -0700 TruStory FM TruStory FM 2443 In the latest installment of the podcast "Make Me a Nerd," host Mandy Kaplan ventures into the world of gaming with the help of guest and dear friend, Jonny Lee Jr. This week's mission? Tackling the fan-favorite Nintendo Switch game, Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild.


Mandy, a self-proclaimed extrovert and musical theater aficionado, finds herself out of her element as she navigates the vast, often lonely landscape of Hyrule. Armed with a controller and a shirtless avatar named Link (for eye candy purposes, of course), Mandy embarks on a journey filled with puzzling button combinations and the occasional accidental jump instead of a slash.


You might wonder, dear listener, if Mandy will continue her Zelda adventure or retreat to the comfort of her beloved musical theater. One thing is certain: watching a gaming novice navigate the world of Hyrule is an entertaining journey in itself, filled with laughter, frustration, and the occasional longing for the simplicity of an Intellivision controller.


Follow Jonny on Instagram

Go play Zelda



---
Learn more about supporting this podcast by becoming a member. It's just $5/month or $55/year. Visit our website to learn more.

]]> D&D, Star Wars, Star Trek, Marvel, Gaming, Technology, Nerddom No Married North of the Wall: Game of Thrones with Jeremy Klavens 6 6 Married North of the Wall: Game of Thrones with Jeremy Klavens full b5faeb91-8dd6-416a-b41e-0c52d737831d https://share.transistor.fm/s/765d0533 In this episode of "Make Me A Nerd," host Mandy Kaplan welcomes a special guest - her husband, Jeremy Klavens. The couple, married for nearly 18 years, takes listeners on a journey into the world of "Game of Thrones,” in which Jeremy delicately introduces Mandy to the complex wordplay of the title of the show vis a vis, well, characters who are trying to sit… you know… on a throne.


Jeremy himself is a reluctant GoT nerd. But it’s hard not to be drawn in by the show's attention to detail and immersive world-building. 


The episode takes an unexpected turn when Jeremy reveals his distaste for the show's more fantastical elements. OK, specifically he doesn’t dig on dragons. No, Jeremy is more of a Thrones policy wonk, preferring political intrigue and power struggles to witches and giant fire lizards. 


As the conversation winds down, Mandy confesses to using a character guide to keep track of the "unshowered people with beards," while Jeremy shares a FUN FACT about a real dead deer used in filming - a detail that simultaneously impresses and disgusts his animal-loving wife, but introduces a new opportunity for a sound effect, and a producer’s hope for a long-running segment to come.


Even in a world of dragons and white walkers, the real magic lies in the ability of a married couple to find common ground in the fantasy between them. 


Not that kind of fantasy, pervs... the other kind.


Whatever. 


---
Learn more about supporting this podcast by becoming a member. It's just $5/month or $55/year. Visit our website to learn more.

]]> In this episode of "Make Me A Nerd," host Mandy Kaplan welcomes a special guest - her husband, Jeremy Klavens. The couple, married for nearly 18 years, takes listeners on a journey into the world of "Game of Thrones,” in which Jeremy delicately introduces Mandy to the complex wordplay of the title of the show vis a vis, well, characters who are trying to sit… you know… on a throne.


Jeremy himself is a reluctant GoT nerd. But it’s hard not to be drawn in by the show's attention to detail and immersive world-building. 


The episode takes an unexpected turn when Jeremy reveals his distaste for the show's more fantastical elements. OK, specifically he doesn’t dig on dragons. No, Jeremy is more of a Thrones policy wonk, preferring political intrigue and power struggles to witches and giant fire lizards. 


As the conversation winds down, Mandy confesses to using a character guide to keep track of the "unshowered people with beards," while Jeremy shares a FUN FACT about a real dead deer used in filming - a detail that simultaneously impresses and disgusts his animal-loving wife, but introduces a new opportunity for a sound effect, and a producer’s hope for a long-running segment to come.


Even in a world of dragons and white walkers, the real magic lies in the ability of a married couple to find common ground in the fantasy between them. 


Not that kind of fantasy, pervs... the other kind.


Whatever. 


---
Learn more about supporting this podcast by becoming a member. It's just $5/month or $55/year. Visit our website to learn more.

