Arts
Society & Culture
Josh Boerman, A.J. Ditty, and Brian Alford
The first and only podcast bringing you weekly case studies in the pop culture of a dying empire. Every Wednesday, co-hosts Josh, Brian, and A.J. dissect an artifact of popular culture, breaking down how its narrative choices reflect or subvert the reactionary political project. From video games to movies to theater to an apparently infinite supply of evangelical Christian radio drama, we expose the machinations of the worst of all possible worlds in order to figure out how to build a better one. Also, we have bits.
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07/02/2024

124 - Alan Wake II

THIS IS A PREVIEW. FOR THE FULL EPISODE, GO TO Patreon.com/worstofall My name is Alan Wake. I’m a writer. Two years ago, three “critics” from The Worst of All Possible Worlds podcast decided to slander my good name and drag my first game through the mud. Now, they’ve Returned from their previous Departure and have fully Initiated themselves into my torment anew. Will they dub me the Champion of Light? Or cast me off as the Herald of Darkness? Only one thing’s for sure: Stephen King once wrote “Nobody better lay a finger on my Butterfinger.” He said this before snorting three lines of cocaine and trying to fight a bus. He would later go on to marry that bus in a private ceremony in Maine. This marriage was quickly annulled when everyone involved realized you cannot marry a bus. I married Alice, a human woman. I know this because I know the difference between a woman and a bus. That’s why I famously wrote the line: “It’s not a woman, it’s a bus.” Want more TWOAPW? Get access to the rest of this episode, our full back catalogue of premium and bonus episodes, and add your name to the masthead of our website by subscribing for $5/month at Patreon.com/worstofall! Media Referenced in this Episode: Alan Wake II. Remedy Entertainment. 2023. 13 Minutes of Alan Wake 2 GAMEPLAY (Unreleased). Polygon. 2016. Alan Wake 2 Announcement: World Premiere Trailer and Interview. The Game Awards, 2021. “Sam Lake and the Remedy Team shine a light on what it takes to make games like Alan Wake 2”. BAFTA, 2024. “Sisu: A Word that Explains Finland” by Hudson Strode Professor of English, University of Alabamapenguin (sic), Bonney-Elisofon, Solbelman and Black Star. NYTimes. Jan. 14th, 1940. TWOAPW theme by Brendan Dalton: Patreon // brendan-dalton.com // brendandalton.bandcamp.com Commercial: “The Hydraulic Press Channel”
25m
24/01/2024

123 - Sleep No More (feat. Dara Swisher)

THIS IS A PREVIEW. FOR THE FULL EPISODE, GO TO Patreon.com/worstofall Dara Swisher (Here I Am) and the lads grab their masks and book a stay at the McKittrick Hotel as they dive into the deep secrets and complicated legacy of the industry-defining immersive theater piece: Punchdrunk’s Sleep No More. Topics include the history of immersive theater, the seductive appeal of tracksuits, and the eternal battle between the production of theater and the monolith of real estate. Want more TWOAPW? Get access to the rest of this episode, our full back catalogue of premium and bonus episodes, and add your name to the masthead of our website by subscribing for $5/month at Patreon.com/worstofall! Dara Swisher: Twitter // Instagram HERE I AM: Website // Tickets // Instagram Media Referenced in this Episode: Sleep No More. Punchdrunk. Dir. Felix Barrett and Maxine Doyle. 2011. The Tragedie of Macbeth by William Shakespeare Rebecca. Dir. Alfred Hitchcock. United Artists, 1940. On the History of Immersive Theater: Dionysis in ‘69: Full Film by Brian de Palma. 1970. “Drag, Disco, and the Donkey” by James Montaño. Howlround Theatre Commons. October 23rd, 2019. “El Teatro Campesino: Our History” Hell House. Dir. Alex Timbers. 2006. F I N D H I M “In 1901, you could pay 50 cents to ride an airship to the Moon” by Ron Miller. Gizmodo, May 31st, 2012. “So Long Ago, I Can’t Remember” Review by Neil Genzlinger. NYTimes, April 20th, 2001. Sleep No More Resources/Articles: Sleep No More Synopsis Sleep No More Story Chart Felix Barrett on Sleep No More by BUILD Series. “Meet Emursive, The Company Behind 'Sleep No More,' The Off-Broadway Production That's Been Sold Out For Three Years” by Hollie Slade. Forbes. March 19th, 2014. “Performers and Staffers at ‘Sleep No More’ Say Audience Members Have Sexually Assaulted Them” by Amber Jamieson. Buzzfeed News. Feb 6th, 2018. “Sleep No More: From Avant Garde Theatre To Commercial Blockbuster” by Alexis Soloski. The Guardian. March 31st, 2015. “Sleep No More to Close in January” by Alexis Soloski. NYTimes. November 8th, 2023. “‘Sleep No More’ Venue Gets $27M Refi From Signature” by Matt Grossman. Commercial Observer. May 8th, 2018. TWOAPW theme by Brendan Dalton: Patreon // brendan-dalton.com // brendandalton.bandcamp.com Commercial: “An Evening at The McKittrick Hotel with Detective Rupert Cadell”
25m
17/01/2024

