Jagbags

Len and Beave discuss the genius of Season Five of "Fargo", and talk Jon Hamm, Jennifer Jason Leigh and Dave Foley (with music by Grand Funk Railroad!!). We also address the Browns' rough afternoon in Denver, the Bulls' efforts to trade Zach Lavine, Meryl Streep's luminous performance in "Only Murders In The Building", the Cavs' up-and-down start to the NBA season, plus Beave approaches the end of...

Jagbags welcomes Val Kyriakopoulos back to the podcast for an ESSENTIAL DISCUSSION of all things heavy metal. We talk our favorite heavy metal bands and albums, and present our curated 45-minute Table Busting Playlists. We also talk about what got us into heavy metal initially, and how the music has changed over the years. We also talk speed metal, thrash, doom metal (riffs), and jazz metal (to Le...

Due to college basketball constraints, Beave and Len record the shortest Jagbags episode of all time. The guys discuss the current Hall of Fame induction candidates, plus they assess Billy Wagner's chances. You know his credentials! Hear Beave's reviews of Rolling Stone's all-time Top 500 Albums of all Time, plus Len's Favorite 500 Albums. And that's it! Happy holidays! Enjoy the leftovers.

Jag Core Member Bruce Hollett joins the podcast, resplendent in his "Five-Time Guest" purple blazer to discuss the music and the influence of the Who. What is their best album? Their best song? What songs would you put in a tight 45-minute playlist? What was their influence on punk music? How albums are produced and staged? So many questions, and we provide answers to you in less than an hour. Sub...

Len goes to see "The Eras Tour" and receives his official Swiftie Card afterwards. Beave celebrates the Browns' unbelievable comeback win over the Baltimore Ravens. Len also celebrates the Bears' win over Carolina while scanning the sidelines for Red Rifle. Beave talks the Cavs' slow start, while Len ponders trade possibilities for Zach Lavine. The Michigan cheating scandal comes under scrutiny, B...

Ever get that horrific earwormy song in your head, and it won't go away? Of course you do -- everyone does. But what songs are the single worst? Friend of the podcast Marlana May Carlson joins the podcast to discuss those types of songs. This is a podcast episode where violence is threatened, angst revealed, and impotent nightmarish scenarios are played out and relived over and over -- through the...

In the latest recap episode, Len asks Beave about his favorite moments from the latest Halloween "party" (i.e. unwanted home invasion), particularly hanging out with the cast fro "The Bear". Len talks new Cubs manager Craig Counsell, while Beave wonders about the new Guardians skipper Stephen Vogt. They also talk about the winner of the Steven Spielberg movie bracket, the latest Bears and Browns n...

Friend of the podcast Morgan Gire joins Len and Beave for a THOROUGH REVIEW of movies directed by the legendary Steven Spielberg. We go through our very favorites (Morgan has strong feelings on both Hook and The Post), as well as his more underrated features (Duel) and more overrated works (E.T.). What will we say about your favorite Spielberg films? Tune in for a true Spielberg immersion!

In the latest recap episode, Luka Doncic gets the Mavericks off to a hot start and then taunts Beave via fax. Len recommends the greatest hits of Dave Edmunds. Beave recommends "The Saint of Second Chances", on Netflix. Beave and Len cry about their favorite NFL teams' performances. Plus, the World Series, the NBA's first week of games, and we get even closer to the end of Rolling Stone's Top 500...

Friend of the podcast Eric Roach rejoins Jagbags to talk the films of the late William Friedkin, who recently passed away at the age of 87. We go through his movies, including "The French Connection", "The Exorcist", "To Live & Die in LA", "Cruising", and especially the unsung MASTERWORK "Sorcerer", starring Roy Scheider. Why did "Sorcerer" come and go without so much as a whimper at the box offic...

In the latest recap episode, the Patriots try to take revenge on Beave for his incendiary comments about their current squad, with Tucker Curtis lurking nearby. We talk the World Series matchup that has all of America breathless with anticipation: Rangers! Diamondbacks! Both the Bears and Browns win, and the guys make Super Bowl plans and talk trash. Len goes to town on the offerings of the Chocol...

Halloween is just around the corner, and in the spirit of the season we discuss our favorite horror movies of all time! Our horror movie Fan Supreme Matt Beyer joins us for a discussion of our favorite slasher, vampire, monster, supernatural possession, and zombie movies of all time! We also get into our all-time Top Ten Horror Movies Ever Made, and our Scariest Scenes of all Time. Dim the lights,...