]]> Mon, 15 Jul 2024 03:00:00 -0700 TruStory FM TruStory FM 3124 In this episode of "Make Me A Nerd," host Mandy Kaplan welcomes a special guest - her husband, Jeremy Klavens. The couple, married for nearly 18 years, takes listeners on a journey into the world of "Game of Thrones,” in which Jeremy delicately introduces Mandy to the complex wordplay of the title of the show vis a vis, well, characters who are trying to sit… you know… on a throne.


Jeremy himself is a reluctant GoT nerd. But it’s hard not to be drawn in by the show's attention to detail and immersive world-building. 


The episode takes an unexpected turn when Jeremy reveals his distaste for the show's more fantastical elements. OK, specifically he doesn’t dig on dragons. No, Jeremy is more of a Thrones policy wonk, preferring political intrigue and power struggles to witches and giant fire lizards. 


As the conversation winds down, Mandy confesses to using a character guide to keep track of the "unshowered people with beards," while Jeremy shares a FUN FACT about a real dead deer used in filming - a detail that simultaneously impresses and disgusts his animal-loving wife, but introduces a new opportunity for a sound effect, and a producer’s hope for a long-running segment to come.


Even in a world of dragons and white walkers, the real magic lies in the ability of a married couple to find common ground in the fantasy between them. 


Not that kind of fantasy, pervs... the other kind.


Whatever. 


---
Learn more about supporting this podcast by becoming a member. It's just $5/month or $55/year. Visit our website to learn more.

]]> D&D, Star Wars, Star Trek, Marvel, Gaming, Technology, Nerddom No A Supernatural Crash Course with Krissy Lenz 5 5 A Supernatural Crash Course with Krissy Lenz full 427e8f9c-cfed-4496-a52f-10d8bee27076 https://share.transistor.fm/s/17a0125a This week, Mandy settles into the passenger seat of the old Impala with comedian and podcaster Krissy Lenz for a road trip down the highway of "Supernatural," the long-running TV series about two brothers hunting monsters across America and facing their daddy issues.

Krissy, a self-proclaimed nerd and host of the Supernatural drinking game podcast, “Gank That Drank,” introduces Mandy to the show's premise and its significance in the genre TV landscape. The two discuss the series' impressive 15-season run and its blend of horror, humor, comedy, and family drama.

Their conversation touches on the show's early episodes, which Krissy notes are steeped in urban legends and local lore. From the "Woman in White" of the pilot to Wendigos and Bloody Mary, "Supernatural" initially drew heavily from campfire tales and regional myths.

The pair also explore the show's evolution, with Krissy hinting at the introduction of angels in later seasons and even a meta episode where the main characters enter the world of Scooby-Doo.

It turns out, the show is perfect fodder for a drinking game, with rules like drinking whenever Dean calls Sam "Sammy" or someone crashes through furniture. This game, it seems, is not for the faint of liver.

Subscribe to Krissy’s podcasts right here! 


---
Learn more about supporting this podcast by becoming a member. It's just $5/month or $55/year. Visit our website to learn more.

]]> This week, Mandy settles into the passenger seat of the old Impala with comedian and podcaster Krissy Lenz for a road trip down the highway of "Supernatural," the long-running TV series about two brothers hunting monsters across America and facing their daddy issues.

Krissy, a self-proclaimed nerd and host of the Supernatural drinking game podcast, “Gank That Drank,” introduces Mandy to the show's premise and its significance in the genre TV landscape. The two discuss the series' impressive 15-season run and its blend of horror, humor, comedy, and family drama.

Their conversation touches on the show's early episodes, which Krissy notes are steeped in urban legends and local lore. From the "Woman in White" of the pilot to Wendigos and Bloody Mary, "Supernatural" initially drew heavily from campfire tales and regional myths.

The pair also explore the show's evolution, with Krissy hinting at the introduction of angels in later seasons and even a meta episode where the main characters enter the world of Scooby-Doo.

It turns out, the show is perfect fodder for a drinking game, with rules like drinking whenever Dean calls Sam "Sammy" or someone crashes through furniture. This game, it seems, is not for the faint of liver.