122 - Far Cry 5 (feat. Alice Caldwell-Kelly)

Alice Caldwell-Kelly (Trashfuture, Kill James Bond!, WTYP) books the lads a helicopter ride straight to the heart of Hope County as they bring about the Collapse of Ubisoft Montreal/Ubisoft Toronto’s Far Cry 5. Topics include the game’s divisive ending, the art of AAA game writing, and the rotten politics seeping out of one of the most morally compromised games ever made. Want more TWOAPW? Get access to our full back catalogue of premium/bonus episodes and add your name to the masthead of our website by subscribing for $5/month at Patreon.com/worstofall! Alice Caldwell-Kelly: Twitter / Instagram / Patreon Trashfuture is a podcast about business success and making yourself smarter with the continued psychic trauma of capitalism. Website / Twitter / Patreon Listen on Apple Podcasts / Spotify / Google Podcasts Kill James Bond! is a comedy film review/pop culture commentary podcast about the eponymous English spy, James Bond. Alice Caldwell-Kelly, Abigail Thorn, and Devon watch a different Bond movie every fortnight in an attempt to give 007 the socialist, feminist comeuppance he so richly deserves. Free episodes are released every fortnight on all major podcast platforms and bonus episodes are released for supporters on Patreon on the interstitial weeks. Website / Twitter / Patreon Listen on Apple Podcasts / Spotify / Google Podcasts Well There’s Your Problem: Apple Podcasts / Spotify / Youtube Media Referenced in this Episode: Far Cry 5 by Ubisoft Monstreal and Ubisoft Toronto “Far Cry 5 Is a Game About Resisting An American Militia, Will Be Out in February” by Stephen Totilo. Kotaku, May 26th 2017. “Far Cry 5 First Look: A Montana Uprising” by Ryan McCaffrey. IGN. May 16th, 2017. “Far Cry 5 Director on Social commentary, cults, and bull testicles” by Thomas McMullan. Alphr. March 19th, 2018. “Far Cry 5: The Kotaku Review” by Ethan Gach. Kotaku, March 26th, 2018. “Far Cry 5 review” by Ben Kuchera. Polygon. March 28th, 2018. TWOAPW theme by Brendan Dalton: Patreon // brendan-dalton.com // brendandalton.bandcamp.com Commercial: “The Project at Eden’s Gate feat. Melvin Abercrombie of the Hope County Abercrombies”
2h 19m
27/12/2023

