Spaceballs

The Star Wars parody (with a bit of Star Trek and Lawrence of Arabia thrown in) may not be Mel Brooks’ best film, or his funniest comedy, but it is a film that grows on you with each successive viewing.

This episode is released in 2024 on Star Wars day, May the 4th, as in, May the 4th be with you.

Dan Miwa joins Troy Harkin and David Clink. Dan, being a first-time guest, is asked about his earliest genre memories, and his first genre love. He is then asked the standard 6 questions for first-time guests: Fave Author; Fave Novel; Fave Shorter Work; Fave Movie; Fave TV Series; and, Fave TV episode.

Troy presents a history of the film.

Troy and David and Dan do their Dream Cast and their Schrödinger’s Cast for the following 6 roles:

Lone Starr
(Bill Pullman)

Barf
(John Candy)

Princess Vespa
(Daphne Zuniga)

Dot Matrix
(Joan Rivers)
(voice)

Dark Helmet
(Rick Moranis)

Skroob / Yogurt
(Mel Brooks)

Dan Miwa, lover of all things science fiction and psychological fiction, merged his two favourite genres into his novel “Ret”. The story takes place on a distant planet, within an alien civilization and follows the life of a little alien through a journey of self transformation.

Much of the charm in Ret is how a story with a wild imaginative alien setting can be so relatable at its core.

Ret is not only a powerful coming of age story, it’s a depiction of human life that holds a mirror to the social challenges we face as a society today.

Ret reached #1 in Hot New Release and #2 Best Seller in all his sci fi categories on Amazon. The push for his novel doesn’t stop with the written word. Dan is currently working on converting Ret to a graphic novel and screenplay, as well, he is in the beginning stages of writing a prequel to Ret. Ret 2 Zombie Invasion… just kidding.

Queer SFFH (Science Fiction, Fantasy, and Horror) has been with us for a very long time. One of the first English-language science fiction novels is Frankenstein, 1818, and it was written by bisexual author Mary Shelley. And representation has recently reached new heights, in both how many queer creators there are, but also the number of queer characters appearing in SFFH, in books and media, but also in the quality and impact they have in storylines.

Rachel A. Rosen joins Troy and David, to discuss the topic. Rachel, being a first guest, is asked about her earliest genre memories, and her first genre love. She then is asked the standard 6 questions for first time guests: Fave Author; Fave Novel; Fave Shorter Work; Fave Movie; Fave TV Series; and, Fave TV episode.

Troy presents an overview of queer representation in science fiction, fantasy, and horror, as part of his history segment.

Rachel mentions the influence of the character Dax from DS9, and other queer creators, including Francesca Lia Block, Clive Barker, and Mary Shelley.

The “Bury Your Gays” trope is discussed.

Is Hollywood getting better at depictions of queer characters?

Doctor Who and queer culture is discussed. Many queer Doctors, and queer companions have been featured. Russell T. Davis is openly gay, and he has brought in queer characters and trans characters, more than any other showrunner. The 15th doctor is openly gay. Bill Potts (played by Pearl Mackie) was the first openly gay companion.

Xena and Gabrielle as gay icons is covered.
Is Dr. Frank-N-Furter a gay icon or a caricature?

Rachel and Troy and David spend time talking about the third episode of The Last of Us. Troy does a history, for this episode.

RACHEL A. ROSEN lives and makes trouble in Tkaronto (Toronto) in the country currently known as Canada.

A genre strumpet with an outlook darker than VantaBlack, she straddles urban fantasy, cosmic horror, dystopian futures, and eco-fiction.

Her stone-cold bummer of a first novel, Cascade (The Sleep of Reason Book 1), was published by The BumblePuppy Press in 2022, and with Zilla Novikov, she’s the co-author of The Sad Bastard Cookbook: Food You Can Make So You Don’t Die.

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CSFFA, the Canadian Science Fiction and Fantasy Association, is the organization that is tasked with running the Aurora Awards and the Hall of Fame.

Troy and David invite to the show Clifford Samuels, who is the Aurora Awards administrator.