Subscribe to Krissy’s podcasts right here! 


---
Learn more about supporting this podcast by becoming a member. It's just $5/month or $55/year. Visit our website to learn more.

]]> Mon, 08 Jul 2024 03:00:00 -0700 TruStory FM TruStory FM 3019 This week, Mandy settles into the passenger seat of the old Impala with comedian and podcaster Krissy Lenz for a road trip down the highway of "Supernatural," the long-running TV series about two brothers hunting monsters across America and facing their daddy issues.

Krissy, a self-proclaimed nerd and host of the Supernatural drinking game podcast, “Gank That Drank,” introduces Mandy to the show's premise and its significance in the genre TV landscape. The two discuss the series' impressive 15-season run and its blend of horror, humor, comedy, and family drama.

Their conversation touches on the show's early episodes, which Krissy notes are steeped in urban legends and local lore. From the "Woman in White" of the pilot to Wendigos and Bloody Mary, "Supernatural" initially drew heavily from campfire tales and regional myths.

The pair also explore the show's evolution, with Krissy hinting at the introduction of angels in later seasons and even a meta episode where the main characters enter the world of Scooby-Doo.

It turns out, the show is perfect fodder for a drinking game, with rules like drinking whenever Dean calls Sam "Sammy" or someone crashes through furniture. This game, it seems, is not for the faint of liver.

Subscribe to Krissy’s podcasts right here! 


---
Learn more about supporting this podcast by becoming a member. It's just $5/month or $55/year. Visit our website to learn more.

]]> D&D, Star Wars, Star Trek, Marvel, Gaming, Technology, Nerddom No Ocean's One: A Star Wars Heist Explained 4 4 Ocean's One: A Star Wars Heist Explained full 1682eb6f-a2eb-4e54-941f-8c9e35bf46ae https://share.transistor.fm/s/8d4187cc Ever wonder what happens when you mix a sci-fi novice with a medium-level nerd and throw in some Star Wars? Well, buckle up, because that's exactly what this episode of "Make Me A Nerd" delivers.

Mandy Kaplan, whose imagination may have gone the way of the Death Star years ago, sits down with podcaster Ocean Murff to chat about "Rogue One: A Star Wars Story." Ocean, proud owner of a mere 2,000 comic books (down from 4,000 - he's practically Marie Kondo-ing), attempts to guide Mandy through the galaxy far, far away.

Mandy, it turns out, is more comfortable with spontaneous musical numbers than space politics. Who knew? She bravely admits to feeling lost among the planets and governors, but finds her footing when she realizes it's basically "Ocean's Eleven" in space.

By the end, Mandy hasn't quite reached Jedi status, but she's at least made it to "Star Wars curious." Ocean's mission to create a "small sliver" of enjoyment seems successful. Maybe next time they'll tackle a sci-fi musical - now that's a force Mandy could get behind.


Listen to Ocean’s new show, “The Adrian Moment,” right here on TruStory FM!



---
Learn more about supporting this podcast by becoming a member. It's just $5/month or $55/year. Visit our website to learn more.

]]> Ever wonder what happens when you mix a sci-fi novice with a medium-level nerd and throw in some Star Wars? Well, buckle up, because that's exactly what this episode of "Make Me A Nerd" delivers.

Mandy Kaplan, whose imagination may have gone the way of the Death Star years ago, sits down with podcaster Ocean Murff to chat about "Rogue One: A Star Wars Story." Ocean, proud owner of a mere 2,000 comic books (down from 4,000 - he's practically Marie Kondo-ing), attempts to guide Mandy through the galaxy far, far away.

Mandy, it turns out, is more comfortable with spontaneous musical numbers than space politics. Who knew? She bravely admits to feeling lost among the planets and governors, but finds her footing when she realizes it's basically "Ocean's Eleven" in space.

By the end, Mandy hasn't quite reached Jedi status, but she's at least made it to "Star Wars curious." Ocean's mission to create a "small sliver" of enjoyment seems successful. Maybe next time they'll tackle a sci-fi musical - now that's a force Mandy could get behind.


Listen to Ocean’s new show, “The Adrian Moment,” right here on TruStory FM!



