Star Wars Episode IX: The Rise Of Skywalker Trailer Analysis

At long last, LucasFilm has released the first trailer for Star Wars Episode IX, which is said to be the final episode of The Skywalker Saga. The title was also revealed to be The Rise Of Skywalker.

Some time ago, there was a heavily circulated rumor that Episode IX would be called Balance of The Force. We commented on that in a previous podcast, and what that might mean. We even used information published in 1997 as proof. And we’re here to do it again with the real title.

So what did we do upon seeing the new trailer? Why we did what every other Star Wars geek would do and over-analyze practically every frame so we can speculate on what we think is to come.

Director JJ Abrams said that The Rise of Skywalker will tie up all three trilogies, making it an end to the saga.

For more in-depth commentary, you can follow along with the accompanying podcast. All the images below are of course copyright LucasFilm/Disney and are presented for informational purposes.

Without further ado, on with the analysis so we can yell at everybody else how wrong they are (just kidding…)

You can watch the trailer, or go by the screencaps below
The familiar LucasFilm logo appears, with only the sound of heavy breathing accompanying it.
We see Rey, the source of the heavy breathing on a desert planet. Tatooine? Jakku?
Rey grabs the Skywalker lightsaber. Is danger afoot?
Rey stands alone in the desert. Looking at a sky, it does not appear to be Tatooine
Like something out of the Old West, Rey holds the saber at her side
Rey stands her ground
Again, judging by what appears to be a single sun, this does not look to be Tatooine
GASP! It’s Kylo Ren’s TIE Interceptor! Or is it?
Rey ignites the Skywalker saber
Rey, looking defiant, readies for the attack
Those gloves look like Kylo Ren’s, but that doesn’t necessarily mean that it’s him wearing them. More on that later
Rey begins to run, but in the same direction as the TIE
The TIE is almost caught up
Rey leaps into the air, probably with a Force Jump
This is obviously another planet, but which one?
Kylo Ren gutting an enemy with his trademark crossguard saber. Stormtroopers are also seen
Someone is repairing Kylo Ren’s mask
Is that Rey’s staff? Or did Finn and Poe just stumble onto the set of Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade?
BB-8 and his new friend D-0, who presumably does not sing “Holy Diver”
Billy Dee looking as only he can look. Great to see Lando is finally back
Flying stormtroopers in hot pursuit of a speeder
Poe, Finn, and 3PO on board the speeder
One of the medals given at The Battle Of Yavin
Rey and Leia embrace
The band is back together! It’s not often we get to see Rey and Poe in the same shot
Arguably the most interesting shot of the whole trailer. Why are those waves moving so slowly?

Over Celebration weekend, we saw several images that may give further hints as to what is going on.

Lando Calrissian, sporting a yellow outfit similar to his younger self in Solo
Poe possibly gathering local citizens
The Poe/Finn shippers will have a field day with this image
Rey reunited with her staff. But what planet is this?
Here we definitely see Kylo piloting his TIE Interceptor
Klad! Undoubtedly the breakout star of Episode IX
Is it possible that Poe Dameron is piloting that TIE Silencer?

So let’s review

  • Rey spends some time on a desert planet that does not appear to be Tatooine
  • The other heroes either arrive with her, or follow her there
  • She may or may not have an encounter with Kylo Ren in his sip. It still could be somebody else piloting. Poe?
  • Lando reunites with Chewie and The Millennium Falcon
  • Kylo and stormtroopers attack people in a forest that looks like it could be Yavin or Takodana
  • At some point, Kylo rebuilds his mask from The Force Awakens
  • Death Star wreckage plays an important part in the film
  • Not only do we hear his laugh, but Palpatine has been confirmed by JJ himself to be in the film in some capacity.
  • If “no one is every truly gone” could we see old friends? Old enemies?

What do you think? Sound off below!!

Geekville Radio #227

Geekville Radio #227

Seth “Zandrax” Zillmann and “Crazy Train” Jonathan Bolick return to the airwaves to discuss some of the news topics of the week

Mark Hamill to be in Guardians Of The Galaxy? (1:15)

Since the return of James Gunn to Guardians Of The Galaxy 3, rumors have resurfaced that Mark Hamill may be playing a character in the film. Could he be a hero? Villain? Mercenary?