This is Clifford’s first appearance on the show, and as with all new guests, Troy and David ask Clifford about his first experiences in the speculative genre, and what was his first genre love.

Clifford is also asked about his all-time speculative genre faves, which includes his favourite novel, shorter work, author, and also his favourite movie, TV series, and TV episode.

The show will look at the Aurora Awards, and also the Hall of Fame.

The Aurora Awards recognize excellence, by Canadian creatives (Canadian citizens, permanent residents, and landed immigrants), in the field of science fiction, fantasy and horror, in 10 categories, eight of which are professional, and two are fan / volunteer:

Professional Categories in English

Best Novel
Best YA Novel
Best Novelette/Novella
Best Short Story
Best Poem/Song
Best Graphic Novel/Comic
Best Cover Art/Interior Illustration
Best Related Work

Fan/Volunteer Categories

Best Fan Writing and Publication:
Best Fan Related Work:

When it comes to the Hall of Fame, here is the description from the CSFFA site…

The Canadian Science Fiction & Fantasy Association Hall of Fame was created to honour people who have over the past number of decades made a great contribution to the genre of Science Fiction and Fantasy. These would include not just people who write but includes people who have made a contribution either professionally or as a fan. We include artists, musicians, scientists, publishers, editors, organizers and fans.

Clifford Samuels has been collecting Science Fiction and Fantasy books for over 40 years.  It can be said that even if he stopped buying new books he would never be able to read what he has, but that will never happen. 

He has founded, chaired and run numerous genre conventions in Alberta.  He was on the board for Calgary’s When Words Collide festival as guest liaison for 12 years.

As a board member of CSFFA (The Canadian Science Fiction & Fantasy Association), he has held the positions of president, media liaison and treasurer, but for the past 14 years he has administered the Aurora Awards. 

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NEUROMANCER

Stephen Humphrey joins Troy and David on this episode where the novel Neuromancer is discussed. It looks like they are finally going to be bringing the book to the small screen, after a number of attempts.

Apple TV+ announced they are bringing Neuromancer to the small screen…

https://www.apple.com/tv-pr/news/2024/02/apple-tv-announces-neuromancer-new-drama-based-on-the-multi-award-winning-science-fiction-novel-by-william-gibson/

= = =

‘The sky above the port was the color of television, tuned to a dead channel.’

The opening line says it all. Neuromancer was a game changer, a classic of the genre.

This is Stephen’s first guesting on the podcast, so Troy and David ask him what was his first childhood genre memory, and first genre love. They also ask him his favorite speculative genre author, novel, shorter work, movie, TV series, and TV episode.

Neuromancer won the Hugo, Nebula, and Philip K. Dick award.

There is a William S. Burroughs influence / stream of consciousness in the novel. Almost like cut up poetry that tells a story. Gibson has said that Naked Lunch was an influence.

There is also an influence of music in the writing.

Should you assist A.I. in becoming sentient?

Gibson coined the term Cyberspace. Would the movie, The Matrix, existed without Gibson? Is Neuromancer a conversation about a world that we cannot see? As a novel of prediction, how accurate was it? Can we really see beyond the now? Would we miss WW3 if we blinked? Is everyone psychologically wounded in Neuromancer? Would a supermind care about humanity? Would they prefer to communicate with A.I. from the Centauri system?

And what are the traits of cyberpunk? Here are some of the things that exist in a lot of these stories…

DEFINING CYBERPUNK (from various sources)

= a sub-genre of science fiction
= a dystopian world
= THINK BLADE RUNNER
= features hackers and mercenaries
= power lies with big corporations and technology
= how people navigate the physical and cyber world
= technology evolves
= about the fragility of the human mind and body
= about the loss of control over decision-making
= often features addiction, which allows some to cope.
= Animals gone? (robot owl in B-R; horses in N)

Stephen Humphrey is a writer and radio presenter. He recently published a science/ecology book, ‘Paths of Pollen’ with McGill-Queens University Press. His nonfiction often explores science’s intersection with science fiction. As a result, he’s interviewed Gregory Benford, Robert J. Sawyer, Kim Stanley Robinson and Naren Shankar, showrunner for The Expanse—and, to date, three astronauts. He’s currently developing the science fiction serial Zone Boy and the Worm of Incidence, which has led to teaching himself electronic music. He’s performed his weird tunes around Toronto at Exit Points, Frequency Freaks and TEMOM (Toronto Electronic Music Open Mic). And then there’s the novel. Always the novel.