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Learn more about supporting this podcast by becoming a member. It's just $5/month or $55/year. Visit our website to learn more.

]]> Mon, 01 Jul 2024 03:00:00 -0700 TruStory FM TruStory FM 2826 Ever wonder what happens when you mix a sci-fi novice with a medium-level nerd and throw in some Star Wars? Well, buckle up, because that's exactly what this episode of "Make Me A Nerd" delivers.

Mandy Kaplan, whose imagination may have gone the way of the Death Star years ago, sits down with podcaster Ocean Murff to chat about "Rogue One: A Star Wars Story." Ocean, proud owner of a mere 2,000 comic books (down from 4,000 - he's practically Marie Kondo-ing), attempts to guide Mandy through the galaxy far, far away.

Mandy, it turns out, is more comfortable with spontaneous musical numbers than space politics. Who knew? She bravely admits to feeling lost among the planets and governors, but finds her footing when she realizes it's basically "Ocean's Eleven" in space.

By the end, Mandy hasn't quite reached Jedi status, but she's at least made it to "Star Wars curious." Ocean's mission to create a "small sliver" of enjoyment seems successful. Maybe next time they'll tackle a sci-fi musical - now that's a force Mandy could get behind.


Listen to Ocean’s new show, “The Adrian Moment,” right here on TruStory FM!



---
Learn more about supporting this podcast by becoming a member. It's just $5/month or $55/year. Visit our website to learn more.

]]> D&D, Star Wars, Star Trek, Marvel, Gaming, Technology, Nerddom No The Enduring Legacy of Star Wars with Kyle Olson 3 3 The Enduring Legacy of Star Wars with Kyle Olson full c5324313-d87b-400c-b58b-56d458df2fff https://share.transistor.fm/s/a2df9ed2 In this week's episode of "Make Me A Nerd," host Mandy Kaplan welcomes her friend and fellow podcaster Kyle Olson to discuss his deep love for all things Star Wars. Kyle, a self-proclaimed geek who considers his fandom a core part of his identity, shares his passion for George Lucas's groundbreaking 1977 space epic, Star Wars: A New Hope.

As children of the 80s, both Mandy and Kyle grew up in the era of Spielberg and Lucas blockbusters that brought a new level of cinematic entertainment to the masses. Kyle explains how Star Wars and other "nerd" properties have since become mainstream pop culture juggernauts, with comic conventions drawing crowds rivaling the populations of small cities.

For their discussion, Kyle had Mandy watch the "4K77" version of Star Wars - a fan restoration of the original 1977 theatrical cut, before Lucas's controversial later changes and additions. Mandy recalls her own early Star Wars memory, amazing her mom as a toddler by pointing out Princess Leia, Luke Skywalker, Han Solo and Chewbacca in a store window display.

Join Mandy and Kyle as they dive deep into the Star Wars that started it all, and Kyle attempts to awaken the Force within his friend and indoctrinate her into the ways of this landmark sci-fi saga. It's a heartfelt and humorous conversation about childhood nostalgia, the mainstreaming of geek culture, and how the universal themes and iconography of Star Wars continue to captivate audiences over four decades later.


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Learn more about supporting this podcast by becoming a member. It's just $5/month or $55/year. Visit our website to learn more.

]]> In this week's episode of "Make Me A Nerd," host Mandy Kaplan welcomes her friend and fellow podcaster Kyle Olson to discuss his deep love for all things Star Wars. Kyle, a self-proclaimed geek who considers his fandom a core part of his identity, shares his passion for George Lucas's groundbreaking 1977 space epic, Star Wars: A New Hope.

As children of the 80s, both Mandy and Kyle grew up in the era of Spielberg and Lucas blockbusters that brought a new level of cinematic entertainment to the masses. Kyle explains how Star Wars and other "nerd" properties have since become mainstream pop culture juggernauts, with comic conventions drawing crowds rivaling the populations of small cities.

For their discussion, Kyle had Mandy watch the "4K77" version of Star Wars - a fan restoration of the original 1977 theatrical cut, before Lucas's controversial later changes and additions. Mandy recalls her own early Star Wars memory, amazing her mom as a toddler by pointing out Princess Leia, Luke Skywalker, Han Solo and Chewbacca in a store window display.

