Podcast
Skreeonk! A Godzilla Movie Marathon
Derek loves Godzilla movies. Doug hasn't seen most of them. Together, they're stomping through Godzilla's long history (not quite chronologically). New episodes on the 13th of every month!
Part of The Glitterjaw Queer Podcast Collective.
- Film History chart
- #182
- Episodes
- 57
- Releases
- Every two weeks
- Typical length
- 2 hr 6 min
- On air since
- 2023
- Latest episode
- 3 weeks ago
Episodes
57 episodes, newest first
-
2 hr 10 min
The Raymond Burr Duology
Show notes
Godzilla, King of the Monsters! (1956) / Godzilla 1985
We're talking about the two times America re-edited Godzilla films to include gay bear icon Raymond Burr as a journalist named... Steve Martin!
First, America is introduced to Godzilla in 1956's King of the Monsters, where clever editing and filming integrates Burr into the original 1954 film. Then, New World Pictures brings Burr back for their weirdly comedic, less successful Dr. Pepper-riddled take on The Return of Godzilla, renamed Godzilla 1985.
We talk about the history of this now archaic but endlessly interesting form of adaptation, the importance of film editors, and Burr's life as a gay man with deep respect for Godzilla.
Cover art by: William O. Tyler and Dave Davenport (Tannis Comix)
More from William: Bluesky | Instagram | Website
More from Dave (dogspunk): Bluesky | Instagram | Patreon
Check out Glitterjaw's new variety feed, Glitterjaw Presents!
Part of The Glitterjaw Queer Podcast Collective
Cover Art Gallery | Patreon | Discord
Email: skreeonkpodcast@gmail.com
Theme song: "BIO WARS - Synth Cover" by Kweer Kaiju
Sources include:
• Vantage Points interview with Lisa Tomei
• Vantage Points interview with Tony Randel• Godzilla: The First 70 Years by Steve Ryfle and Ed Godziszewski
• Ishirō Honda: A Life in Film, from Godzilla to Kurosawa by Steve Ryfle and Ed Godziszewski
• A Critical History and Filmography of Toho's Godzilla Series by David Kalat
• Godzilla FAQ: All That's Left to Know About the King of the Monsters by Brian Solomon
• Japan's Favorite Mon-Star : The Unauthorized Biography of "The Big G" by Steve Ryfle
• Wikizilla -
2 hr 44 min
Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire (2024) with Merrilee O'Neil
Show notes
Godzilla's pink and Kong has a power glove in the most recent Godzilla film! We're joined by Merrilee from Glitterjaw's Fear Coded for another tag team wrestling movie from the Monsterverse, this time centered on Kong's search for a family that leads to a tyrant from beneath the Earth, an old lady/dog/ice dinosaur, and a baby Kong with creepy, creepy eyes. We talk about the theme of home and the emotional human story at the core, how Mothra was almost a different monster entirely, the horrible offense of making us hate Brian Tyree Henry, the great strides this film made for ASL accessibility, and the tragic loss of Kaylee Hottle.
Listen to Fear Coded: A Queer Horror Podcast
More from Merrilee: Bluesky | Instagram
Cover art by: Hamish Steele
Check out Glitterjaw's new variety feed, Glitterjaw Presents!
Part of The Glitterjaw Queer Podcast Collective
Cover Art Gallery | Patreon | Discord
Email: skreeonkpodcast@gmail.com
Theme song: "BIO WARS - Synth Cover" by Kweer Kaiju
Sources include:
• Jared Krichevsky interview with Kaiju United
• Allan Henry interview with Kaiju United
• Weta FX interview with Befores and Afters
• Adam Wingard interview with Indiewire
• Adam Wingard quoted in The Wrap
• Wikizilla -
1 hr 31 min
Go-Man vs. the Star Dragon with Hamish Steele Bonus
Show notes
Bonus episode! We're sitting down with our friend and unofficial Skreeonk producer Hamish Steele, author of the new kaiju and tokusatsu-inspired book Go-Man vs. the Star Dragon! We talk about the Go-Man series, its themes of monsters as friends, Super Sentai and magical girls as influences, and of course, plenty of Godzilla thoughts.
