Make Me A Nerd with Mandy Kaplan

TruStory FM
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!

  1. 1 dag geleden

    A Desire for More Cows: Arrival with Justin Jaeger

    The instant a movie is pitched to Mandy as "aliens come to Earth," she has already changed the channel, mentally relocated to a spa, and started a calmer life. So naturally, this week she sat down with Arrival, a film she spent years confusing with The Martian (fair), which she also assumed was basically the plot of Project Hail Mary (it is not), a book that gave her an actual, physiological anxiety response somewhere around page 100. This is a person who cannot watch a character face death without briefly leaving her own body. We handed her two hours of grief, linguistics, and the horror of knowing how things end. What could possibly go wrong.Her guide is Justin "JJ" Jaeger, a man who loves spoilers the way most people love their own children, and who will well up, gloriously and on cue, over a canary, a Sanskrit etymology lesson, or the mere existence of a birdcage. The result is a genuinely moving conversation about the people who run toward the questions and the people who sprint for the answers, a shared and slightly tearful devotion to American Sign Language, a working theory that the correct qualification for saving humanity might be spinach artichoke dip, Sheena Easton, and the phrase "the Giselled-up version of it," which you will simply have to hear in context. Whether Mandy comes out converted or remains the lone cheese standing alone is not ours to spoil. Press play.Guest SpotlightJustin "JJ" Jaeger is a recovering television news reporter who never quite got over the taste of a hot microphone. A member of both the International Cinematographers Guild and SAG-AFTRA, he lives in Portland, Oregon, and consumes arts and entertainment in all its forms, always angling to drag anyone within earshot into a deep conversation about music, books, or movies. He's a longtime contributing voice across the TruStory FM slate, popping up on The Film Board, Trailer Rewind, and the Marvel Movie Minute, and on his YouTube channel, Jayge's Pages, he's working through every book he's read since 2008 (chronologically, from his Goodreads archive), across every genre, with clips now on TikTok too. Catch him at any dive-y karaoke bar in town, thumbing through the songbook for the number that brings the house down.YouTube — Jayge's Pages: youtube.com/@jjaeger44TruStory FM host page: trustory.fm/host/justin-jaegerThe Film Board: trustory.fm/the-film-board Reference LinksThe Main EventArrival (2016) on Letterboxd — directed by Denis Villeneuve, starring Amy Adams as linguist Louise Banks, Jeremy Renner as Ian, and Forest Whitaker as Colonel WeberMark O'Brien — plays Captain Marks (the soldier on the phone), and yes, also the husband in Ready or NotThe Movies They Wandered IntoDisclosure Day (2026) — Steven Spielberg's alien return, the jumping-off point from The Film BoardClose Encounters of the Third Kind (1977) — the other Spielberg touchstone; Mandy's own MMAN episode on it was with Steve SarmentoThe Martian (2015) — the movie Mandy thought Arrival wasProject Hail Mary (2026) — the Andy Weir adaptation; she made it 100 pages of the novelSpaceman (2024) — Adam Sandler's trip to the therapist's office in spaceUncut Gems (2019) and Punch-Drunk Love (2002) — the Sandler-anxiety spectrumSpaceballs (1987) — not what Spaceman isEnchanted (2007) — Amy Adams as Giselle, the movie that changed Mandy foreverThe Sixth Sense (1999) — M. Night Shyamalan's twist, spoiled for JJ by a radio adErin Brockovich (2000) — Steven Soderbergh and Julia Roberts, and JJ's "trust yourself" tangentReady or Not (2019) — where you've seen that soldier beforeWilly Wonka & the Chocolate Factory (1971) — the "is he a stalker or a helper?" guySphere (1998) — the Michael Crichton adaptation Mandy's got queued up next (no relation to the glowing Vegas orb)Odds & Ends They Name-CheckedDoctor Who — origin of "timey-wimey," which JJ used without realizing itLinda Bove — the deaf actress whose Sesame Street work got Mandy hooked on ASL as a kidLouise Brooks — the silent-film actress Mandy briefly mixed up with the character Louise BanksSphere (Las Vegas venue) — the "Wizard of Oz" immersive experience Mandy wishes she could watch Arrival insideFact-Check CornerBig Little Lies (TV series) and Big Eyes (2014) — the two titles Mandy fused together and pinned on the wrong director (Villeneuve made neither)Prince actually wrote Sheena Ea...

