Shooting the Shindig

E15: Noisy Primates

In this special episode, your dashing hosts are joined by Ty Davison of the band Noisy Primates! Ty's going to tell us what exactly an internet band is. He's got some choice words about streaming music, Spotify in particular, which leads to a discussion of artists' compensation. Ty's also got some thoughts on AI. The illustrious Riff Boswick drops in..., and this fantastic foursome discuss dressmaking and drug prohibition. Ty closes things out with a little insight into the second Noisy Primates album. You'll be glad you were here for this romp!

E14: Palestine, 10cc, & UFOs

Welcome back! In this riveting episode, Garr and Éric discuss folk songs and what they're about. Next up on the docket is all about the situation in Israel and Palestine...: the Hamas attack, Netanyahu, the persecution of the Palestinians, and West Bank settlements. Is Gaza a gulag? Is disagreeing with Israel anti-Semitism? After that we talk about progressive rock, artists that didn't 'wow' us, and songs that took multiple listens to love. Uriah Heep, Traffic, Kansas—the gang's all here! After a brief stopover on celebrities—Taylor Swift, Ryan Reynolds, Hugh Jackman (did you know Garr has a huge jackman?)—we get bogged down into an interesting but confusing discussion of 10cc. If you can dig it though, the reward is a discussion of UFOs, ghosts, the Loch Ness monster, and other supernatural sightings. D. B. Cooper? You'll need to hear this episode to believe it!

E13: Meaning, Clinton, and Pick-Up Artists

Welcome back to another episode of your favorite podcast. In this iteration Garr and Éric discuss what gives life meaning and why we attract to religion... They revisit their old saw of sex vs. love before talking about growing up and moving away. There's some discussion of Trump's Access Hollywood tape and Billy Bush. Remember Bill Clinton and all that stuff he did? (like Monica Lewinsky?) Things finally wind down with a discussion of pick-up artists and Andrew Tate. Make sure you show this one to your friends (and enemies).

E12: Is America Okay?

That's the question we have to ask ourselves! Join Garr and Éric discussing the erosion of civil liberties and the concerning actions of ICE... Is this like Nazi Germany? What can you do in a time like this? The Epstein files, the removal of Venezuelan president Nicolás Maduro, and the execution of Renée Good also figure into this episode's discussion. What about those Republican politicians who at least seem to be in the closet? For some reason we also talk about the invention of the wheel, the birth of Jesus, and Jonny Quest. You owe it to yourself to check this one out.

NB: This was recorded before the execution of Alex Pretti and the newest batch of Epstein files.

E11: Trump, Mamdani, & the FTC

Welcome back! Today Garr and Éric are talking about what's going on in the country. The second Trump administration sure has been doing a number on civil liberties..., and ghouls like Peter Thiel are running amok. They also discuss woke, Zohran Mamdani's meeting with Trump, ICE, what's going on with the Federal Trade Commission, and Billy Bush. Just a lot of feel-good stories. You're going to feel so informed after this episode.

E10: The A.I. Episode

Garr and Éric are back at it again, this time talking about AI! Artificial intelligence is a hot topic these days; is it going to put us all out of work, or will society rise up to reject rampant unemployment...? We also talk about Stanley Kubrick films, Donald Trump, Rage Against the Machine, 'surfing the web', and the 'back in my day' factor. You won't want to miss this one!

E9: Steve Caton

Welcome to the much-anticipated second season of Shooting the Shindig! This week Garr and Éric are joined by Steve Caton... Some will know him from playing guitar with Tori Amos, but he also builds guitars and surfs! Which, if any, of these would he describe as his passion? Of course these three are also going to swap some stories and shoot a little Shindig, so you won't want to miss out on this one!