Buy Go-Man vs. the Star Dragon
Check out Glitterjaw's Super Mario Moment!
Check out Glitterjaw's variety feed, Glitterjaw Presents!
Part of The Glitterjaw Queer Podcast Collective
Cover Art Gallery | Patreon | Discord
Email: skreeonkpodcast@gmail.com
Theme song: "BIO WARS - Synth Cover" by Kweer Kaiju
-
2 hr 10 min
Terror of Mechagodzilla (1975) with Henshin J
Show notes
It's the final Godzilla film in the Showa era, the first (and only!) Godzilla film written by a woman, the final film Ishirō Honda directed, and the last Godzilla movie Doug has never seen! Jazz aka Henshin J joins us for Godzilla's final battle against Mechagodzilla and a cyborg story that is also a deeply trans story. We talk about Katsura's queer but tragic journey (even though her dad is a cartoonish mad scientist dressed like Colonel Sanders), the floppy-headed Titanosaurus who did nothing wrong, the darker "back to basics" edict, how writer Yukiko Takayama was ahead of her time, and how this movie invented both the trans flag and Team Rocket.
Find more of Jazz's work as Henshin J.
Cover art by: Samantha Richardson
Check out Glitterjaw's new variety feed, Glitterjaw Presents!
Part of The Glitterjaw Queer Podcast Collective
Cover Art Gallery | Patreon | Discord
Email: skreeonkpodcast@gmail.com
Theme song: "BIO WARS - Synth Cover" by Kweer Kaiju
Sources include:
• Godzilla: The First 70 Years by Steve Ryfle and Ed Godziszewski
• Ishirō Honda: A Life in Film, from Godzilla to Kurosawa by Steve Ryfle and Ed Godziszewski
• Wikizilla -
2 hr
Godzilla: Final Wars (2004) with Lauren Goodnight
Show notes
It's the wildly divisive 50th anniversary movie and Millennium era finale no one expected! Lauren Goodnight returns for a postmodern monster mash and the baby of cult action horror director Ryuhei Kitamura, where a cavalcade of sleek Showa kaiju get taken out by MMA fighter Godzilla while superpowered mutants battle black leather duster-clad aliens in Matrix-inspired fights. Oh, and Don Frye has a sword and gets really sweaty, veteran Toho actors in their 70s are in gunfights, and a British prog rock keyboardist does the score. We talk about the return of the Xiliens, practicality in the suit design, quadrupedal Ghidorah, and how something so stupid can still be hella fun.
Find more from Lauren:
Twitch | Bluesky | Instagram
Cover art by: Brett Punk
The Zilla shirt we mention is by Eduardo Martinez @doomdino!
Check out Glitterjaw's new variety feed, Glitterjaw Presents!
Part of The Glitterjaw Queer Podcast Collective
Cover Art Gallery | Patreon | Discord
Email: skreeonkpodcast@gmail.com
Theme song: "BIO WARS - Synth Cover" by Kweer Kaiju
Sources include:
• Godzilla: The First 70 Years by Steve Ryfle and Ed Godziszewski
• Ryuhei Kitamura Interview with Madman.com
• Wikizilla -
2 hr 26 min
Godzilla vs. Destoroyah (1995) with Steve Mowry
Show notes
Tonight, Godzilla dies! Steve Mowry of Comic Book Bears and Bear Cave of Terror joins us for the grand finale of the Heisei continuity, where Burning Godzilla's nuclear heart disease threatens the planet as much as a devil crab born from the Oxygen Destroyer. We get into this film's big publicity stunt, its ties and callbacks to the original film, and an emotional farewell to the big G. Someone protect poor Godzilla Junior!
Find Steve: Bluesky | Instagram
Cover Art by: Tanner Wright (Bluesky | Instagram | InPrint)
Derek's piece on Latitude Zero as queer cinema on Kaiju United
Check out Glitterjaw's new variety feed, Glitterjaw Presents!