Emily Bett Rickards leaving Arrow (9:30)

The actress recently announced her departure from Arrow. Shortly afterwards, it was revealed that Felicity will not be appearing in Season 8. Could this mean a return to the comic-based pairing of Green Arrow and Black Canary?

Disney recasting X-Men except Deadpool (16:00)

It had been speculated for years, but Marvel all but confirmed during C2E2 that The X-Men and Fantastic Four will be recast and rebooted for The MCU. The only exception is Ryan Reynolds will continue as Deadpool.

We did predict on Episode 225 that this would happen, because it’s common sense. Though it will likely be several years before we get the MCU Proper X-Men film.

There is the new rumor that Stan Lee cameos may be replaced by Deadpool cameos. Which may be the best option to go with.

It is also worth noting that X-Men material is already available on Disney’s site.

Here is the list of channels and studios that Disney now owns after the merger with Fox.

  • Twentieth Century Fox
  • Twentieth Century Fox Television
  • Fox Searchlight Pictures
  • Fox 2000 Pictures
  • Fox Family
  • Fox Animation
  • FX Productions
  • FX Networks
  • Fox21
  • National Geographic Partners
  • Fox Networks Group International
  • Star India
  • Fox’s part of Hulu

Batman retrospective 80th Anniversary (29:30)

At C2E2, DC Comics held a Batman 80th Anniversary Panel, in which some fun questions were asked.

The creation of Batman has its roots in the pulp crime magazines of the 30s. Several of the panelists mentioned the characters of The Shadow, The Phantom, and Green Hornet as pre-Batman inspirations.

Well, who are three out of the first four entrants in our Lesser Known Geek Hall Of Fame? The Shadow, The Phantom, and Green Hornet

Is there a favorite incarnation of Batman?

All this and more in another fun-filled edition of Geekville Radio!

Captain Marvel Review

The last film on the MCU docket before Avengers: Endgame has finally come. Of course, it has not come without controversy.

Captain Marvel opened nationwide this past weekend to the tune of $153 million dollars nationwide, and $450 million internationally. This amidst the attention comments made by star Brie Larsen have gotten to certain fans. You can listen to our previous episode for a rundown on that story.

As for reviews, it is currently sitting at 79% on Rotten Tomatoes, with a 63% audience approval. So it may not be the highest ranking entry in the MCU family, but it has been overall well-received.

So does Captain Marvel live up to expectations and continue the near flawless record of MCU films? Short answer, yes. Captain Marvel may not be the most must-see adventure in the MCU family, but it is an entertaining, if not a little predictable, superhero origin story.

But the biggest news may be how the movie retconned the history of the previous films. More specifically, the acquisition of The Infinity Stones that Thanos eventually got possession of.

Seth “Zandrax” Zillmann and “Crazy Train” Jonathan Bolick give a more through (that means SPOILERS) review of the film.

Oh, and according to the person who designed it, Carol’s Nine Inch Nails shirt is a bootleg…

Who Is Captain Marvel?

Captain Marvel is a character that has a lot of history, not the least of which has been that there have been multiple publishers laying claim to the name. This episode of Geekville Radio hopes to clear up several things about the character.

  • The differences between Captain Marvels over the years
  • The different Captain Marvels in Marvel Comics
  • The character of Carol Danvers, and the significance of her big screen appearance

Seth “Zandrax” Zillmann, “Crazy Train” Jonathan Bolick, and special guest “Leadbase” Nic Feutz try to bring any new fans up to speed on who Captain Marvel/Carol Danvers is.

First, a history lesson!

Captain Marvel (no, the OTHER Captain Marvel…)

Back in 1939, Fawcett Comics created a character called Captain Marvel, who had superpowers such as flight, super speed, and super strength. DC Comics sued Fawcett, claiming copyright infringement on Superman, who also had many similar abilities. The legal proceedings lasted YEARS, but the courts eventually sided with Fawcett, stating DC did not properly maintain their copyright claims.

