The Film-Flam Man Podcast with Mat Bradley-Tschirgi

We interview author Steve Lynn (Nintendo Hard) about the Kickstarter for his latest book The Easy Way: Friday the 13th from 8-Bit Press.

Among other things, we discuss why Friday the 13th was so effective for an early survival horror game, how Steve’s background in speedrunning games influenced his approach to this book, and what Japanese movie poster might have inspired the look for Jason in Friday the 13th on the NES.

BackThe Easy Way: Friday the 13thon Kickstarter.

Visit the website for8-Bit Press.

The theme music for The Film-Flam Man Podcast is by Tom Shad.

FollowTom Shadon Bandcamp.

Get full access to The Film-Flam Man at https://matwbt.substack.com/subscribe

We interview author Mike Sielski (Magic in the Air: The Myth, the Mystery, and the Soul of the Slam Dunk, The Rise: Kobe Bryant and the Pursuit of Immortality) about his latest book from St. Martin’s Press, Going the Distance: Stallone, Philly, and the Story of Rocky.

Among other things, we discuss why the city of Philadelphia was integral to Rocky, what’s special about the original Rocky that sets it apart from its sequels, and how he was able to interview none other than Sylvester Stallone (Demolition Man, First Blood) himself for his book.

A complimentary copy of Going the Distance: Stallone, Philly, and the Story of Rocky was provided for review.

Pre-orderGoing the Distance: Stallone, Philly, and the Story of Rockyin hardcover, Kindle, and on Audible.

FollowMike Sielskion Instagram.

FollowMike Sielskion X.

FollowSt. Martin’s Presson Instagram.

The theme music for The Film-Flam Man Podcast is by Tom Shad.

FollowTom Shadon Bandcamp.

Get full access to The Film-Flam Man at https://matwbt.substack.com/subscribe

We interview author Justin Remer (“Weird Al” Yankovic’s “Weird Al” Yankovic in 3-D) about his latest book, “Weird Al” Yankovic’s “Weird Al” Yankovic in 3-D. The publisher is Bloomsbury Academic, and the book is part of the acclaimed 33 1/3 book series which looks at notable albums from popular artists in a variety of genres.

Among other things, we discuss why In 3-D was such a seminal album early on in Weird Al’s career, which books from the 33 1/3 book series inspired Justin to write his own, and why a Weird Al concert is truly a multimedia experience.

A complimentary copy of “Weird Al” Yankovic’s “Weird Al” Yankovic in 3-D was provided for review.

Pre-order“Weird Al” Yankovic’s “Weird Al” Yankovic in 3-Din paperback.

VisitJustin Remer’swebsite.

FollowJustin Remeron Instagram.

FollowBloomsbury Publishingon Instagram.

Follow33 1/3 Bookson Instagram.

The theme music for The Film-Flam Man Podcast is by Tom Shad.

FollowTom Shadon Bandcamp.

Get full access to The Film-Flam Man at https://matwbt.substack.com/subscribe

We interview author Nat Segaloff (The Exorcist Legacy, The Rambo Report) about his latest book, The Secret Hitchcock: How Hollywood’s Legendary Director Lived through Cary Grant and James Stewart. The publisher is The University Press of Kentucky.

Among other things, we discuss as how successful Alfred Hitchcock was at marketing himself as a brand, why Hitchcock is such fertile material for film historians, and how the characters Cary Grant and James Stewart played represented different sides of Hitchcock himself.

Photo Credit: JB Lahmani

A complimentary copy of The Secret Hitchcock was provided for review.

Pre-orderThe Secret Hitchcockin hardcover and on Kindle.

Visit Nat Segaloff’s website.

Follow The University Press of Kentucky on Instagram.

The theme music for The Film-Flam Man Podcast is by Tom Shad.

FollowTom Shadon Bandcamp.

Get full access to The Film-Flam Man at https://matwbt.substack.com/subscribe

We interview author Matt Singer (Opposable Thumbs: How Siskel & Ebert Changed Movies Forever) about his new book Funny Business: The Old-School Wedding Crashers and Knocked-Up Virgins Who Changed Comedy Forever.

Among other things, we discuss what made the early 2000s a fertile period for theatrical comedy, how comedies have changed today, and how the DVD and Blu-ray boom left audiences wanting more and more unrated hijinks in their movies.

