The Upgrade Podcast

Episode 080 - Another episode commemorating the January 6th insurrection... This time Len & Gary are joined by past Upgrade guests Andy Levine & Tony Corrado. Lots of poop talk (continuing the theme from #77 with Pat Henry) and then more serious talk about vaccines and the insurrection… the role of Fox News, dictator worship, gerrymandering, The Big Lie vs REAL voter fraud, Don’t Look Up,...

Episode 079 - A special episode of The Upgrade celebrating (ok definitely not) the anniversary of the January 6 Insurrection/Capitol Riots/whatever you wanna call it. Mani Mostafi from Racetraitor joins Len and Gary for a deep analysis of the storming of the Capitol and many related subjects. Not even gonna try to summarize this one, if you like The Upgrade’s political discussion (and all the clas...

Episode 078 - The Upgrade recaps the shit year that was 2021! Len and Gary talk a lot about the events of the past year along with the usual random stories….lots of politics & news (Marjorie Taylor Greene, Qanon insanity, the prison industrial complex, Kyle Rittenhouse, AOC and the war on Progressives, the invisible VP), quarantine madness, the Pennsylvania hardcore scene, entertainment (tv sh...

Episode 077 - Longtime friend of the Upgrade Pat Henry from Swashbuckle joins the show for the first time. It’s hard to summarize this ridiculousness, let’s just say that this conversation is wild even by Upgrade standards…. singing next to cat shit, John Pinette, lots of bass talk, 90’s/early 2000’s hardcore shows, pirates, Bumblefoot, comic books, pro wrestling, touring stories, lots of shit tal...

Episode 076 - Musician and film score composer Jesse Zuretti joins The Upgrade! Jesse talks to Len & Gary about a variety of subjects, including living in Denver vs the east coast, stand up comedy, comic book movies, Watchmen, Lovecraft Country, Jesse’s recent work scoring a horror movie and working with producer Jens Bogren on the new Amorphis release, Michael Jackson, Jesse’s influences incl...

Episode 075 - Another episode of IT’S TIIIME! This episode John, Len & Gary discuss last weekend’s stacked UFC 268 card, including projecting some future match-ups, comparing Dana White to Vince McMahon, discussing UFC ticket prices, scumbag Jon Jones, and much more. http://www.theupgradepodcast.net #theupgrade #theupgradepodcast #podcast #landminestudios #billyclubsandwich #hardcoremusic #nyh...

Episode 074 - John Wren is back for more combat sports discussion. John, Len & Gary get into Tyson Fury vs Deontay Wilder, bullshit booking in boxing, Jon Jones and his endless scumbaggery, UFC’s hypocritical domestic violence policy, Conor McGregor, UFC (and other companies) putting profits above everything, coach Mike Winkeljohn cutting ties with Jon Jones, sports personalities wrongly made...

Episode 073 - Part 2 of 2001 in music! After talking about the duds last episode, Len & Gary move on to the better stuff this week. This wild convo covers 2001 releases by Slipknot, Sevendust, Sum 41, Blink 182, Slayer, POD, Guru, Andrew WK, Kill Your Idols, Most Precious Blood, The Donnas, Zao, Big Pun, Stevie Nicks, Bouncing Souls, Redman, Ludacris, King Django, The Slackers, Arch Enemy, Can...

Episode 072 - This week (and next) The Upgrade jumps into another time warp! This time Len & Gary spend two episodes going back to 2001 and discussing the records released that year. This week’s discussion centers on some disappointments and some straight up BAD records that dropped that year. The convo starts with discussion of the Bad Wolves/Tommy Vext fiasco, and then turns to the average,...

Episode 071 - In a departure from the usual Upgrade episodes, this is just a quick discussion about September 11th. Not originally intended to be part of the podcast, Len & Gary decided to share this quick segment to commemorate the 20th anniversary of that terrible day. Never forget.  http://www.theupgradepodcast.net #theupgrade #theupgradepodcast #podcast #landminestudios #billyclubsandwich...

Episode 070 - WE TOLD YOU SO. Len & Gary revisit some old discussions and predictions from previous episodes and talk about some things they got right: covid & working from home, evictions, covid restrictions & small businesses, the California wildfires, corporate puppet Joe Biden, invisible Kamala Harris, compromising in politics, infrastructure, and the Woodley/Paul fight. From there...

Episode 069 - Marty Shea joins the show once again for more pro wrestling talk (we’ll change the subject next week, we swear!). Marty, Len & Gary talk about the monumental return of CM Punk on AEW Rampage, how this is the best time to be (or return to being) a wrestling fan, tiring of wrestling shows with no fans, comparable crowd reactions, the buildup to the Punk return, Jim Cornette’s surpr...