One of the fundamental differences between Superman and Captain Marvel was that Superman’s powers were based on him being an alien, whereas Marvel’s powers were magic based. All Billy Batson had to do was yell the word “Shazam!” and he became Captain Marvel.

The original Captain Marvel, who would eventually go on to be known as Shazam

Fawcett, tired of years of legal proceedings, stopped publishing Captain Marvel titles and got out of the comics business entirely in the 1950s.

DC eventually bought out Fawcett’s comic properties, meaning they gained control of all the Fawcett characters. This of course included Billy Batson and Captain Marvel.

But wait, it gets better…

Yet ANOTHER company, MF Enterprises, started publishing their own Captain Marvel title in 1966. Unlike Fawcett, MF’s Captain Marvel was an android who looked nothing like a superhero. This version was nowhere near as popular, and was canned after a few issues.

When it comes to impressive powers, dismembering ones self ranks low on the scale

By the 1970s, DC was all ready to produce stories about their Captain Marvel. Except there’s one problem. Marvel Comics had registered the actual term Captain Marvel. That’s right, the name “Captain Marvel” had not, up to this point, gone through the proper copyright procedures.

This is the part of the real life story that many comic fans know. In the end, DC agreed to not refer to their character as Captain Marvel as long as Marvel published stories with their Captain Marvel. Since the word “Shazam” was so closely linked to DC’s property, DC’s version would start regularly being referred to as Shazam.

Marvel’s Captain Marvel

So that brings us to Marvel’s Captain Marvel, and the character about to be introduced to the masses in the latest blockbuster MCU film of the same name. What do people need to know about Captain Marvel?

The Kree

First and foremost, Captain Marvel is closely associated with the alien race The Kree. Fans of the ABC series Agents Of SHIELD have seen the story develop about The Kree. As we’ll see in the film, The Kree are a militaristic race that have been at war with another race, The Skrulls, for millennia. While Skrulls are generally looked at as the villains, the war has been going on so long that neither race is truly considered “good” anymore.

The Kree have cosmic abilities, which means any Captain Marvel will as well. The Skrulls aren’t nearly as cosmically powered, but they do have the ability to shapeshift. This has lead to stories where famous characters have been revealed to have been Skrulls for years. These stories have lead to mixed receptions from fans.

Mar-Vell

Mar-Vell: The first Captain Marvel was, incidentally enough, named Mar-Vell. This is the only incarnation to have Stan Lee’s name connected to it. He and Gene Colan created the character in the mid 1960s.

Monica Rambeau

Monica Rambeau: The second Captain Marvel was Monica Rambeau, created by Roger Stern and John Romita Jr. This was the Captain throughout the 1980s.

Genis-Vell: The son of Mar-Vell took over the mantle in 1993. Created by Ron Marz and Ron Lim, this is the look that a lot of fans probably remember.

Phyla-Vell: Genis’s sister, created by Peter David and Paul Azaceta

Khn’nr: A skrull posing as Mar-Vell during the Secret Invasion storyline. This may or may not be what will happen with Jude Law in the movie. Khn’nr was created by Paul Jenkins and Tom Raney.

Noh-Varr: The last Captain before Carol, and was one of the Dark Avengers. Created by Grant Morrison and JG Jones.

And that brings us to Carol Danvers

Carol Danvers may be like the seventh Captain Marvel to come along, but she was a fixture in the Marvel Universe long before that. In fact, the character is over 50 years old.

She first appeared in 1968 as an Air Force security officer, and was an ally of the original Captain Mar-Vell. In the 1970s, she became Ms. Marvel. This is the name most associated with her throughout her run. The pilot aspect comes from the Ultimate Universe

Carol Danvers as Ms. Marvel, her previous name before Captain Marvel

She is a Human/Kree hybrid, which allows her to have the Kree abilities, while still keeping her human appearance. In the 2000s, she was also known as Warbird, and as Binary.

Her main powers include super strength, flight, and the ability to survive in space without air. Over time, she developed a “seventh sense” ability to see into the near future. As Binary, she also gained an energy absorption power. Simply put, she can absorb energy and dissipate it back out.