Paths of Pollen website: http://pathsofpollen.stephenhumphrey.ca/
Zone Boy stories:https://zoneboyworm.stephenhumphrey.ca/
Zone Boy One Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/user-479298104

Our Valentine’s Day Special, pt. 2, continues to look at love in the Stephen King Universe. Our guests from part 1 return, the same guests that joined us for our Halloween Special, the two who run SK Tours (Stephen King Tours), Jamie Tinker and Jennifer Millar.

This is a 2-part episode.

PT1 was be broadcast on Saturday, Feb 10, 2024.
PT2 will be broadcast on Saturday, Mar 09, 2024.

In between, on Feb 24, was our Black Superheroes episode with special guest Wayne Brown.

As mentioned in pt. 1, when it comes to love in the Stephen King Universe, there are all kinds of love.

First loves.
The love of family.
Unrequited love.
Adolescent love.
Love in the apocalypse.
The love of a parent for their child.
The love of a fan for her favorite writer.

Troy and David and Jennifer and Jamie go through the books, look at the different kinds of love that exist.

Jamie Tinker and Jennifer Millar own and operate SK Tours of Maine out of Bangor. The three hour long tours are an authoritative celebration of Stephen King in general, as well as his fictional town of Derry.

Black Superheroes have been around for a very long time. Troy and David welcome Wayne Brown, and they discuss some of the great and not-so-great black superheroes.

This is Wayne’s first appearance on the show, and as with all new guests, Troy and David ask Wayne about his first experiences in the speculative genre, and what was his first genre love.

Wayne is also asked about his all-time faves, which includes his favourite novel, shorter work, author, and also his favourite movie, TV series, and TV episode.

Some of the Black Superheroes mentioned in this episode include
(please click on the Wikipedia links, for more info):

Black Lightning, 1997 -, DC Comics.
Superman’s Girlfriend Lois Lane, Issue #106 (Nov 1970)
= Lois becomes black for a day!

Blade (comics) Name = Eric Cross Brooks.
Blade (New Line franchise character) Name = Eric Brooks.
Blade (Marvel Cinematic Universe)
John Shaft (from the 1971 film, Shaft)
= you don’t have to have super powers to be a superhero)
Luke Cage (character)
Luke Cage (TV Series)

Valerie the Librarian…
Link to an article about “Valerie the Librarian” by Nicholas Hunter, from Screen Rant, Jan 29, 2022:
“Marvel’s Forgotten Original Spider-Woman Was A Black Librarian“

All Negro Comics. Published in 1947.
Lothar, Mandrake the Magician‘s best friend and crime fighting companion. Lothar is often referred to as the strongest man in the world. He was Prince of the Seven Nations, a federation of Tribes.
Black Panther, film starring Chadwick Boseman.
Falcon (comics). First appeared in comics in 1969.
John Stewart as Green Lantern (1971) he was the first African-American superhero to appear in DC Comics.
Green Lantern: Mosaic (1992-1993) was published by DC Comics.
Hardware (Curtis “Curt” Metcalf) began in 1993, DC Comics.
Icon, 1993-1997, DC Comics
Blood Syndicate, 1993 – 1997, DC Comics.
Milestone Media (creator of Milestone Comics, published and distributed by DC Comics)
Martian Manhunter (voiced by Carl Lumbly) and other versions.
M.A.N.T.I.S. (first black superhero on TV)
Static Shock, 2000 – 2004 – “It was the first time that an African-American superhero was the titular character of their own broadcast animation series.” – from Wikipedia.
Tom Swift, 2022, a new series, where Tom Swift is black.
Catwoman.
Hancock, 2008 film starring Will Smith.
Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson, not David Hasselhoff)
Amanda Waller (in Peacemaker, and Suicide Squad)

Wayne Brown is a twin, but he’s not the evil one.