    A Desire for More Cows: Arrival with Justin Jaeger

  2. 20 jul

    When the Music Is Happenating: The Grateful Dead with Jeffrey Nicholas Brown

    The Grateful Dead's own biographer opens their official four-hour documentary by admitting it's really hard to love this band if you're not already a fan — which is a bold marketing strategy, like a restaurant with a sign reading "you probably won't like the food." Naturally, Mandy took the dare. Her spirit guide through the patchouli: Jeffrey Nicholas Brown — actor, Blue Man, drummer in numerous Dead cover bands, and a man who followed this band across the country in a van that smelled exactly how you think it smelled.What follows is a genuine attempt to explain the unexplainable: why a drummer would claim he can't keep time, why a sober fellowship called the Wharf Rats holds meetings at set break, why the peace-and-love band was secretly a heavily armed pirate crew, and why one backup singer splits the fandom like a papal schism. Also, Jeffrey invents a word so good Mandy may never recover, and a roadie explains that a skull with a lightning bolt means "bang." Press play.Guest SpotlightJeffrey Nicholas Brown is an actor, drummer, and Blue Man Group performer you've seen as Jake Hart on Nickelodeon's Henry Danger, Corbett Stackhouse on True Blood, and heard as Bronty on Disney's Doc McStuffins. An Evanston, Illinois kid who came up through Steppenwolf, the Piven Theatre Workshop, and The Second City (where a teacher first put him on the bus), he saw the Grateful Dead 27 times with Jerry Garcia and still plays their music in multiple cover bands. Catch him next in the Green Day comedy Nimrods, in theaters August 14.WebsiteInstagramIMDbBlue Man GroupNimrods (in theaters August 14) Reference LinksWatchLong Strange Trip — the official Grateful Dead documentary, streaming on Amazon Prime VideoMiss AmericanaAbbott and Costello Meet FrankensteinFreaks and GeeksPlayboy After DarkGrahame Lesh points out Phil Lesh's Real Housewives cameo on Watch What Happens Live The Band and the SceneGrateful DeadJerry GarciaBob WeirDonna Jean GodchauxRon "Pigpen" McKernanRobert HunterDead & CompanyThe Wharf Rats — the sober Deadhead fellowshipThe Acid TestsWavy GravyCamp Winnarainbow ListenFriend of the DevilScarlet BegoniasFire on the MountainBird SongUncle John's BandTouch of GreyDark StarNew Speedway BoogieWharf RatTeach Your Children — CSNY, featuring Jerry GarciaWorkingman's Dead and American Beauty More Make Me A NerdFreaks and Geeks with Jeffrey Nicholas BrownThe Godfather with Seth VargasFollow Mandy on Instagram at @Mandy_Kaplan_Klavens and on TikTok at @MandyMiscast.Make Me A Nerd is a production of TruStory FM. Want your episodes ad-free and early? Join us at makemeanerd.com/join. --- Learn more about supporting this podcast by becoming a member. It's just $5/month or $55/year. Visit our website to learn more.