119 - 2023: A Year in Review

THIS IS A PREVIEW. FOR THE FULL EPISODE, GO TO Patreon.com/worstofall In what has now become an annual tradition, we took a couple dozen calls from our Patreon subscribers, reheated some bits from the past year in the microwave, and stitched it all together for your enjoyment. Thanks for being part of our 2023. Want more TWOAPW? Get access to the rest of this episode, our full back catalogue of premium and bonus episodes, and add your name to the masthead of our website by subscribing for $5/month at Patreon.com/worstofall! This episode features clips from: 68 - Left Behind The Movie 2000 70 - Company feat. Patrick Flynn 72 - John Whittaker: Tomb Raider feat. Trevor Strunk 73 - Slings & Arrows Season 1 77 - Who’s Afraid of Mr. Beast? 79 - Sunday in the Park with George 81 - Ease On Down Gilead Lane 84 - Everything’s Coming Up Meltsner! feat. Josiah Sutton 85 - The Worst of All Possible Worlds Presents: Brian is Back! The 85th Episode Live Spectacular feat. Michael Kupperman 88 - Shark Tank 94 - God’s Not Dead feat. Greg Foster 97 - Whit Fucking Dies (For Real This Time) feat. The Socialist Shelf 99 - Sorry/Not Sorry: Apology Videos and the Toxic Gossip Train 100 - Deus Ex 102 - We Didn’t Start the Fireproof feat. Radio Free Tote Bag GRUBESCAST 105 - Assassins 108 - DC Talk’s Jesus Freak feat. Tarence Ray 111 - Marble Hornets feat. Anne Huston 113 - NEOM: The Line feat. Riley Quinn 114 - The Grapes of Rathbone feat. Max Graves 116 - Tora! Tora! Tora! 117 - A Christmas Story TWOAPW theme by Brendan Dalton: Patreon // brendan-dalton.com // brendandalton.bandcamp.com  
22m
15/11/2023

113 - NEOM: The Line (feat. Riley Quinn)

THIS IS A PREVIEW. FOR THE FULL EPISODE, GO TO  Patreon.com/worstofall Riley Quinn (Trashfuture) and the lads bear witness to the highs of TROJENA and the lows of OXAGON as they dive deep into the theoretical quackery and architectural absurdity that is the Saudi Arabian “city of the future” project known as NEOM. Topics include the inspirations for NEOM, the logistics of constructing Venice II, and the horrifying reality of building a toaster prison in the middle of the desert. Want more TWOAPW? Get access to the rest of this episode, our full back catalogue of premium and bonus episodes, and add your name to the masthead of our website by subscribing for $5/month at Patreon.com/worstofall! Riley Quinn - Twitter Trashfuture is a podcast about business success and making yourself smarter with the continued psychic trauma of capitalism. Website / Twitter / Patreon Listen on Apple Podcasts / Spotify / Google Podcasts TF episode about the Discovery UK NEOM documentary: We’re All Gonna Move To Bergh-Line feat. Hesse Media Referenced in this Episode: The Playlist: This is NEOM What is OXAGON #TROJENA, the first ski destination in the mountains of Saudi Arabia This is Sindalah - The Islands of NEOM What is THE LINE? THE LINE: Saudi Arabia’s City of the Future in NEOM. THE LINE | The City of the Future NEOM in progress - October 2023 NEOM Is a Parody of the Future This city concept breaks architecture (THE LINE) TWOAPW theme by Brendan Dalton: Patreon // brendan-dalton.com // brendandalton.bandcamp.com Commercial: HEPTAGON feat. Eleanor Philips as “The Voice of the Future”
21m
01/11/2023

111 - Slender Man and Marble Hornets (feat. Anne Huston)

THIS IS A PREVIEW. FOR THE FULL EPISODE, GO TO Patreon.com/worstofall Anne Huston (Caveat NYC) joins Brian and Josh to do battle with the Slender Man and other monsters from 2009’s viral YouTube horror series Marble Hornets. Their journey takes them from semi-incoherent college memories to the content cornucopia of the Something Awful Forums, Reddit, and early YouTube: reminders of an internet where people could create freely without extreme commercial pressure. They also talk a lot about something called Ong’s Hat. Hope you had a happy Halloween! Anne Huston is the General Manager at Caveat, a cabaret comedy theatre located on the Lower East Side of Manhattan. Want more TWOAPW? Get access to the rest of this episode, our full back catalogue of premium and bonus episodes, and add your name to the masthead of our website by subscribing for $5/month at Patreon.com/worstofall! Media Referenced in this Episode: Marble Hornets Season 1 dir. Troy Wagner and Joseph DeLage (independent, 2009). Full playlist on YouTube The Blair Witch Project dir. Daniel Myrick and Eduardo Sánchez (Artisan Entertainment, 1999). BoxOfficeMojo // Letterboxd // TMDB Ted’s Caving Page on angelfire.com “Ong’s Hat: The Early Internet Conspiracy Game That Got Too Real” by Jed Oelbaum. Gizmodo, February 21, 2019. The Wyoming Incident Original Upload on YouTube The "Wyoming Incident" discussion thread on the Something Awful Forums Max Headroom 1987 Broadcast Signal Intrusion Incident on YouTube Create Paranormal Images thread on the Something Awful Forums
29m
27/09/2023