He started reading SF books when he was gifted a copy of Danny Dunn and the Homework Machine and Danny Dunn and the Anti-Gravity Paint.

He started reading comics early on.  There was a newsstand down the street from his Grandmother’s apartment. He thinks it must have been somewhere around 1968.

In 1979 he went to his first convention.  It was the Chicago Comicon.  He had just gotten his driver’s license and decided after work that he would drive from Rochester to Chicago. He was young. A 12-hour drive was nothing.  He got hooked from then on. He got back and started the Rochester Fantasy Fans.

That’s been his life since then.

Wayne Brown is the chair of the NASFIC convention in Buffalo, New York, in 2024. He has run the Astronomicon SF/F/H convention in Rochester, New York, for many years.
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Our Valentine’s Day Special looks at love in the Stephen King Universe. We have our guests from our Halloween Special, the two who run SK Tours (Stephen King Tours), Jamie Tinker and Jennifer Millar.

This is a 2-part episode.

PT1 will be broadcast on Saturday, Feb 10, 2024.
PT2 will be broadcast on Saturday, Mar 09, 2024.

In between, on Feb 24, will be our Black Superheroes episode with special guest Wayne Brown.

When it comes to love in the Stephen King Universe, there are all kinds of love.

First loves.
The love of family.
Unrequited love.
Adolescent love.
Love in the apocalypse.
The love of a parent for their child.
The love of a fan for her favorite writer.

Troy and David and Jennifer and Jamie go through the books, look at the different kinds of love that exist.

We ask Jennifer and Jamie to talk about their first speculative genre memory, the first genre thing they fell in love with, and their all time faves.

We ask them what their first experience of love in the King universe.

Who would have made the best prom king and queen in the novels of Stephen King? Who were your favorite couples?

Jamie Tinker and Jennifer Millar own and operate SK Tours of Maine out of Bangor. The three hour long tours are an authoritative celebration of Stephen King in general, as well as his fictional town of Derry.

This is TOF’s second Live Show. The first one was a celebration of their 50th episode, and had the theme of Time Travel. This live show is all robots. Each season TOF will host a live show.

This show was recorded on Tuesday, December 19th, from 8 pm – 9:30 pm, Eastern Time. 13 or 14 or so attended the event, including five previous guests: Sandra Kasturi; Ira Nayman; Robert J. Sawyer; Jerome Stueart; and, Maaja Wentz.

Dan Miwa attended, and will be a guest for our forthcoming Spaceballs episode, that will be released on May 4th, 2024. He talks a bit about the film during this episode.

Stephen Humphrey attended, and is a forthcoming guest, and we will be looking at Neuromancer, likely in March of 2024.

David and Troy reveal their top ten robots.

Some discussion of what a robot and an android are. What counts as a robot and what does not.

Some of the robots mentioned in this episode include:

Robots from Six Million Dollar Man and Bionic Woman.
GORT from The Day the Earth Stood Still.
Huey, Dewey, and Louie from Silent Running.
Robocop – does not count – a cyborg.
The Cylons from Battlestar Galactica.
Robot from the Let’s Kill Hitler episode of Dr. Who.
Sandra recommends the flesh robots from
Weird #66: “In the Hills, The Cities” by Clive Barker (1984)
Marvin the paranoid android from The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy.
Nomad from Star Trek.
Twiki from Buck Rogers in the 25th Century.
Promo the Robot from Rocketship 7.
Wall-E.
Hymie the robot from Get Smart.
The robot from Metropolis.
Mechagodzilla and Mechani-Kong.
Dolores from Westworld.
The Terminator from The Terminator.
Robbie the Robot from Lost in Space.
K9 from Doctor Who.
Rover from The Prisoner.
No. 6 (played by Tricia Helfer) from BSG.
The Daggit from the original BSG
Ash, and other androids from the Alien movie franchise.
The Nazi scientist (Karl Ruprecht Kroenen) in Hellboy.
The Major from Ghost in the Shell.
The replicants from Blade Runner.
The Tin Man from The Wizard of Oz.
Proteus from Demon Seed.
Data from Star Trek: The Next Generation.
A.I.
The Iron Giant.
C3P0 and R2D2 from Star Wars.
Brainiac, Vision, and Red Tornado.
T1000.
Bender from Futurama
Dot Matrix from Space Balls.
Minsky from Fargo, season 3.
Martha Wells Murder Bot Diaries.