Boycott Controversy

Seth, Train, and Leadbase dive into the controversial news surrounding the film’s release. They do not take political stances when we talk about things like this, but there are things that are pretty hard to ignore.

  • Rotten Tomatoes “Want To see” ratings have been disabled due to negative reviews
  • While it can’t be proven, it’s a pretty safe bet that some, if not most, of these reviews are “troll” reviews by people without any real narrative
  • A lot of people are making blanketed statements when discussing these reviews
  • A lot of male Marvel fans have been wanting a Black Widow movie for years
  • No large scale boycott of Wonder Woman happened with male fans
  • Alita Battle Angel has been readily praised as a good example of a woman in a sci-fi action lead role
A perfect example of “trolling”.

One other thing worth mentioning, we had this poll on our Facebook page asking people if they were planning on seeing Captain Marvel this weekend. After approximately 150 votes, it was still 57% to 43% in favor.

In the last segment of the show, Nic gives a detailed (SPOILERS!) review of Alita: Battle Angel, and gives comparisons to the Captain Marvel controversy regarding content

If you want to hear more about the “Strong Female Character” types, check out our second episode entitled “Warriors Of Estrogen” linked below

Our second ever episode is still one of our most listened to

As usual, Crazy Train can be found on Twitter, and Lead-Base’s work can be found on Facebook

Sketch of Carol Danvers drawn literally during the show’s recording

Also, check out the project Nic talked about at the end of the show, Comfort & Adam!

The Lesser Known Geek Hall Of Fame #4: Green Hornet

The Lesser Known Geek Hall Of Fame #4: The Green Hornet

The latest entry in Geekville Radio’s Lesser Known Geek Hall Of Fame is The Green Hornet. Many fans remember the 1966 TV show with Van Williams and Bruce Lee, but did you know that the character had existed for 30 years before that TV show? Join Seth and Crazy Train as they discuss the long storied history of the character, and the surprising lineage back to the fictional Old West.

The Green Hornet was created in 1936 by George W. Trendle and Fran Striker, the same creators as The Lone Ranger. Like before, the character was originally conceived for radio serials. We previously discussed both men in our previous episode about The Lone Ranger.

Radio Origins

After the success of The Lone Ranger, Trendle and Striker looked to create another hero to add to their radio drama lineup. They opted for a contemporary hero, as The Lone Ranger was a Western.

Enter The Green Hornet.

The Green Hornet first aired on Jan 31st, 1936 for WXYZ radio. The origins of the character remain in line with many of the characters we’ve discussed so far. A wealthy individual who had a secret identity as a crimefighter. In this case, it was newspaper publisher Britt Reid, who donned a mask and took on crime lords as The Green Hornet.

Much like The Lone Ranger, Green Hornet had a partner who knew his identity and complimented his style. The Ranger had Tonto, The Hornet had Kato. Also, the show used actual classical pieces for theme and incidental music. In this case, the music was “Flight Of The Bumblebee” by Russian composer Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov .

Britt Reid’s father Dan had inherited a silver mine, which was used to fund a newspaper called The Daily Sentinel. If you listened to the last show, you will know the significance of that silver mine. That’s right, Dan Reid’s uncle was John Reid, aka The Lone Ranger. Which makes Britt The Ranger’s grand nephew.

While traveling in The Orient, Britt Reid saved the life of a man named Kato. Kato would go on to be Britt’s partner in crimefighting. He was also a master engineer and a martial artist. This complimented Britt’s intellect and detective skills. Plus, Britt used guns that would stun opponents, as his fighting skills were inferior to Kato’s.

During the 1940s, Kato’s nationality was quietly changed from Japanese to Korean due to fear that a Japanese hero during World War II would cause a backlash. We’ll touch more on that later when discussing the comic book titles.

Kato and Britt tricked out Britt’s limo, and dubbed it Black Beauty. While no model of car was given for the radio show, it likely was a very large automobile since it was a limousine.