106 - You Only Whit Twice (feat. Chas LiBretto) [Whit’s Endless Summer #28]

Playwright Chas LiBretto (Cyclops: A Rock Opera) joins the lads for some globe-trotting Odyssey adventures as Jason Whittaker and Jack Allen do battle with secret societies, synthetic viruses, and the return of the most evil child psychologist in all of radio drama: Dr. Regis Blackgaard. Topics include spy stories, adapting the Odyssey, and the limits of the imagination when seen through the evangelical lens. Want more TWOAPW? Get access to our full back catalogue of premium/bonus episodes and add your name to the masthead of our website by subscribing for $5/month at Patreon.com/worstofall! Chas LiBretto - Twitter // Instagram // Website Cyclops: A Rock Opera at The Tank, October 20th-November 3rd Media Referenced in this Episode: Adventures in Odyssey #42: The Last Great Adventure of the Summer #290: A Name, Not a Number, Part 1 #291: A Name, Not a Number, Part 2 #292: A Code of Honor Birds of a Feather - #1 by Jim Daly “Christian Broadcaster Will Focus on Families--in Russia: James Dobson will visit the Soviet Union in August and try to influence policy there with books and videos” by Mike Ward. LA Times, July 4th, 1991 “Embracing God's Truth in a Hostile Culture” by Jim Daly “The Wild East” by Seymour M. Hersh. The Atlantic, 1994. TWOAPW theme by Brendan Dalton: Patreon // brendan-dalton.com // brendandalton.bandcamp.com Commercial: “A Public Service Announcement from the ESA”
2h 3m
06/09/2023

103 - Gone Apes: An NFT Postmortem (feat. Nate Lamagna)

THIS IS A PREVIEW. FOR THE FULL EPISODE, GO TO Patreon.com/worstofall Nate Lamagna (@vrunt) helps the lads escape apes as they trudge through the mire of the varied and artistically bankrupt world of Non-Fungible Tokens. Topics include the history of cryptocurrency, the life-draining art style, and what to do in a world where, at last, all your apes are gone. Want more TWOAPW? Get access to the rest of this episode, our full back catalogue of premium and bonus episodes, and add your name to the masthead of our website by subscribing for $5/month at Patreon.com/worstofall! Nate Lamagna - Twitter // Venmo Media Referenced in this Episode: The Whole Dang Playlist We Met The Founder Of Ethereum, VICE on HBO, Season 6 (Bonus Scene) How To Play CryptoKitties The Red Ape Family | Episode 1 We’re All Gonna Make It Paris Hilton Surprises Tonight Show Audience Members by Giving Them Their Own NFTs The Trailer for Seth Green's NFT Show. I animated the audio of Dana Snyder reading the "slurp juice" tweet because Aqua Teen Hunger Force is my all-time favorite show. Day in the Life: Interviewing Bored Ape Customers at NFT NYC x Apefest 2022‼️ Confessions from the Hart - Official Trailer (2022) Eminem, Snoop Dogg - From The D 2 The LBC (VMAs) HV-MTL Forge Explainer Video Line Goes Up by Dan Olson Tildeverse Cryptokitties Postmortem TIME magazine cover story on Buterin: “The Man Behind Ethereum Is Worried About Crypto’s Future” by Andrew R. Chow. March 18th, 2022. Proof of Stake: The Making of Ethereum and the Philosophy of Blockchains by Vitalik Buterin TWOAPW theme by Brendan Dalton: Patreon // brendan-dalton.com // brendandalton.bandcamp.com 
27m
09/08/2023