On the newest Jagbags episode, Beave gives his review of The Darkness at The Vic, on Sheffield and Belmont featuring Salty, The Greatest Roadie Of All Time. Len reads a word from our sponsor. Len talks Tyson Bagent, Eberflus, the shaky Luke Getsy, and the improved Bears defense. Beave celebrates a Top 5 All-Time New Browns Win over the 49ers in Cleveland. They talk the MLB Playoffs, and the failur...

Beave and Len come at you with their way-too-early 2023 NBA Season Preview Episode! Why did the Bulls stand pat, and what is management's actual vision for the team? Can the Cavs make The Leap to contender status? Is Evan Mobley ready to get MVP votes? Can the Denver Nuggets repeat as NBA champs? Does Damian Lillard now make the Milwaukee Bucks a contender? Does LeBron have more greatness left? Is...

The guys wish Laura Foote a happy birthday! Former Bulls coach Jim Boylen obtains a new job at the Checkers drive-thru! We break that new job down. Beave and Len review the MLB playoffs and pick their post-season favorites. They talk the Bears' big win over Washington as well, and provide their scouting report on the upcoming opponent Minnesota. They also celebrate the terrible starts for New Engl...

Podcaster, movie critic and friend of Jagbags Morgan Gire comes back to talk the films of the eccentric Tim Burton. Which films are his very best? Which ones are most overrated? Underrated? Is Planet of the Apes in fact his worst film, or is another movie more deserving of the title? We talk all this, plus we compare him to other directors and talk about the diverse array of A-list stars that have...

You know what? It's our podcast, and so we get to do whatever we want. That means as a result of one of the worst weeks in Chicago/Cleveland sports history, we will NOT be talking the Guardians, Cubs, Browns, Bears, or ANY OF IT! So instead we flip the script and talk "I Recommend" ("The Creator", Studs Terkel's "Division Street"), Rolling Stone's Top 500 Albums, Len's Favorite 500 Albums, and Len...

With the remastered version of "Stop Making Sense" currently playing in Chicago and other cities, plus Len's newest Talking Heads bracket, the time is right to discuss their music, their impact and the chances for a reunion. What was their best album? (They had no bad albums.) What would go on your 45-minute Ultimate Playlist? Where do they rank in the Musical Pantheon Rating System? First Pantheo...

On a very personal recap episode of Jagbags, Len and Beave re-examine their relationship, all while talking the Cubs' fight for a wild card spot, the Chicago Bears' rough week, the burgeoning romance between Travis Kelce and Taylor Swift, Terry Francona's final days in Cleveland, the dominant Browns defense, "Still", nominated for seven Emmy Awards and starring Michael J. Fox, and much more! Tune...

Friend of the Jagbags Bruce Hollett joins us to discuss the music and career of the British power pop/punk pioneer the Kinks. Where do they rank in the all-time Rock Pantheon? What is their beat album? Their best song? Are they underrated or properly rated? Why were they destined to live in the shadow of the Beatles and the Rolling Stones? We go through our 45-minute all-time Kinks Playlist (an im...

In the latest recap episode, Len spells out the Cubs' exact path to the playoffs, and whether he thinks they can do it. We close the chapter on the Chicago Sky's season, and Len provides his postmortem for the team, and areas they need to improve in the off-season. (He also officially announces his candidacy for the Sky head coaching job.) We talk Bears' and Browns' bad Week 2 losses, plus Len pre...

The L.A. band the Doors continue to inspire strong opinions, even in 2023, and Beave and Len talk through the band's music in detail. Will their popularity come roaring back yet again, or has their time passed at last? Was Jim Morrison the first art rock poet, or was he a drunken fraud? Does the music hold up 50 years later? What was the secret of the band's appeal (make no mistake, at their zenit...

Beave and Len both attend the Printers Row Lit Fest downtown (unbeknownst to each other) and report back on their experiences. The Bears lose to Green Bay at home while the Browns beat Cincinnati definitively. The Cubs continue their postseason push, and the Chicago Sky make the WNBA playoffs. Plus "I Recommend", Rolling Stone's Top 500 Albums, and Len's All-Time Favorite 500 Albums. Tune in for p...

Beave and Len discuss some of the most terrifying "villains" in cinema history. From Darth Vader to Annie Wilkes to Bellatrix and everyone in between, we go through an hour's worth of despicable behavior by the people film goers love to hate. Who was the scariest? The most devious? Most overrated? And which villains had a point to their behavior? We cover it all (while forgetting so many along the...

In the latest recap episode of Jagbags, the guys talk the BBC episode "Dalgliesh", and its superiority to "Bosch" (but not "Shetland"). Len reviews the book "Welcome to the Surface of Baseball", and takes in a Chicago Dogs game in Rosemont. Plus, the Cubs slide into the playoff driver's seat! The Guardians lose by a couple of touchdowns to officially exit the playoff race! The Sox haven't found th...