When he first started fighting crime, Britt had no gimmick and no mask. He and Kato were out in The Black Beauty when a gunfight broke out between rival gangs, ending in a fatal shooting. The Police noticed The Black Beauty speeding away. Since the car was at the scene of the crime, Britt was concerned that if he kept using it, he would be linked to the crime. This is when he donned the mask and became The Green Hornet.

In an interesting twist, Hornet did not overtly fight crime. He built a reputation as a criminal, using the connections he would get to secretly bring the criminals to justice. Only Kato and the District Attorney knew that Hornet was a crime fighter and not a criminal himself.

After 15 years of crime fighting, Britt retired in the early 1950s

When NOW comics got the licensing in 1989, they retconned the character’s history to fit different generations. More on that later.

Movie Serials

Much like The Lone Ranger, The Green Hornet was adapted to movie serials. Trendle did not like the treatments The Ranger got, so he went to Universal Pictures for Hornet. Two serials were produced, The Green Hornet in 1940, and The Green Hornet Strikes Again in 1941.

TV Show

After the success of the classic 1960s Adam West Batman series, a Green Hornet series was produced, which ran for a single season in 1966. Van Williams was cast in the lead role of Britt Reid. Unlike Batman, which was designed to be comedic in nature, The Green Hornet was played for drama. As a result, it wasn’t remembered as fondly as The Caped Crusader’s show

The series is probably now best known for being Bruce Lee’s first major acting role as Kato. But it also had a crossover episode with Batman, where the two heroes met onscreen.

A link to the previous radio show was provided through the character of Mike Axford. During the radio show run, Axford worked for The Daily Sentinel. In the TV pilot episode, Axford tells Britt about the old days when he knew Britt’s father. This implied that the TV Britt was the offspring of the radio incarnation.

When the TV show ended, the character faded into relative obscurity for the next two decades. Though the TV version of The Black Beauty, depicted as a Chrysler Crown Imperial, gained a following with car enthusiasts.

Comic Book Adaptions

There were several attempts over the years to publish Green Hornet comics, starting in the 1940s. They did not sell nearly as well as those of The Lone Ranger, and didn’t last more than a year or two at a time.

When NOW comics started publishing Green Hornet comics in 1989, they released a four volume series Tales Of The Green Hornet. This retconned the TV series Britt Reid to be the nephew of the original, and established the new incarnation, Paul Reid, as the son of the TV version. Van Williams, star of the TV show, even wrote a few issues about his character’s run.

The Lone Ranger connection remained intact during the NOW run. However, due to potential legal issues over the likeness, the name was never used.

Kato’s history was also addressed in the NOW series. It was explained that Britt lied about Kato’s heritage out of fear that he’d be sent an internment camp during WWII.

It’s also worth noting that the miniseries killed off the original Britt Reid due to a betrayal by District Attorney Frank Scanlon, who revealed the identity to an enemy.

Like The Lone Ranger, Green Hornet is not the property of any specific comic publisher, it is self owned and licensed out. Currently, Dynamite comics has the publishing license. Recently, Dynamite did their own crossover with DC Comic’s Batman that was written by Kevin Smith

2011 Movie

Seth Rogan co-wrote and starred in a Green Hornet feature film. It was a complete reboot with no real connection to any previous incarnation, sans Black Beauty remaining a 1960s Chrysler. Unlike the TV show and radio serials, it was intended to be a comedic action film.

While the movie did well at the box office, it failed to perform enough to warrant a sequel.

What do you think, readers and listeners? Do you have any Green Hornet opinions? Feel free to share your thoughts below or on our social media pages!

Nostalgia Trip: The Monkees

Geekville Radio’s Nostalgia Trip: The Monkees

This edition of Geekville Radio’s Nostalgia Trip is devoted to the 1960s pop sensation The Monkees. While the TV show may have only lasted for two seasons, it has been revered for generations as an inspiration for mixing music, video, and comedy. It also enjoyed years of success in syndication.

The Monkees were a made for TV band in 1966, partially in response to BeatleMania and the successful movie A Hard Day’s Night. They were all cast and given band member roles by the studio. They were not a band that formed organically. As such, there have been misconceptions and misinterpretations about the group over the years. This show hopes to straighten out some of those misconceptions.