99 - Sorry/Not Sorry: Apology Videos and the Toxic Gossip Train

THIS IS A PREVIEW. FOR THE FULL EPISODE, GO TO Patreon.com/worstofall hi. There have been a lot of allegations going around and the lads would like to take this opportunity to set the record straight: this is an episode about apology videos. I know you’ve heard the ugly accusations that, in this episode, they talk about the origins of the American apology video, Shane Dawson’s seeming addiction to making them, and the impossibility of true repentance when you’ve turned your life into a brand. Well, let me assure you, it’s all true. Suck it h8ers. Want more TWOAPW? Get access to the rest of this episode, our full back catalogue of premium and bonus episodes, and add your name to the masthead of our website by subscribing for $5/month at Patreon.com/worstofall! Media Referenced in this Episode: The Youtube Playlist of All Apology Videos Referenced Richard Nixon - "Checkers" Speech Jackie Gleason “You’re in the Picture” Apology Episode Part One Jackie Gleason “You’re in the Picture” Apology Episode Part Two Bill Clinton Admits to Having Inappropriate Relationship with Monica Lewinsky Shane Dawson: “My Apology (Blackface & Offensive Videos)” Logan Paul: “So Sorry.” Kevin Spacey: “Let Me Be Frank” Colleen Ballinger: “addressing everything” Jenna Marbles: “Jenna Marbles Apology” Shane Dawson: “Taking Accountability” Try Guys: “what happened.” Colleen Ballinger: “hi.” “Image repair discourse and crisis communication” by William L. Benoit “The Youtube Apology” by Gabriella Karlsson TWOAPW theme by Brendan Dalton: Patreon // brendan-dalton.com // brendandalton.bandcamp.com Commercial: “An Apology Song” by Richard Milhous Nixon
22m
07/06/2023

90 - Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II (feat. Alice Caldwell-Kelly)

Alice Caldwell-Kelly (Trashfuture/Kill James Bond!/Well There’s Your Problem) recruits the lads into the International Organization of Bros (IOB) as they take on Iran, Russia, and the Mexican Cartel in Infinity Ward’s 2022 sequel/remake/propaganda fever dream Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II. Topics include the infamous Al Qaeda district of Amsterdam, the internet’s obsession with Valeria, and the dangerous messages at the core of one of the best-selling games of 2022. Want more TWOAPW? Get access to our full back catalogue of premium/bonus episodes and add your name to the masthead of our website by subscribing for $5/month at Patreon.com/worstofall! Alice Caldwell-Kelly: Twitter / Instagram / Patreon Trashfuture is a podcast about business success and making yourself smarter with the continued psychic trauma of capitalism. Website / Twitter / Patreon Listen on Apple Podcasts / Spotify / Google Podcasts Kill James Bond! is a comedy film review/pop culture commentary podcast about the eponymous English spy, James Bond. Alice Caldwell-Kelly, Abigail Thorn, and Devon watch a different Bond movie every fortnight in an attempt to give 007 the socialist, feminist comeuppance he so richly deserves. Free episodes are released every fortnight on all major podcast platforms and bonus episodes are released for supporters on Patreon on the interstitial weeks. Website / Twitter / Patreon Listen on Apple Podcasts / Spotify / Google Podcasts Well There’s Your Problem is a podcast about engineering disasters and systemic failures, from a leftist perspective, with jokes. Youtube / Twitter / Instagram / Patreon Listen on Apple Podcasts / Spotify / Google Podcasts Media Referenced in this Episode: Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II (Infinity Ward/Activision, 2022) Call of Duty: Modern Warfare (Infinity Ward/Activision, 2019) Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 (Infinity Ward/Activision, 2009) Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare (Infinity Ward/Activision, 2007) TWOAPW theme by Brendan Dalton: Patreon // brendan-dalton.com // brendandalton.bandcamp.com Commercial: “Eagle McGee’s Male Murder Cream”
2h 28m
31/05/2023

89 - Beethoven’s Whith (feat. Hussein Kesvani) [Whit’s Endless Summer #24]