Photo Credit: Clayton Rathiel

PurchaseFunny Businessin hardcover, on Kindle, and on Audible.

FollowMatt Singeron Instagram.

Learn more aboutMatt Singeron his website.

The theme music for The Film-Flam Man Podcast is by Tom Shad.

FollowTom Shadon Bandcamp.

Get full access to The Film-Flam Man at https://matwbt.substack.com/subscribe

We interview Kenny Williams about his boutique blu-ray label Yippee Ki-Yay Mother Video. He also runs a video rental store and micro cinema by the same name in Alpha, Michigan.

Among other things, we discuss Kenny’s love of movies on physical media, how he ended up producing his own Blu-rays, and his experiences working with Albert Pyun (Captain America, Interstellar Civil War) and Uwe Boll (Citizen Vigilante, Run) on making boutique special editions of their latest films.

Disclaimer: I contributed to audio commentaries for the Run and Citizen Vigilante Blu-rays available from Yippee Ki-Yay Mother Video.

BuyCitizen Vigilante+Runon Blu-ray (use discount code BOLLSRUN50 to getRunfor half-off!) fromYippee Ki-Yay Mother Video.

FollowYippee Ki-Yay Mother Videoon Instagram.

Learn more atYippee Ki-Yay Mother Video’sofficial website.

Visit Yippee Ki-Yay Mother Video’s retail store and micro cinema in person at Yippee Ki-Yay Mother Video, 514 Main St., Alpha, MI 49902.

The theme music for The Film-Flam Man Podcast is by Tom Shad.

FollowTom Shadon Bandcamp.

Get full access to The Film-Flam Man at https://matwbt.substack.com/subscribe

We interview filmmakers Carissa Goble and Eamonn Cogan about Prescott Confidential, a new feature they are launching a fundraising campaign for. Described as a home invasion thriller with western flair that has family as its beating heart, this film from Othered Productions shows a lot of promise.

Among other things, we discuss their early days working at movie theaters and going to film school, why Prescott, Arizona was chosen as the shooting location for Prescott Confidential, and why special needs characters are often limited to condescending supporting roles in dramas.

Donate toPrescott Confidential’sfundraising campaign at Givebutter.

Watch thePrescott Confidentialcampaign video on YouTube.

Learn more aboutPrescott Confidentialon its official website.

FollowCarissa Gobleon Instagram.

FollowEamonn Coganon Instagram.

The theme music for The Film-Flam Man Podcast is by Tom Shad.

FollowTom Shadon Bandcamp.

Get full access to The Film-Flam Man at https://matwbt.substack.com/subscribe

We interview author James Mielke about his new biography Nobuo Uematsu: On the Record available now from Viz Media. Uematsu-san is perhaps best known as the sole composer of Final Fantasy I-IX. He’s also contributed music tracks to several other games including Chrono Trigger and Super Smash Bros. Brawl.

Among other things, we discuss the tight-knit work culture at SquareSoft in the 1980s, what kind of beer gave James the liquid courage to pitch Uematsu-san on being his biographer, and what interviewing techniques work best. In the back half of the episode, we share a few of each other’s favorite Final Fantasy tracks (you can listen to the music we discuss on this custom playlist).

Purchase James Mielke’s bookNobuo Uematsu: On the Recordin hardcover and on Kindle.

Follow Viz Media on Instagram.

Follow James Mielke on Instagram.

Learn more about James Mielke on his website.

Get full access to The Film-Flam Man at https://matwbt.substack.com/subscribe

We interview burlesque performer and writer Audra Wolfmann about her participation in the Weird Al themed burlesque troupe Tight & Nerdy, the subject of the feature film documentary Tight & Nerdy directed by Jeff Nucera and Jonathan Ruane.

Among other things, we discuss how Audra got into burlesque, what is was like being in a documentary, and her reaction to seeing the finished film for the first time.

FollowAudra Wolfmannon Instagram.

Subscribe toAudra Wolfmann’ssubstackRaised by Wolfmanns.

Listen toThe Fourth Space, a podcastAudra Wolfmannco-hosts withRaymond Wiley, about counterculture, community, and the universe of the mind.