THE MONKEES

Micky Dolenz – Born in LA in 1945, he grew up in an entertainment family. Micky broke into showbiz at the age of 11 when he starred in a children’s show called Circus Boy under the name Micky Braddock. While he could play guitar, he wound up being cast as the drummer for the TV show. Due to a medical condition, he set up his drum kit in a unique way. The bass pedal was set up for left-handed playing, while the rest of the kit was set up for playing right-handed.

Dolenz could also be considered the one that stayed the most active after The Monkees broke up. He did continue acting and making music. in the 1970’s Micky auditioned to be Fonzie before the role was given to Henry Winkler.

Perhaps his most known role outside of The Monkees is the voice of Arthur from the original 1990s animated series The Tick.

Dolenz of course sang lead for the band’s first hit “Last Train To Clarkesville”, which many people may not know is about a man shipping off to fight in The Vietnam War. But a song that was almost entirely his brainchild, “Randy Scouse Git”, appeared on Headquarters. That song had to be renamed in UK releases due to the vulgar nature of the term (it translates to “horny British boy”).

Davy Jones – The youngest of the groups, born in December 1945 in Manchester. Arguably the most popular, especially with the ladies. He usually wound up singing the romantic ballads as a result. Usually depicted onscreen as a percussionist, carrying a tambourine or maracas.

Davy did have some measure of fame before being cast in The Monkees. He was a professional singer who had received awards for live musicals. He also appeared on the very same episode of The Ed Sullivan Show that introduced The Beatles.

Jones will probably be best remembered for singing what may be The Monkees’ biggest hit, “Daydream Believer”. That appeared on the fifth and final album of the series, The Birds, The Bees, & The Monkees.

Sadly, Davy passed away in February 2012 of a heart attack.

Peter Tork – Born in Washington DC in February 1942, Peter was the oldest of the four. Tork wound up playing the “straight man” of the group, and would often be setting up the jokes rather than making them himself. His father was a college professor, and Peter himself has always been a bit of an intellectual.

He started playing piano at age nine, and went on to learn several other instruments. While he was a young man, Peter befriended then aspiring musician Stephen Stills, mostly known for Buffalo Springfield, and being the Stills in Crosby, Stills, Nash, & Young. As luck would have it, Stills had auditioned to be a Monkee before Peter knew about the opportunity. Stills was rejected due to not being photogenic enough for TV. Stills then recommended the creators look at Peter Tork. “And the rest” Tork would say “is a hysterectomy”

In a bit of irony, Tork may have been the one with the greatest amount of musical talent. Yet onscreen he was cast as being a bass player. Plus, his role in the show was more of a straight man who could be fooled, despite being a real life intellectual.

Tork is probabably the one that sang the least often. In fact, only one Monkees song from the original run featured Peter on lead vocals. That being “Your Auntie Grizelda” off the second album More Of The Monkees.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rp_eI23YFZY

That said, it’s worth noting that Peter did help write a few songs. Most notably “For Pete’s Sake” which became the closing theme music., though it’s commonly misidentified as “In This Generation”. He also did the music arrangement for arguably their biggest hit, “Daydream Believer”.

Michael Nesmith – Born on December 1942 in Texas, Nesmith is a bonafide  southerner. Though cast as a quieter goofball,  he often wound up being the smartest guy in the room.

Nesmith had recorded songs previously under the name Michael Blessing, and had experience writing songs. One of his songs was “Different Drum”, which became a hit for The Stone Poneys that launched the career of a young Linda Ronstadt.

Mike’s onscreen gimmick was his constant wearing of a snowcap. He wore the cap during his audition, and the producers liked the look. In reality, Mike truly grew to hate the snowcap look. He and Peter Tork were also the ones most vocal about wanting to play their own instruments

After The Monkees, Nesmith became quite the renaissance man. He started a video company that produced movies and comedy videos like Elephant Parts. In 1980, he started a TV show called PopClips, which would wind up being the direct precursor to MTV. On top of that, his mother had created the solution that would become Liquid Paper.