    When the Music Is Happenating: The Grateful Dead with Jeffrey Nicholas Brown

  3. 13 jul

    A Boy's Best Friend Is His Mother: Psycho, Deconstructed with Jesse Fister

    Mandy has never seen Psycho. She has, however, seen Hot in Cleveland, which — it turns out — quotes Psycho constantly, meaning Mandy has been unknowingly absorbing the cultural shrapnel of a movie she'd never actually watched. It's the kind of realization that says more about the half-life of a seventy-two-minute-in shower scene than anything else could. Enter Jesse Pfister: voice actor, day trader, and a man who showed up to this recording with a wig, a suspiciously well-lit prop murder weapon, and enough notes to make Mel Gibson's conspiracy board in Conspiracy Theory look understaffed.What follows is somehow both a tender character defense of Norman Bates and a forensic audit of Hitchcock's lighting choices, his taste for laxative-based practical jokes, and his opinion on a certain pop star's music-video security protocols. There's a real serial killer involved. There's a fruit cellar. There is a genuinely upsetting amount of chocolate syrup standing in for blood. Press play.Guest HighlightJesse Pfister, voice actor of nearly a decade, day trader, and regular host on the Trade the Pool YouTube channel, where he covers market analysis and trading strategy. Formerly co-hosted the Love of Life podcast (currently on hiatus). Trade the Pool: https://tradethepool.com/Instagram: @JesseFisterFilms & Shows Discussed Psycho (1960): https://letterboxd.com/film/psycho/Psycho (1998 remake, dir. Gus Van Sant): https://letterboxd.com/film/psycho-1998/The Godfather: https://letterboxd.com/film/the-godfather/Jaws: https://letterboxd.com/film/jaws/Hot in Cleveland: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hot_in_ClevelandRear Window: https://letterboxd.com/film/rear-window/Dial M for Murder: https://letterboxd.com/film/dial-m-for-murder/Rope (1948): https://letterboxd.com/film/rope/North by Northwest: https://letterboxd.com/film/north-by-northwest/Charade (1963, dir. Stanley Donen): https://letterboxd.com/film/charade/Hitchcock (2012, dir. Sacha Gervasi): https://letterboxd.com/film/hitchcock/The Babadook: https://letterboxd.com/film/the-babadook/Diabolique (1955): https://letterboxd.com/film/diabolique/National Lampoon's Vacation (1983): https://letterboxd.com/film/national-lampoons-vacation/The Maltese Falcon: https://letterboxd.com/film/the-maltese-falcon/Taxi Driver: https://letterboxd.com/film/taxi-driver/Raging Bull: https://letterboxd.com/film/raging-bull/People Mentioned Alfred Hitchcock: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alfred_HitchcockRobert Bloch (author of the novel Psycho): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_BlochJoseph Stefano (screenwriter): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joseph_StefanoAnthony Perkins: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anthony_PerkinsJanet Leigh: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Janet_LeighVera Miles: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vera_MilesMartin Balsam (played Detective Arbogast): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Martin_BalsamBernard Herrmann (composer): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bernard_HerrmannEd Gein: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ed_GeinGrace Kelly: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grace_KellyCary Grant: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cary_GrantEva Marie Saint: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eva_Marie_SaintIngrid Bergman: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ingrid_BergmanAnthony Hopkins: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anthony_HopkinsVince Vaughn: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vince_VaughnStanley Donen (director): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stanley_DonenPatricia Hitchcock (played Caroline): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Patricia_HitchcockTaylor Swift: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taylor_SwiftMusic Taylor Swift, "The Fate of Ophelia": https://music.youtube.com/search?q=The+Fate+of+Ophelia+Taylor+SwiftOther Podcasts You Must Remember ThisMake Me a Nerd — The Godfather episode with Seth VargasSitting in the Dark --- Learn more about supporting this podcast by becoming a member. It's just $5/month or $55/year. Visit our website to learn more.