Part of The Glitterjaw Queer Podcast Collective
Cover Art Gallery | Patreon | Discord
Email: skreeonkpodcast@gmail.com
Theme song: "BIO WARS - Synth Cover" by Kweer Kaiju
Glitterjaw Presents trailer song: “Happiest Days” by Three Chain Links. Sourced from RoyaltyFreePlanet and used under CC BY 3.0 / Shortened from original
Sources include:
• Godzilla: The First 70 Years by Steve Ryfle and Ed Godziszewski
• A Critical History and Filmography of Toho's Godzilla Series by David Kalat
• Wikizilla -
1 hr 41 min
Gorath (1962)
Show notes
What would you do if a rogue star was about to collide with Earth? Oh, and also there's a giant walrus for some reason! We're tackling Ishirō Honda's lesser-seen high concept sci-fi film about the far future of 1980 and a kind world overcoming borders and politics to literally move the planet. But can a disaster movie work without any interpersonal or human conflict? We talk about the strange dullness of this film, random amnesia, Honda's commitment to authentic science, and of course the top-notch Tsubaraya effects.
Check out Glitterjaw's new variety feed, Glitterjaw Presents!
Part of The Glitterjaw Queer Podcast Collective
Cover Art Gallery | Patreon | Discord
Email: skreeonkpodcast@gmail.com
Theme song: "BIO WARS - Synth Cover" by Kweer Kaiju
Glitterjaw Presents trailer song: “Happiest Days” by Three Chain Links. Sourced from RoyaltyFreePlanet and used under CC BY 3.0 / Shortened from original
Sources include:
• Ishiro Honda: A Life in Film, from Godzilla to Kurosawa by Steve Ryfle and Ed Godziszewski
• Wikizilla
-
1 hr 40 min
Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla (1974) with Daniel Dockery
Show notes
The OG Robot Dinosaur makes its entrance! Author Daniel Dockery joins us for the first appearance of Mechagodzilla in an unexpected ode to Okinawa with ape aliens, a fake Godzilla, and two doggy best friends. We get into the political context around Okinawa Island that made its setting, culture, and legends so central to this film, why we love King Caesar despite him being ineffectual, and Anguirus GETTING HIS JAW VIOLENTLY RIPPED OPEN.
Daniel's books:
I Am the Night: The Ultimate Unauthorized History of Batman: The Animated Series
Monster Kids: How Pokemon Taught a Generation to Catch Them All
Cover Art by: Kaiju Kasey (Bluesky | Twitter | Instagram)
Special Appearance by: Russ (Kaiju ComicCast)
Take our Glitterjaw Listener Survey!
Part of The Glitterjaw Queer Podcast Collective
Cover Art Gallery | Patreon | Discord
Email: skreeonkpodcast@gmail.com
Theme song: "BIO WARS - Synth Cover" by Kweer Kaiju
Sources include:
• Godzilla: The First 70 Years by Steve Ryfle and Ed Godziszewski
• Wikizilla
-
1 hr 33 min
Dogora (1964)
Show notes
We're filling in the movie we missed with a diamond-stealing space jellyfish! We venture back to the 60s for one of Honda's sci-fi flicks, couched between better-remembered movies with Mothra and Ghidorah, and plagued with limitations on its otherwise inventive special effects. We talk about how this movie went from from global alien invasion epic to gangster/diamond heist romp, Robert Dunham as delightfully roguish super spy diamond insurance man Mark Jackson, and much more.
Take our Glitterjaw Listener Survey!
Cover Art by: Doug!
Part of The Glitterjaw Queer Podcast Collective
Cover Art Gallery | Patreon | Discord
Email: skreeonkpodcast@gmail.com
Theme song: "BIO WARS - Synth Cover" by Kweer Kaiju
Sources include:
• Ishiro Honda: A Life in Film, from Godzilla to Kurosawa by Steve Ryfle and Ed Godziszewski
• The Toho Studios Story: A History and Complete Filmography by Stuart Galbraith IV
• Wikizilla -
2 hr 7 min
Godzilla Minus One (2023) with Alonso Duralde and Dave White
Show notes
It's the groundbreaking Godzilla film that won the Oscar and made us all cry! We're joined by film critics Alonso Duralde and Dave White of Linoleum Knife for Takashi Yamazaki's dour but hopeful post-WWII period piece, which retells the original Godzilla story through the lens of PTSD, survival, found family, and community. From an all-star cast, to the cat-like Godzilla, to critics' views of when these movies are "legitimate" or not, we get into why this is the Godzilla film beloved even by people who don't like Godzilla!