Among some of the Hollywood films Nesmith produced are Repo Man and Timerider.

Nesmith’s song “Papa Gene’s Blues” was one of the rare exceptions on the first album to be written and produced by a band member.

MUSIC

While everything started with a TV sitcom, music was produced simultaneously by producers like Don Kirschner. Professional songwriters were used to write most of the songs on the first two albums. A lot of the music was recorded by the infamous studio group The Wrecking Crew for the first two albums.

It is true is the band did not play instruments on the first two albums, The Monkees and More Of The Monkees. The reasons why were simple. One, they were doing the TV show, and for productions’ sake, they could just go into the studio and lay down vocals rather than spend the extra time rehearsing. And two, the songs needed to sound like a band that had been together for years. And guys that just met each other the same year just flat out aren’t going to be in sync, let alone do much songwriting.

The onscreen depiction of the band had Mike on guitar, Micky on drums, and Peter Tork on bass. The irony is Peter Tork may have been the most musically inclined of all of them. Davy was usually depicted as percussion (tamborine or maracas), but he did play instruments here and there. Micky did have to learn drums, as he was more of a guitarist. Davy had told the story that when they were asked who is going to be the drummer, he, Mike, and Peter all took a step back leaving Micky alone”.

Communication about when the albums would be released and what singles would be used was not discussed much between the label and the band. There was an infamous story of The Monkees doing live appearances shortly after the first album was released. Fans would tell them “We got your new album”… to which confused the group as they only knew of one album. It turned out the second album More Of The Monkees had been produced and released without their knowledge..

Most of the early hits were mostly written by other songwriters

  • Tommy Boyce and Bobby Hart – “Monkees Theme”, “Last Train To Clarkesville”
  • Neil Diamond – “I’m A Believer”, “A Little Bit Me, A Little Bit You”
  • John Stewart (not THAT John Stewart) – “Daydream Believer”
  • Carole King and Gerry Coffin – “Pleasant Valley Sunday”

Some critics do not seem to consider The Monkees a “real band”, due to them being assembled. But the truth is that type of practice was not uncommon at all in the entertainment business. Studios have assembled singing groups for decades, and it’s still being done to this day. How were The Spice Girls formed? The Backstreet Boys? New Kids On The Block?

The third album, Headquarters, was the first to feature the band playing their own instruments. It is looked at by many music historians as an important album in history due to this fact. By this time, Chip Douglas had been hired as producer. He also took over most of the bass playing. The album sold well, though subsequent albums sold significantly less than these first three.

The Monkees themselves had said if they could do it over again, the lineup would be Peter on guitar, Mike on bass, Davy on drums and Micky as a frontman. That would have played to all their strengths. The music video to the song “Words” depicts this lineup.

TV SHOW

The show ran for two full seasons from September 1966 to March of 1968. The show did decline in the second season, due to the reaction that the boys weren’t really a band. In addition, there were creative differences. The band wanted to do more than just screwball comedy, and wanted to turn the show into more of a variety show. During that time, variety shows like The Ed Sullivan Show were extremely popular.

Some of the musicians who auditioned for the show did wind up with succesful music careers. There was the aforementioned Stephen Stills, as well as Paul Williams.

Here is a highlight reel of the auditions and screen tests the guys went through

HEAD

The group made their first and only feature film in 1968. Head was releaseed to change the band’s image. In fact, there was a marketing campaign that didn’t even mention the band was in the movie. The opening scene of the band jumping off the bridge was to symbolize the “death and rebirth” of their careers. Jack Nicholson (yes THAT Jack Nicholson) helped write and produce the film. The title Head came about because if there was a sequel, it would be marketed as “From the people that gave you Head”.