Episode 068 - This week Len & Gary are joined by longtime friend and pro wrestler Steve Huey. These three amigos ramble in many different directions (as you would expect from The Upgrade)…. pro wrestling, tv & movies, hardcore shows, the Warped Tour, Soulseek & Kazaa, Hellfest 2004, pandemic hardcore politics, pro wrestling during the pandemic, the current state of pro wrestling and th...

Episode 067 - IT’S TIIIME! (again)... John Wren joins Len & Gary once again to talk UFC! The trio spend some time discussing last weekend’s UFC 265 card, including weight cuts, questionable decisions, the early days of The Ultimate Fighter, Derrick Lewis being off his game, Amanda Nunes, and much more. From there the discussion turns to Len & Gary’s night at a pro wrestling event… diehard...

Episode 066 - Another episode about one of Gary’s favorite subjects: pro wrestling! Len & Gary talk about AEW, Impact, New Japan, GCW and others crossing over talents, the shock of Nick Gage on national television, deathmatch wrestling, comparing AEW to mid-90s WCW, AEW’s growing roster including disgruntled wrestlers & legends from WWE, AEW’s rumored signing of Bryan Danielson & CM Pu...

Episode 065 - More talk about recent news & current events… Len & Gary discuss some old Landmine Studios Patterson tales, Simone Biles & the olympics, covid variants & the vaccine, potential vaccine mandates in New York and the rest of the country, the first day of the insurrection committee hearings, connecting the dots with the actions of the Democratic Party over the last few el...

Episode 064 - The Upgrade gets back into current events! Len & Gary discuss work crap, Judas & The Black Messiah and racist stupidity, the January 6th insurrection, the trio of recent books about Donald Trump, Trump’s continued (perceived?) power in politics, how close Cult45 got to an actual takeover and the similarities to the plot of The Handmaid’s Tale, climate change, the circus regar...

Episode 063 - Once again IT’S TIIIME! Len & Gary team up with John Wren to discuss the entire UFC 264 card from this past weekend, including Jessica (Third) Eye, a debatable poor stoppage by Herb Dean, and of course a tough break (get it?) for Conor McGregor. Plus plenty of the usual tangents, including the mathematics of a UFC card, MMA becoming “sports entertainment”, future fights and much...

Episode 062 - Often asked about and in this episode you get some answers: Len & Gary talk about the origins of their musical journeys. The show starts with Gary talking about attending recent wrestling shows and his love for independent professional wrestling. From there Len & Gary get into music: their family’s influence on their musical development, first music purchases and first instru...

Episode 061 - All about THE HANDMAID’S TALE. Len & Gary both recently binged the entire series, so they get into a deep discussion analyzing the show and its characters & world, how the story comes dangerously close to things in the real world, speculation about the future of the series, and lots more! http://www.theupgradepodcast.net #theupgrade #theupgradepodcast #podcast #landminestudio...

Episode 060 - This week is another recurring special for The Upgrade. John Wren joins Len & Gary for IT’S TIIIME where the trio discusses MMA and related subjects. http://www.theupgradepodcast.net #theupgrade #theupgradepodcast #podcast #landminestudios #billyclubsandwich #hardcoremusic #nyhc #newyorkhardcore #nyhardcore #mma #mixedmartialarts #ufc ------------------------      http://www.face...

Episode 059 - This week is another POD SIDE OF THE RING where Len & Gary discuss more about DARK SIDE OF THE RING on Vice and plenty of other pro wrestling related stories. This time around the guys discuss The Collision in Korea, 2 Cold Scorpio’s gangsta status, Ric Flair’s plane crash in the 70’s, Japanese wrestling including Jushin Thunder Liger & The Great Muta, Arn Anderson & the...

Episode 058 - This week legendary guitarist Ron “Bumblefoot” Thal joins Len & Gary on The Upgrade! Bumblefoot talks about international travel, his engineer & producer work (including working on records for Indecision, Most Precious Blood, Swashbuckle & more), his work with Sons of Apollo, Guns n Roses, Art of Anarchy & also his solo work, the wear & tear of touring, the curren...

Episode 057 - In what will be a recurring theme on The Upgrade, Len & Gary do a deep dive into the current season DARK SIDE OF THE RING on Vice. The guys discuss some of the subjects discussed on the show and mix in their own thoughts and memories, including: the legendary career of New Jack, Gary’s memories of live ECW shows and the last days of ECW, the end of WCW & ECW and WWE’s role in...

Episode 056 - No guest this week so Len & Gary talk about some current events. Subjects include: thoughts on the recent Israel/Palestine conflict and the role of the United States in the conflict, Joe Biden living up to their (low) expectations, the US creating their own enemies, progressive thinking regarding money in politics, true reasons behind hatred of “The Squad” in Congress, lack of ac...