Episode 0020: Silent Running (Can You Hear Me?)

Has it really been two decades since we started doing these shows? No. Not even close. We do release more than one episode a year, you know. Well, usually. Have we aged twenty years since we began doing these shows? Yes, we have, but that’s just due to an unfortunate incident with the Temporal Accelerator and we’re hoping to have that all straightened out before we start drawing Social Security or early next week, whichever comes first.

At any rate, here is Episode 20 of The Secret Lair. These are the show notes. Think of them as a handy companion to the audio experience; sort of a Director’s Cut or perhaps the liner notes of the show. Liner notes? Well, way back in the Dark Ages, when music was more than just a fancy collection of ones and zeroes…you know what? Forget it. Don’t they teach you kids anything in school these days?

Promo: Personal Effects: Dark Art by J.C. Hutchins. Yeah. That guy.

Review: Silent Running (1972). Yes, we’re talking about science-fiction films that are more than thirty-five years old. Why? Because nothing made since has been worth watching. Now get off our lawn and take your rock and roll music with you.

Here are a few things you may not have known about Silent Running. We knew, of course. We’re in the business of knowing such things.

• Joseph Campanella portrays Captain Neal. He is never seen on-screen. Who’s Joseph Campanella? Hey, I’m not going to do all the work for you here; how about you go out and get some damn culture?
• Peter Shickele (AKA PDQ Bach) conducted the music. The Blue Man Group is a bunch of makeup-wearing punks next to this guy.

Promo: The Zombie Chronicles by James Melzer, available at Podiobooks.com. Because Chris really wanted the word “schlong” to appear in this episode.

Discussion: Wherein we discuss every relevant aspect of digital distribution of media over the Internets. Yes, every single relevant aspect. After listening to this discussion, you will know everything you will ever need to know about distributing pretty pictures and sound over the Internet. As a bonus feature, we opine upon the past, present and future of digital distribution versus physical media. Want to know what you should think about all of this? Fear not: we will tell you what to think.

Lairkeeping

• Our theme music is still “Skullcrusher Mountain” by Jonathan Coulton; at least until he returns from the Triassic Era to stop us from using it.
• Feel free to leave feedback in the comments section of this blog post or via our handy contact form. Will we warp and twist your words to our own ends? Almost certainly.

Wallpaper!

Enjoy these desktop wallpaper images, courtesy of our Secretary of Artistic Propaganda, Natalie Metzger.

Flesh Eating Mutant Hamster (Full Screen)

Flesh Eating Mutant Hamster (Wide Screen)

The Secret Lair - Overlords (Full Screen)

The Secret Lair - Overlords (Wide Screen)

The Secret Lair - Banner (Full Screen)

The Secret Lair - Banner (Wide Screen)

The Secret Lair (Full Screen)

The Secret Lair (Wide Screen)

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (24.0MB)

Related posts:

1. Episode 0021: Watch This!
2. Episode 0036: The Robert Downey, Jr. Show
3. Episode 0037: Monster Week 2010
4. Episode 0033: The One Without a Title

1. 

   The Secretary of Artistic Propaganda says:

   March 9, 2009 at 2:05 pm

   Wait, wasn’t your Linux distro called “Cantankerous Chinchilla”, or am I thinking of something else?
2. 

   Troy says:

   March 10, 2009 at 5:33 pm

   I’ve had Silent Running on my Netflix instant queue for a while… I’ll remove it now.

   BTW, I think Chris is selling the Netflix streaming quality a little short by saying its good enough for watching on a laptop. It’s better than that. I stream Netflix using my TIVO to my 42″ HDTV and I’d put the quality at a little less than DVD but better than standard definition TV.
3. 

   Kris says:

   March 11, 2009 at 10:10 am

   @Troy — I routinely watch Netflix streaming on my standard definition television and I’ve never had an issue with quality. My Internet connection occasionally gives me problems (such as last night, while trying to watch the last 20 minutes of Airport), but the image has always been fine by my standards.

   As for removing Silent Running from your queue, a lesser man might suggest that you ought not let our opinions dictate your actions. I, on the other hand, can only applaud your…well, perhaps “decision” is a strong word, but it will do. If you imagine that I might be sitting back in my chair and chuckling a la Emperor Palpatine while I utter a soft “Excellent”, you’re right.
4. 

   Kris says:

   March 11, 2009 at 10:11 am

   @SoAP — That sounds about right. “Ornery Orangutan” works, too.