The movie is notable for having several different cameos. Among the celebrities who appear:

    • Green Bay Packers Linebacker Ray Nitschke has a cameo playing a football player in the trenches of Vietnam.
    • Teri Garr in her first feature film
    • Sonny Liston in a boxing match with Davy
    • Annete Funicello as a spectator in said boxing match
    • Ronald Reagan, then Governor of California, in a news clip
    • Jack Nicholson and Dennis Hopper as film crew
    • Tor Johnson as a guard (his final onscreen appearance)

While Head may have been a colossal failure at the box office, it would up gaining cult status for its outlandishness. From a musical standpoint, it did feature a live rendition of the song “Circle Sky”, in which they sing and play every note in one take.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aWi_63q58CQ

In closing, there is an opinion from many fans that The Monkees are worthy to be included in The Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame. Only time will tell if that opinion will become fact.

If you have any thoughts on The Monkees, whether it be the show, the music, or anything else, we’d love to hear them. Sound off below!

THE SUPERHERO BOWL: All Superhero Football Teams

Flashback to 2015 for some football fever superhero talk. Seth “Zandrax” Zillmann, “Crazy Train” Jonathan Bolick, and “Uncle Greg” Ochaba make a football team entirely out of superheroes (AND villains). It’s a perfect discussion for fellow comic book fans at a Big Game Party.

Could Thor play Quarterback? Should Hulk be Offensive or Defensive line?

All these positions and many more in this Flashback Episode of Geekville Radio!

Remakes & Reboots

Seth “Zandrax” Zillmann and “Crazy Train” Jonathan Bolick return for the first full-fledged Geekville Radio episode for 2019!

Black Panther Nabs Best Picture Nomination

Historical news hit this week with Black Panther getting an Academy Award Nomination for Best Picture. It is very rare for a Geek movie, especially a superhero one, to get any consideration outside of technological achievement. While Seth and Train agree that it will likely not win the coveted prize, it is still a huge achievement for such a movie to even get nominated.

You can check out our review of Black Panther back on Episode 192.

Ghostbusters 3 Announced For 2020

Jason Reitman, son of Ivan Reitman, has officially announced a Ghostbusters film for 2020 that will be in continuity to the two 1980s entries.

This has sparked renewed interest from fans.  A tweet from original star and co-writer Dan Aykroyd implied that he would be interested in helping out with the new project.

Leslie Jones, who stared in the 2016 reboot, did not seem as happy. She tweeted her disappointment that her movie will be ignored in this new sequel.

We did review the 2016 reboot, favorably we might add, and chime in on the idea of ignoring the reboot. And whether it is a sensible move or not.

Solo Hits Netflix

Solo: A Star Wars Story, which famously underperformed at the box office last year, made its debut on Netflix. This gave Train a chance to finally catch the film, and compare his thoughts as to why it did poorly compared to Rogue One.

Seth’s review of Solo can be found here for contrast. Our Rogue One review is also still available for reference.

Finally, Seth and Train discuss all these reboots, remakes, and sequels that have been made lately. Why is it some are great while others fall short? And why could some of these movies work then and not work now?

With all this 80s talk, it’s only fitting Train gives a 1980’s One Hit Wonder Spotify playlist.

All this and more in another fun-filled episode of Geekville Radio.

Spider-Man Far From Home Trailer

At long last, the first trailer for Spider-Man: Far From Home has hit the interwebs. Check it out below, and check out our analysis of the trailer by clicking on the podcast link above.

Is this before or after Infinity War? There are a few clues within. Let us know what you think!

Avengers Endgame Trailer, Elseworlds Review

It’s a double whammy return to the airwave for Geekville Radio. Join Seth “Zandrax” Zillmann and “Crazy Train” Jonathan Bolick as they talk about the two giant stories in the comic superhero world.

Whammy #1 – The world is still buzzing over the first Avengers Endgame Trailer. What can we expect from some of the nuggets dropped in that teaser? How can Tony get saved? Could we see Rescue? Adam Warlock perhaps? And what about that reveal of Hawkeye as Ronin?

Whammy #2 – The CW did their annual “Arrowverse” crossover Elseworlds. While it was only three parts instead of the usual four, it did finally bring Lois Lane into the show, as well as introduced the CW viewers to Gotham City and Batwoman. With all the hints dropped at famous Batman villains, could we finally be seeing The Caped Crusader on CW Programming?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=APl1IX34X50

All this and more in another fun-filled Geekville Radio