Join Mandy and Kyle as they dive deep into the Star Wars that started it all, and Kyle attempts to awaken the Force within his friend and indoctrinate her into the ways of this landmark sci-fi saga. It's a heartfelt and humorous conversation about childhood nostalgia, the mainstreaming of geek culture, and how the universal themes and iconography of Star Wars continue to captivate audiences over four decades later.


---
Learn more about supporting this podcast by becoming a member. It's just $5/month or $55/year. Visit our website to learn more.

]]> Mon, 24 Jun 2024 03:00:00 -0700 TruStory FM TruStory FM 3505 In this week's episode of "Make Me A Nerd," host Mandy Kaplan welcomes her friend and fellow podcaster Kyle Olson to discuss his deep love for all things Star Wars. Kyle, a self-proclaimed geek who considers his fandom a core part of his identity, shares his passion for George Lucas's groundbreaking 1977 space epic, Star Wars: A New Hope.

As children of the 80s, both Mandy and Kyle grew up in the era of Spielberg and Lucas blockbusters that brought a new level of cinematic entertainment to the masses. Kyle explains how Star Wars and other "nerd" properties have since become mainstream pop culture juggernauts, with comic conventions drawing crowds rivaling the populations of small cities.

For their discussion, Kyle had Mandy watch the "4K77" version of Star Wars - a fan restoration of the original 1977 theatrical cut, before Lucas's controversial later changes and additions. Mandy recalls her own early Star Wars memory, amazing her mom as a toddler by pointing out Princess Leia, Luke Skywalker, Han Solo and Chewbacca in a store window display.

Join Mandy and Kyle as they dive deep into the Star Wars that started it all, and Kyle attempts to awaken the Force within his friend and indoctrinate her into the ways of this landmark sci-fi saga. It's a heartfelt and humorous conversation about childhood nostalgia, the mainstreaming of geek culture, and how the universal themes and iconography of Star Wars continue to captivate audiences over four decades later.


---
Learn more about supporting this podcast by becoming a member. It's just $5/month or $55/year. Visit our website to learn more.

]]> D&D, Star Wars, Star Trek, Marvel, Gaming, Technology, Nerddom No Whip It Good: Mandy Takes on Castlevania with JP Karliak 2 2 Whip It Good: Mandy Takes on Castlevania with JP Karliak full be2e45a5-6ad1-4db6-a069-d6c24a40eb78 https://share.transistor.fm/s/43336c90 This week, Mandy is joined by voice actor, writer and activist JP Karliak to discuss the animated Netflix series Castlevania.

JP, a self-described "voiceover artist, queer activist, snappy dresser", has voiced characters like Morph in X-Men 97, Boss Baby, and Green Goblin on Spidey and His Amazing Friends. He also co-founded the organization Nerds Vote to encourage gamers, cosplayers, and pop culture fans to get out and vote, and Queer Vox  to provide training and professional support for LGBTQIA+ voice actors in the entertainment industry while advocating for equitable opportunities and authentic representation in voice performance work.

JP brought Castlevania as an entry point for Mandy because of its manageable 4-episode first season and gothic horror themes, which he thought might appeal to Mandy's sensibilities. The series, based on a long-running video game franchise, follows monster hunter Trevor Belmont as he battles Dracula and his demon army.

Will JP’s thorough exploration be enough to make Mandy a convert? Listen in and find out … maybe it’ll be just as enticing for you!

Learn more about JP on his website at JPKarliak.com.


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Learn more about supporting this podcast by becoming a member. It's just $5/month or $55/year. Visit our website to learn more.

]]> This week, Mandy is joined by voice actor, writer and activist JP Karliak to discuss the animated Netflix series Castlevania.

JP, a self-described "voiceover artist, queer activist, snappy dresser", has voiced characters like Morph in X-Men 97, Boss Baby, and Green Goblin on Spidey and His Amazing Friends. He also co-founded the organization Nerds Vote to encourage gamers, cosplayers, and pop culture fans to get out and vote, and Queer Vox  to provide training and professional support for LGBTQIA+ voice actors in the entertainment industry while advocating for equitable opportunities and authentic representation in voice performance work.