Get full access to The Film-Flam Man at https://matwbt.substack.com/subscribe

We interview author David F. Walker (The Black Panther Party: A Graphic Novel History, The Second Chance of Darius Logan) about his new book Black Film: A History of Black Representation and Participation in the Movies.

Among other things, we discuss the decline in film literacy, how challenging it can be to narrow down all of black cinema history into one book, and the saving graces of Shaft in Africa.

Purchase David F. Walker’s bookBlack Film: A History of Black Representation and Participation in the Moviesin hardcover and on Kindle.

Follow David F. Walker on Instagram.

Support David F. Walker on Patreon.

The theme music for The Film-Flam Man Podcast is by Tom Shad.

Follow Tom Shad on Bandcamp.

Get full access to The Film-Flam Man at https://matwbt.substack.com/subscribe

We interview actress Stephanie Romanov (Angel, Spy Hard, The Final Cut, Thirteen Days) about her career in film and TV.

Among other things, we discuss what it’s like interacting with your fans at conventions, the wonders of Leslie Nielsen’s fart machine on the set of Spy Hard, and how Robin Williams responded to an acting choice she made when filming The Final Cut.

Photo credit: Grayson Wilder

Follow Stephanie Romanov on Instagram.

Visit Stephanie Romanov’s official website.

The theme music for The Film-Flam Man Podcast is by Tom Shad.

Follow Tom Shad on Bandcamp.

Get full access to The Film-Flam Man at https://matwbt.substack.com/subscribe

We interview actor Billy West (Futurama, Ren & Stimpy, Doug, Space Jam) about his new memoir Voice-A-Versa: Finding My Voice(s) Behind the Mic from Abrams Books. We also go into his storied career in radio and cartoon voice-acting.

Among other things, we discuss his hellish childhood that’s a focus of much of his memoir, why relatively modern diagnoses like ADHD and autism matter, and how challenging it was to do the Audible for his memoir in his real voice.

Purchase Billy West’s memoir Voice-A-Versa in hardcover, e-book, and on Audible.

Follow Billy West on X.

Visit Billy West’s official website.

The theme music for The Film-Flam Man Podcast is by Tom Shad.

Follow Tom Shad on Bandcamp.

Get full access to The Film-Flam Man at https://matwbt.substack.com/subscribe

We interview writer Steve Young (Bathtubs Over Broadway, Late Show with David Letterman) about his comedy writing career, how his interest in industrial musicals led to the acclaimed documentary Bathtubs Over Broadway, and his current venture into writing and acting in short comedy films.

Among other things, we discuss why the type of guests changed over the decades from Late Night with David Letterman to Late Show with David Letterman, why industrial musicals are more than just kitschy curiosities, and what it’s like taking short films on the film festival circuit.

Follow Steve Young on Instagram.

Visit theBathtubs Over Broadwaywebsite.

Learn about the wonderful world of industrial musicals in Steve Young and Sport Murphy’s bookEverything’s Coming Up Profits: The Golden Age of Industrial Musicals.

Photo by Dee Sullivan for the Woods Hole Film Festival.

The theme music for The Film-Flam Man Podcast is by Tom Shad.

Follow Tom Shad on Bandcamp.

Get full access to The Film-Flam Man at https://matwbt.substack.com/subscribe

We interview author and journalist Max Evry (A Masterpiece in Disarray: David Lynch’s Dune) about his latest book Stranded on Earth: How Night Skies Became E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial.

Among other things, we discuss the challenges of booking interview subjects, how the premise of Night Skies led to the creation of Steven Spielberg’s (Munich, The Terminal) E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, and our thoughts on the trailer for Denis Villeneuve’s (Blade Runner 2049, Polytechnique) highly anticipated Dune: Part Three.

Pre-orderStranded on Earthin hardcover and on Kindle.

Follow Max Evry on Instagram.

Follow 1984 Publishing on Instagram.

The theme music for The Film-Flam Man Podcast is by Tom Shad.

Follow Tom Shad on Bandcamp.

Get full access to The Film-Flam Man at https://matwbt.substack.com/subscribe

We interview directors Jeff Nucera and Jonathan Ruane about their new documentary feature Tight & Nerdy. It’s a great look at a burlesque troupe that performs to the music of Weird Al!