Alonso's book: Hollywood Pride: A Celebration of LGBTQ+ Representation and Perseverance in Film
Dave's newsletter: SLUGGISH
Cover Art by: Byrne the Artyrannus (Instagram | Bluesky)
Read Derek's Kaiju United piece: "King of the Ad Breaks: An Assortment of Godzilla Commercial Appearances"
Part of The Glitterjaw Queer Podcast Collective
Cover Art Gallery | Patreon | Discord
Email: skreeonkpodcast@gmail.com
Theme song: "BIO WARS - Synth Cover" by Kweer Kaiju
Sources include:
• Godzilla: The First 70 Years by Steve Ryfle and Ed Godziszewski
• "‘Godzilla Minus One’ Director Says His Pets Inspired the Big Monster: ‘I Love My Cats So Much’" on The Wrap
• Kaiju Profile - Godzilla Minus One
• Wikizilla -
2 hr 15 min
Godzilla vs. Megalon (1973) with Craig J. Clark
Show notes
Punch! Punch! Punch! Writer Craig J. Clark joins us for a tag-team battle: Superhero Godzilla and his new robot friend Jet Jaguar vs. goofy buds Gigan and Megalon (who is not a guy). We talk about Jet Jaguar's origins in a children's art contest, the shadow of popular toku heroes like Ultraman and Kamen Rider, and how MST3K, John Belushi, and the Democratic National Convention helped make this extremely low-budget movie a surprise hit in the US.
Read Craig's articles on Crooked Marquee and Werewolf News.
Cover Art by: Andy Vanderbilt (Bluesky | Instagram | Twitch)
Read Derek's Kaiju United piece on Akumaizer 3!
Check out Glitterjaw's new show: Little Dead Aliens!
Part of The Glitterjaw Queer Podcast Collective
Cover Art Gallery | Patreon | Discord
Email: skreeonkpodcast@gmail.com
Theme song: "BIO WARS - Synth Cover" by Kweer Kaiju
Sources include:
• Godzilla: The First 70 Years by Steve Ryfle and Ed Godziszewski
• A Critical History and Filmography of Toho's Godzilla Series by David Kalat
• Wikizilla -
1 hr 45 min
Godzilla vs. Gigan (1972) with Walter Trush
Show notes
It's a tag-team battle with Godzilla and his dog vs. Ghidorah and his knife alien chicken sidekick! Cartoonist Walter Trush joins us for this comic book-themed espionage romp, where a manga artist and his karate champion girlfriend join a team of goofballs who get wrapped up in an alien conspiracy to build an EVIL amusement park (with a Godzilla Tower)! We talk about the Sentai team of human characters, Haruo Nakajima's departure, lots of reused footage, cockroaches, and of course... THE RETURN OF ANGUIRUS!
Check out Kokorodon on Webtoon!
Follow Walter: Bluesky | Instagram
Cover Art by: Henshin J
Read Derek's Kaiju United piece on Akumaizer 3!
For more knife aliens, check out Glitterjaw's new show: Little Dead Aliens!
Part of The Glitterjaw Queer Podcast Collective
Cover Art Gallery | Patreon |Discord
Email: skreeonkpodcast@gmail.com
Theme song: "BIO WARS - Synth Cover" by Kweer Kaiju
Sources include:
• Godzilla: The First 70 Years by Steve Ryfle and Ed Godziszewski
• A Critical History and Filmography of Toho's Godzilla Series by David Kalat
• Wikizilla -
1 hr 36 min
Godzilla: The Series (1998)
Show notes
As disastrous as the 1998 American Godzilla film may have been, one unequivocally good thing came out of it: Godzilla: The Series, a dark Fox Kids sci-fi show that reinvented and rearranged elements of its predecessor into something much smarter and cooler. With a premise that essentially remakes the Hanna-Barbera Godzilla cartoon, this show features high-concept stories, psychic ancient undersea aliens, robots, time travel, and plenty of freaky mutated kaiju. We talk about all the creative connections with other cartoon greats (including a surprising number of Spider-Man cartoons), the bizarrely stacked cast, and more!