JP brought Castlevania as an entry point for Mandy because of its manageable 4-episode first season and gothic horror themes, which he thought might appeal to Mandy's sensibilities. The series, based on a long-running video game franchise, follows monster hunter Trevor Belmont as he battles Dracula and his demon army.

Will JP’s thorough exploration be enough to make Mandy a convert? Listen in and find out … maybe it’ll be just as enticing for you!

Learn more about JP on his website at JPKarliak.com.


---
Learn more about supporting this podcast by becoming a member. It's just $5/month or $55/year. Visit our website to learn more.

]]> Mon, 17 Jun 2024 03:00:00 -0700 TruStory FM TruStory FM 2643 This week, Mandy is joined by voice actor, writer and activist JP Karliak to discuss the animated Netflix series Castlevania.

JP, a self-described "voiceover artist, queer activist, snappy dresser", has voiced characters like Morph in X-Men 97, Boss Baby, and Green Goblin on Spidey and His Amazing Friends. He also co-founded the organization Nerds Vote to encourage gamers, cosplayers, and pop culture fans to get out and vote, and Queer Vox  to provide training and professional support for LGBTQIA+ voice actors in the entertainment industry while advocating for equitable opportunities and authentic representation in voice performance work.

JP brought Castlevania as an entry point for Mandy because of its manageable 4-episode first season and gothic horror themes, which he thought might appeal to Mandy's sensibilities. The series, based on a long-running video game franchise, follows monster hunter Trevor Belmont as he battles Dracula and his demon army.

Will JP’s thorough exploration be enough to make Mandy a convert? Listen in and find out … maybe it’ll be just as enticing for you!

Learn more about JP on his website at JPKarliak.com.


---
Learn more about supporting this podcast by becoming a member. It's just $5/month or $55/year. Visit our website to learn more.

]]> D&D, Star Wars, Star Trek, Marvel, Gaming, Technology, Nerddom No Legion: A Superhero Show for Non-Believer with Tommy Metz III 1 1 Legion: A Superhero Show for Non-Believer with Tommy Metz III full 493f63b8-4569-424e-a7a6-86001a7898c6 https://share.transistor.fm/s/00073076 What does it mean to be a nerd today? That's the question explored in the premiere episode of Mandy Kaplan's new show, "Make Me A Nerd.” To help out, she’s joined by filmmaker and frequent collaborator Tommy Metz III who brings something he nerds all over: Marvel’s Legion on FX.

First, it’s memory time. They reminisce about their own nerdy interests growing up, from Mandy’s childhood crush on Batman's sidekick Robin, to Metz's love of horror comics over traditional superhero fare. They examine how properties like The Big Bang Theory and Stranger Things have brought elements of geek culture to the mainstream.

Despite this mainstreaming, Tom’s pronouns are “outsider” when it comes to hugely popular franchises like the Marvel Cinematic Universe. To quantify his nerd factor, Mandy has him take a Buzzfeed quiz on the topic. Questions range from his Harry Potter bona fides to his video gaming prowess. In the end, Metz scores an impressive 86% on the nerd scale, which will be immediately documented in his permanent record.

The conversation then turns to homework: Legion, based on the Marvel character. While normally averse to superhero adaptations, Tom is obsessed with it, which of course makes it the perfect fodder for helping Mandy on her own nerd journey.


Watch Legion on FX/Hulu


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Learn more about supporting this podcast by becoming a member. It's just $5/month or $55/year. Visit our website to learn more.

]]> What does it mean to be a nerd today? That's the question explored in the premiere episode of Mandy Kaplan's new show, "Make Me A Nerd.” To help out, she’s joined by filmmaker and frequent collaborator Tommy Metz III who brings something he nerds all over: Marvel’s Legion on FX.

First, it’s memory time. They reminisce about their own nerdy interests growing up, from Mandy’s childhood crush on Batman's sidekick Robin, to Metz's love of horror comics over traditional superhero fare. They examine how properties like The Big Bang Theory and Stranger Things have brought elements of geek culture to the mainstream.