E8: Scents, Socialism, & Cable-Access Television

Today join your intrepid young hosts Garr and Éric as they discuss scents, their primal rôle in attraction, and their relation with memories... They revisit Halloween, a holiday where you get to dress outside the normal rules of society. Éric has some information about language to share: humans evolved to make language; why do we think of French as more romantic than German; and the Indo-European language family. Sculpture's pretty crazy when you think of, or at least it is to Éric. There's a short discussion of fears, why we have them, and if they're reasonable. Éric briefly brings up (then-)current events, but your duo quickly transition into talking about money, economic systems, and direct democracy. What do capitalism, communism, and socialism mean anyway? Cryptocurrency even comes up at one point. Did you know Cyrus McCormick invented the mechanical reaper? Garr talks about Dr. Demento and winds things down with a long love letter to cable-access television, spotlighting some of his favorite characters from 90s Portland cable access, including Dr. Ben Abraham, Sister Paula, Jim Spagg, and Reverend Lime. There's even a bit about the Fizzies! You won't want to miss this one.

E7: Heckling the First Republican Debate (2023)

Welcome back once again as your intrepid hosts Garr Montalbano and Éric Fontenot yap over the first Republican debate, hosted by Fox News and Rumble... Doug Burgum, Chris Christie, Ron DeSantis, Nikki Haley, Asa Hutchinson, Mike Pence, Vivek Ramaswamy, and Tim Scott are in attendance, all thinking they might have a shot against Donald Trump, who skipped this do. Listen to them debate the critical issues facing the country, like climate change, abortion, and Trump himself. Who will abolish the Department of Education? Who thinks Mike Pence did the right thing? Would President Christie tell Americans about UFOs? All while your favorite duo are chirping back at them, straight from the peanut gallery! Éric even gets to squeeze in a little about baseball, much to Garr's chagrin. All this and more in this special episode. Who will win the debate? Does it matter?

E6: Phones, Lyndon Johnson, and Episodic Storytelling

Welcome back to your favorite shindig! Did you miss us? In this episode your hosts Garr and Éric reminisce about old phones, talk about how to structure a show within the season format, and reflect on the Johnson administration... Remember Blackberrys? How did television change media and American culture? There is also brief discussion of boomer culture, the spoils of the second World War, and advertising. Don't hold on to anger, a lesson that Garr's neighbour seems not to have learned yet. Get ready, coz it's going to be wild!

NB: This was recorded before Henry Kissinger died, so don't @ us.

E5: Airships, Holidays, & Relationships among Regular Friends

Your regular friends are back again to shoot the shindig! This episode concludes the trilogy of They Might Be Giants discussions (we promise, we probably won't talk about them again, at least for a long time)... Other topics include Apecon (the Planet of the Apes one, not whatever NFT thing the idiots went to), blimps and other airships, and the looming menace of AI. Garr has strong opinions on liquor, and Éric is a Scrooge about many holidays, birthdays included. Garr's going to tell you some stories about birthday and Halloween parties (including the saga of Fred Flintstone). How do we communicate? What sense is the most tied to memory? Music, sex, and relationships are also covered in this tour de force, so you won't want to miss this one!

E4: Sex, Love, & Barry Goldwater

This week Garr and Éric are joined by their friend Richard (as well as Bruce). They discuss the differences between sex and love, compare Florida and Arizona, and swap personal stories. Will Richard successfully rehabilitate Barry Goldwater? Garr and Éric also discuss their They Might Be Giants concert, as well as Genesis and The Musical Box.

E3: The Fizzies Special

In this special episode your hosts Garr and Éric are joined by Mickey Kakes and Kevin Whaley, drummer and guitarist in Garr's '80s band the Fizzies. The band members talk about the music scene in LA in the '80s, swap stories about the band, and even listen to some Fizzies jams.

E2: Mary Jane, Steve, and Their Friends

Garr and Éric discuss cannabis culture, parties, Prohibition, mushrooms, and other drug topics in this episode.

E1: Insults, Dick Pics, & Shia LaBeouf

Join your friends Garr and Éric as they launch on the first episode of your favorite podcast! This episode covers Shia LaBeouf, dick pics, internet comments, insults, H. R. Pufnstuf, the Aquabats, and much more.