Watchlist:
"New Family, Parts 1 & 2"
"Leviathan"
"Monster War, Parts 1-3"
"Future Shock"
"What a Long, Strange Trip It's Been"This episode originally aired on Patreon on January 11, 2025.
Cover Art by: Doug
Part of The Glitterjaw Queer Podcast Collective
Patreon | Discord
Email: skreeonkpodcast@gmail.com
Theme song: "BIO WARS - Synth Cover" by Kweer Kaiju
Sources include:
-
2 hr 16 min
Godzilla vs. Kong (2021) with with Chels Eichholz
Show notes
Are you team atomic lizard or team big monkey? Chels from The Q Division meets us in Hollow Earth for the big dumb drag wrestling match (complimentary) and all its synthwave bisexual lighting glory! We talk about Kong as a protagonist in the Monsterverse, COVID lockdown's effect on this movie, the weird amount of writers for such a simple plot and concept, how this led Rebecca Hall to make a great indie flick, podcaster representation in Brian Tyree Henry, and the Terminator-inspired Mechagodzilla.
Stay tuned for a new podcast from Chels, Across the Whoniverse: Bluesky | Instagram
Find Chels: The Q Division | And a Rewatch Podcast | Bluesky | Instagram
Cover Art by: Dukey (@artfromdukey)
Part of The Glitterjaw Queer Podcast Collective
Cover Art Gallery | Patreon |Discord
Email: skreeonkpodcast@gmail.com
Theme song: "BIO WARS - Synth Cover" by Kweer Kaiju
Sources include:
• Godzilla vs. Kong - The Art of the Ultimate Battle Royale by David Wallace
• VFX team interview on MPCVFX
• Jared Krichevsky interview on Syfy Wire
• Adam Wingard interview on ScreenCrush
• Adam Wingard interview on IndieWire
• Adam Wingard interview on Slash Film
• Jordan Vogt-Roberts interview on MovieWeb
• Comicbook.com on Ren Serizawa
• Gojipedia
• Wikizilla -
2 hr 4 min
Kong: Skull Island (2017)
Show notes
Kong ain't no fortunate son, no! The big ape's introduction to the Monsterverse is a period piece pastiche of 70s Vietnam War-era concepts -- from Apocalypse Now to the predictable needle drops -- resulting in an action-packed adventure movie full of A-listers you've seen in Marvel movies. We talk about the perils of having so, so many characters, stranded bearded John C. Reilly being both hot and adorable, how this movie tackles its political context, and much more.
Cover Art by: Jay Hawley (aka Jay Drawstick)
Part of The Glitterjaw Queer Podcast Collective
Patreon | Discord
Email: skreeonkpodcast@gmail.com
Theme song: "BIO WARS - Synth Cover" by Kweer Kaiju
Sources include:
• Toby Kebbell Interview with EW
• GQ coverage of the attack on Jordan Vogt-Roberts
• AOL interview with the stars
• Wikizilla -
1 hr 58 min
Godzilla: The Planet Eater (2018)
Show notes
We've reached the end of the divisive anime trilogy with the even more divisive and maddening final entry -- a pure cosmic horror film where an extradimensional noncorporeal Ghidorah slaughters nearly everyone and gives Godzilla an hour-long hug. We talk about the Lovecraftian inspiration, this trilogy's horrendous treatment of women, the equally horrendous treatment of its human hero and the harmful message he leaves us with, and the ultimately squandered potential of these deeply mean-spirited movies.
Please note that there is a frank discussion of suicide and other dark topics at various points in this episode.
Cover art by: Doug!
Part of The Glitterjaw Queer Podcast Collective
Patreon | Discord
Email: skreeonkpodcast@gmail.com
Theme song: "BIO WARS - Synth Cover" by Kweer Kaiju
Sources include:
• Godzilla: The First 70 Years by Steve Ryfle and Ed Godziszewski
• Wikizilla
• Gigazine Interview with the creative team -
1 hr 42 min
Godzilla: City on the Edge of Battle (2018)
Show notes
Mechagodzilla is a city?! The second installment of the divisive anime trilogy is another dour one, but it's bolstered by unique takes on classic Godzilla lore -- from telepathic indigenous worshipers of Mothra (who is not in this movie) to the nanotech Mechagodzilla that threatens to take over the planet. But among this hard sci-fi nature vs. technology conversation is still the same pacing problems, self-conscious aversion to monster fights, and weird issues with women that plague this trilogy, and we can only hope... will it get better at the end?