THIS IS A PREVIEW. FOR THE FULL EPISODE, GO TO Patreon.com/worstofall Hussein Kesvani (Trashfuture,Ten Thousand Posts) joins the lads in Odyssey for further adventures in pen pals, unemployment, and some good old fashioned lore spelunking. Topics include the allure of Lifetime movies, the death of Hal Smith, and the fascinating lore potential of a town with a weapons-grade nuclear device sitting in the back of an ice cream parlor. Want more TWOAPW? Get access to the rest of this episode, our full back catalogue of premium and bonus episodes, and add your name to the masthead of our website by subscribing for $5/month at Patreon.com/worstofall! Hussein Kesvani Website // Twitter Trashfuture: a podcast about business success and making yourself smarter with the continued psychic trauma of capitalism. Podcast // Website // Twitter // Patreon Ten Thousand Posts: A show about how everything is a form of posting, and how our lives are guided by the only dialectic that matters: good posts and bad posts. Podcast // Twitter // Patreon Media Referenced in this Episode: Adventures in Odyssey #206 Pen Pals #262 A Prayer for George Barclay #268 Pet Peeves #266 It Began With a Rabbit’s Foot #267 And Ended With a Handshake Something Awful’s Cyber Seduction Review by Andrew "Linguica" Stine TWOAPW theme by Brendan Dalton: Patreon // brendan-dalton.com // brendandalton.bandcamp.com
21m
10/05/2023

86 - Garth Marenghi’s Darkplace (feat. Milo Edwards)

~~PRESALE FOR TWOAPW T-SHIRTS AVAILABLE UNTIL MAY 22ND HERE~~ Milo Edwards (Trashfuture, Masters of Our Domain) and the lads take a deep dive into the creepy, crawly mind of the worst horror writer to never exist as they fight the evil one-eyed aliens and menacing Scotsmen of the hit cult comedy series Garth Marenghi’s Darkplace. Topics include the origins of the Garth Marenghi character, the significance of Scottish shortbread, and the delirious joys of watching Richard Ayoade shooting a shotgun at flying cutlery. Want more TWOAPW? Get access to our full back catalogue of premium/bonus episodes and add your name to the masthead of our website by subscribing for $5/month at Patreon.com/worstofall! Milo Edwards: Twitter // Website // Standup Special Trashfuture: a podcast about business success and making yourself smarter with the continued psychic trauma of capitalism. Podcast // Website // Twitter // Patreon Masters of Our Domain: A podcast about Seinfeld from Phoebe Roy (10k Posts), who has seen it, and Milo Edwards (Trashfuture, Тумач), who hasn’t. Podcast // Twitter // Patreon Media Referenced In this Episode: Garth Marenghi’s Darkplace Available to Stream On Peacock // Amazon // Youtube “Garth Marenghi: how the Edinburgh award winner found his Darkplace” by Rachael Healy. The Guardian, February 24th, 2021. TWOAPW theme by Brendan Dalton: Patreon // brendan-dalton.com // brendandalton.bandcamp.com
2h 4m
22/03/2023

79 - Sunday in the Park with George

THIS IS A PREVIEW. FOR THE FULL EPISODE, GO TO  Patreon.com/worstofall The lads finally finish the hat as they cover James Lapine and Stephen Sondheim’s beautiful, pointillist musical: Sunday in the Park With George. Topics include the complexity of the score, the controversial second act, and the challenge of bringing order to the whole through design, composition, balance, light, and harmony. Want more TWOAPW? Get access to the rest of this episode, our full back catalogue of premium and bonus episodes, and add your name to the masthead of our website by subscribing for $5/month at Patreon.com/worstofall! Media Referenced in this Episode: Sunday in the Park with George by James Lapine and Stephen Sondheim. “Eight Lines (Octet)” by Steve Reich. 1979. Look, I Made a Hat: Collected Lyrics (1981-2011) with Attendant Comments, Amplifications, Dogmas, Harangues, Digressions, Anecdotes and Miscellany by Stephen Sondheim. Penguin Random House. 2011. “Partitions” by Milton Babbitt, 1957. Putting it Together: How Stephen Sondheim and I Created "Sunday in the Park with George" by James Lapine. macmillan Publishing. 2021. Reich and Sondheim: In Conversation and Performance. Interview with Frank Rich. Lincoln Center, 2016. Sondheim on Music: Minor Details and Major Decisions by Mark Eden Horowitz. Scarecrow Press, 2010. Also available on Youtube. “UK Omnibus: Sunday in the Park with Stephen.” 1990. “Putting It Together” Variations Barbara Streisand’s Version The Academy Awards Version The Xerox Commercial Version The Ethan Allen Version TWOAPW theme by Brendan Dalton: Patreon // brendan-dalton.com // brendandalton.bandcamp.com
22m