    A Boy's Best Friend Is His Mother: Psycho, Deconstructed with Jesse Fister

  4. 6 jul

    My So Called Life with Sloan Just

    There exists a specific cohort of women who, if you say the words "do you remember My So-Called Life," will respond — instantly, involuntarily, with the faraway look of someone recalling a first love — "Jordan Catalano." They cannot help it. This is a documented phenomenon. And so Mandy, a mainstream mom who spent the 90s sensibly watching shows that got renewed, sits down to discover what exactly happened to these people, only to run face-first into the deeply inconvenient realization that a one-season teen drama from 1994 (cancelled, unceremoniously, opposite Friends, by a network that did not know what it had) may have understood the experience of being alive more precisely than anything she's watched since. There is a boy who leans. There is a yearbook monologue that turns out to be about social media thirty years early. There is the creeping suspicion that the rage Angela feels toward her mother and the rage you feel during menopause are, biochemically speaking, the same rage.Her guide is performer Sloan Just, who knew Jordan Catalano long before she knew the man playing him — a distinction that becomes its own quietly devastating conversation — and who refuses to let any of this stay safely in 1994. They get into the art versus the artist. They get into who you were "supposed" to end up with. And then, because this is that kind of friendship, they get into Sloan's burlesque alter ego, a flame-pastied creation by the name of Dasha Paprika, and honestly you'll just have to hear how they got there. Some of what you learn in this episode you will not be able to un-know. Press play.Guest SpotlightSloan Just is a performer, professional dancer, and choreographer with a theater background — and a returning Make Me a Nerd guest, last seen walking Mandy through Veronica Mars. These days she's channeling a years-long midlife crisis into the most productive possible outlet: Dasha Paprika, her burlesque alter ego ("the spiciest rack in town"), performing live around Manhattan and Brooklyn. Comedy-forward, theater-degree-justifying, occasionally on fire (literally — ask about the Crucible number).Dasha Paprika on Instagram: @dasha_paprikaSloan's previous MMAN episode: Veronica Mars with Sloan Just Reference Links The Show & Its MakersMy So-Called LifeWinnie Holzman (creator)Marshall Herskovitz and Edward Zwick (executive producers)thirtysomethingSteppenwolf Theatre Company — founded by Gary Sinise, Terry Kinney, and Jeff Perry CastClaire Danes (Angela Chase)Jared Leto (Jordan Catalano)Wilson Cruz (Rickie Vasquez)Devon Gummersall (Brian Krakow)A. J. Langer (Rayanne Graff)Tom Irwin (Graham Chase)Jeff Perry (Mr. Katimski)Senta Moses (Delia Fisher)Patti D'Arbanville (Amber, Rayanne's mother) Films MentionedThe Godfather, The Godfather Part II, and The Godfather Part IIIPretty in Pink (the Ducky vs. Blaine of it all)Sixteen Candles (Jake Ryan)You've Got MailHeathersZootopiaBaby Boom30 Nights of Sex to Save Your Marriage — Mandy's film, on Tubi Other Shows & StageBeverly Hills, 90210This Is Us (Dan Fogelman)Family TiesFrasier (Maris) and Cheers (Vera)Hot in ClevelandGrowing PainsThree's Company (Chrissy and Cindy Snow)Doogie Howser, M.D.Wicked (musical) (Holzman's book)The Crucible wink.  People MentionedBetty WhiteAlicia Silverstone (almost cast as Angela)Judith LightNora EphronAlan Cumming Moments to WatchJordan Catalano leaningRickie's dance from "Life of Brian"The Sonnet 130 classroo...