TOF tackles the subject of religion, how it relates to genre, mostly movies and TV, mostly a Christian perspective. Religion is such a large topic, that it is hard to do it justice in one episode. We only have time to cover a few things.

Jerome Stueart joins Troy and David for the episode. As a first time guest, we ask Jerome his first experiences with the speculative genre, and what he fell in love with. David also asks him what was the first genre thing he fell in love with. And Troy asks Jerome what his all-time faves are, in the 6 categories we ask now, which are: Favorite genre author, novel, shorter work, movie, TV show, TV episode.

Troy does a short introduction of religion.

Some of the things covered:

The Chronicles of Narnia
The Exorcist
Deep Space 9
Mazes and Monsters
Children of Men
5th Element
Dogma
Field of Dreams
The bible as fantasy novel
Contact
The Book of Job
God Game
The Matrix
Signs
Carl Jung’s Synchronicity
Battle Star Galactica (BSG)

This is our holiday episode, and part of what is also discussed, the idea of faith and religion as vehicles of hope, compassion. social justice, and caring for the poor. That loving each other is the message. And, how religion and fantasy work so well together. How faith may give you reasons to be compassionate. The question of what if, why is this happening, closure, grief, meaning, and purpose.

TOF will hopefully return to the topic of religion, do a deeper dive, and cover other creation myths, the darker side of religion (covered briefly in this episode), Disc World, A Canticle for Leibowitz, the Sparrow, The Handmaid’s Tale, and much more.

Jerome Stueart is a gay writer and artist whose writing has appeared in F&SF, Fantasy, Tor.com, Geist, Strange Horizons, On Spec, and several Tesseracts anthologies.

In 2020 he was a finalist for the World Fantasy Award in Short Fiction. His work is often found at the intersection of science fiction, fantasy, and faith.  As co-editor of the 2015 anthology Wrestling with Gods (Tesseracts 18), he asked others to explore that same intersection.

Stueart lived for nearly a decade in the Yukon, but now lives, writes, and paints in Dayton, Ohio, as well as working in a café bakery.

Dr. Strangelove is the granddaddy of all satirical movies. A great cast contributes to the story of a bomber crew being ordered to drop the bomb on the Russians. The order did not come from the President. It came from Jack D. Ripper, the commander of Burpelson Air Force Base, who exceeded his authority. He also seems to be overly concerned with bodily fluids, his essence, and fluoridation.

Peter Sellers leads a great cast. He plays three roles: Group Capt. Lionel Mandrake; President Merkin Muffley; and, Dr. Strangelove. He is wonderful in each role.

Troy Harkin and David Clink, the “Two Old Farts,” are joined by Ira Nayman, whom Troy and David refer to as The Third Fart.

Ira is the only guest who has appeared in all five season.

Ira is the second guest to have appeared in five episodes, joining Bev Vincent as part of “The Farty Five” or a proud member of “The Fart-Timer’s Club.”

When it comes to Dream Casting, and the Schrodinger’s Cast, Ira, Troy and David try to recast Peter Sellers, with the best possible alternative (Dream Cast) and an unusual, outside the box choice (Schrödinger’s Cast).

Ira Nayman writes humour under the name, Ira Nayman.

The Ugly Truth, his 8^th novel with Elsewhen Press, was published in June, 2022.

His two dozenth published short story, “Girls Rule the Steampunk World” appeared in Brave New Girls: Chronicles of Misses and Machines.

In September, 2022, Ira celebrated the 20^th anniversary of the weekly publication of Les Pages aux Folles, his web site of political and social satire.

Ira was our guest for four previous episodes:

The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy
The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai
Mystery Men
Twiddle Twaddle