Despite this mainstreaming, Tom’s pronouns are “outsider” when it comes to hugely popular franchises like the Marvel Cinematic Universe. To quantify his nerd factor, Mandy has him take a Buzzfeed quiz on the topic. Questions range from his Harry Potter bona fides to his video gaming prowess. In the end, Metz scores an impressive 86% on the nerd scale, which will be immediately documented in his permanent record.

The conversation then turns to homework: Legion, based on the Marvel character. While normally averse to superhero adaptations, Tom is obsessed with it, which of course makes it the perfect fodder for helping Mandy on her own nerd journey.


Watch Legion on FX/Hulu


---
Learn more about supporting this podcast by becoming a member. It's just $5/month or $55/year. Visit our website to learn more.

]]> Mon, 10 Jun 2024 03:00:00 -0700 TruStory FM TruStory FM 3272 What does it mean to be a nerd today? That's the question explored in the premiere episode of Mandy Kaplan's new show, "Make Me A Nerd.” To help out, she’s joined by filmmaker and frequent collaborator Tommy Metz III who brings something he nerds all over: Marvel’s Legion on FX.

First, it’s memory time. They reminisce about their own nerdy interests growing up, from Mandy’s childhood crush on Batman's sidekick Robin, to Metz's love of horror comics over traditional superhero fare. They examine how properties like The Big Bang Theory and Stranger Things have brought elements of geek culture to the mainstream.

Despite this mainstreaming, Tom’s pronouns are “outsider” when it comes to hugely popular franchises like the Marvel Cinematic Universe. To quantify his nerd factor, Mandy has him take a Buzzfeed quiz on the topic. Questions range from his Harry Potter bona fides to his video gaming prowess. In the end, Metz scores an impressive 86% on the nerd scale, which will be immediately documented in his permanent record.

The conversation then turns to homework: Legion, based on the Marvel character. While normally averse to superhero adaptations, Tom is obsessed with it, which of course makes it the perfect fodder for helping Mandy on her own nerd journey.


Watch Legion on FX/Hulu


---
Learn more about supporting this podcast by becoming a member. It's just $5/month or $55/year. Visit our website to learn more.

]]> D&D, Star Wars, Star Trek, Marvel, Gaming, Technology, Nerddom No A Trailer... about all the things I don't understand yet. A Trailer... about all the things I don't understand yet. trailer e8a4d4fe-9700-4bbe-838b-6ac6e0716ab1 https://share.transistor.fm/s/54423d79 Make Me a Nerd is a podcast for full-blown nerds and those who are nerd-curious. Its host, Mandy Kaplan, is a mainstream middle-aged mom who loves all things Football, Taylor Swift, and Housewives. Each week, she will be introduced to some form of nerdery way outside her comfort zone. By who, you ask? (we know it's whom, that was a "nerd test," and you passed it) A full-blown sci-fi/D&D/Ren Fair-loving geek guest determined to expand her horizons and recruit her to nerd-dom. You know what they say: "May the forest be with you"!

]]> Make Me a Nerd is a podcast for full-blown nerds and those who are nerd-curious. Its host, Mandy Kaplan, is a mainstream middle-aged mom who loves all things Football, Taylor Swift, and Housewives. Each week, she will be introduced to some form of nerdery way outside her comfort zone. By who, you ask? (we know it's whom, that was a "nerd test," and you passed it) A full-blown sci-fi/D&D/Ren Fair-loving geek guest determined to expand her horizons and recruit her to nerd-dom. You know what they say: "May the forest be with you"!

]]> Mon, 03 Jun 2024 03:00:00 -0700 TruStory FM TruStory FM 112 Make Me a Nerd is a podcast for full-blown nerds and those who are nerd-curious. Its host, Mandy Kaplan, is a mainstream middle-aged mom who loves all things Football, Taylor Swift, and Housewives. Each week, she will be introduced to some form of nerdery way outside her comfort zone. By who, you ask? (we know it's whom, that was a "nerd test," and you passed it) A full-blown sci-fi/D&D/Ren Fair-loving geek guest determined to expand her horizons and recruit her to nerd-dom. You know what they say: "May the forest be with you"!

]]> D&D, Star Wars, Star Trek, Marvel, Gaming, Technology, Nerddom No