Part of The Glitterjaw Queer Podcast Collective
Patreon | Discord
Email: skreeonkpodcast@gmail.com
Theme song: "BIO WARS - Synth Cover" by Kweer Kaiju
Sources include:
• Godzilla: The First 70 Years by Steve Ryfle and Ed Godziszewski
• Wikizilla
• Gigazine Interview with the creative team -
2 hr 27 min
Godzilla: Planet of the Monsters (2017)
Show notes
Board your space station full of despair and venture to the only animated Godzilla films with the Netflix anime trilogy! This first installment features a tree-inspired Godzilla hunted by revenge-seeking humans and aliens on a desolate Earth 20,000 years into the future... and it's about as cheery as it sounds. We talk about this trilogy's reputation and the deliberate attempts to swerve away from standard kaiju fare, its nihilistic streak from a writer nicknamed "Urobutcher", and the downside of only getting 1/3 of a Moby Dick-style story.
Part of The Glitterjaw Queer Podcast Collective
Patreon | Discord
Email: skreeonkpodcast@gmail.com
Theme song: "BIO WARS - Synth Cover" by Kweer Kaiju
Sources include:
• Godzilla: The First 70 Years by Steve Ryfle and Ed Godziszewski
• SciFiJapan interview with Hiroyuki Seshita
• Wikizilla -
2 hr 50 min
Godzilla vs. Hedorah (1971) with Andy Vanderbilt
Show notes
A smog monster that goes from tadpole to spaceship! Flying breath-powered Godzilla! People melting into skeletons! Artist Andy Vanderbilt joins us for one of our most hotly anticipated episodes -- a movie that tackled the existential threat of pollution and became one of the weirdest and most gruesome Godzilla films. We talk about why this beloved and divisive movie was the only feature film Yoshimitsu Banno ever directed, how Hedorah has become so iconic despite appearing so rarely, the famous animated interstitials and nightclub hallucinations, lots of rotten fish, and more!
Buy Andy's book: Adventure Ace: Valley of the Giant Snake
More from Andy: Bluesky | Instagram | Twitch
Cover Art by: Hamish Steele
This episode also features appearances by:
• Chris Cummins (Sci-Fi Explosion)
• Russ (Kaiju ComicCast)
• Hamish Steele (Super Mario Moment)Part of The Glitterjaw Queer Podcast Collective
Patreon | Discord
Email: skreeonkpodcast@gmail.com
Theme song: "BIO WARS - Synth Cover" by Kweer Kaiju
Sources include:
• Godzilla: The First 70 Years by Steve Ryfle and Ed Godziszewski
• A Critical History and Filmography of Toho's Godzilla Series by David Kalat
• “Hedorah Attacks” on MyKaiju.com
• Wikizilla -
2 hr 6 min
Godzilla: Tokyo S.O.S. (2003)
Show notes
Mother Mothra swoops into this sequel to 2002's Godzilla Against Mechagodzilla that is also, shockingly, a sequel to our queen's 1961 debut! We talk about the swerve into fantasy and reverence for the original Mothra film -- including bringing back Hottest Man Alive Hiroshi Koizumi to reprise his role -- while tackling the "built a robot out of Godzilla bones" moral questions the first film ignored. We also get into the mechanic protagonist, Showa-inspired effects, lots of Super Sentai cast members, and more!
Plus, a special appearance by former guest Donny Winter!
YouTube | Growing Up Godzilla | Publications
Cover Art by: Ryan aka DearZeus (Bluesky)
Part of The Glitterjaw Queer Podcast Collective
Patreon | Discord
Email: skreeonkpodcast@gmail.com
Theme song: "BIO WARS - Synth Cover" by Kweer Kaiju
Sources include:
Godzilla: The First 70 Years by Steve Ryfle and Ed Godziszewski
Wikizilla
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