Among other things, we discuss why “Weird Al” Yankovic music and burlesque make for a good pairing, the challenges of making a documentary feature film, and how welcoming the burlesque community tends to be.

Learn about the latest Tight & Nerdy screenings on their official website.

Follow Tight & Nerdy on Instagram.

Follow Tight & Nerdy on TikTok.

The theme music for The Film-Flam Man Podcast is by Tom Shad.

Follow Tom Shad on Bandcamp.

Tight & Nerdy is playing at select film festivals. A complimentary copy was provided for review.

Get full access to The Film-Flam Man at https://matwbt.substack.com/subscribe

We interview Marcus James Heslop, author of Frantastic! The Amazing Story of Fran Fullenwider, the Plus-Sized Pioneer (Chinbeard Books).

Among other things, we discuss what took Fran’s acting career from the United States to Europe, why she stood out as one of the most striking Transylvanians in The Rocky Horror Picture Show, and how it can be a challenge tracking down episodes of rare foreign TV shows for research.

Pre-order Frantastic! on Kindle, paperback, and hardcover.

Follow Chinbeard Books on Facebook.

Follow Marcus Heslop on Facebook.

The theme music for The Film-Flam Man Podcast is by Tom Shad.

Follow Tom Shad on Bandcamp.

Get full access to The Film-Flam Man at https://matwbt.substack.com/subscribe

We interview jD Shapiro, whose screenwriting credits include the comedy Robin Hood: Men in Tights. He’s the head writer on Tras Los Pasos De La Rubia Platino.

Among with other things, we discuss what is was like working with legends including Mel Brooks and the late Stan Lee, why MAD Magazine was such a big influence on his sense of comedy, and how animal activism became a cornerstone in jD’s life.

Watch the trailer forTras Los Pasos De La Rubia Platino.

Follow jD Shapiro on Instagram.

Donate to Roadogs Rescue.

Get full access to The Film-Flam Man at https://matwbt.substack.com/subscribe

We interview author Bruce Kilkowski Jr. on his debut book from Harker Press, Monsters Unborn: The Lost Universal Monster Remakes.

Among other things, we discuss why Universal’s take on Dracula, The Invisible Man, and Frankenstein are so memorable all these years later, the challenge of finding unproduced screenplays to write about, and that one time Randy Quaid played Frankenstein’s Monster for a TNT movie.

Monsters Unbornis available for purchase in hardcover and paperback and on Kindle.

Follow Harker Press on Instagram.

Follow Bruce’s podcast Screenplay Archaeology on Instagram.

The theme music for The Film-Flam Man Podcast is by Tom Shad.

Follow Tom Shad on Bandcamp.

Get full access to The Film-Flam Man at https://matwbt.substack.com/subscribe

We interview directors David Gantz and Lahna Turner about their new feature documentary Come What May, a look at the life of the late stand-up comedian Ralphie May.

Among other things, we discuss the wide variety of sources of footage used in the documentary, the film’s balance of focusing on Ralphie’s good and bad sides, and what they hope people take away from the film.

Come What May is currently on tour in select cities with in-person Q&As. A complimentary copy of the film was provided for review.

Buy tickets for Come What May on the film’s website.

Follow David Gantz on Instagram.

Follow Lahna Turner on Instagram.

Get full access to The Film-Flam Man at https://matwbt.substack.com/subscribe

We interview Jacqueline Vong (co-founder of Playology International) about her work on the 40th anniversary of the beloved 1980s Canadian animated series The Raccoons. There are albums, t-shirts, and Blu-rays of The Raccoons coming out over the coming months, so they’ll be something for every fan to enjoy!

Among other things, we talk about her career as a merchandising licensing expert, why The Raccoons still holds up as an animated series thanks to its ecological themes, and what Raccoons merchandise she enjoyed as a child.

Follow Playology International on Instagram.

Follow The Raccoons 40th Anniversary on Instagram.

Visit The Raccoons 40th Anniversary on YouTube.

The theme music for The Film-Flam Man Podcast is by Tom Shad.

Follow Tom Shad on Bandcamp.

Get full access to The Film-Flam Man at https://matwbt.substack.com/subscribe