    My So Called Life with Sloan Just

  5. 29 jun

    Dr. Horrible’s Sing a Long Blog with Krissy Lenz & Kyle Olson

    This week we have a three-act superhero musical, shot on a borrowed studio lot during a labor strike, financed by one guy's personal credit card, in which approximately none of the songs are allowed to finish. Weird as it may be, it all clicks into place, and you understand why a generation of nerds has had this thing memorized for going on two decades.This week, returning guides Kyle Olson and Krissy Lenz walk our favorite mainstream mom through Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog. We’ve got all the hits: Neil Patrick Harris fan mail that borders on a restraining order, the deeply important economics of the Henchmen's Guild, why Felicia Day was building the internet before the internet knew it needed building, and a shiny new Australia offered up purely for the sake of a rhyme. There's a horse who is also a chairman. There's a tragedy you will not see coming. There's a meaningful high note. Press play.GUEST SPOTLIGHTKyle Olson is an award-winning writer, producer, and podcast host, and a recurring nerd-whisperer here on Make Me a Nerd. He's the co-host of Craft and Chaos on TruStory FM, creator of the steampunk queer radio drama The Swashbuckling Ladies Debate Society, host of The Story Well, and logged 300-plus episodes of The Marvel Movie Minute.Craft and Chaos: trustory.fm/craft-and-chaosKyle's host page on TruStory FM: trustory.fm/host/kyle-olsonKrissy Lenz is Mandy's most frequent guest and partner in nerd crime. She co-hosts The Most Excellent 80s Movies Podcast and Gank That Drank on TruStory FM. Her Most Excellent episode on When Harry Met Sally — featuring a certain mainstream mom — is on the way.Krissy’s host page on TruStory FM: https://trustory.fm/host/krissy-lenz/REFERENCE LINKSThe Main EventDr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog (2008 miniseries) — Wikipedia PeopleNeil Patrick Harris — WikipediaNathan Fillion — WikipediaFelicia Day — WikipediaSimon Helberg — WikipediaJoss Whedon — WikipediaJed Whedon — WikipediaZack Whedon — WikipediaMaurissa Tancharoen (co-writer; one of the three superfans) — WikipediaBen Edlund (Bad Horse champion; creator of The Tick) — WikipediaDavid Fury (newscaster cameo) — WikipediaMarti Noxon (newscaster cameo) — WikipediaLin-Manuel Miranda — WikipediaBo Burnham — WikipediaSarah Michelle Gellar — Wikipedia Shows & SeriesFirefly — WikipediaBuffy the Vampire Slayer — Wikipedia"Once More, with Feeling" (Buffy musical episode) — WikipediaHow I Met Your Mother — WikipediaThe Big Bang Theory — WikipediaThe Guild (Felicia Day's web series) — WikipediaCritical Role — WikipediaGame Changer (Dropout) — WikipediaPhineas and Ferb (home of Dr. Doofenshmirtz) — WikipediaScrubs — WikipediaSupernatural — Wikipedia FilmsSerenity (2005) — Letterboxd Stage & AdaptationsHamilton — WikipediaHadestown — WikipediaSix — Wikipedia Things & CuriositiesBox ONE (Neil Patrick Harris's solo escape-room game) — theory11The Magic Misfits (NPH's children's book series) — AmazonGeek & Sundry — Wikipedia"Brand New Day" / "A Man's Gotta Do" / "Everyone's a Hero" — YouTube Music searchThe 2013 Tony Awards opening (NPH's "Bigger!" number, with the closing recap rap) — YouTube search From the TruStory FM VaultGame Changer with Kyle Olson (Make Me a Nerd) — trustory.fmMake Me a Nerd show archive — trustory.fm/make-me-a-nerd --- Learn more about supporting this podcast by becoming a member. It's just $5/month or $55/year. Visit

    Dr. Horrible’s Sing a Long Blog with Krissy Lenz & Kyle Olson

  6. 22 jun

    Batman Pulled a Gun: Batman Beyond with Jason Yeung

    Batman: he does not use guns. This is practically the whole point of him — a man so committed to a single rule that he built an entire personality, a cave, and a frankly concerning number of themed vehicles around it. So when Batman Beyond opens its very first episode with an aging Bruce Wayne pulling a gun, under a content warning slapped over the face of Bugs Bunny, you understand exactly why mainstream mom Mandy Kaplan pressed play and immediately thought: what, precisely, am I getting into?What she got into — with the help of voiceover actor and lifelong nerd Jason Yeung — is the 1999 series that aged Bruce Wayne out of the cowl and handed it to a teenager named Terry McGinnis, set in a grimy neon 2039, scored like a Nine Inch Nails B-side, and casually staffed with George Takei and Stockard Channing. It's darker than the Adam West you remember (Mandy has some feelings about a young Burt Ward that we will not be getting into here), weirder than you'd expect (one villain is essentially sentient ink; another is a sword-wielding assassin who never says a single word), and built on an idea that is genuinely, ambush-you-on-a-Saturday-morning moving: you can't do the thing you love forever, and one day you have to hand it to someone else.It snuck real grief, real ethics, and real "wait, why IS he a bat?" questions into a kids' time slot, and then got canceled before most of the world noticed. Mandy noticed. Press play. Guest SpotlightJason Yeung is a voiceover actor who met Mandy in the voiceover world, where the two have had the pleasure of working together. A self-described huge nerd who "grew up in the space" — and who got his start working the counter at Hollywood Video and Blockbuster, hand-selling underrated gems to anyone who'd listen — Jason can, by his own admission, talk nerd stuff for forever. On this episode he makes the passionate, deeply-felt case for Batman Beyond as one of the most criminally underrated entries in the entire Batman canon. Links & NotesBatman Beyond (TV series)Terry McGinnis / BatmanBatman Beyond: Return of the Joker — the follow-up film referencedBatman: The Animated Series Cast & CrewWill Friedle — voice of Terry McGinnisKevin Conroy — voice of Bruce WayneGeorge Takei — voice of Mr. FixxStockard Channing — voice of Commissioner Barbara GordonLauren Tom — voice of Dana TanMelissa Disney — voice of Curaré (Mandy's friend)Kristopher Carter — Emmy-winning composer of the main theme Batman on Screen (other adaptations referenced)Batman (1966 TV series) — the Adam West versionAdam WestBurt Ward — the original RobinChris O'Donnell — the other RobinJoel SchumacherTim BurtonBatman & Robin (1997) — the "bat nipples" apology movieBatman Begins (2005)Christopher NolanChristian BaleThe Lego Batman Movie (2017) — Will Arnett's BatmanWill ArnettArnold Schwarzenegger — the live-action Mr. Freeze Also MentionedFireflyBig Hero 6 (2014)Boy Meets WorldAnimaniacsPower RangersBeverly Hills, 90210Nine Inch Nails / Trent Reznor — the theme's sonic cousin MusicTheme: "Wonderstruck" by Jane and the BoyBatman Beyond Main Theme — Kristopher Carter Watch/Hear the MomentJoel Schumacher's Batman & Robin apology In the TruStory FM UniverseWatch Me Fly… Serenity with Krissy Lenz — the episode that recruited Mandy as a BrowncoatSensual Creatures: Vampires, Frilly Shirts, and Interview with a Vampire with Jonny Lee Jr. — Mandy's recent vampire deep-dive (the 1994 film + the AMC series)Superhero Ethics with Matthew Fox — the deeper-ethics show Mandy recommends (they covered Batman Beyond) --- Learn more about supporting this podcast by becoming a member. It's just $5/month or $55/year. Visit our website to learn more.

    Batman Pulled a Gun: Batman Beyond with Jason Yeung

  7. 15 jun

    Leave the Gun, Take the Nerd: The Godfather with Seth Vargas

    There are two kinds of people in this world: those who have seen The Godfather, and those who have built an entire personality around not having seen it (a group that, until this week, proudly included our own Mandy Kaplan — a grown woman fully comfortable assigning Rotten Tomatoes scores to a film she had never once watched). Enter Seth Vargas of the Movie Friends podcast, back in the nerd chair to commit the bold act of sitting a self-described mainstream mom down in front of the most quoted movie in American history and asking her to actually have feelings about it.She does. Boy, she does. What comes out of it is a conversation about violence and family and loneliness and whether the most beloved father figure in all of cinema is secretly the devil — the kind of talk that sneaks up and turns profound while you’re still laughing at the pasta jokes. If you’ve been quietly running your own decades-long Godfather standoff, consider this your way out. Press play.GUEST SPOTLIGHTSeth Vargas is one half of Movie Friends, the weekly film podcast he co-hosts with Michelle Rubinstein on a beautifully simple premise: Seth has seen it, Michelle hasn’t, and together they take a curious, friends-first tour through movie history one title at a time. This is Seth’s second visit to Make Me a Nerd — he and Michelle previously walked Mandy through the strange legacy of Ed Wood. Find Movie Friends on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and on Instagram at @moviefriendspodcast.LINKS & REFERENCESThe FilmsThe GodfatherThe Godfather Part IIZootopiaThe ExorcistRosemary’s BabyThe OutsidersPeggy Sue Got MarriedMegalopolisTHX 1138Star WarsJawsSingin’ in the RainHello, Dolly!Miss CongenialityAnalyze ThisMickey Blue EyesAll That JazzThe Many Saints of NewarkPlan 9 from Outer SpaceEd WoodThe Filmmakers & CastFrancis Ford CoppolaMario PuzoMarlon BrandoAl PacinoDiane KeatonRobert DuvallJames CaanRobert De NiroLee StrasbergGeorge LucasNicolas CageHugh GrantRoy ScheiderMatt DillonPeople & HistoryFrank Sinatra — the rumored real-life inspiration behind Johnny FontaneJoe Colombo — the mob boss behind the real protest campaign Seth describesItalian-American Civil Rights League — the organization that rallied against the film’s productionThe Hays Code (Motion Picture Production Code)Watch & ListenSeth’s homework: the Vito Corleone mustache-to-tree dissolveTheme song: “Wonder Struck” by Jane and the BoyPreviously on Make Me a NerdMovie Friends Michelle Rubinstein and Seth Vargas on the Strange Legacy of Ed WoodThe Exorcist with Lester Ryan Clark and Kynan DiasWhile you’re at it… Check out this great show!Sitting in the Dark — TruStory FM’s monthly horror deep-dive with Chelsea Stardust, Tommy Metz III, Pete Wright, and Kynan Dias --- Learn more about supporting this podcast by becoming a member. It's just $5/month or $55/year. Visit our website to learn more.

    Leave the Gun, Take the Nerd: The Godfather with Seth Vargas

  8. 8 jun

    Prince with Kyle Olson and Pete Wright

    Here’s a fun fact about Prince Rogers Nelson: that wasn’t a stage name. Prince was his actual, legal, on-the-birth-certificate first name. Once you accept that a man named Prince grew up to become the artist known as Prince, you’re already most of the way to accepting everything else. The 8,000 unreleased tracks in a literal underground vault. The candles balanced precariously on the mixing boards. The 2 a.m. phone calls to musicians who had to be at Paisley Park by sunrise because the basketball game just ended and inspiration had struck.Pete Wright and Kyle Olson have feelings about this man. Deep, well-organized, road-tripped-to-Minnesota-for-the-Purple-Rain-musical feelings. They’ve come to walk Mandy through the empire — the side projects, the symbol, the Warner Brothers war, the Rolling Stones opening slot that ended in chicken bones — and to make a case that the artist most people think they know is actually three or four artists they don’t. There are detours into Sinéad O’Connor, Joni Mitchell, Michael Jackson ping pong, and one of Mandy’s most committed pre-adolescent performance choices. Press play.Guest SpotlightPete Wright and Kyle Olson are TruStory FM family — Pete is the engineer and producer behind much of the network (and Make Me a Nerd itself), and Kyle is a writer, playwright, and his frequent co-conspirator. Together they host Craft and Chaos, a podcast about staying creative through difficult times, and The Marvel Movie Minute, where they break down Marvel films five minutes at a time. Kyle’s plays can be found at the New Play Exchange (when he remembers to put his name on them — long story, listen to Craft and Chaos). Pete just released his debut work of fiction, a novella called Lattice, available at itsmepete.com, Amazon, and Barnes & Noble.The PlaylistPete and Kyle’s Prince playlist on YouTube Music — the listening companion for this episode.Songs Mentioned“My Name Is Prince” — Prince & The New Power Generation“Darling Nikki” — Prince & The Revolution“When Doves Cry” — Prince & The Revolution“Let’s Go Crazy” — Prince & The Revolution“Little Red Corvette” — Prince“Raspberry Beret” — Prince & The Revolution“1999” — Prince“Delirious” — Prince“Head” — Prince“Sister” — Prince“When You Were Mine” — Prince“I Feel for You” — Chaka Khan (written by Prince)“A Case of You” — Prince (Joni Mitchell cover)“Nothing Compares 2 U” — Sinéad O’Connor (written by Prince)“Nothing Compares 2 U” — Prince (original)“Manic Monday” — The Bangles (written by Prince)“Sugar Walls” — Sheena Easton (written by Prince as Alexander Nevermind)“The Glamorous Life” — Sheila E. (written by Prince)“A Love Bizarre” — Sheila E. (with Prince)“Stand Back” — Stevie Nicks (co-written with Prince)“Kiss” — Art of Noise feat. Tom Jones (Prince cover)“Round and Round” — Tevin Campbell (from Graffiti Bridge)“How Come You Don’t Call Me” — Alicia Keys (Prince cover)“Thieves in the Temple” — Prince“New Power Generation” — Prince“Get Off” — Prince & The New Power Generation“Tick, Tick, Bang” — Prince“Tamborine” — Prince“Scandalous” — Prince“Venus de Milo” — Prince (Parade) Albums MentionedFor You (1978)Prince (1979)Dirty Mind (1980)Controversy (1981)1999 (1982)Purple Rain (1984)Parade (1986)Sign o’ the Times (1987)The Black Album (1987/1994)Batman (1989)Graffiti Bridge (1990)Love Symbol Album (1992)

    Prince with Kyle Olson and Pete Wright
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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!

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